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In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
Sarah lived to be a hundred and twenty-seven years old. 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.
Then Abraham rose from beside his dead wife and spoke to the Hittites. He said, “I am a foreigner and stranger among you. Sell me some property for a burial site here so I can bury my dead.”
The Hittites replied to Abraham, “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.”
Then Abraham rose and bowed down before the people of the land, the Hittites. 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 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.”
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. “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.”
Again Abraham bowed down before the people of the land 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.”
Ephron answered Abraham, “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.”
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.
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 to Abraham as his property in the presence of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of the city.
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. So the field and the cave in it were deeded to Abraham by the Hittites as a burial site.
Genesis 23:1-20
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
God had blessed Sarah richly.
He gave her a very godly husband in Abraham.
He gave her a son from her once barren womb.
And he showed her grace and mercy despite times when she behaved inappropriately towards Him and others.
Indeed, she went through life knowing God was with her and for her. She also knew that she was mortal and a time would come when death would come.
In today’s passage from Genesis, chapter 23, we find where that time came and the events that ensued showed how God continued to work in her situation to make sure that she was honored and respected after her passing. Look again at those words here:
Sarah lived to be a hundred and twenty-seven years old. 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.
Then Abraham rose from beside his dead wife and spoke to the Hittites. He said, “I am a foreigner and stranger among you. Sell me some property for a burial site here so I can bury my dead.”
The Hittites replied to Abraham, “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.”
Then Abraham rose and bowed down before the people of the land, the Hittites. 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 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.”
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. “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.”
Again Abraham bowed down before the people of the land 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.”
Ephron answered Abraham, “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.”
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.
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 to Abraham as his property in the presence of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of the city.
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. So the field and the cave in it were deeded to Abraham by the Hittites as a burial site. Genesis 23:1-20
Living 127 years would be unheard of today but back in biblical times and especially in Genesis, human bodies were closer to genetic perfection and so it’s definitely possible for people to live longer. Indeed, we have seen before this where a whole laundry list of men between Adam and Noah lived upwards of 900 years plus before dying (Genesis 5).
We read where Sarah’s passing took place “at Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan” and her loss left Abraham weeping in the midst of his mourning over her. He then got to work setting burial arrangements.
The scriptures tell us that he “spoke to the Hittites” saying:
“I am a foreigner and stranger among you. Sell me some property for a burial site here so I can bury my dead.”
Now it’s important to remember that this was well before God brought the Israelites into Canaan with the order to drive out all who resided there while inhabiting the land. Abraham, Sarah, and those with them were strangers in the land they lived and here, we find Abraham asking to purchase some of their property so to have a proper burial wife for Sarah and later himself.
Well, perhaps Abraham was surprised by the response he received to his request. For we find the Hittites responds with the following:
“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.”
Here, we find where Abraham had a strong reputation with the Hittites. Because of all that God has done in and through him, the Hittites viewed him as royalty, a “mighty prince” that they offered the “choicest” of their tombs so to bury Sarah. The inference here is that they would give the tomb to Abraham for free but through his response, we find that he is insistent in paying for the tomb and he even knew what tomb he wanted.
Then Abraham rose and bowed down before the people of the land, the Hittites. 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 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.”
The sense here is that Abraham wanted to make sure he owned the land where the burial site would be. He knew God would one day give this land to his descendants and so he wanted to secure a place now so to ensure that he, Sarah, and other future patriarchs would have a sacred resting place. For some context, let’s take a quick look at theses verses from Genesis, chapter 49, As we find Jacob nearing death to see how Abraham’s purchase would play out.
Then he gave them these instructions: “I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite, the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre in Canaan, which Abraham bought along with the field as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite. There Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried, and there I buried Leah. The field and the cave in it were bought from the Hittites.”
When Jacob had finished giving instructions to his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people. Vv.29-33
Abraham’s purchase would be one that would have significance well beyond this moment and we now know that Abraham’s preferred burial site was owned by “Ephron the Hittite”.
Initially, we find Ephron resistant to sell the property to Abraham, assuming the same stance as his people held in general.
“No, my lord. 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.”
Again Abraham bowed down before the people of the land 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.”
Ephron answered Abraham, “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.”
Well, we read where 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”. And with that, “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 to Abraham as his property in the presence of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of the city”. And with the burial site now deeded to him, the scriptures tell us that “Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave in the field of Machpelah near Mamre (which is at Hebron) in the land of Canaan”.
The woman who bore the son who would carry on Abraham’s lineage as it marched toward Jesus was honored and respected at the end of her life.
In today’s passage, we find proper response to the death of someone who, despite being imperfect, still allowed God to work powerfully in and through their life. Ultimately, as we look at Sarah’s life, we marvel at what God did and in the end, we should give Him the glory. I know that’s what I want to happen after I draw my final breath here in this worldly life as people will look to honor and respect me after my passing. For although my body will be dead, I will be more alive than ever and on my way to the best life one could ever live, one where I will abide with my God and Savior Jesus forever.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.
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