The Burial of Sarah
A Giant Step of Faith.
Genesis 23:1-20 (NLT)
The Burial of Sarah
1 When Sarah was 127 years old, 2 she died at Kiriath-arba (now called Hebron) in the land of Canaan. There Abraham mourned and wept for her.
3 Then, leaving her body, he said to the Hittite elders, 4 “Here I am, a stranger and a foreigner among you. Please sell me a piece of land so I can give my wife a proper burial.”
5 The Hittites replied to Abraham, 6 “Listen, my lord, you are an honored prince among us. Choose the finest of our tombs and bury her there. No one here will refuse to help you in this way.”
7 Then Abraham bowed low before the Hittites 8 and said, “Since you are willing to help me in this way, be so kind as to ask Ephron son of Zohar9 to let me buy his cave at Machpelah, down at the end of his field. I will pay the full price in the presence of witnesses, so I will have a permanent burial place for my family.”
10 Ephron was sitting there among the others, and he answered Abraham as the others listened, speaking publicly before all the Hittite elders of the town. 11 “No, my lord,” he said to Abraham, “please listen to me. I will give you the field and the cave. Here in the presence of my people, I give it to you. Go and bury your dead.”
12 Abraham again bowed low before the citizens of the land, 13 and he replied to Ephron as everyone listened. “No, listen to me. I will buy it from you. Let me pay the full price for the field so I can bury my dead there.”14 Ephron answered Abraham, 15 “My lord, please listen to me. The land is worth 400 pieces of silver, but what is that between friends? Go ahead and bury your dead.”16 So Abraham agreed to Ephron’s price and paid the amount he had suggested—400 pieces of silver, weighed according to the market standard. The Hittite elders witnessed the transaction.
17 So Abraham bought the plot of land belonging to Ephron at Machpelah, near Mamre. This included the field itself, the cave that was in it, and all the surrounding trees. 18 It was transferred to Abraham as his permanent possession in the presence of the Hittite elders at the city gate. 19 Then Abraham buried his wife, Sarah, there in Canaan, in the cave of Machpelah, near Mamre (also called Hebron). 20 So the field and the cave were transferred from the Hittites to Abraham for use as a permanent burial place.
Examine the Scriptures
Genesis 23:1-20 (NLT)
1 When Sarah was 127 years old (2028 B.C.),
Sarah was the only woman in the scriptures to have her age at the time of death recorded.
Genesis 17:17 (NLT)
Then Abraham bowed down to the ground, but he laughed to himself in disbelief. “How could I become a father at the age of 100?” he thought. “And how can Sarah have a baby when she is ninety years old?”
This would make Abraham 137 years old.
This would make Isaac 37 at this time.
Abraham was 75 years old when he left Haran. This is 62 years later.
Genesis 25:7 – Abraham was 175 years old when he died.
2 she died at Kir i ath-ar ba (now called Hebron) in the land of Canaan.
North of Beersheba 26 miles.
Between Beersheba and Moriah.
Half the distance to Moriah.
There Abraham mourned and wept for her.
Married in Genesis 11:29 – at least 67 years of marriage
3 Then, leaving her body, he said to the Hittite elders,
Hittites lived in this area. The Hittite empire was north of this area.
Lived in Canaan at the time of the conquest. They fought against the Israelites but they were not driven out by the Israelites.
Deuteronomy 7:1-4 (NLT)
1 “When the Lord your God brings you into the land you are about to enter and occupy, he will clear away many nations ahead of you: the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. These seven nations are greater and more numerous than you. 2 When the Lord your God hands these nations over to you and you conquer them, you must completely destroy them. Make no treaties with them and show them no mercy. 3 You must not intermarry with them. Do not let your daughters and sons marry their sons and daughters, 4 for they will lead your children away from me to worship other gods. Then the anger of the Lord will burn against you, and he will quickly destroy you.
Esau married Hittite wives.
Solomon had Hittite women in his harem.
4 “Here I am, a stranger and a foreigner among you.
- Abraham recognized that he was a stranger and a foreigner in the land of Canaan. (62 years)
Acts 7:5 (NLT)
“But God gave him no inheritance here, not even one square foot of land. God did promise, however, that eventually the whole land would belong to Abraham and his descendants—even though he had no children yet.
Hebrews 11:9-10 (NLT)
9 And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise. 10 Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.
Please sell me a piece of land so I can give my wife a proper burial.”
*It was important to be buried in their native land (Ur or Haran). Even though Abraham was considered an alien and a stranger among the people of this area, Abraham had faith that this would be the native land of his ancestors. For Abraham, there was no going back. Canaan was now Abraham’s native land.
Exodus 13:19 (NLT)
Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph had made the sons of Israel swear to do this. He said, “God will certainly come to help you. When he does, you must take my bones with you from this place.”
Verse 17 & 19 – in Canaan, in the cave of Machpelah, near Mamre (also called Hebron).
