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.

0

All the nations of the earth will be blessed—all because Abraham obeyed God.

 Genesis 22:15-24 (NLT)
¹⁵ Then the angel of the Lord called again to Abraham from heaven.¹⁶ “This is what the Lord says: Because you have obeyed me and have not withheld even your son, your only son, I swear by my own name that ¹⁷ I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will conquer the cities of their enemies. ¹⁸ And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed—all because you have obeyed me.”
¹⁹ Then they returned to the servants and traveled back to Beersheba, where Abraham continued to live.
²⁰ Soon after this, Abraham heard that Milcah, his brother Nahor’s wife, had borne Nahor eight sons. ²¹ The oldest was named Uz, the next oldest was Buz, followed by Kemuel (the ancestor of the Arameans), ²² Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel. ²³ (Bethuel became the father of Rebekah.) In addition to these eight sons from Milcah, ²⁴ Nahor had four other children from his concubine Reumah. Their names were Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.

Examine the Scriptures

In the previous lesson:

Abraham’s Faith Tested – A Test That Defies Logic – Abraham passed the test

This lesson:

All the nations of the earth will be blessed—all because Abraham obeyed God.

Genesis 22:15-24 (NLT)
¹⁵ Then the angel of the Lord called again to Abraham from heaven.¹⁶ “This is what the Lord says: Because you have obeyed me

“Because you have obeyed me.”

Hebrews 11:8 (NLT)
It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going.

Hebrews 11:17 (NLT)
It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac,

 Where did Abraham’s faith originate?

 Hebrews 12:2 (NLT)
We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.
^[a] 12:2a Or Jesus, the originator and perfecter of our faith. 

• Faith obeys completely. 

and have not withheld even your son, your only son,

• Faith surrenders the best to God, holding nothing back.

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.

Romans 8:32 (NLT)
Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?

 I swear by my own name that ¹⁷ I will certainly bless you.

 “I will certainly bless you.”

Luke 11:28 (NLT)
Jesus replied, “But even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice.”

James 1:25 (NLT)
But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.

• God blesses those who obey Him. (God blesses those who obey His Word.)

God again confirms his covenant.

 I will multiply your descendants beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore.

Your descendants will conquer the cities of their enemies. 

 Galatians 3:6 (NLT)
In the same way, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”

Romans 4:3 (NLT)
³ For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”  ….
²² And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. ²³ And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded ²⁴ for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.

• God will count us righteous if we believe in Him.

¹⁸ And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed

Descendants = seed

Seed plural = us

Singular seed = Jesus

Galatians 3:16  (NLT) Quoting Genesis 12:7
God gave the promises to Abraham and his child. And notice that the Scripture doesn’t say “to his children,” as if it meant many descendants. Rather, it says “to his child”—and that, of course, means Christ.

—all because you have obeyed me.”  

• Application for us.

Spend time in the Word

Romans 10:17 (NLT)
So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.

Hebrews 4:12 (NLT)
For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.

James 1:22 (NLT)
But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.

Make the right choices.

Deuteronomy 30:19-20 (NLT)
¹⁹ “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! ²⁰ You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life. And if you love and obey the Lord, you will live long in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

Joshua 24:14-15 (NLT)
¹⁴ “So fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone. ¹⁵ But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”

 Make hard choices.

Luke 9:23-24 (NLT)
Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. ²⁴ If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.

Romans 12:1 (NLT)
A Living Sacrifice to God
And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.

 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NLT)
¹⁹ Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, ²⁰ for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.

Let God transform you.

Romans 12:2  (NLT)
² Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

James 4:10 (NLT)
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.

Live righteously.

Matthew 6:33 (NLT)
Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

 ¹⁹ Then they returned to the servants and traveled back to Beersheba, where Abraham continued to live.

 ²⁰ Soon after this, Abraham heard that Milcah, his brother Nahor’s wife, had borne Nahor eight sons.

Communication existed between Beersheba and Ur.

that Milcah, his brother Nahor’s wife, had borne Nahor eight sons. (Ur-Mesopotamia) ²¹ The oldest was named Uz, the next oldest was Buz, followed by Kemuel (the ancestor of the Arameans), ²² Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel. ²³ (Bethuel became the father of Rebekah.) In addition to these eight sons from Milcah, ²⁴ Nahor had four other children from his concubine Reumah. Their names were Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.

