And he said, Come in, thou blessed of the LORD; wherefore standest thou without? for I have prepared the house, and room for the camels.
31. thou blessed of the Lord ] Cf. Gen 26:29. Laban’s reference to Jehovah probably implies that he too, as a member of Abraham’s kindred, was a worshipper of Jehovah the God of Abraham.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Gen 24:31
Come in, thou blessed of the Lord
Confession of Christ; or, persuasives to church fellowship
As Laban said I have prepared the house, so Christ has ordained the Church and provided it with all things necessary for the refreshment, repose, and invigoration of His people.
As Abrahams servant was invited to enter, so the ministers and stewards of Gods word, and all the members of His Church, should bless those whom the Lord has blessed, and affectionately invite them to participate in all the privileges of the Lords house.
I. WHO ARE THE BLESSED OF THE LORD? The Lord Jesus answered our question in the very first sentences of His great sermon on the mount. He opened His mouth and taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit. The Lord also said, Blessed are they that mourn. The Lord also said, Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness. These are blessed of the Lord.
II. Let us inquire WHY THOSE WHO ARE BLESSED OF THE LORD SHOULD ACCEPT THE INVITATION of the Church to come in, by personal confession of Christ.
1. The Lord commands it (Mat 10:32-33; Mar 8:38).
2. The Church solicits it. A Christian who never confesses Christ and who holds aloof from fellowship with the Church, might as well not exist, so far as the interests of the Church are concerned.
3. The world needs it. The stronger the Church the more potent is the influence at work for the worlds good.
4. Your own spiritual welfare requires it. The value of association is recognized in other things. And thus church fellowship is useful in strengthening the convictions of those who share in a common faith and love towards Christ. An additional safeguard is thus furnished in seasons of temptation.
III. Let us now examine SOME OF THE EXCUSES adduced by those who, though blessed of the Lord, yet stand without. Some are ashamed of Christ, and shrink from the ridicule or enmity which confession might bring upon them. But these are not blessed of the Lord, for He says to them: He that is ashamed of Me, of him shall the Son of Man be ashamed. Some keep outside that they may be free from the restraints of membership, and have more liberty for sin, or at least for folly. Others keep outside because they resolve to postpone repentance. But why do any who really trust in Jesus and who desire to love and obey Him stand without? They are hindered by unscriptural obstacles, erroneous opinions, or misapplied humility. (Newman Hall, LL. B.)
The blessed of the Lord
I. WHAT IT IS THAT CONSTITUTES REAL HAPPINESS IN THE SIGHT OF GOD. It is being blessed of the Lord.
II. WHO ARE THEY THAT MAY BE SAID TO RE EMPHATICALLY BLESSED?
1. They who are justified in the sight of God.
2. Those who are sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
III. IN WHAT RESPECT AWE THEY BLESSED?
1. In their souls.
2. In their trials and sorrows.
3. In their mercies and prosperity.
4. In their labours.
5. In their relationship.
6. Throughout all eternity.
IV. And those, in the next place, who are thus blessed of the Lord, may TEST THE REALITY of their having that benediction by what they do for, or distribute amongst others, to whom the knowledge of that blessing has long been strange. He who is most blessed of God is always the greatest blessing to those that are about him. The greatest receiver of spiritual things is always the greatest giver; and the more he gives the more he gets, till he learns, by blessed and practical experience, it is more blessed to give than to receive. (J. Cumming, D. D.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 31. Thou blessed of the Lord] Probably a usual mode of wishing prosperity, as he that is blessed of the Lord is worthy of all respect; for, enjoying the Divine favour, he is in possession of the sum of happiness.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Come in, thou blessed of the Lord, i.e. whom God hath so eminently favoured and blessed.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And he said, come in, thou blessed of the Lord,…. Both with temporal and spiritual blessings; he concluded he was blessed with the former by the presents he had made to his sister, and by the men that attended him, and the number of camels that were with him; and with the latter by his devotion, his worshipping of God, and thankfulness to him, which Rebekah had observed and related: some Jewish writers say h, he thought he was Abraham, and therefore gave him this title and this invitation to come into the house:
wherefore standest thou without? this he said either as reproving him that he did not follow his sister upon her invitation, or rather as pressing him to make no more delay:
for I have prepared the house: swept it clean, or ordered it to be so, as the word i signifies; had fitted and furnished it with everything convenient for him and those with him: Jonathan and Jarchi interpret it of purging the house from idols and strange worship, which he knew would be offensive to Abraham, or any that belonged to him; but the former sense is best:
and room for the camels; he had ordered the stable to be cleansed also, and everything provided there fit for the camels; so that some time elapsed between Rebekah’s return home and Laban’s coming to the well, though no doubt everything was done with as much dispatch as possible.
