Genesis chapter 23. Last week we saw in Genesis chapter 22 the call or the test by God upon Abraham to go and to sacrifice his son. Obviously the Lord stopped him from doing that, but that did reveal the nature of Abraham's faith. He believed God.
Here in Genesis chapter 23, the bulk of the chapter is basically a business or a land transaction after the introductory statement of the death of Sarah. So beginning in chapter 23 at verse 1. Sarah lived 127 years. These were the years of the life of Sarah.
So Sarah died in Kirjath Arba, that is, Hebron, in the land of Canaan. And Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. Then Abraham stood up from before his dead and spoke to the sons of Heth, saying, I am a foreigner and a visitor among you. Give me property for a burial place among you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.
And the sons of Hath answered Abraham, saying to him, Hear us, my lord. You are a mighty prince among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our burial places. None of us will withhold from you his burial place that you may bury your dead.
Then Abraham stood up and bowed himself to the people of the land, the sons of Hath. And he spoke with them, saying, If it is your wish that I bury my dead out of my sight, hear me, and meet with Ephron, the son of Zohar, for me, that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he has, which is at the end of his field. Let him give it to me at the full price, as property for a burial place among you. Now Ephron dwelt among the sons of Heth, and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the presence of the sons of Heth, all who entered at the gate of his city, saying, No, my lord, hear me.
I give you the field and the cave that is in it. I give it to you in the presence of the sons of my people. I give it to you. Bury your dead.
Then Abraham bowed himself down before the people of the land, and he spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, saying, If you will give it, please hear me. I will give you money for the field. Take it from me, and I will bury my dead there. And Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him, My lord, listen to me.
The land is worth 400 shekels of silver. What is that between you and me? So bury your dead. And Abraham listened to Ephron.
And Abraham weighed out the silver for Ephron, which he had named in the hearing of the sons of Heth, 400 shekels of silver, currency of the merchants. So the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field and the cave which was in it, and all the trees that were in the field, which were within all the surrounding borders, were deeded to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the sons of Heth, before all who went in at the gate of his city. And after this, Abraham buried Sarah, his wife, in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre, that is, Hebron, in the land of Canaan. So the field and the cave that is in it were deeded to Abraham by the sons of Heth as property for a burial place.
Amen.
Introduction to Genesis 23
Well, as I said, the first two verses deal with the death of Sarah, and it's quite brief. We'll look at that in just a moment. But the main portion of the chapter deals with the purchase of a burial plot, verses 3 to 20. And essentially, the point is, is that the promise of God is becoming fulfilled, or it's starting fulfillment.
If you remember back in Genesis chapter 12, you can turn there. Genesis chapter 12, we have Abraham enters the land. God had promised to him that he would give him the land, and he enters the land according to chapter 12, verse 6. It says, Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth trees of Moreh, and the Canaanites were then in the land.
And then in chapter 13, he surveys the land. Notice specifically in verse 17, God says, Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you. And then in chapter 21, we see that Abraham secures water for life in the land, or use in the land. That covenant he makes with Abimelech to ensure that Abraham retains possession of a well that he had dug so that they would in fact have water in the land.
Well, here specifically he purchases this piece of ground in the promised land. He doesn't take it from them because then he would be obliged to them. They may call on some favors from him. He is not dependent upon the pagans to produce or give him the land. but rather he has waited on God, and now he's starting to make good on this promise.
So that's sort of the main focus or the main point, and in many respects the chapter does read a bit like a legal document, especially when we get to verse 17. It sounds almost like a business contract and a description of the transaction that has been conducted. It's very official. Verse 20 ends on the crescendo, so the field and the cave that is in it were deeded to Abraham by the sons of Heth as property for a burial place.
So Abraham now owns a piece of property in the promised land. Certainly, he will inherit the entirety of the land. God has given it to him by promise. But there are these Canaanites in the land, and it's not going to be until later on that the nation of Israel will go in to dispossess the land of the Canaanites.
But this is sort of a down payment, or this is sort of a foreshadowing of what is going to occur with reference to Israel conquering the promised land as the Lord had given it to them.