0

Abraham’s Faith Tested

Genesis 22:1-14 (NLT)
Abraham’s Faith Tested
¹ Some time later, God tested Abraham’s faith. “Abraham!” God called.
“Yes,” he replied. “Here I am.”
² “Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.”
³ The next morning Abraham got up early. He saddled his donkey and took two of his servants with him, along with his son, Isaac. Then he chopped wood for a fire for a burnt offering and set out for the place God had told him about. ⁴ On the third day of their journey, Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. ⁵ “Stay here with the donkey,” Abraham told the servants. “The boy and I will travel a little farther. We will worship there, and then we will come right back.”
⁶ So Abraham placed the wood for the burnt offering on Isaac’s shoulders, while he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them walked on together, ⁷ Isaac turned to Abraham and said, “Father?”
“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.
“We have the fire and the wood,” the boy said, “but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?”
⁸ “God will provide a sheep for the burnt offering, my son,” Abraham answered. And they both walked on together.
⁹ When they arrived at the place where God had told him to go, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it. Then he tied his son, Isaac, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. ¹⁰ And Abraham picked up the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice. ¹¹ At that moment the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
“Yes,” Abraham replied. “Here I am!”
¹² “Don’t lay a hand on the boy!” the angel said. “Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son.”
¹³ Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. So he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering in place of his son. ¹⁴ Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means “the Lord will provide”). To this day, people still use that name as a proverb: “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”

Examine the Scriptures

Genesis 22:1-14 (NLT)
Abraham’s Faith Tested
¹ Some time later,

  A number of commentaries (6) have Isaac between the ages of 18-37.

God tested Abraham’s faith.

God does not tempt us.

Tempt – do something wrong. Test – do something right.

A most difficult test.

A test that defies logic.

James 1:2-4 (NLT)
² Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. ³ For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. ⁴ So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect (mature) and complete, needing nothing.

• The testing of our faith helps us to become fully mature, complete, and lacking in nothing.

“Abraham!” God called.
“Yes,” he replied. “Here I am.”
² “Take your son, your only son—

Abraham had already sent Ishmael, a son he loved, away.

Genesis 21:9-14 (NLT)
⁹ But Sarah saw Ishmael—the son of Abraham and her Egyptian servant Hagar—making fun of her son, Isaac. ¹⁰ So she turned to Abraham and demanded, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son. He is not going to share the inheritance with my son, Isaac. I won’t have it!”
¹¹ This upset Abraham very much because Ishmael was his son. ¹² But God told Abraham, “Do not be upset over the boy and your servant. Do whatever Sarah tells you, for Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted. ¹³ But I will also make a nation of the descendants of Hagar’s son because he is your son, too.”¹⁴ So Abraham got up early the next morning, prepared food and a container of water, and strapped them on Hagar’s shoulders. Then he sent her away with their son, and she wandered aimlessly in the wilderness of Beersheba.

 yes, Isaac, (a young adult) whom you love so much

Much like God the Father and God the Son.

Matthew 3:17 (NLT)
And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”

 —and go to the land of Moriah.

Land of Moriah vs. Mount Moriah – Solomon’s temple (Jewish tradition – not certain)

Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.”

Unreasonable

Genesis 12:1-3 (NLT)
The Call of Abram
¹ The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. ² I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. ³ I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”

Trust and obey.

• God asks that we love Him enough to trust and obey

Proverbs 3:5 (NLT)
Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.

• The burnt offering of children existed in ancient Canaan.

Are there any stories in scripture of parents offering up their children as a burnt offering?

