Genesis 23

 

 

Bible Gateway Genesis 23 NIV link : http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=1&chapter=23&version=31

 

 

There is so much more to this chapter than Sarah has died, and the Hittites like Abraham. Abraham buried his wife far away form home. If there was anytime that Abraham had a good reason to go home it was now. Go home and bury his wife, that is what most any of us would do. However, Abraham made it a point to stay there. Not only did he make the commitment to bury his wife there, but he bought land to do it. It is easy to overlook, but the first offer for the Hittites was letting Abraham bury his wife in a tomb owned by someone else. That was not good enough, Abraham wanted to bury his wife in land that he owned. We should also remember that this would be the burial spot for Abraham, and the rest of his family. That was the tradition then, Family burial plots (tombs) were the norm. Once you declared a resting place for your family it continues on down through generations. So it is easy to see that this was not a flippant choice for Abraham. HE had made a commitment to follow God, and his plan. This is where God brought him, this is where he would stay.

 

Now most “guests” in that time did not buy land in another country. However, the Hittites considered Abraham a Prince, they knew the hand of God was on him and respected that, so they offered gladly. Now a couple of things to consider here. First, if you were a guest you were not expected to really contribute in the true sense of the word. You might not have to be bound to the king, you were not expected to contribute to the city welfare….you were a guest. However, when you bought a full plot of land (could this be the reason the Ephron included the entire field in his offer and not just the cave?) you became a part of the society. So Abraham was doing a little more than just buying some land, he was making a commitment to the Hittites. Now it really gets interesting. Why would Abraham buy anything from anyone? God had already promised him that his family would possess the land. Why not just “borrow” the land to bury Sarah, it would be in his family soon enough. This transaction shows us a lot about dealing with others. There was no doubt in Abraham’s mind that the land would be his families at some point; God had made him a promise, but buying the land was the right thing to do. To take advantage of a situation just because you had insight into the outcome…..from God no less……would undermine the very trust that God had placed in you! God is a fair and just God, he expects us to follow that example. Abraham, did not take the charity of the borrowed grave, he did not accept the gift of the land from Ephron. HE bought it for a fair price, and by the laws of the land he was living in. While we might live for our life after death, we must all live within the laws of the life here on earth.

 

The Hittites thought of Abraham as a prince among them. I would say that we too would consider him a prince today. Once again Abraham has shown a great example of how to live our lives in glorification of the Lord. 

 

 

Peace,

Brian