BACKGROUND
Sarah died in Hebron in the land of Canaan and was buried in the cave of Machpelah. Abraham paid 400 shekels of silver for it. The field and cave were deeded over to him.
Traditionally, the tombs of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and Jacob and Leah are believed to be located below the Mosque of Abraham which is a Muslim shrine in Hebron.
There has been much Arab/Israeli conflict in Hebron, both consider Abraham as their father, and each feels strongly that the land is theirs and not the others.
Four hundred shekels was considered an exorbitant price for this piece of land.
REFLECTION
It is interesting to note that Abraham buried Sarah in Canaan even though they were "strangers and aliens" in Canaan. Usually, people buried their dead in their homeland. He was saying that Canaan was his new home and was putting down an exorbitant price to buy the land to make a statement about what he believed about God's covenant promise. He set down roots of faith in the Promised Land.
APPLICATION
Heaven is my ultimate promised land and home. What heavenly, eternal investments am I making? Am I investing in things that have lasting value for heaven and eternity?
Also, a possible application is to pray for the "peace of Jerusalem" and the Promised Land. It is a place of so much sadness and conflict. Let's pray for God's righteousness to reign there!
Another possibility might be to go to a place in your city that is currently run by people who do not love God, and it is not giving Him glory. Go claim that ground for God in prayer! Pay an exorbitant price in prayer to gain it for God. Did you know that the commune where the Rajneeshee ("Orange People") lived in Oregon is now a youth camp where kids can come and hear about salvation in Jesus Christ? People claimed that ground for God. You can too!
I want to go pray at the Adult Shop on our main drag right now, but I am afraid people might think I am going there!
Here is a tool that helps you give focused prayer for your city (developed by one of the people who mentored me in prayer). I like to use the app version so I can carry it with me as I prayer walk around my city:
http://waymakers.org/pray/seek-god/
2023 Update: 2022 was the last year that this prayer guide was produced. I think you can still buy the old ones.
PRAYER
Thank You that You are our home. That we are no longer aliens and strangers, but we are fellow citizens with the saints and are of Your household, having been built on a foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone (Ephesians 2:19,20). Help us to live as good citizens of Your kingdom as we walk here on this earth. Amen
PRAYER
Thank You that You are our home. That we are no longer aliens and strangers, but we are fellow citizens with the saints and are of Your household, having been built on a foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone (Ephesians 2:19,20). Help us to live as good citizens of Your kingdom as we walk here on this earth. Amen
9 comments:
Connie, I’ve been thinking about your surrogacy question for days, and should have at least posted that I was interested—sorry. I wanted to find time to go back and so some reading/research before jumping in.
In my opinion, this passage doesn’t speak to surrogacy as we know it today. In those times, it was common for wealthy men to father children through their wives’ maids. Especially for barren women, it was a way for them to “have children,” as the children were seen as belonging to the wife. Of course there is no way to know for sure, but I don’t think Sarah (or Abraham either) were trying to take God’s promise into their own hands. I think they were simply living their lives according to the custom of the day. Sarah did not have children and wanted them, so she gave her maid to Abraham, as was the custom. I also don’t see anything in Scripture that condemns her (or Abraham) for this (it could be there; I just can’t recall anything).
Initially, the promise was made to Abraham and his offspring. It was not until after the birth of Ishmael that God specifies the promise will come through a child born to Sarah. I think it is entirely possible that the situation with Hagar had nothing to do with the promise (in their minds), that it was simply Sarah wanting to have children and following the custom of her culture to get them.
In Galatians, it’s not presented as wrong that Abraham fathered a child with Hagar. It is an allegory (and I’d tend to say one planned by God) to show the difference in living under the Law (given by God) and in Jesus (given by God). It says Jerusalem at that time was corresponding to the child born according to the flesh (they are literal descendants of Abraham, following the Law). Now it is time—whether or not literal descendants of Abraham—to walk in the New Covenant, a spiritual covenant. It's a picture of bondage/freedom.
Of course, it is also a picture to me of the Law—me “doing it myself” (apparently Abraham was still physically able to father children at that point)---and the New Covenant--having God do it for me (13 years later Abraham “contemplated his body,” which makes me think he was at that point figuring he could no longer father children).
Thanks for your thoughts on this. It is hard to know how to compare the customs of then to our customs of today and what God's views of them are. I didn't realize the promise came after he slept with the maid servant. I had never put that together so that was good information.
Connie
Here I go again being emotional but the line that I underlined and that stood out to me most was in verse 2 "There Abraham mourned and wept for her." Can you imagine losing the lover, best friend and help mate you have had for over 100 years? I have known my husband only 1/4 that time and I am overwhelmed at the thought of losing him. The memories they must have had over 100 years!
He was offered the land and tomb for free. Why didn't he take what was offered him? Instead he insisted on paying for it. There must be more to that story. Anyone know?
Oops, I didn't sign that last one. That was me. :)
Connie
I don't know why Abraham didn't take the offer of the free tomb, but maybe it was so that he could feel he provided her final resting place rather than someone else.
Connie, I wondered why Abraham bought the land, too. Why buy it rather than accept it as a gift? Here are a few of my thoughts about it, though I have no idea how accurate they are. It sounds like Ephron was going to give him the cave only as as place to bury Sarah. Abraham bought the whole field. Maybe as protection for Sarah's body. Maybe so he could retain control of it; it could be his officially and therefore more protected. Often when someone gives a part of something belonging to him/her, the recipient doesn't truly have "ownership" of the piece.
Also, often when someone gives something, he expects something in return... iow there are strings. In purchasing the whole field and the caves without quibbling over the price, iow paying the whole amount initially asked, Abraham owned the place free and clear, without any obligations.
This is Carol. I have a new computer, and Blogger isn't accepting my password through it. So, I am anonymous today. :)
I thought for sure I put this in my background, but I guess I didn't! In my reading, I understood the purchase was that he was establishing a foothold in the land of Canaan. He now was an owner in the Promised Land. Also, subsequent Patriarchs would be buried there.
Here is what Kidner writes:
"A stranger (ger) was a resident alien with some footing in the community but restricted rights. In Israel, for example, the ger would be granted no land of his own, and in this chapter the keen question under the elaborate courtesies was whether Abraham was to gain a permanent foothold or not. The flattery in v. 6 was an inducement ot remain a landless dependent. Abraham's rejoinder, naming an individual, made skillful use of the fact that while a group tends to resent an intruder the owner of an asset may welcome a customer (Kidner, 145).
The Holman Old Testament Commentary goes on to say:
"This point is central to the land grant of earlier chapters. If Abraham had accepted the first offer, he would have buried Sarah in the Hittite tomb - and still not owned an acre of Canaan. That would ahve been the wrong choice."
Later Patriarchs would also be buried there. It was a foothold in Canaan.
Ahhh, yes, you did include that in your background but somehow it failed to click in my brain that if he didn't buy it he didn't gain a foothold in Canaan. Got it! Thanks!
Connie
I usually try to do focused prayer walking for our city every year, but I have not done it yet this year. I may pull out one of my old "Seek God for the City" prayer guides and pray away.
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