Judges 11:29-40 (NLT)
Jephthah’s Vow
²⁹ At that time the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, and he went throughout the land of Gilead and Manasseh, including Mizpah in Gilead, and from there he led an army against the Ammonites. ³⁰ And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord. He said, “If you give me victory over the Ammonites, ³¹ I will give to the Lord whatever comes out of my house to meet me when I return in triumph. I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering.”
³² So Jephthah led his army against the Ammonites, and the Lord gave him victory. ³³ He crushed the Ammonites, devastating about twenty towns from Aroer to an area near Minnith and as far away as Abel-keramim. In this way Israel defeated the Ammonites.
³⁴ When Jephthah returned home to Mizpah, his daughter came out to meet him, playing on a tambourine and dancing for joy. She was his one and only child; he had no other sons or daughters. ³⁵ When he saw her, he tore his clothes in anguish. “Oh, my daughter!” he cried out. “You have completely destroyed me! You’ve brought disaster on me! For I have made a vow to the Lord, and I cannot take it back.”
³⁶ And she said, “Father, if you have made a vow to the Lord, you must do to me what you have vowed, for the Lord has given you a great victory over your enemies, the Ammonites. ³⁷ But first let me do this one thing: Let me go up and roam in the hills and weep with my friends for two months, because I will die a virgin.”
³⁸ “You may go,” Jephthah said. And he sent her away for two months. She and her friends went into the hills and wept because she would never have children. ³⁹ When she returned home, her father kept the vow he had made, and she died a virgin.
So it has become a custom in Israel ⁴⁰ for young Israelite women to go away for four days each year to lament the fate of Jephthah’s daughter.

³ The next morning Abraham got up early.

 Obedience without hesitation.

 He saddled his donkey and took two of his servants with him, along with his son, Isaac. Then he chopped wood for a fire for a burnt offering and set out for the place God had told him about. 

 Abraham was prepared to offer Isaac as a burnt offering.

Hebrews 11:17-19 (NLT)
¹⁷ It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, ¹⁸ even though God had told him, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.”  ¹⁹ Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead.

• Abraham was prepared to offer Isaac as a burnt offering.

⁴ On the third day of their journey (50 miles),

 Not an easy task.

Obedience is not always easy.  (It was not always easy for Jesus.)

Luke 22:42-44 (NLT)
⁴² “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” ⁴³ Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him. ⁴⁴ He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.

•  Obedience to God can and will be difficult.

Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. ⁵ “Stay here with the donkey,” Abraham told the servants. “The boy and I will travel a little farther.

We will worship there, and then we will come right back.”

Worship

Paying honor to God.   The feeling and expression of adoration, reverence, trust, love, loyalty, and dependence directed to God.

Psalm 34:1 (NLT)
 I will praise the Lord at all times.
I will constantly speak his praises.

• Worship helps us maintain a right relationship with God.

⁶ So Abraham placed the wood for the burnt offering on Isaac’s shoulders, while he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them walked on together, ⁷ Isaac turned to Abraham and said, “Father?”
“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.
“We have the fire and the wood,” the boy said, “but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?”

 ⁸ “God will provide a sheep for the burnt offering, my son,”

Prophetic (dual meaning)

Mark 10:45 (NLT)
For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Abraham answered. And they both walked on together.
⁹ When they arrived at the place where God had told him to go, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it. Then he tied his son, Isaac, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. ¹⁰ And Abraham picked up the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice. ¹¹ At that moment the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
“Yes,” Abraham replied. “Here I am!”

¹² “Don’t lay a hand on the boy!” the angel said. “Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son.”

 Abraham demonstrated the fact that he clearly feared God.

Abraham was willing to give God anything, even his only son.

Abraham passed the test.

¹³ Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. So he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering in place of his son. 

Verse 8 – a sheep

John 1:29 (NLT)
Jesus, the Lamb of God
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

1 Thessalonians 5:10 (NLT)
Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when he returns, we can live with him forever.

¹⁴ Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means “the Lord will provide”). To this day, people still use that name as a proverb: “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”

•  The Lord will provide.

0

Abraham’s Covenant with Abimelech

This story takes place between the stories of Isaac and Ishmael and the sacrifice of Isaac.

Why is this passage included in the scriptures?

A glimpse of God working in the life of a man of faith.

Some of the details of God’s sovereign plan for Abraham.

Genesis 21:22-34 (NLT)

 Abraham’s Covenant with Abimelech

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!” ²⁵ Then Abraham complained to Abimelech about a well that Abimelech’s servants had taken by force from Abraham’s servants.

²⁶ “This is the first I’ve heard of it,” Abimelech answered. “I have no idea who is responsible. You have never complained about this before.”

