Read Genesis 23
The Death of Sarah
Sarah lived to be a hundred and twenty-seven years old. 2 She died at Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep over her.
3 Then Abraham rose from beside his dead wife and spoke to the Hittites. He said, 4 “I am a foreigner and stranger among you. Sell me some property for a burial site here so I can bury my dead.”
5 The Hittites replied to Abraham, 6 “Sir, listen to us. You are a mighty prince among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb for burying your dead.”
7 Then Abraham rose and bowed down before the people of the land, the Hittites. 8 He said to them, “If you are willing to let me bury my dead, then listen to me and intercede with Ephron son of Zohar on my behalf 9 so he will sell me the cave of Machpelah, which belongs to him and is at the end of his field. Ask him to sell it to me for the full price as a burial site among you.”
10 Ephron the Hittite was sitting among his people and he replied to Abraham in the hearing of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of his city. 11 “No, my lord,” he said. “Listen to me; I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. I give it to you in the presence of my people. Bury your dead.”
12 Again Abraham bowed down before the people of the land 13 and he said to Ephron in their hearing, “Listen to me, if you will. I will pay the price of the field. Accept it from me so I can bury my dead there.”
14 Ephron answered Abraham, 15 “Listen to me, my lord; the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver, but what is that between you and me? Bury your dead.”
16 Abraham agreed to Ephron’s terms and weighed out for him the price he had named in the hearing of the Hittites: four hundred shekels of silver, according to the weight current among the merchants.
17 So Ephron’s field in Machpelah near Mamre—both the field and the cave in it, and all the trees within the borders of the field—was deeded 18 to Abraham as his property in the presence of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of the city. 19 Afterward Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave in the field of Machpelah near Mamre (which is at Hebron) in the land of Canaan. 20 So the field and the cave in it were deeded to Abraham by the Hittites as a burial site.
Go Deeper
Today’s reading is somewhat “basic.” A wife dies, her husband mourns her, and then he makes arrangements to bury her. He purchased the Cave of Machpelah from Hittite neighbors. Now known as the Cave of the Patriarchs, the burial site became a family tomb for future generations. Tradition holds Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their wives Sarah, Rebekah, and Leah were buried in what became the Old City of Hebron. It was the first plot of land Abraham owned in the Promised Land. The site remains an important reminder of God’s covenant with Abraham.
While this chapter doesn’t seem to have many spiritual applications at first glance, most of the chapter is devoted to Abraham bargaining for the burial plot! It’s included in the Bible for a reason. In this story’s mundane humanity, we learn a valuable lesson. And it’s a lesson that death often teaches us: this world is not our forever home.
In this chapter, Abraham says, “I am a foreigner and stranger among you.” While speaking, because he has been a wanderer and traveler for most of his life, he also speaks spiritually. The author of Hebrews picks up on this theme and says: “By faith, he (Abraham) made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents… For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” (Hebrews 11:8-10) Abraham was living in this world with another one in mind: a heavenly one.
Death always reminds us that this world is fleeting. It won’t last forever, and neither will we. By stating that he was a foreigner and a stranger in this land, Abraham reminded himself that this world is passing by. He reminded himself to look up and work for the things that matter, not those that will pass away and decay. Are you living with that same eternal perspective? Do you remind yourself daily that this world is not your eternal home that you’re just passing through as a foreigner? We may say that Heaven is our ultimate home, but does the way we live here in this world reflect the truth we believe about the world to come?
Questions
Even though he has faith in the world to come, Abraham still mourned the death of his wife. What does that show us about faith and feelings?
Death often reminds us that this world is not permanent and that we are not permanent in it. How does understanding your own mortality affect your understanding of this life?
How would you spend today differently if you truly believed this world was not your true home and final destination? What would you spend your time, money, energy, & thoughts on?
Did You Know?
Sarah is the only woman in all of Scripture whose age at the time of her death was recorded. She is also referenced three times in Scripture as an example of a woman who was highly regarded (Isaiah 51:1-2, 1 Peter 3:3-6, Hebrews 11: 11). We should pay attention to these facts and see what we can learn from her life and the faith she exemplified. She has much to teach us!
5 thoughts on “Genesis 23”
As we hurry and scurry about the business of life, mortality likely doesn’t cross our minds, until someone we know steps into eternity. For me it was a close family friend that had been on a cruise one week, and just days later we gathered at her funeral. One of my daily prayers is found in Psalm 90:12, “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Matthew Henry said it this way, “It ought to be the business of every day to prepare for our last day.”
Grieving is normal. As born again believers our grief is different than the worlds. Grieving helps us to heal our broken heart. Weeping is also good. When you love someone and they die it is a painful expericence. BUT GOD, is with us and helps our hearts to heal a little everyday. When we know the folks that have passed are also believers we know where they are and we know that for all eternity we will be along side them glorifing and worshiping God. When you know where something is , you havent lost it. How we grieve is also a witness to unbelivers, when we have joy in our sorrows. We learn from Abraham and Sarah how to walk by faith, yes we will stumble, but obedience to God and His word will set us upright to continue. We need to be sharing our faith to the whole world and not keeping the good news to ourselves. It is ok to grieve but it should be and can be a witness to those around that we are not of this world and ready for the world that is to come.
God thank You for Your divine power that has granted me to all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of You. You called me to Your own glory and excellence which You have granted Your precious and very great promises. God thank You that I can be a partaker of the divine nature by escaping from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desires. (2 Peter 1:3-4) God thank You for helping me to train myself for godliness so that I can deepen my relationship with You daily, minutely by depending on Your power to do Your will. Help me God to trust You with all my heart, soul, mind and strength for the best in my life. Thank You for the minutes of this day that I live to the fullest to glorify You with all I say and do. God when my time comes for grieving my it glorify You. God thank You for blessing those that are grieving now, that they may know that this world is but a twinkle of an eye but You, God are for all eternity in Jesus name amen
WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
4 “I am a foreigner and stranger among you.
Yes, it is very interesting how Abraham was not a member of the local community, but nevertheless had a very respectful relationship with them. That should be my interaction with the world where I am to be a “foreigner and a stranger” as well.
PS – funny to see Abraham and Ephron being overly gracious to each other about buying the land. It’s like two people fighting over who gets to pay the bill at a restaurant!
Living our faith even in our sorrow.
The frequent references to death in the passage reveal the realities of our grief and drive the actions of the Patriarch. Abraham continues to live out his faith by honoring his wife and showing respect for others. We too should follow this example of humbleness.
It’s hard to have faith in this for me personally but I need to trust. I completely understand how quick life goes by!