It is logical to presume that Eliezer, called in 15:2 by Avraham "my household's steward," is the selfsame "servant, elder of his household, who ruled over all he owned" of 24:2. Yet this only begs the question: why is Eliezer's name withheld? What necessitates the subterfuge of referring to him only via the awkward term of "Avraham's servant"?
The main action of Parashat Chayei Sarah, the final unit of the trilogy that is the Avraham narrative, is the search for a wife for Yitzchak, which fills Chapter 24, the longest in the book of Bereishit, featuring an anonymous protagonist, identified only as "Avraham's servant." The Sages identify him as Eliezer, and indeed this is suggested by the simple meaning of the verses themselves. It is logical to presume that Eliezer, called in 15:2 by Avraham "my household's steward," is the selfsame "servant, elder of his household, who ruled over all he owned" of 24:2. Yet this only begs the question: why is Eliezer's name withheld? What necessitates the subterfuge of referring to him only via the awkward term of "Avraham's servant"?
To understand this, we must reexamine Avraham's life. If there is one overriding concern that occupies Avraham, it is the search for an heir. When we first encounter him in Parashat Lekh Lekha, Avraham views Lot, his nephew and ward, as his natural heir. Yet Lot rejects his uncle's legacy, turning instead to Sedom (if not embracing fully that city's decadence); even after his capture in the War of the Five Kings, Lot cannot bear to abandon the wealth of the Jordan Valley, and it is clear that he will never take Avraham's place. This prompts Avraham to cry out, "Lord God, what shall you give me while I walk barren, and the steward of my household is Damascus Eliezer?... Indeed, You have not given me seed, and a member of my household will inherit me" (15:2-3)! Thus, at this point, with Lot’s rejection, Eliezer has become Avraham's heir apparent.
God, however replies, that "this one will not inherit you; rather, one who comes from your innards will inherit you" (15:4). The Covenant of the Parts follows, and when Yishmael is born several years later, Avraham assumes that the divine promise has been fulfilled. Yet thirteen years later, at the Covenant of Circumcision, God clarifies that Avraham's heir will be not only his child, but Sarah's as well. Yishmael is thus out of the picture, in favor of the as-yet unborn Yitzchak.
In the greatest test of his life, Avraham must nearly sacrifice his son and long-awaited heir; he passes with flying colors, but when Avraham hits old age, he realizes a fundamental problem: his forty-year-old-son is still unmarried! What then will happen, if Avraham, on his deathbed, finds that his heir has not produced an heir of his own? He may be forced to turn to one of his previous options; not Lot or Yishmael, who have left Avraham's household to establish their own - but rather the faithful and long-suffering Eliezer!
Though this option may seem inconceivable at first glance, we must remember that the search for posterity, for the means to carry God's message throughout the generations, has been Avraham's lifelong goal. Furthermore, the point is not what Avraham actually thought, but what we might suspect Eliezer of contemplating. He knows the importance propagating God’s message through an heir, and he has been with Avraham through the sixty-five year odyssey to spread God's word, standing by silently as Lot, Yishmael, and Yitzchak occupied the position of heir apparent. Thus, we might suspect that just the slightest hint of ambition might color his actions in his final mission, a mission the failure of which might very well be to Eliezer's advantage. (This is suggested by the midrashic tradition that Eliezer had a daughter whom he hoped initially that Yitzchak might marry.) We might misjudge Eliezer's gamble at the well or his harsh negotiation tactics and accuse him of jeopardizing the mission.
But we would be wrong, the Torah tells us unequivocally. For this man is Avraham's servant, aide-de-camp to and disciple of the man who had the courage to find God and the fortitude to spread His word throughout the ancient world. To think of him as Eliezer, the one-time heir apparent, is to defame a noble character. Thus for all time we identify him only as "Avraham's servant" - for that is the only role he sought to assume. Similarly, as we all as strive to be God’s servants, we would do well to take a lesson from that paragon, Eliezer, servant of Avraham.