- Abraham believed God’s promises.
5 The Hittites replied to Abraham, 6 “Listen, my lord, you are an honored prince among us.
- Abraham was held in high regard by the people around him, in spite of some of his previous behaviors.
Abraham’s Covenant with Abimelech
Genesis 21
22 About this time, Abimelech came with Phicol, his army commander, to visit Abraham. “God is obviously with you, helping you in everything you do,” Abimelech said. 23 “Swear to me in God’s name that you will never deceive me, my children, or any of my descendants. I have been loyal to you, so now swear that you will be loyal to me and to this country where you are living as a foreigner.” 24 Abraham replied, “Yes, I swear to it!”
Abraham was able to interact favorably with the citizens of the land.
(In the world but not of the world.)
Choose the finest of our tombs and bury her there. No one here will refuse to help you in this way.”
7 Then Abraham bowed low before the Hittites 8 and said, “Since you are willing to help me in this way, be so kind as to ask Eph ron son of Zo har9 to let me buy his cave at Mach pe lah, down at the end of his field. I will pay the full price in the presence of witnesses, so I will have a permanent burial place for my family.”
10 Ephron was sitting there among the others, (most likely at the city gates) and he answered Abraham as the others listened, speaking publicly before all the Hittite elders of the town. 11 “No, my lord,” he said to Abraham, “please listen to me. I will give you the field and the cave.
“I will give you” did not mean the property was free. This was a form of Bedouin bargaining. Giving for giving.
Here in the presence of my people, I give it to you. Go and bury your dead.”12 Abraham again bowed low before the citizens of the land, 13 and he replied to Ephron as everyone listened. “No, listen to me. I will buy it from you. Let me pay the full price for the field so I can bury my dead there.”
14 Ephron answered Abraham, 15 “My lord, please listen to me. The land is worth 400 pieces of silver, but what is that between friends? Go ahead and bury your dead.”
16 So Abraham agreed to Ephron’s price and paid the amount he had suggested—400 pieces of silver,
Paying 400 pieces of silver was paying a premium price for the property.
Comparison:
Jeremiah 32:9 (NLT)
9 So I bought the field at Anathoth, paying Hanamel seventeen pieces[a]of silver for it.
Footnotes:
32:9 Hebrew 17 shekels, about 7 ounces or 194 grams in weight.
weighed according to the market standard. The Hittite elders witnessed the transaction.
A legal business transaction.
17 So Abraham bought the plot of land belonging to Eph ron at Mach pe lah, near Mam re. This included the field itself, the cave that was in it, and all the surrounding trees. 18 It was transferred to Abraham as his permanent possession in the presence of the Hittite elders at the city gate.
The only part of the Promised Land Abraham himself ever received he bought.
This was the first real occupation of the land.
- Abraham paid a price to bury Sarah in Canaan.
19 Then Abraham buried his wife, Sarah, there in Canaan, in the cave of Machpelah, near Mamre (also called Hebron).
Abraham buried his wife in Canaan.
20 So the field and the cave were transferred from the Hittites to Abraham for use as a permanent burial place.
Sarah, Abraham, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob, and Leah were all buried here.
- Abraham believed that Canaan would be the home of his ancestors.
- For Abraham, there was no going back. Canaan was now Abraham’s native land.
- Abraham recognized that he was a stranger and a foreigner in the land of Canaan.
- Abraham believed God’s promises.
- Abraham was held in high regard by the people around him, in spite of some of his previous behaviors.
- Abraham paid a price to bury Sarah in Canaan.
- Abraham believed that Canaan would be the home of his ancestors.
- For Abraham, there was no going back. Canaan was now Abraham’s native land.
Applications for us.
- Christians need to recognize that they are “temporary residents and foreigners” and do not belong to the world.
John 17:14-16 (NLT)
14 I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. 15 I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. 16 They do not belong to this world any more than I do.
Hebrews 13:14 (NLT)
14 For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come.
1 Peter 2:11 (NLT)
11 Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls.
- Christians need to know and believe God’s promises. God saves us by his grace when we believe.
Ephesians 2:8 (NLT)
God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.
John 3:16 (NLT)
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
- Christians must be careful to live properly among their unbelieving neighbors.
1 Peter 2:12 (NLT)
Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.
- Christians must be willing to pay a price for following Jesus.
2 Timothy 3:12 (NLT)
Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.
Mark 10:29-30 (NLT)
29 “Yes,” Jesus replied, “and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for my sake and for the Good News, 30 will receive now in return a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and property—along with persecution. And in the world to come that person will have eternal life.
Mark 8:34 (NLT)
34 Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.
- Christians know that they will spend eternity in Heaven.
Philippians 3:20 (NLT)
20 But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.
John 14:1-4 (NLT)
1 “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. 2 There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? 3 When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.”
Like Abraham, we need to press on to reach the end of the race.
Philippians 3:14 (NLT)
14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
