And Then Some
“After she had given him a drink, she said, ‘I’ll draw water for your camels, too, until they have had enough to drink.’” Genesis 24:19
In Genesis 24, there is an incredible love story. A man named Isaac was the most eligible bachelor on the planet. His father, Abraham, had made a covenant with God, and God had blessed him exceedingly in cattle, gold, silver, riches, and wealth. Beyond that, his spiritual inheritance was remarkable. God said, “Your seed will be greater than the sands of the seashore.” So whoever married Isaac would be his partner in producing a whole nation! So Abraham asks his servant to go to find his son a bride. The servant knew this was a hard task and asked God for a sign. After traveling for quite a while, he went and sat at a well. And he said to himself, “I’m going to sit right here with my ten camels, and here’s the fleece. Here’s how I’ll know which one is the pick for Isaac. I’m going to sit here and say nothing. And the girl who comes and is courteous and kind enough to offer me, a stranger, water, and waters my camels also, that’ll be the one that I’ll know is worthy of being the wife of Isaac, the son of Abraham.”
The servant had ten camels that could hold 40 gallons of water each! And all of them were running on empty because they had just come out of the desert and had nothing to drink for 500 miles. In the culture of the Middle East, there is a custom that says if a stranger comes, you are to offer them some water. That was the norm. But all of a sudden, a beautiful girl walks up and does something unusual. The servant is a stranger to her. She does not know that he works for the richest man in the world. She does not know that he is looking for a bride for basically Prince Charming. Isaac has it all. He is super wealthy. He’s single. He’s good-looking. He loves God. He’s in covenant with God. He’s got a blessing of favor on his life. And he’s just looking for a woman. She doesn’t know who this servant is, but she walks up and says, “Sir, can I offer you water?” And he’s just sitting there, watching. And then she says, “And by the way, while you sit there and refresh yourself, I’m going to water all ten of your camels.” That was 40 gallons of water per camel, so 400 gallons.
They didn’t have a water hose back then. The girl had to use a bucket. But this was who she was. It was a lifestyle. She wasn’t in the habit of doing what average people do. She did what was expected and then some. This principle of, “do more than expected” will elevate your life above average. When you begin to go beyond what is expected… your life will go to the next level. It was expected to give him water. It was totally unexpected for someone of unusual character and kindness to go far beyond and water every camel until they wouldn’t drink anymore. That is someone who’s doing what is expected and then some.
Rebekah voluntarily, of her own free will, without knowing that there was any reward attached, chose to go above and beyond. She could have said, “It’s not in my resume. Get your own water. I’ve done what I was supposed to do. I’ve done what anybody else would do. I’m average, and that’s all I do.” You don’t know who’s watching you. Three words that distinguish highly successful people from average people are “and then some.” Highly successful people do what is expected…and then some. Highly successful marriages have spouses who do what is expected…and then some. And the marriage is blessed. Students who do well do what is expected…and then some. Athletes who do amazing things and make it to the top of their world do what is expected, but then they always do something that other people won’t do. The “and then some” factor sets them above the pack. The criteria that God used to choose this girl for greatness were not her appearance, talent, or charm. It was her above-and-beyond spirit of kindness and excellence.
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