²⁷ Abraham then gave some of his sheep, goats, and cattle to Abimelech, and they made a treaty. ²⁸ But Abraham also took seven additional female lambs and set them off by themselves. ²⁹ Abimelech asked, “Why have you set these seven apart from the others?”

³⁰ Abraham replied, “Please accept these seven lambs to show your agreement that I dug this well.” ³¹ Then he named the place Beersheba (which means “well of the oath”), because that was where they had sworn the oath.

³² After making their covenant at Beersheba, Abimelech left with Phicol, the commander of his army, and they returned home to the land of the Philistines. ³³ Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba, and there he worshiped the Lord, the Eternal God. ³⁴ And Abraham lived as a foreigner in Philistine country for a long time.

Examine the Scriptures

A quick look into the life of a man living by faith.

A New Testament description of Abraham.

Hebrews 11:8-10, 13-16

⁸ It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. 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.

 ¹³ All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. ¹⁴ Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. ¹⁵ If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. ¹⁶ But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

• It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance.

A glimpse of God working in the life of a man of faith.

 Genesis 21:22-34 (NLT)

 Abraham’s Covenant with Abimelech

²² About this time, Abimelech came with Phicol, his army commander, to visit Abraham.

 Abimelech came to Abraham.

 “God is obviously with you, helping you in everything you do,”

Abimelech recognized that God had blessed Abraham.

• God was helping Abraham in everything he did.

Abimelech said. ²³ “Swear to me in God’s name that you will never deceive me, my children, or any of my descendants.

• Abimelech knew that Abraham was deceptive.

Genesis 20:1-10 (NLT)
Abraham Deceives Abimelech
¹ Abraham moved south to the Negev and lived for a while between Kadesh and Shur, and then he moved on to Gerar. While living there as a foreigner, ² Abraham introduced his wife, Sarah, by saying, “She is my sister.” So King Abimelech of Gerar sent for Sarah and had her brought to him at his palace.

³ But that night God came to Abimelech in a dream and told him, “You are a dead man, for that woman you have taken is already married!”

⁴ But Abimelech had not slept with her yet, so he said, “Lord, will you destroy an innocent nation? ⁵ Didn’t Abraham tell me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘Yes, he is my brother.’ I acted in complete innocence! My hands are clean.”

⁶ In the dream God responded, “Yes, I know you are innocent. That’s why I kept you from sinning against me, and why I did not let you touch her. ⁷ Now return the woman to her husband, and he will pray for you, for he is a prophet. Then you will live. But if you don’t return her to him, you can be sure that you and all your people will die.”

⁸ Abimelech got up early the next morning and quickly called all his servants together. When he told them what had happened, his men were terrified. ⁹ Then Abimelech called for Abraham. “What have you done to us?” he demanded. “What crime have I committed that deserves treatment like this, making me and my kingdom guilty of this great sin? No one should ever do what you have done! ¹⁰ Whatever possessed you to do such a thing?”

Proverbs 20:11 (NLT)
Even children are known by the way they act,
whether their conduct is pure, and whether it is right.

Abraham was known by his actions.

• We are known by our actions.

I have been loyal to you,

 Genesis 20:14-16 (NLT)
¹⁴ Then Abimelech took some of his sheep and goats, cattle, and male and female servants, and he presented them to Abraham. He also returned his wife, Sarah, to him. ¹⁵ Then Abimelech said, “Look over my land and choose any place where you would like to live.” ¹⁶ And he said to Sarah, “Look, I am giving your ‘brother’ 1,000 pieces of silver in the presence of all these witnesses. This is to compensate you for any wrong I may have done to you. This will settle any claim against me, and your reputation is cleared.”

 Abimelech had treated Abraham generously.

 so now swear that you will be loyal to me and to this country where you are living as a foreigner.”

Abraham was the outsider.

Technically, Abraham should have gone to Abimelech.

²⁴ Abraham replied, “Yes, I swear to it!” 

•  Abraham and Abimelech made an oath to be loyal to each other.

 A covenant Abraham made with the residents of the land allowing him to live there in peace.

  ²⁵ Then Abraham complained to Abimelech about a well that Abimelech’s servants had taken by force from Abraham’s servants.