The Death of Sarah
Note first, with reference to the death of Sarah, it indicates her age. I think the only time in the Bible where a woman, or it's told to us, the age of a woman who dies. She is 127 years. Of course, she is succeeded by Isaac.
He's 37 at this particular time. And then Abraham will live another 38 years, according to chapter 25. and verse 7. So the total years of Abraham were 175 years. He was 10 years older than Sarah, so he would have lived another 38 years after this.
Notice that she dies in the land of Canaan, and it says, Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. Some suggest that he was in another part of the country, he was in another part of a city, he was in another tent, or whatever the case may be. He comes to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. And as we go through this particular chapter, again, the emphasis falls on the acquisition of this piece of land within Canaan.
But it does evidence to us the love that Abraham had for Sarah and the honor that he wanted to pay to Sarah and the esteem that he had for his beloved wife.
The Purchase of the Burial Plot
Now, notice the purchase of a burial plot. There are three exchanges or interchanges with reference to Abraham and the sons of Heth.
Abraham Desires Property
In the first place, he desires property, verses 3 to 6. Secondly, he requests specifically Ephron's cave in verses 7 to 11. And then in verses 12 to 15, he insists on paying for this. I think he wants to pay even from the beginning in verse 4 when we compare that with verse Nine, it was always his intention to pay for this piece of property.
And it wasn't ultimately just for Sarah's burial place, but Abraham would be buried there, so would Isaac and Rebekah, and so would Jacob and Leah. They would ultimately be buried in this particular cave. But note the request of Abraham in verses 3 and 4. Abraham stood up from before his dead and spoke to the sons of Heth, saying, I am a foreigner and a visitor among you.
Literally, I'm a resident alien. He's not a citizen of the land. He is a foreigner and a visitor among you. He's not a landowner at this particular point.
Theologically, he is. God has told him that he will, in fact, receive the land. And when God promises something, he certainly fulfills that. But there's still Canaanites there.
Abraham has now come into this particular country, so his status presently is as a resident alien. And then he says, I am a foreigner and a visitor among you. Give me property for a burial place among you that I may bury my dead out of my sight. Now, again, drop down to verse 9 for just a moment. that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he has, which is at the end of his field.
Let him give it to me at the full price." So it was always his intention to purchase the property. It was always his intention to pay money so that it would be his. Again, so that he would not be beholden to these pagans. Because if they just gave him this piece of property, then they might call up a favor later on.
As well, we ought to appreciate, with reference to this situation, the esteem for and the respect for the body that we see in this particular section. He wants to bury his dead. And that seems to be the biblical pattern with reference to the people of God. It wasn't the people of God that burned, it was ultimately the pagans that would burn bodies.
It is rather the people of God that want to bury bodies. Matthew Poole says, the privilege of burial has been always sought and prized by all nations, whom nature and humanity teaches to preserve the bodies of men, which have been the temples of reasonable and immortal souls from contempt and violation, so especially by Christians as a testimony and pledge of their future resurrection. I think that's a good observation here. He wants to bury.
He wants to show that respect. He wants to show that dignity for the body of his departed wife. As well, we need to appreciate he wants not just a burial place. When we get to the Hittite response, they offer him a burial place.
But that's not technically what Abraham is requesting. If you look at verse 4, he says, give me property for a burial place among you. He's not simply looking to dispose of the remains of his dearly beloved wife. He wants property.
That's what's moving him and motivating him with reference to these sons of Heth. So he asks this specifically from them so that he may obtain this property in the land of promise. John Gill makes the observation. And this he was the rather desirous of, the burial of Sarah, not only because it was according to the rules of humanity and the general custom of all nations to provide for the burial of their dead, but he was willing to have such a place in the land of Canaan for this purpose, to strengthen his faith and the faith of his posterity, and to animate their hope and expectation of being one day put into the possession of it.
This is a down payment. He is receiving from the hand of God. He is going to own something in the land of Canaan. This does envisage what will come after Abraham with reference to the nation of Israel.
They will be given the entirety of the land, but it starts small at this cave of Machpelah. Now notice the response of the sons of Heth. Abraham has assumed a posture of great humility. He says, I'm a foreigner and a visitor among you, verse 4.
