July 2, 2023
Reading: Genesis 23
Focus: Genesis 23:20 – So the field and the cave in it were deeded to Abraham by the Hittites as a burial site.
Father God, We come to You with thanksgiving in our hearts. Thankful that You are beside us. That with You we can be the kind of person that people want to know. Open our minds and hearts to Your word. In Jesus Name, Amen.
This chapter of Genesis begins with the death of Sarah. I would like to point out that Sarah is the only woman in the Bible whose age is given. Not once, but several times. No other woman is distinguished this way. It is important that her age was given. It is to show that with God even age is not an obstacle to a miracle. Sarah lived long enough to see her son grow into a man. When Sarah died at the age of 127, Isaac would have been about 36 or 37 at the time.
As we know, Abraham was a nomad, a wealthy nomad. He moved from place to place in the land that had been promised to his descendants. He probably stayed in Beersheba as Isaac was growing up. He had traveled to Mount Moriah, which is situated where Jerusalem is today, to sacrifice Isaac. It was on Mount Moriah that God provided a ram to be sacrificed in Isaac’s place. It was on Mount Moriah, then called Mount Zion, outside Jerusalem, that the Lamb of God was sacrificed in our place.
After that event, it appears that Abraham and all his people moved again, pitching his tents in the land around Hebron, south of Mount Moriah. At that time, Hebron belonged to the Hittites, descendants of Canaan, the grandson of Noah. The Hittites were never enemies of the Hebrews. But neither did they believe in God as Abraham did. Although Abraham knew the promised land would belong to his descendants, he had yet to actually own even one acre of it.
In Abraham’s day, ritual and tradition were a big part of death and burial. It was accomplished with great deal of honor and respect. Failing to bury someone properly was as bad as cursing them. Family and friends would prepare the body and these same family and friends would wail loudly so that the whole neighborhood could hear the extent of their grief. Traditionally, the body was buried the same day the person died. So, when Sarah died, he needed a place to bury her. And he looked to the land of the Hittites.
Abraham was in a foreign land, looking for a place to bury his wife. The Hittites knew Abraham. To them he was a great and wealthy prince, a prince of God. They had a lot of respect for him. They offered any of their choicest burial spots to him. While Hittites didn’t share Abraham’s belief or values but they appreciated that he lived by those values.
He had a particular spot in mind and asked the Hittites to intercede with the owner of the property on his behalf. The Hittites did not owe him a thing, but Ephron graciously offered to give the land to bury Sarah when Abraham offered to buy land. Ephron said he would give the field with the cave at Machpelah near Mamre to Abraham, but Abraham knew that just accepting the land would be insulting to Ephron. He insisted that he pay for the property, asking for a fair price. Ephron relented and gave a price of four hundred shekels of silver. Now 400 shekels of silver was a steep price. Ephron fully expected to name the exorbitant price just to have Abraham bargain with him. Normally, the buyer and seller would bicker back and forth until a price was agreed upon. It was standard custom to do so. However, Abraham did not bargain and accepted the price and paid it. Abraham knew that God had promised the land to his descendants but did not want to just take it away from Ephron. To have done any differently would have insulted the Hittites and Ephron who may have withdrawn his offer to sell the property.
The whole of the property requested, including the field, cave and everything within its borders was deeded to Abraham. There, in the cave, Abraham buried his wife, Sarah. In the future, Abraham, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob and Leah would also be buried there. So here, without bloodshed, the people of God began to take possession of the Promised Land. Abraham’s integrity and values were shown in this transaction. He understood that he was a foreigner in their land. So, he did business with them fairly in front of witnesses.
Abraham’s reputation was one of his most valuable assets. Our reputation is also a valuable asset. Honesty, integrity, kindness and generosity go a long way to ensure that we are known favorably by others and by employers, clients and employees. An employer with a reputation for being unfair and hateful will be known far and wide. But those who genuinely care about others will be a joy to work for and with. As Christians, our reputations should be clean.
We often don’t realize that we are foreigners and travelers on this earth. But that is exactly what we are as Christians. Our values, integrity and our word show others who, and whose, we are. There are two types of people we will deal with throughout our lives. Those who hate us and those who don’t. To the first type, it will not matter if we are fair or kind in our dealings with them. They will still hate us and seek to bring us down to their level with insults and just plain meanness. No matter what we do, they will still hate us. The second type will recognize that we are different from others, just by the way we live, talk and act. They will appreciate who and whose we are. This chapter shows us that our reputation does precede us. It is important that we, as Christians, live as though Jesus physically walks beside us daily.
We are promised a home in heaven. That is our Promised Land. Jesus told His disciples before He left them, that He was going to prepare a place for them and He would return for them. We are foreigner on this earth just as much as Abraham was in Hittites territory. We have a home that is promised to us. It was purchased for us by the blood of Jesus. I am reminded of an old song by the Talleys, “Thinkin’ ‘bout Home”. One phrase rings true here “. . . You see a King had it built and gave the deed to me . . .” We have property in the Promised Land, heaven. Jesus said He was preparing a place for us and He was coming back. Are you ready?
What does your life tell others?
Father God, thank You for the home I have in You. Help me to live my life in such a manner that there is no doubt that I am a Christian. Help me to always be fair and just in all my dealings. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Food for Thought
- Why was it important to Abraham to purchase the property in Machpelah?
- Why didn’t Abraham just take the property as a gift?
- Why do you think Abraham paid the first price given?
- Does your life reflect the same integrity as Abraham’s? Why or why not?
- Do you know that your place in heaven has been deeded to you? Why or why not?
