BECOMING A WIDOWER
Opening Prayer
Lord God, how great You are. The God of the universe, the Lord of the heavens is with me.
Read Genesis 23
The Death of Sarah
23 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.[a] 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[b] you the field, and I give[c] you the cave that is in it. I give[d] 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[e] 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.
Footnotes
- Genesis 23:3 Or the descendants of Heth; also in verses 5, 7, 10, 16, 18 and 20
- Genesis 23:11 Or sell
- Genesis 23:11 Or sell
- Genesis 23:11 Or sell
- Genesis 23:15 That is, about 10 pounds or about 4.6 kilograms
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
We have a stake in this life on earth, but what about your stake in eternity?Abraham and Sarah had a long, eventful marriage. Abraham traveled the 26 miles from Beersheba to Hebron to mourn. But where would her bones be laid?
Abraham, respected as ‘a mighty prince’ (6), negotiated the purchase of a burial site in Mamre – incidentally, the place where Sarah heard she would become a mother. Determined to own the site, the deal was handled in public to ensure legality (10). The agreed price was high. Abraham, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob and Leah would all be buried here. This was the first plot of land Abraham had owned, a tiny stake in the land God had promised. The writer to the Hebrews, however, would say that actually ‘they were after a far better country than that – heaven country’ (Hebrews 11:16, The Message).
Next month we’ll be burying the ashes of my husband, the final recognition that he’s died, that his body has been reduced to dust. A tiny plot of land will honor the fact that he once lived. He has no need of his earth-bound body, for he has already entered the eternal presence of Christ. If he hasn’t already received his indestructible resurrection body (1 Corinthians 15:42–44), he very soon will, for this is what God has promised, a better country!
Apply
What do you think life with Christ in eternity will be like? Read Revelation 21 and let your mind imagine what heavenly reality could really be like.
Closing prayer
Comforting One, I am grateful for a friend who shared these words with me: “He comforts us enough to bring solace now, but leaves enough of a void to make us anticipate the reunion.” Thank You, Lord, for Your comfort and hope.
Book and Author Intros
Extras
Click here to sign up to receive the EXTRAs via email each quarter.
© 2024 Scripture Union U.S.A. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents without written permission is prohibited.
Discovery is published in the USA under license from Scripture Union England and Wales, Trinity House, Opal Court, Opal Drive, Fox Milne, Milton Keynes, MK15 0DF.