Notice how the sons of Heth answered Abraham. They say in verse 6, hear us, my Lord. You are a mighty prince among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our burial places.
None of us will withhold from you his burial place that you may bury your dead. So he's obviously shown himself to be a faithful man, an upright man among these sons of Heth in this particular community here in the land of Canaan. They respect him. They know him to be a prince of a man.
They know him to be a lordly sort of a man. And of course they're not going to not give him property so that he can bury his dearly beloved wife. I mean, only a beast would do such a thing. And that's the end of the verse.
Verse 6, none of us will withhold from you his burial place that you may bury your dead. But notice what they do say or don't say. They say, you bury your dead in the choicest of our burial places. Again, they're not ponying up property.
They're not offering him a parcel of land. They are saying that you can use one of our burial places. Waltke says the change of terms from property for a burial site to tomb suggests that while the Hittites are willing to grant this mighty prince the right to bury his dead on their land, they are reluctant to give him a permanent possession there. They're not real keen on coughing up the land to this particular resident alien.
Wenham makes the same observation, despite the warmth of their reply, which they very much are. They call him, my lord, and they refer to him as a mighty prince among us. So he says, despite the warmth of their reply, the Hittites, by omitting any mention of this point, the fact that he asks for a burial plot, not simply for the use of one of their graves, probably indicates their reluctance to transfer land to Abraham, for then he would no longer be a landless sojourner. So again, they're very respectful, they're very kind, but they're not forthcoming in terms of his particular request.
He says, give me property for a burial place among you that I may bury my dead out of my sight. I want to own land in this nation of Canaan.
The Request for Ephron's Cave
Now notice, secondly, the request for Ephron's cave in verses 7 and 11. So Abraham stood up and bowed himself to the people of the land, the sons of Heth. Again, he's a kind man. He's a humble man.
If we did moralize this particular passage, there's a whole lot here for us. How to deal in business transactions with other people. You show respect. You show kindness.
You show a bit of give and take. You show the sorts of things that indicate that you are an upright and a decent fellow. with reference to him bowing. Matthew Poole says he showed a civil respect to them in testimony of his thankfulness. And I love this.
He says religion allows and requires civility and those gestures which express it. In other words, we ought to be a people that can function in society without going off the deep end or flipping out or not having any sort of interaction with the pagans. Abraham is dealing with the pagans in a way that he wants to secure from them certain benefits and he's willing to pay them for those benefits. There's nothing wrong with that as we proceed through this particular passage.
But notice he requests the specific cave of Machpelah. It says in verse 8, he spoke with them saying, if it is your wish that I bury my dead out of my sight, hear me, and meet with Ephron the son of Zohar for me. that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he has, which is at the end of his field." Notice that he specifically asks for the cave that's at the end of the field. He doesn't ask for the field. All Abraham is seeking after is this particular cave.
He's not interested in the field, per se. Now, when Ephron responds, he throws in the field and the cave and the whole shooting match. But here, specifically, he just asks for the cave that's at the end of his field. And then it says, let him give it to me at the full price as property for a burial place among you.
Again, Abraham is courteous. Abraham is kind. Abraham is exercising those tokens of civility. But Abraham's not backing down.
Abraham is going to purchase land. Abraham is going to get the down payment that will ultimately result in Israel occupying that nation after having vanquished the Canaanites from it. So he specifically asks for that, and then when he says, give me, again, with reference to verse 4, he's not looking for a handout, he is looking specifically to pay. Wenham again says, by using this phrase and mentioning payment, Abraham insists that he is not merely interested in the right to bury his dead, a point already conceded by the Hittites, but in owning the land, something they had conspicuously omitted to consent to when they replied to his opening remarks.
He's not going to let them off the hook. So all of that to say we can be courteous, we can be civil, and yet we can make sure that we make out on a particular deal. We're not dishonest, we're not ungodly, we're not unkind, but certainly, as one has well said, we don't live on love and fresh air. We have to have land, we have to have water, and thankfully Abraham stands his ground and makes sure that he gets that sort of thing so that he can function in the land as God had called him to.