Importance of wells.

The area had limited water resources.

²⁶ “This is the first I’ve heard of it,” Abimelech answered. “I have no idea who is responsible. You have never complained about this before.”

²⁷ Abraham then gave some of his sheep, goats, and cattle to Abimelech, and they made a treaty. 

 A covenant Abraham made with the residents of the land allowing him to live there in peace.

²⁸ But Abraham also took seven additional female lambs and set them off by themselves. ²⁹ Abimelech asked, “Why have you set these seven apart from the others?”

³⁰ Abraham replied, “Please accept these seven lambs to show your agreement that I dug this well.” 

• Abraham and Abimelech made a covenant giving ownership of the well to Abraham.

Abraham’s right to ownership of the well.

³¹ Then he named the place Beersheba (which means “well of the oath” or “well of seven”), because that was where they had sworn the oath.

 God was supplying Abraham’s needs.

Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)
For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

 Philippians 4:19  (NLT)
And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

•  God supplied Abraham’s needs.

 ³² After making their covenant at Beersheba, Abimelech left with Phicol, the commander of his army, and they returned home to the land of the Philistines. 

 Abimelech can expect God’s blessing.

Genesis 12:1-3 (NLT)
The Call of Abram
¹ The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. ² I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. ³ I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”

 ³³ Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba,

 A sign of peaceful security.

Zechariah 3:10 (NLT)
“And on that day, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, each of you will invite your neighbor to sit with you peacefully under your own grapevine and fig tree.”

The covenant Abraham made with the residents of the land allowed him to live there in peace.

 and there he worshiped the Lord, the Eternal God. 

 Abraham’s worship continues in chapter 22.

 Genesis 22:5 New Living Translation (NLT)
“Stay here with the donkey,” Abraham told the servants. “The boy and I will travel a little farther. We will worship there, and then we will come right back.”

•  Abraham worshiped the Lord, the Eternal God.

 ³⁴ And Abraham lived as a foreigner in Philistine country for a long time.

 Life applications:

• Christians (like Abraham) are temporary residents living in a foreign land.

1 Peter 1:1 (NLT)
1 This letter is from Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ.
I am writing to God’s chosen people who are living as foreigners in the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.

1 Peter 2:11 (NLT)
Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls.

Hebrews 13:14 (NLT)
For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come.

Philippians 3:20 (NLT)
But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.

Live by faith.  Christians, like Abraham, live by believing and not by seeing.

• Christians are called to live by faith.

2 Corinthians 5:7 (NLT)
For we live by believing and not by seeing.

Hebrews 11:1 (ESV)
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:6 (NLT)
And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

 Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT)
⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
⁶ Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.

 2 Timothy 4:7 (NLT)
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.

Worship the Lord

Luke 4:8 (NLT)
Jesus replied, “The Scriptures say,
‘You must worship the Lord your God
and serve only him.’”

•  The scriptures tell Christians to worship the Lord and serve Him only.

0

Two titles for this lesson.

Hagar and Ishmael Are Sent Away

God Protects Hagar and Ishmael

Genesis 21:8-21 (NLT)
⁸ When Isaac grew up and was about to be weaned, Abraham prepared a huge feast to celebrate the occasion. ⁹ But Sarah saw Ishmael—the son of Abraham and her Egyptian servant Hagar—making fun of her son, Isaac. ¹⁰ So she turned to Abraham and demanded, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son. He is not going to share the inheritance with my son, Isaac. I won’t have it!”

¹¹ This upset Abraham very much because Ishmael was his son. ¹² But God told Abraham, “Do not be upset over the boy and your servant. Do whatever Sarah tells you, for Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted. ¹³ But I will also make a nation of the descendants of Hagar’s son because he is your son, too.”

¹⁴ So Abraham got up early the next morning, prepared food and a container of water, and strapped them on Hagar’s shoulders. Then he sent her away with their son, and she wandered aimlessly in the wilderness of Beersheba.

¹⁵ When the water was gone, she put the boy in the shade of a bush.¹⁶ Then she went and sat down by herself about a hundred yards away. “I don’t want to watch the boy die,” she said, as she burst into tears.

