Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Genesis 23
Genesis 23
“The Death of Sarah”
We in our culture in the U.S. spend a lot of time focused on things that pass away, the many creature comforts that we enjoy so much. How much time do we put into what legacy we leave behind?
What will people be able to say honestly at your funeral?
Vs.1-2
At the age of 127 years old, Sarah passes on. She has spent over 60 years as the bride of Abraham; she has suffered through many ups and downs of life, but now that is all over.
Vs. 3-4
Abraham wishes to honor his wife by burying her in the land that God has promised to Abraham and his offspring. Abraham has been promised the land by God, but he has not taken possession of it yet. So, since Abraham is a foreigner in the land, he is not able to own property. However, his desire is to honor his wife, and bury her in land has prompted him to petition the Hittite people to sell him land.
Vs. 5-9
Abraham is offered land from someone who has plenty to share, but this would not be his own land. Abraham would not have the land to visit Sarah’s tomb, or to come and go as he pleases, or even to be buried there with her in the future. So, he says that if he is that well respected by these people to ask them to “go to bat” for him with the king of the land, and see if he will allow the land to be sold.
Vs. 10-11
It appears that Ephron, king of the Hittites, offers to give the land for free, but this is just polite eastern bargaining language. He is actually telling Abraham that they will be able to work a deal, kind of a “don’t worry about it, we will figure something out” type of comment.
Vs. 12-13
Abraham offers to pay whatever Ephron wants, so Ephron says 400 shekels. Now this is a lot of money. (To compare: see 2 Samuel 24, where David buys the land to build the Temple to God, he pays only 50 shekels.) So, Abraham is offered a huge price for the land.
Vs. 14-16
Abraham chooses to honor his wife over bargaining, and he pays the outrageous price to the king of the Hittites. So the first place ever owned by Abraham in the promised land from God was a plot to honor Sarah!
Why so important?
Abraham, at the end of Sarah’s life, is looking back at all they had been through. A marriage that lasted more than 60 years, enduring an affair that resulted in a child, suffering from barrenness until the age of 90, always being on the move with no real place to call home, and the two times that Abraham lied and said his wife was his sister, and she was given away to a foreign king. He looks back at all of this, and he realizes what a great wife he had. She put up with all his shortcomings and failures. So, he does what he can to honor her, no matter what the cost.
The very next thing that Abraham is going to do, after realizing what an amazing wife does for a man, is to send someone to find a wife for his son. That is the next chapter.
“May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth”
Proverbs 5:18
“He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the LORD”
Proverbs 18:22
“The Death of Sarah”
We in our culture in the U.S. spend a lot of time focused on things that pass away, the many creature comforts that we enjoy so much. How much time do we put into what legacy we leave behind?
What will people be able to say honestly at your funeral?
Vs.1-2
At the age of 127 years old, Sarah passes on. She has spent over 60 years as the bride of Abraham; she has suffered through many ups and downs of life, but now that is all over.
Vs. 3-4
Abraham wishes to honor his wife by burying her in the land that God has promised to Abraham and his offspring. Abraham has been promised the land by God, but he has not taken possession of it yet. So, since Abraham is a foreigner in the land, he is not able to own property. However, his desire is to honor his wife, and bury her in land has prompted him to petition the Hittite people to sell him land.
Vs. 5-9
Abraham is offered land from someone who has plenty to share, but this would not be his own land. Abraham would not have the land to visit Sarah’s tomb, or to come and go as he pleases, or even to be buried there with her in the future. So, he says that if he is that well respected by these people to ask them to “go to bat” for him with the king of the land, and see if he will allow the land to be sold.
Vs. 10-11
It appears that Ephron, king of the Hittites, offers to give the land for free, but this is just polite eastern bargaining language. He is actually telling Abraham that they will be able to work a deal, kind of a “don’t worry about it, we will figure something out” type of comment.
Vs. 12-13
Abraham offers to pay whatever Ephron wants, so Ephron says 400 shekels. Now this is a lot of money. (To compare: see 2 Samuel 24, where David buys the land to build the Temple to God, he pays only 50 shekels.) So, Abraham is offered a huge price for the land.
Vs. 14-16
Abraham chooses to honor his wife over bargaining, and he pays the outrageous price to the king of the Hittites. So the first place ever owned by Abraham in the promised land from God was a plot to honor Sarah!
Why so important?
Abraham, at the end of Sarah’s life, is looking back at all they had been through. A marriage that lasted more than 60 years, enduring an affair that resulted in a child, suffering from barrenness until the age of 90, always being on the move with no real place to call home, and the two times that Abraham lied and said his wife was his sister, and she was given away to a foreign king. He looks back at all of this, and he realizes what a great wife he had. She put up with all his shortcomings and failures. So, he does what he can to honor her, no matter what the cost.
The very next thing that Abraham is going to do, after realizing what an amazing wife does for a man, is to send someone to find a wife for his son. That is the next chapter.
“May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth”
Proverbs 5:18
“He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the LORD”
Proverbs 18:22