h Bereshit Rabba, sect. 60. fol. 52. 4. Targ. Jon. in loc. i “repurgavi”, Drusius; “verri”, Schmidt.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(31) Come in, thou blessed of the Lord.This hospitality was in the East almost a matter of course, though Labans earnestness may have been increased by the sight of his sisters golden ornaments. More remarkable is it that Laban addresses the servant as blessed of Jehovah; for we learn in Jos. 24:2 that the monotheism of Nahor and his family was by no means pure. Still, neither were they idolaters, and the other gods whom they served were probably teraphim, as certainly were the gods of Laban mentioned in Gen. 31:30. Even to the last these household gods seem to have retained a hold upon the affections of the nation (Hos. 3:4); and probably most uneducated minds, even when their religion is in the main. true, have nevertheless a tendency to add on to it some superstitions, especially in the way of fashioning for themselves some lower mediator.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
‘And he said, “Come in, you blessed of Yahweh, why do you stand outside? I have prepared the house and room for the camels.”
Laban greets him on his own terms making clear that he is aware of all that has been said, and invites him to accept the hospitality of his family. He is making clear that they are responsive to his approach.
“You blessed of Yahweh.’ With typical Near Eastern hospitality he refers to the man’s description of himself as one who is on a mission for Yahweh. This does not mean that Laban is a worshipper of Yahweh. But he no doubt recognises the name of Abraham’s God.
Gen 24:32-33 a
‘And the man came into the house and he unloaded the camels, removing their trappings, and he provided straw and provender for the camels and water for the man to wash his feet, and the men’s feet who were with him. And food was set before him to eat.’
The ‘he’ is Laban, but the work would mainly be done by servants under his supervision. Full hospitality is provided. First the valuable camels must be seen to. This would be the visitor’s first requisite. Then he is provided with water with which to wash his feet, a prime requirement in a hot and dusty country, especially as the man was probably wearing sandals.
While it would have been assumed by everybody, this is the first mention of men accompanying the steward. This again brings out the importance of the camels and their significance, which have been constantly mentioned. (It also warns against reading into silences in ancient narratives).
Then once the necessary preliminaries have been complied with, and the men have been made comfortable, a meal is set before them. But notice how the attention is drawn specifically to the welcome given to the man himself. ‘He’ came into the house. A meal is set before ‘him’. His acceptance is being stressed. Up to this point nothing has been said about the man’s purpose in being here although there would no doubt be great anticipation. With true Near Eastern courtesy that would await his being well fed.
Gen 24:33 b
‘But he said, “I will not eat until I have told you my errand.” And he said, “Speak on”.’
It would be normal for a visitor to eat first and then for his purpose in visiting to be introduced into the conversation. Thus these words would be attention catching. They suggest also that the man feels that he has a sacred duty to Yahweh not to eat until his side in the mission is completed. His hearers would no doubt read into them the sacredness of his mission. They are already aware that he feels he is on a mission for Yahweh.
The steward now lays out the terms and details of his commission, making clear in the meanwhile the splendid prospects of the intended bridegroom. The speech is long and flowery outlining the details of the mission in full. This would be in accordance with expectations. Such a speech revealed that the steward was cultivated and well taught, and would enhance his master’s reputation. It was also designed to impress and to make his hearers aware that this was no ordinary matter and no ordinary marriage request. This was at the instigation of Yahweh.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Gen 24:31. Thou blessed of the Lord of Jehovah, in the Hebrew. Hence, it clearly appears, that the knowledge of Jehovah was not confined to Abraham and his immediate family. No appellation could be more beautiful or honourable than this; thou blessed of the Lord! for what can express more esteem than to call a man the favourite of God; or what more love, than to wish him the friendship of the Almighty?
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Gen 24:31 And he said, Come in, thou blessed of the LORD; wherefore standest thou without? for I have prepared the house, and room for the camels.
Ver. 31, 32. And he ungirded his camels. ] Laban did. Si spes lucri affulserit, &c. Sing but a song of “Utile,” and many will dance after it, yea, stoop to any drudgery almost.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
he,i.e. Laban.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
thou: Gen 26:29, Jdg 17:2, Rth 3:10, Psa 115:15, Pro 17:8, Pro 18:16
for I: Gen 24:25
Reciprocal: Gen 24:42 – prosper Gen 37:11 – observed Exo 2:20 – call him Jdg 19:20 – lodge not Act 10:23 – and lodged
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Gen 24:31. Come in, thou blessed of the Lord Such was the beautiful language of those ancient times, whereby a sense of God was constantly kept up in their minds. How little is this language used in our day! Perhaps, because they heard from Rebekah of the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth, they concluded that he was a good man, and therefore blessed of the Lord.