Slices
Prepare
What do you think life with Christ in eternity will be like? May God give you a fresh longing for this.
Bible passage
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. He said, 4 ‘I am a foreigner and stranger among you. Sell me some property for a burial site here so that 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 that 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 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.’
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 that I can bury my dead there.’
14 Ephron answered Abraham, 15 ‘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.’
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 legally made over 18 to Abraham as his property in the presence of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of the city. 19 Afterwards 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 legally made over to Abraham by the Hittites as a burial site.
Explore
Abraham and Sarah had had a long, eventful marriage. Abraham travelled the 26 miles from Beersheba to Hebron to mourn. But where would her bones be laid?
Abraham, respected as ‘a mighty prince’ (v 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 (v 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 honour 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!
Respond
We have a stake in this life on earth, but what about your stake in eternity? Pray for those who are currently in mourning.
Deeper Bible study
Thank God for his biblical permission to mourn and weep, just as his own Son did, knowing that this process brings healing to the broken-hearted.
The purchase of a burial site for Sarah is full of significance. This is a proper land transaction: by purchasing the cave and field, Abraham becomes the owner of Canaanite land and can establish the tomb for future generations.
When ministering to the bereaved, I often ask individuals how they are coping. ‘I’m keeping busy’, is a common response, which can be a sign of not coping well at all. In some cultures people feel embarrassed to mourn openly; other cultures may mourn and weep freely. The Scriptures, however, encourage healthy mourning. The emotional trauma of loss experienced by the bereaved cannot be overstated. Mourning is a necessary process and activity that aids the healing process. ‘Keeping busy’ is not what Abraham wanted. He wanted to mourn and to weep.
In mourning, he wanted to reflect, to remember and to grieve the loss of his beloved wife. In weeping, he wanted to shed tears of inner pain and anguish at losing his life partner. The Bible holds Sarah in exceedingly high esteem. She is the only female whose age at the time of her death is recorded (v 1). Further indication of esteem is reflected in the biblical injunction to follow her example.1 Sarah is one of two women commended for faith in Hebrews 11.2
Is there a loved one that you have lost and have you felt forced to rush the grieving process through acts of busyness? If so, reread this chapter slowly and deliberately and assign a special period of time to dedicate yourself to mourn the loss of your loved one. Remember him or her with love, affection and thankfulness to God for their influence in your life.
Invite the Lord to minister to any wounds that you may be carrying concerning your loss. Thank him for his tender mercies and the healing that he brings.
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Judges 17,18; Proverbs 11,12
Pray for Scripture Union
Pray for local mission partner Fleet and Crookham Churches Together in Schools, asking that they will gain an open door into the one school that they don’t yet go into and that young people involved in their schools work would be drawn into church youth and children’s activities.
