Servant Series Part 3 Servant Identity

In the last devotional, I said the servant was unnamed and later thought I should have said he was unidentified. But as I’ve continued to study Genesis 24, I have come to realize that he was, in fact, identified. When it came time to introduce himself to Rebecca’s family, he said, “I am Abraham’s servant (Genesis 24:34).” He didn’t introduce himself by a name and then say he was a servant of Abraham; he identified himself solely as Abraham’s servant. His identity was completely wrapped up in his relationship with his master.

WOW! That sounds just like our identity in Christ. We are even called Christians, “little Christs,” because of our relationship with Jesus Christ. It defines us and the world notices. It was not believers that first used the word Christians; it was people of the world, and it was used in a derogatory manner. But what greater testimony is there than for the world to see us as persons identified with Christ, even if the world sees it as a negative thing?

It reminds me of John, who repeatedly referred to himself as the “disciple whom Jesus loved.” After laying on the chest of Jesus in John 13, he no longer uses his name. John’s identity becomes solely derived from his relationship with Jesus and what Jesus said about him. In like manner, Moses was constantly referred to as the servant of God, and then after his death, so was Joshua. In Genesis 24, the servant’s tribute as recorded for all time in Scripture was that he was Abraham’s servant. I know that our relationship with and in Christ is so much more than servant because Jesus says He now calls us friends, but what a tribute it would be to be remembered, not by the name my parents gave me but, simply as the servant of Christ, servant of God.

If you missed any of the previous posts in the series just click on the one you want to read.

Servant Series
Part 1 – Servant Love
Part 2 – Servant Authority