Now notice the response of Ephron. He is present with these sons of Heth. Why Abraham doesn't directly address him, I don't know. Maybe he wasn't seen by him, or maybe he didn't think they spoke the same language, I'm not sure.
But verse 10 tells us that Ephron dwelt among the sons of Heth, and Ephron The Hittite answered Abraham in the presence of the sons of Heth, all who entered at the gate of his city, saying, I want you to follow along as we go through the rest of the chapter how many people are present. There's a whole host of witnesses. It's a legal document. It's a legal transaction.
It's as if Moses is saying here, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, I'm going to tell you about this particular land transaction, and I'm going to highlight or give you all the main points with reference to this exchange, this transfer of property, and all of the witnesses that were party to it. This didn't happen in a back sort of dark room meeting, but rather it was out in the open, all these persons witnessed it, and so Abraham had the right to this particular property. He wanted it in perpetuity. He says, no my lord, hear me, this is Ephron, I give you the field and the cave that is in it, I give it to you in the presence of the sons of my people, I give it to you, bury your dead.
See how insistent they are on wanting to give it to him. They don't want him to be in a position of ownership in the land. Again, they respect him, they like him, they probably think he's a great guy and all of that, but they don't want him to own the land. And this is some foresight on their part.
Because Israel is certainly not going to be good for Canaanite society. So we have to accredit these men with at least enough savvy to read the writing on the wall that at least presently what they are inclined to do, just give him this cave so that he can bury his dead and then go back to his existence. That was pretty intelligent on their part.
Abraham Insists on Payment
Now notice the offer, or rather, insistence of payment on the part of Abraham in verses 12 to 15. Then Abraham bowed himself down before the people of the land, and he spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, saying, If you will give it, please hear me. I will give you money for the field. Take it from me, and I will bury my dead there.
See, he's not going to take no for an answer. Abraham's going to buy property. Abraham is going to do this, again, not only to bury Sarah, but he's also doing it as the beginning of fulfillment of God's promise in terms of the ownership of the land. And then notice the response of Ephron at this particular point.
Verse 14, Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him, my Lord, listen to me. The land is worth 400 shekels of silver. What is that between you and me? So bury your dead.
Comparing Other Land Purchases
Now, that seems like a lot of money. If we compare other land purchases in scripture, there are a couple in the Old Testament that we could turn to. In fact, why don't we? 2 Samuel 24, 24. 2 Samuel 24, 24. Remember, we're dealing with 400 shekels.
Now, the value of the shekel may have changed, and the weight involved in measuring the shekels could have changed, but the 400 number seems to be quite large. And in 2 Samuel 24, 24, then the king said to Aaron, no, but I will surely buy it from you for a price, nor will I offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God with that which cost me nothing. So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for 50 shekels of silver. If we were not being live-streamed, I would ask you what is the significance of this particular transaction in 2 Samuel chapter 24.
It is the threshing floor of Arana. This is a place where David would build an altar. This is at Mount Moriah. We considered Moriah last Wednesday night in terms of that place of sacrifice with reference to Abraham and Isaac.
It is this place where David builds an altar, and then it will be the place where the temple is built in Israel, or in Jerusalem specifically. Then 1 Kings chapter 16. 1 Kings chapter 16 at verse 24. Again, just looking at how much money is spent. 1 Kings 16.24, and he bought the hill of Samaria. This is the wicked Omri.
He bought the hill of Samaria from Shemar for two talents of silver. Then he built on the hill and called the name of the city which he built, Samaria, after the name of Shemar, owner of the hill. And then Jeremiah 32. Jeremiah 32, in many respects, is a parallel passage to what we have in Genesis chapter 23.
It's a land transaction conducted with reference to faith in God. Because essentially what you have in Jeremiah 32 is God tells Jeremiah to buy property in Jerusalem. Now, if you're familiar with the historical situation that was facing Jeremiah, that would have been the worst possible idea ever in terms of real estate acquiring. It'd be like a meteor was coming to Chilliwack, and everybody knew it, it was going to blast the city, and everything would be destroyed.
