GENESIS 23 AN ORDINARY LIFE Those who spend their time and money in the service of our Lord in whatever calling they have received, will find that in spite of what people may say and do, when a significant event in life occurs, they have the respect of others and a good reputation. A reputation that is above reproach is important. We are different from those who live for the momentary pleasures and benefits of the world.
Observers of our lives know that, and expect, those who live by faith to have a life that is unique because it is lived by scriptural principles.
Politeness in business exchanges was important even in ancient days. Even so, some things were said that were perhaps only a form of respect in order to get what a person wanted. If Abraham had taken the offer of the land for free, he would have insulted Ephron and likely the offer would have been taken back. Even more serious was that Abraham would have lost his reputation as man of faith in God. Instead of binging a “mighty prince,” he would have been known as a covetous land-grabber.
There are times when flattery is used to gain some kind of advantage. It may be used for self- preservation or for material gain. Whenever one speaks to us with flattering words, we need to be aware that there is an ulterior motive behind the words. It may be, they want us to flatter them back to reinforce their self-image that may be kind of low. Whatever the reason, always respond with sincerity, dignity and give honor and respect when it can be honestly given. There are people who have such a low estimation of themselves, that they need some honest building up.
In the death of Sarah, we see the passing of a strong spiritual woman who was a major influence in the life of Isaac. It is possible to be very dependent on another person’s opinion of us to give us a sense of significance and purpose in life. Until we take responsibility for our own actions, we will be pretty much subject to the strongest personality and voice around us. In a sense, Isaac was always known as a son. He was the miracle son given by God through an aged mother who was beyond child-bearing age. He was the promised son to his father, who in a spiritual sense, died on an altar as he watched a ram take his place. After his mother died, his new wife, Rebekah, was brought into his mother Sarah’s tent.
We are all different people, and God can use each one of us as He chooses. He will take what we have in our own nature, to fulfill a work in the way He wants and where he wants. The promises of God hold true for every child of God because we have been “chosen in Christ.”
A BURYING PLACE Abraham had twenty-five years of uneventful living which he likely appreciated as an aged man. Home life and personal life were filled with the simple common things of daily living. He had news come from distant relatives he hadn’t seen for years. Then came death in the family as Sarah who he loved dearly for many years, died leaving grief and change behind. Then his son married a young woman he had never seen before. All of those things are part of most human lives, but it is how we take these events and deal with them that is important. That depends on how we live with God in the common affairs of life. Our reputation and consistency as neighbors and citizens, as well as family members, are a reflection on our personal faith in God.
Death, v.1-2. Isaac was forty years old when Sarah died. The death of Sarah is an account of the death of a believer and its effect on those around her. Her spiritual life was real and her faith was strong. When we read of her in the New Testament, she was one in spirit with Abraham her husband. Abraham and Sarah had shared a long life together. It appears that the only time their fellowship was marred was concerning the incident with Hagar. There is something very fulfilling in the fellowship of a husband and wife who are united in the Lord. That spiritual unity with Him, binds both of them together in a strong three-fold-cord with the Lord that is not easily broken.
The death of Sarah would have been a great loss to Isaac who was still living at home at forty years of age. His mother would have focused her love on the promised son of her old age. She would have devoted much of her efforts to him as the promised one. He was to carry on the promise God made to Abraham to the next generation and through that promise, all the world would be blessed. His sorrow at her death is specifically mentioned in chapter twenty-four.
A death in the home, leaves a place that can never be filled in the family. Others may come and take the position in the family unit, but that is different than the place that has been filled for a lifetime. The next person will fill the vacancy but will bring a different dimension and character to that position in the family. Activities can be resumed, but the one who has died is always missed. Sorrow, v.2. Sorrow is inevitable in family life. How we choose to deal with sorrow depends on our faith in the sovereign will of God. We know death has passed upon all men, for all have sinned. The first mention of tears in the Bible is mentioned here, which is significant. A person who God has used for His purposes is not exempt from the wages of sin. In spite of the joy in life they have brought to many, their death brings sorrow. Those were genuine tears and a proper and expected expression of loss and grief at the passing of the wife Abraham loved. Duty, v.3. If we allow sorrow to overwhelm us, there is danger of losing our credibility in our testimony of faith. Work is the best way to avoid allowing overmuch sorrow to stop us in the course of our life and responsibilities. One who sorrows, demonstrates their faith when in public by moving forward in life in spite of the inward pain of such significant loss.
Abraham knew the need of having a burial place where “his dead…, my dead…, thy dead,” could be properly remembered by him and those in his family of the next generations. Dignity and honor are important when a person is buried. A body is precious even though the person is gone from it, and it returns to dust until the time of resurrection. Respect, loving care for the visual remains of a person who lived among us in a body is expected, especially from loved ones. Faith, v.4-18. Even though Abraham was a pilgrim and a stranger there, Abraham intended to stay in Canaan. He had left Ur for good, and knew Canaan was the place God intended him to be as well as his family after him. Sarah was to be buried there, not in Ur. The courtesy of Abraham toward those he lived among is a good example for us to follow when dealing with people we barely know.
We often will do business of one kind or another with people we don’t know or know only by reputation. They may have heard of us but do not know us, except to know that we are Christians. Being a person of faith should increase our politeness, courtesy and manners toward others no matter who they are. Courtesy is one of the first and basic evidences of a true believer. People may be on their guard when dealing with us because they have heard, “He or she is a Christian. Watch out!”
In spite of what was offered to Abraham, he knew he needed to buy the land with no strings attached in order to “possess the land.” It is not really a good testimony of faith on our part to be looking for, or expecting, handouts. The “appearance” of a matter being dealt with is important. We are to abstain from all appearance of evil. Love, v.19-20. Respect for the dead was paid and a lonely old man went home with his memories. The burying place was “made sure” as evidence of the respect and love Abraham had for his wife Sarah. When someone we love dies, there are appropriate ways believers in the Lord Jesus Christ should conduct themselves and the attitude we should have when others seek to console us in our loss.
Dignity, grace, gratitude and expressions of thankfulness for the memories of the person who died, and the interest of those who sympathize, are all in needed.
Love that has sorrow is natural, inevitable, personal, and can be a beautiful testimony to those looking on and wondering what to say or do. Bereavement would be unnatural if there was no sorrow. Such loss produces sorrow, but the best evidence of love is seen in dignified expressions of sorrow. Faithful service calls us to move on with life and not be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. There are new areas of service for God and His people that open up to sorrowing saints. Others around sorrow with no hope. They may need silent comfort from one who knows recent sorrow personally. There will be others who need to be ministered to from the scriptures, and others in practical ways. Serving others will preserve one from self-pity, regrets and spending all of our thoughts, emotions and efforts in remembering one who is gone. There are areas of need to be filled by sorrowing saints. Hope that blesses us and others is able to be expressed as we look forward to the resurrection, with the joy that faith gives. To say farewell to a most significant person with whom we shared life with its joys and sorrows for many years, is difficult. Faith upholds and strengthens the soul, and the assurance of the resurrection of the body is a comfort. Hope inspires us to “look unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith.” When our time comes to go, we will be able to look forward without fear and dread. We live and move through life guided and kept by the One who is “the Resurrection and the Life.”