¹⁷ But God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, “Hagar, what’s wrong? Do not be afraid! God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. ¹⁸ Go to him and comfort him, for I will make a great nation from his descendants.”

¹⁹ Then God opened Hagar’s eyes, and she saw a well full of water. She quickly filled her water container and gave the boy a drink.

²⁰ And God was with the boy as he grew up in the wilderness. He became a skillful archer, ²¹ and he settled in the wilderness of Paran. His mother arranged for him to marry a woman from the land of Egypt.

Examine the Scriptures

Hagar and Ishmael Are Sent Away

God Protects Hagar and Ishmael

Genesis 21:8-21 (NLT)
⁸ When Isaac grew up and was about to be weaned, (2-3 years old) Abraham prepared a huge feast to celebrate the occasion. 

 Celebrate Isaac’s passage from infancy to childhood.

 ⁹ But Sarah saw Ishmael (now 16 or 17 years old)—the son of Abraham and her Egyptian servant Hagar—making fun of her son, Isaac. 

 Genesis 21:9-10 (AMP)
Now [as time went on] Sarah saw [Ishmael] the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, mocking [Isaac].

 Genesis 21:9-10 (NKJV)
And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, scoffing.

 Genesis 21:9-10 (ESV)
But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, laughing.
Footnotes:
Possibly laughing in mockery

 The 16 or 17 year old son of Abraham making fun of Sarah’s son (little boy) Isaac.

Previously

Strained and broken relationships go back many years.

Genesis 16:4-10 (NLT)
⁴ So Abram had sexual relations with Hagar, and she became pregnant. But when Hagar knew she was pregnant, she (Hagar) began to treat her mistress, Sarai, with contempt. ⁵ Then Sarai said to Abram, “This is all your fault! I put my servant into your arms, but now that she’s pregnant she treats me with contempt. The Lord will show who’s wrong—you or me!”

⁶ Abram replied, “Look, she is your servant, so deal with her as you see fit.” Then Sarai treated Hagar so harshly that she finally ran away.

⁷ The angel of the Lord found Hagar beside a spring of water in the wilderness, along the road to Shur. ⁸ The angel said to her, “Hagar, Sarai’s servant, where have you come from, and where are you going?”

“I’m running away from my mistress, Sarai,” she replied.

⁹ The angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit to her authority.” ¹⁰ Then he added, “I will give you more descendants than you can count.”

 ¹⁰ So she turned to Abraham and demanded, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son. He is not going to share the inheritance with my son, Isaac. I won’t have it!”

• Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Hagar, and Ishmael were living in a man-made social nightmare!

Consequences for living outside of God’s will.

Genesis 16:1-3 (NLT)
The Birth of Ishmael
¹ Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had not been able to bear children for him. But she had an Egyptian servant named Hagar. ² So Sarai said to Abram, “The Lord has prevented me from having children. Go and sleep with my servant. Perhaps I can have children through her.” And Abram agreed with Sarai’s proposal. ³ So Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian servant and gave her to Abram as a wife. (This happened ten years after Abram had settled in the land of Canaan.)

Problems

Isaac was the rightful natural heir.

But:

According to the social law of the time, Abraham was not permitted to send Ishmael away.

Abraham loved Ishmael.

Genesis 16:12 (NLT)
¹² This son of yours will be a wild man, as untamed as a wild donkey! He will raise his fist against everyone, and everyone will be against him. Yes, he will live in open hostility against all his relatives.”

Go to Galatians 4 in the New Testament.

Galatians 4:21-31 (NLT)

A good overview of all that had taken place.

Abraham’s Two Children

²¹ Tell me, you who want to live under the law, do you know what the law actually says? ²² The Scriptures say that Abraham had two sons, one from his slave wife and one from his freeborn wife. 

 ²³ The son of the slave wife was born in a human attempt to bring about the fulfillment of God’s promise.

 But the son of the freeborn wife was born as God’s own fulfillment of his promise.

²⁴ These two women serve as an illustration of God’s two covenants. The first woman, Hagar, represents Mount Sinai where people received the law that enslaved them. ²⁵ And now Jerusalem is just like Mount Sinai in Arabia, because she and her children live in slavery to the law. ²⁶ But the other woman, Sarah, represents the heavenly Jerusalem. She is the free woman, and she is our mother. ²⁷ As Isaiah said,

“Rejoice, O childless woman,
you who have never given birth!
Break into a joyful shout,
you who have never been in labor!
For the desolate woman now has more children
than the woman who lives with her husband!”