And then you, this was going to happen on a Tuesday, you went out on a Monday, and you bought up several properties in the city. Everybody would say, what's the matter with you? Are you nuts? In Jeremiah 32, the particular historical occasion is that Babylon is seizing Jerusalem.
Babylon is going to descend upon Jerusalem. It's probably in the midst, or it's happening as we are reading Jeremiah 32. And they're going to destroy the temple. They're going to destroy the city.
So when God tells Jeremiah to buy this property, it's an act of faith. It's an expression of faith in God that when God says, the exile will be 70 years. And after that exile, the exiles will return from Babylon back to Judah. It's an expression of faith to buy land in that part of the world at that particular time.
That's the significance of Jeremiah 32. Well, in verse 9, we see specifically how much he bought the field from, from his uncle Hananiah. Verse 9, So I bought the field from Hanumel, the son of my uncle, who was in Anathoth, and weighed out to him the money, seventeen shekels of silver. Drop down to verse 15 because this gives the significance for the whole thing.
For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land. You see, a land transaction, as mundane as it may be, and I have to believe that chapter 23 in Genesis sort of feels like that, it feels like that teaching it, it is nevertheless an expression of faith in the living and true God. Notice what it says in Jeremiah 32 at verse 36. Now, therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning this city of which you say, it shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence." Excuse me.
Behold, I will gather them out of all countries, where I have driven them in my anger, in my fury, and in great wrath. I will bring them back to this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely. They shall be my people, and I will be their God. Then I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for the good of them and their children after them. and I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from doing them good, but I will put my fear in their heart so that they will not depart from me.
Yes, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will assuredly plant them in this land with all my heart, and with all my soul." So you see the expression of faith in this land acquisition in Jeremiah 32. It's the same sort of thing that we find in Genesis 23. But in terms of those other purchases of land, they seem a lot less than what Abraham is ponying up in this particular instance. Then notice what Ephron says, verse 14.
We know that Abraham has a lot of money. Abraham has been gifted a lot of things from different persons. Abraham has amassed a great deal of wealth. Abraham doesn't attempt to dicker about the price.
Abraham simply pays the price. So as far as Abraham's concerned, it's not too much. It's just right. So Abraham pays the money for this particular field.
Completion of the Transaction
And that brings us to consider finally the completion of the transaction in verses 16 to 20. Notice in verse 16, the purchase of the land. And Abraham listened to Ephron, and Abraham weighed out the silver for Ephron, which he had named in the hearing of the sons of Eth, four hundred shekels of silver, currency of the merchants. So it was a good deal for Abraham.
He pays the money, and now he secures the land. Now notice how verse 17 describes this transfer of property. It's almost like reading your papers when you buy a house. or you buy a townhouse or you buy something. There's a contract and it sort of indicates all of the particulars of the sale.
Notice you've got the buyer and the seller. Verse 17, the field of Ephron was deeded or were deeded at the very end of verse 17 to Abraham. You've got the seller there, and you've got the buyer. Notice you've got the location.
The location is specified. It's the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre. You can find this place. It's really there, and this is the portion of land that Abraham now owned. as well the particulars in terms of the parcels of land.
It doesn't just include the cave, but it also includes the field, and then the environs. It's not just the cave and the field, but look at what verse 17 says, the field and the cave which was in it, and all the trees that were in the field which were within all the surrounding borders. So everything there was Abraham's. Everything there was his ownership.
Everything there was a testimony to the faithfulness of God. Every tree, every piece of dirt, every rock, every crevice in the cave, that all belonged to Abraham now, and it was gifted to him not by Ephron. It was gifted to him not by the sons of Heth. It was gifted to him not by any pagan or Canaanite, but rather it was gifted to him by God Most High.
Remember? Abraham's unwillingness to receive anything from the king of Sodom. Go back to chapter 14. Remember when Abraham goes, and he meets that coalition of kings, and he defeats them, and he gets Lot back, and he gets the persons and the goods back.
And in verse 21, in Genesis 14, the king of Sodom said to Abram, give me the persons and take the goods for yourself. But Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have raised my hand to the Lord, God most high, the possessor of heaven and earth, that I will take nothing from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, I have made Abram rich. Well, we might suppose the same sort of sentiment is in chapter 23. He doesn't want Ephron to say, I have given this land to Abram.
