The Death And Burial Of Abraham’s Wife,
Sarah
Genesis 23:1-4
1 Sarah lived one hundred and twenty-seven years; these were the
years of the life of Sarah.
2 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.
3 Then Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spoke to the sons
of Heth, saying,
4 “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.”
Whether we like it or not, everything on earth has its appointed time.
It is certain that we will die when our earthly life is over.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-2
1 To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven:
2 A time to be born,
And a time to die;
A time to plant,
And a time to pluck what is planted;
Hebrews 9:27
And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the
judgment,
Therefore, we need to be able to look at death with a proper perspective.
While serving and ministering in hospitals, hospices and elderly homes, I
could not dismiss the fact that one day, these people including
myself will no longer
be around. Therefore, I serve as if there are no tomorrows, but sing
as if tomorrow will be better. Yes, as if these are the last songs
to be sung
but if tomorrow comes, there will be another song of faith, hope and
love for them! As long as the Lord gives me breath, I will sing for
Him!
In Genesis 23, Sarah died. Abraham was very sad and cried because of
her death. Sarah lived to be 127 years old. She died in Kiriath Arba,
now Hebron, in the land of Canaan.
After some time of grieving and mourning, Abraham got up from the
side of his wife’s body. He needed to prepare for her burial. And
the burial site he chose was in the land that God had promised him
but the property was then in the ownership of the Hittites.
Thus, Abraham went peacefully to talk to the Hittites. He said, “I
am only a stranger and a foreigner here. Sell me some of your land
so that I can bury my dead wife.”
The Hittites answered Abraham, “Sir, you are a great leader among
us. You may have the best place we have to bury your dead. You may
have any of our burying places that you want. None of us will stop
you from burying your dead wife.”
As a custom and gesture of respect and thanksgiving, Abraham rose and bowed to
the people of the land, the Hittites. Abraham said to them, “If you
truly want to help me bury my dead wife here, speak to Ephron for
me. He is the son of Zohar. Ask him to sell me the cave of
Machpelah. It is at the edge of his field. I will pay him the full
price. You can be the witnesses that I am buying it as a burial
place.”
And
Ephron was sitting among the Hittites at the city gate. Ephron
answered Abraham, “No, sir. I will give you the land and the cave
that is in it. I will give it to you with these people as witnesses.
Bury your dead wife.”
Then Abraham bowed down before the Hittites. He said to Ephron
before all the people, “Please let me pay you the full price for the
field. Accept my money, and I will bury my dead there.”
Ephron answered Abraham, “Sir, the land is worth four
hundred shekels of silver. But I won’t argue with you over the
price. Take the land, and bury your dead wife.” And four
hundred shekels of silver was weighing about 10 pounds.
Abraham agreed and paid Ephron in front of the Hittite witnesses.
Abraham weighed out the full price: four hundred shekels of silver.
They counted the weight as the traders normally did.
So Ephron’s field in Machpelah, east of Mamre, was sold. Abraham
became the rightful owner of the field, the cave in it and all the
trees that were in the field. The sale was made at the city gate,
with the Hittites as witnesses.
After this, Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave. It was in
that field of Machpelah, near Mamre. Mamre was later called Hebron
in the land of Canaan. Abraham bought the field and the cave on it
from the Hittites. He used it as a burying place.
Why did the Bible dedicate one whole chapter of Genesis just for this
death and burial event? Why was it so important?
Abraham was not just looking at the present, he was looking into the
future! He was not just looking at death, he was also looking beyond
death! Death was no longer a terror or an unknown horror!
John 8:56
Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was
glad.”
Abraham was looking into the future as he bought that piece of land.
It became the burial site not only for his wife, but also for himself,
his family, and his grandchildren. He was also desiring to see the day of
our Lord, Jesus Christ when He would come down to earth some day for
a divine visitation! God opened up the
future, and gave Abraham a glimpse of what would happen! And our
Lord Jesus might have passed through this place when ministering in
the hills of Judea.
Genesis 25:7-10
Abraham’s Death And Burial
7 This is the sum of the years of Abraham’s life which he lived: one
hundred and seventy-five years.
8 Then Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old
man and full of years, and was gathered to his people.
9 And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of
Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the field of Ephron the son of
Zohar the Hittite,
10 the field which Abraham purchased from the sons of
Heth. There Abraham was buried, and Sarah his wife.
Genesis 35:27-29
Death Of Isaac
27 Then Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre, or Kirjath Arba
(that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had dwelt.
28 Now the days of Isaac were one hundred and eighty years.
29 So Isaac breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his
people, being old and full of days. And his sons Esau and Jacob
buried him.
Genesis 49:29-33
Jacob’s Death And Burial
29 Then he charged them and said to them: “I am to be gathered to my
people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of
Ephron the Hittite,
30 in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before
Mamre in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field of
Ephron the Hittite as a possession for a burial place.
31 There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife, there they buried
Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah.
32 The field and the cave that is there were purchased from the sons
of Heth.”
33 And when Jacob had finished commanding his sons, he drew his feet
up into the bed and breathed his last, and was gathered to his
people.
Genesis 50:12-14
12 So his sons did for him just as he had commanded them.
13 For his sons carried him to the land of Canaan, and buried him in
the cave of the field of Machpelah, before Mamre, which Abraham
bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite as property for a
burial place.
14 And after he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, he
and his brothers and all who went up with him to bury his father.
But Joseph was buried in a different burial site. The bones of Joseph were carried for more than 40 years in the
wilderness after the Israelites were delivered from slavery in
Egypt. Joseph was buried finally in the promised land. But not in
the same plot of land where Abraham was buried.
Joshua 24:32
The bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel had brought up out
of Egypt, they buried at Shechem, in the plot of ground which Jacob
had bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for one
hundred pieces of silver, and which had become an inheritance of the
children of Joseph.
Mamre is located in Judea. It is in the West Bank, Hebron. It
is not just a burial site for Abraham and his family, but also a
divine meeting place. God visited Abraham in person in this place!
Genesis 18:1-5
1 Then the LORD appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as
he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day.
2 So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were
standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to
meet them, and bowed himself to the ground,
3 and said, “My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do
not pass on by Your servant.
4 Please let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest
yourselves under the tree.
5 And I will bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh your
hearts. After that you may pass by, inasmuch as you have come to
your servant.”
Mamre or Hebron was in the land of the giants. Its name was
formerly Kirjath Arba, and Arba was the greatest giant among
the Anakim. And when allocating the inheritance of the promised
land, Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh, and gave Hebron to
him. And Hebron still belongs to the family of Caleb son of
Jephunneh the Kenizzite. It still belongs to his people because he
had faith in God. He wholeheartedly obeyed the Lord, the God of Israel. After this,
there was peace in the land.
Joshua 14:13-15
13 And Joshua blessed him, and gave Hebron to Caleb
the son of Jephunneh as an inheritance.
14 Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of
Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he wholly
followed the LORD God of Israel.
15 And the name of Hebron formerly was Kirjath Arba (Arba
was the greatest man among the Anakim). Then the land had
rest from war.
In His perfect will, plan and timing, God had placed in the heart of Abraham what he needed to do
in his life and beyond! Yes, serving Him and blessing others while
alive, and also continued to be a blessing and testimony to others
when his time on earth was done! Even his burial site is now a
witness for the world that he actually once lived and walked on this
earth. His descendants, both Jews and non-Jews, will testify to this
fact that he existed!
May we learn from this great man of faith as we serve God faithfully
and wholeheartedly in our generation. Hopefully, we will leave
behind a legacy for those generations who will come after us! Even after death, the
blessing continues!
Written on 25 September 2022