²⁸ And you, dear brothers and sisters, are children of the promise, just like Isaac. ²⁹ But you are now being persecuted by those who want you to keep the law, just as Ishmael, the child born by human effort, persecuted Isaac, the child born by the power of the Spirit.

 ³⁰ But what do the Scriptures say about that? “Get rid of the slave and her son, for the son of the slave woman will not share the inheritance with the free woman’s son.” 

 ³¹ So, dear brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman; we are children of the free woman.

 This is a picture of the ongoing struggle between the flesh and the Spirit.

Man’s way vs. God’s way. 

• Until Jesus returns, there will always be an ongoing struggle between the flesh and the Spirit.

¹¹ This upset Abraham very much because Ishmael was his son. 

Galatians 5:16-18 (NLT)
Living by the Spirit’s Power
¹⁶ So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. ¹⁷ The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. ¹⁸ But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.

¹² But God told Abraham, “Do not be upset over the boy and your servant. Do whatever Sarah tells you, for Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted. 

Romans 9:7 (NLT)
Being descendants of Abraham doesn’t make them truly Abraham’s children. For the Scriptures say, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted,” though Abraham had other children, too.

 Genesis 25:1-2 (NLT)
¹ Abraham married another wife, whose name was Keturah. ² She gave birth to Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.

Hebrews 11:18 (NLT)
even though God had told him, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.”

¹³ But I will also make a nation of the descendants of Hagar’s son because he is your son, too.”

• God is in control.

 ¹⁴ So Abraham got up early the next morning, prepared food and a container of water, and strapped them on Hagar’s shoulders. Then he sent her away with their son, and she wandered aimlessly in the wilderness of Beersheba.

 ¹⁵ When the water was gone, she put the boy in the shade of a bush.¹⁶ Then she went and sat down by herself about a hundred yards away. “I don’t want to watch the boy die,” she said, as she burst into tears.

¹⁷ But God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, “Hagar, what’s wrong? Do not be afraid! God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. ¹⁸ Go to him and comfort him, for I will make a great nation from his descendants.”

 Genesis 17:18-27 (NLT)
¹⁸ So Abraham said to God, “May Ishmael live under your special blessing!”

¹⁹ But God replied, “No—Sarah, your wife, will give birth to a son for you. You will name him Isaac, and I will confirm my covenant with him and his descendants as an everlasting covenant. ²⁰ As for Ishmael, I will bless him also, just as you have asked. I will make him extremely fruitful and multiply his descendants. He will become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. ²¹ But my covenant will be confirmed with Isaac, who will be born to you and Sarah about this time next year.” ²² When God had finished speaking, he left Abraham.

²³ On that very day Abraham took his son, Ishmael, and every male in his household, including those born there and those he had bought. Then he circumcised them, cutting off their foreskins, just as God had told him. ²⁴ Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised, ²⁵ and Ishmael, his son, was thirteen. ²⁶ Both Abraham and his son, Ishmael, were circumcised on that same day, ²⁷ along with all the other men and boys of the household, whether they were born there or bought as servants. All were circumcised with him.

•  Ishmael was blessed by God.
• God promised to make Ishmael extremely fruitful and make him a great nation.
• God’s covenant was first made to Abraham(Genesis 15:18-21), then confirmed to his son Isaac (Genesis 26:3), and then to Isaac’s son Jacob (Genesis 28:13), Abraham’s

 ¹⁹ Then God opened Hagar’s eyes, and she saw a well full of water. She quickly filled her water container and gave the boy a drink.

 ²⁰ And God was with the boy as he grew up in the wilderness. He became a skillful archer, ²¹ and he settled in the wilderness of Paran. His mother arranged for him to marry a woman from the land of Egypt.

• God was with Ishmael as he grew up in the wilderness.
• God kept the promise He had made with Abraham about Ishmael.
• God always keeps His Word.  (A theme we have seen throughout the book of Genesis.)

0