He doesn't want the sons of Heth to be able to say, I have given this land to Abram. No, it is God who gave the land to Abram. And that is what's in view in this particular chapter. So God, in his grace, makes this promise to Abraham.
Abraham moves out of Ur of the Chaldeans. He goes into Haran. He ultimately enters into the promised land. God tells him you're going to receive all this.
God tells him in chapter 13 to walk the land. God gives him this well from Abimelech in chapter 21, and now God is giving him the land. So again, as we read through this particular section, we cannot forget the theology. The theology in Genesis chapter 23 is that your God is faithful.
Your God delivers. When your God promises, your God fulfills. And that is precisely what Abraham is preaching to us from Genesis chapter 23. Again, with reference to the legality of it, the presence of witnesses.
Notice in verse 18, it was deeded to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the sons of Heth before all who went in at the gate of his city. Notice the other references to the witnesses. Verse 10, Ephron dwelt among the sons of Heth. And Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham, notice, in the presence of the sons of Heth.
So no one could come back later and say, well, this Abraham was deceptive, and this Abraham was a liar, and this Abraham, you know, got won over on Ephron. No, there were all kinds of witnesses around. Again, this is a legal document. It's binding in a courtroom.
Notice in verse 11. No, my Lord, hear me. I give you the field and the cave that is in it. I give it to you in the presence of the sons of my people, I give it to you.
Again, at verse 13, he spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land saying, if you will give it, please hear me. I will give you money for the field. Take it from me and I will bury my dead there. And then again in verse 16, Abraham listened to Ephron and Abraham weighed out the silver for Ephron, which he had named in the hearing of the sons of Heb.
You see, it is obviously, conspicuously, a legal transaction that Abraham now does own a piece of the promised land. And that moves us to verses 19 and 20, where he actually does possess the land. And of course, he buries his beloved. Verse 19, and after this, Abraham buried Sarah, his wife, in the cave of the field at Machpelah, before Mamre, that is Hebron, in the land of Canaan.
In case you missed it, brethren, this is the significance. This is in the land of Canaan. Abraham owns a piece of property in the land of Canaan. And then the legal possession of the field by Abraham is underscored in verse 20.
So the field and the cave that is in it were deeded to Abraham by the sons of Hath as property for a burial place. So Abraham got specifically what he was after. He wasn't just able to dispose of the body of his beloved in the burial places of the sons of Hath, he wanted property for a burial place. And that property would serve as a burial place, but it would also serve as a reminder to Abraham and a reminder to Abraham's posterity that God who promised is faithful and that we will, in fact, receive the entirety of this land.
Application
And so, in conclusion, in terms of some practical observations, that is, in the first place, the point of the transaction. Abraham is unwilling to be dependent upon pagans. Abraham is not going to give pagans the opportunity to say, it's by my hand that Abraham has prospered. Abraham has faith in the true and living God, and the possession of a piece of ground in Canaan was sacramental for Abraham.
It signified to him that the God who promised was faithful. John Gill says, with reference to this property, He says, it was a pledge and earnest of the future possession of the land of Canaan by the seed of Abraham. This was the first piece of ground in it possessed by Abraham and his seed. Beautiful observation, summarizes beautifully. chapter 23.
The Faith of Abraham and Sarah
Secondly, we would be remiss if we didn't again observe the faith of Abraham. Remember, we've had cause to reflect upon the reality that faith in Christ does not mean the absence of trials in life. It doesn't mean that there'll be no hardships. He had to banish Ishmael in chapter 21.
He had to sacrifice Isaac in chapter 22. Now we might say, well, he didn't really have to. Yeah, but he didn't know that. He was willing to do that.
Faith doesn't question God. Faith obeys God. And here in chapter 23, though it was a few years later, he nevertheless loses his wife. Because we're believers in Jesus Christ, it doesn't mean we're immune to the various trials, afflictions, hardships, and difficulties that befall mankind.
