February 1, 2019
A Property of Faith
Genesis 23
Emma K Martinez
Central Truth
In obedience, Abraham turned his back from his old life in Mesopotamia (where he was established) to live out his hope in God and His promises.
Key Verse | Genesis 23:19-20
After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah east of Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. The field and the cave that is in it were made over to Abraham as property for a burying place by the Hittites.
Genesis 23
Sarah's Death and Burial
1 Sarah lived 127 years; these were the years of the life of Sarah. 2 And Sarah died at Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. 3 And Abraham rose up from before his dead and said to the Hittites, 1 23:3 Hebrew sons of Heth; also verses 5, 7, 10, 16, 18, 20 4 “I am a sojourner and foreigner among you; give me property among you for a burying place, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.” 5 The Hittites answered Abraham, 6 “Hear us, my lord; you are a prince of God 2 23:6 Or a mighty prince among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will withhold from you his tomb to hinder you from burying your dead.” 7 Abraham rose and bowed to the Hittites, the people of the land. 8 And he said to them, “If you are willing that I should bury my dead out of my sight, hear me and entreat for me Ephron the son of Zohar, 9 that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he owns; it is at the end of his field. For the full price let him give it to me in your presence as property for a burying place.”
10 Now Ephron was sitting among the Hittites, and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the Hittites, of all who went in at the gate of his city, 11 “No, my lord, hear me: I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. In the sight of the sons of my people I give it to you. Bury your dead.” 12 Then Abraham bowed down before the people of the land. 13 And he said to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, “But if you will, hear me: I give the price of the field. Accept it from me, that I may bury my dead there.” 14 Ephron answered Abraham, 15 “My lord, listen to me: a piece of land worth four hundred shekels 3 23:15 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams of silver, what is that between you and me? Bury your dead.” 16 Abraham listened to Ephron, and Abraham weighed out for Ephron the silver that he had named in the hearing of the Hittites, four hundred shekels of silver, according to the weights current among the merchants.
17 So the field of Ephron in Machpelah, which was to the east of Mamre, the field with the cave that was in it and all the trees that were in the field, throughout its whole area, was made over 18 to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the Hittites, before all who went in at the gate of his city. 19 After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah east of Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. 20 The field and the cave that is in it were made over to Abraham as property for a burying place by the Hittites.
Dive Deeper | Genesis 23
Woof! I mean, to forfeit your ties to your hometown by burying your beloved wife in an overpriced gravesite in the land in which you are a sojourner sounds pretty crazy! But here's the deal—Abraham was not foolish. Abraham trusted God. He trusted Him so much that he chose to purchase a burial site for his wife (and his descendants) apart from his hometown where he was established.
Abraham remembered that God said the land of Canaan would be given to his descendants in Genesis 13:14-18. He shows us what it looks like to put off an old life apart from God and put on a life that is lived for glorifying God rather than yourself. This is further seen when Abraham asks to buy only a burial plot, not acres and acres of land. While he did end up buying the whole parcel of land, Abraham made a statement of his faith in God to give the land to his descendants rather than trying to speed up the process. This is important because it shows Abraham was more concerned with following the Lord than pushing his own agenda forward. He knew that he could not be living a new life by trying to be God.
Abraham sets an example for the future generations of Israel and us today by throwing off his old life and putting on the new one. In Ephesians 4:22-24, Paul instructs that we have to give up our old self and our deceitful desires and take up a new life “created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” Now, this is totally what Abraham did! It is unlikely that he would have liked the prospect of giving up his life in Mesopotamia to live as a sojourner on his own accord. But Abraham's trust in God made him free to live a life of faith uncontrolled by his own desire for comfort or the opinions of others. Like Abraham, we also will find that focusing on Christ is far better than anything we could ever hope for or imagine.
Discussion Questions
1. Abraham considered his old life rubbish in light of the promise God gave him. Are you letting God's promise of abundant life for you change the way you view this world?
2. Are there aspects of your "old life" that you have not put off?
3. In what ways can you act in faith today?