We're not immune. We're not, you know, those who are put aside and there's no hardship that ever falls on them. One wonders if these health, wealth, prosperity guys ever read the Old Testament. Well, one wonders if they ever read the New Testament either, but the bottom line is that the people of God in this world have tribulation.
And it's not just, you know, godless men persecuting us. It's the trial and the difficulty of losing children. It's the trial and the difficulty of losing loved ones. It's the trial and difficulty of having hardship and affliction in this world.
So faith in Jesus Christ does not mitigate the various circumstances that we face or the various consequences that we face in this world. Now, we ought to appreciate as well the faith of Sarah.
Scripture Reading
Turn to Hebrews 11 for just a moment. Hebrews chapter 11. Sarah is in the hall of faith in Hebrews chapter 11. Remember, this particular chapter functions in a way of encouragement to the people of God, the people that are being discouraged, the people that are not sort of persevering perhaps as they ought.
There are some within their ranks that are turning back to Judaism and to the old covenant types and shadows. And the emphasis of the Apostle is that you need to press on, you need to endure, you need to run with endurance, the race that is set before you. And he gives them all of these, this cloud of witnesses in Hebrews chapter 11, of those who ran the race before them so that they can be encouraged by this. And in Hebrews 11, 11, we read, By faith Sarah herself also received strength, to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged him faithful who had promised." Blessed statement.
I mean, if that could be said of us at the end of our days, we judge God faithful who had promised. That's a blessed testimony and a blessed expression of the faith of this particular woman. Therefore, verse 12, from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude, innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore. Before we get back to Genesis, I want to just read what verses 13 to 16 highlight concerning the Old Testament saints as a whole.
These all died in faith, the patriarchs, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, were assured of them, embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly, if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country.
Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them." That sort of applies to the whole group of patriarchs back in the primeval age. But back to the account in Genesis. Think about the life that Sarah had. Okay, we've talked a lot, I know I've talked a lot about Abraham and his struggles and his difficulties.
She was 90 years childless. Now, childlessness today is often celebrated and exalted, but in this particular instance, it wasn't something that was celebrated and exalted. It was something that she would have been looked down upon. So she was 90 years childless.
She was twice given to foreign kings into their harems. with reference to Pharaoh and Abimelech. That couldn't have been a fun time. We don't know specifically what happens in terms of her time there, but the fact that she was in those situations had to have been difficult. She's twice provoked with reference to Hagar and Ishmael.
And according to God, she's right in that whole interchange. I mean, she says, cast out the bond woman and her son. Abraham is very displeased. But God says, you need to listen to her.
She was the right one in that exchange. But she was affronted by Hagar initially and then Ishmael. Remember, Ishmael basically scorned her. when Isaac was born. And then as well, she watches her husband go through the various things that he went through.
I'm sure he wasn't silent about the reality that he had to go to Mount Moriah. He was called on a particular errand to sacrifice their son, their only son, the son whom they love. She had a tough go of it, brethren, and nevertheless, she saw God as faithful, the one who promised was faithful. Wenham comments concerning her.
The primeval history preserves an almost exclusively male orientation. Women are rarely mentioned except as adjuncts to their husbands. But with Sarah, we meet a woman of heroic proportions, worthy grandmother of the nation of Israel. He says, the stories of the expulsion of Ishmael and the sacrifice of Isaac highlighted Abraham's deep affection for his sons.
So this story makes plain Abraham's sincere love for Sarah and the honor he bestowed on her. They had a good family. They had love. They had affection.
They had closeness. They had intimacy. But most of all, they had faith in the living God who promised them, come out of the land of Ur the Chaldeans into this land that I am giving you. And here is the initial down payment that God is faithful to His promise.
Well, let us close in a word of prayer.
Closing Prayer
Our Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you for the promises of God. We thank you that you have blessed us richly and given us so much in our Lord Jesus Christ. We know that he's the one in whom all the promises of God are, yea and amen.
And we know that passages like Genesis 23 ultimately do point to the Lord Christ. We thank you for this. We thank you for the gospel of our salvation. We thank you for this time that we can gather together, and we praise you in Jesus' name, amen.