Sarah’s Death and Burial
23:1 Sarah lived 127 years; these were the years of the life of Sarah. 2 And Sarah died at Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. 3 And Abraham rose up from before his dead and said to the Hittites, 4 “I am a sojourner and foreigner among you; give me property among you for a burying place, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.” 5 The Hittites answered Abraham, 6 “Hear us, my lord; you are a prince of God among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will withhold from you his tomb to hinder you from burying your dead.” 7 Abraham rose and bowed to the Hittites, the people of the land. 8 And he said to them, “If you are willing that I should bury my dead out of my sight, hear me and entreat for me Ephron the son of Zohar, 9 that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he owns; it is at the end of his field. For the full price let him give it to me in your presence as property for a burying place.”
10 Now Ephron was sitting among the Hittites, and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the Hittites, of all who went in at the gate of his city, 11 “No, my lord, hear me: I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. In the sight of the sons of my people I give it to you. Bury your dead.” 12 Then Abraham bowed down before the people of the land. 13 And he said to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, “But if you will, hear me: I give the price of the field. Accept it from me, that I may bury my dead there.” 14 Ephron answered Abraham, 15 “My lord, listen to me: a piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver, what is that between you and me? Bury your dead.” 16 Abraham listened to Ephron, and Abraham weighed out for Ephron the silver that he had named in the hearing of the Hittites, four hundred shekels of silver, according to the weights current among the merchants.
17 So the field of Ephron in Machpelah, which was to the east of Mamre, the field with the cave that was in it and all the trees that were in the field, throughout its whole area, was made over 18 to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the Hittites, before all who went in at the gate of his city. 19 After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah east of Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. 20 The field and the cave that is in it were made over to Abraham as property for a burying place by the Hittites. (ESV)
Abraham, tent dweller of God, bought land in Canaan to bury Sarah. Ever wonder where that place is? Check this out to see what is happening there today and how God’s word from Scripture is being fulfilled.
http://www.antiwar.com/hacohen/h021903.html
It’s clear that the guy who writes this doesn’t understand God’s word but he does have a map that shows how God’s prophecy about strife between the ‘people of the promise’ (Israel) and their non-believing relatives continues today. This conflict will not be settled until Christ comes back.
Good morning True North!
I am in the Phoenix airport on my way home from checking out our location for Revival 09! Let’s all be praying for revival! Let’s pray that it will start with us! That God will be working in our hearts and that will be looking to him every day in prayer and in his Word.
In this chapter, it was sad to read that Sarah died. It seems like we have really gotten to know Abraham and his wife as we have read this for the last two weeks. We know about the great promise God made to them. We know about their struggles. We have seen Sarah laugh in disbelief that she would have a baby and laugh in joy when he came. This has been a helpful reminder to me that life will have its ups and downs but we can always trust in the Lord to be good. Praise the Lord for being the giver of life and giving us these examples to learn from!
Like my dad said, the conflict in the Middle East is happening in the places that these events in the Bible took place. It’s interesting to see what has happened to those places from Abraham’s time to today.
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 I can bury my dead there.”
Abraham’s humbleness here is amazing. He wants to buy a cave to bury Sarah in, but cave’s owners offer it to him for free. I don’t know how expensive it may have cost, but getting it for free still was a better deal. But Abraham bows down before the people and asks to pay full price. Right here he showed a great example of how to treat others better than ourselves. He was offered something, but instead he gives them respect and pays for it. Instead of being selfish or greedy, he payed for it.
I agree with Pastor Bobby is was sad to see Sarah die because of all that we have been reading about her and Abraham! I was blessed to read about Sarah in the Bible because her and Abraham have displayed great faith and obedience!
I third that! Sarah is a great example to us of the life of obedience and faith no matter the cost…yes she had her low points but overall she was living a life of faith, trusting the Lord in all she was called to do!
NEW BLOG :)
1 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.
So Sarah died in this chapter…she lived to be 120 years old. When I think about Sarah it just reminds me when she laughed at the fact she would have a child and it just really insulting to God when He promised that…I don’t know why she would laugh?
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.”
Although Abraham is a an alien in the land of the Hittites they treat him like a prince. Abraham was a man who lived out his faith in full view of those around him. There was something attractive about him to the Hittites and that attractiveness was God. Our goal should be to live lives above reproach so that all those around us would consider us as set apart.
12 Again Abraham bowed down before the people of the land
It is so awesome to see abrahams respect to these people, even though he disagrees he gives them the upmost respect and bows before them, how awesome is that!?
We as christians need to be respectful to everyone, especially our enemies, because we are christ’s ambassadors and they look at us, like Pastor Mike says the fish bowl effect…
1 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.
To echo the words of Pastor Bobby it has been a pleasure to read through the life of Sarah and Abraham. Here we see at the end of Sarah’s life Abraham went to mourn and weep over his beloved wife.
Death is inevitable and eventually we will all have to say goodbye to someone we love. What saddens me is that unlike Sarah, many of the people I love will not bask in the presence of the Lord upon their death. The final outcome for them is difficult to consider. As Abraham mourns for his wife it is not without hope, he knows one day he will see her again. Do we have that kind of hope with our friends and family? At the end of their lives can we be assured that will be reunited in heaven?
Boldness was the prayer of many in our small group this week. I pray that as we consider mortality it would motivate us to seek the lost with a renewed enthusiasm. We will all mourn on the day we lose someone we love but like Abraham, let it be with the hope that our loss is only temporary.
1 “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.”
As I read this chapter this morning I was reminded of Gods provision for his people. Abraham wanted to buy a plot of land to bury Sarah on and the Hittites offered it to him for free. Even when Abraham had the means God was still providing for him and used the Hittite Ephron. I am so amazed at both the small and big ways that God provides for his people and us his children. It is a great reminder that no mater what state we may be in financially God is still making that provision for us. It is to His glory that we are blessed with the means each of us is blessed with.
One hunred and twenty-seven years of age. Thats pretty long…anyway, i would say she is a good model too because at first, she laughs at God saying she will become pregnant, which was pretty sad, however in general, she had obedience and faith in God.
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.
This shows me that it is better to pay a fair price and not try to get things for free, As Christians we need to be examples and deal with people fairly. It is all God’s anyways.
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
I agree with Alicia! I was so awed by the incredible ways that God continued to provide for Abraham. He was a man who God found favor with and he brought God glory in everything he did! We need to be more like Abraham, ready to do whatever God calls us to do. When we give our 100% for Him, we will surely be blessed, not only on earth, but in Heaven too!!
I think it is awesome that Abraham was such an example of a good man that the Hittites said:
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.”
Even though they were strangers, Abraham lived a life where He brought honor to God and the Hittites could tell He was “different.” I hope people will think like that about us when we go through something diifcult or die. Will we be remembered by non-Christians as an example of Christ who strived to be righteous or will we be remembered as people who gave into pressures to be like “everyone else”? I pray all of us would be thought of like Abraham, as “a mighty prince,” even by our enemies.
It was sad to read that Sarah died. She loved the Lord and was a good wife, even we her pitfalls all humans have.
I agree with Mechell’s perspective on this passage. As sad as it was for Abraham to have his wife die, he knew that one day soon he would be with her again. But we do not have that same assurance for many of the people in our lives today. If we believe in the reality of Hell and the judgement that awaits those who reject Christ, then we will make evangelism one of our top priorities!
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 I can bury my dead there.”
Like Jeff this exchange between Abraham and Ephron stood out to me. Abraham was convinced that paying for the land was the right thing to do. Despite the offer of Ephron to give it to him for free, he did not violate his conscious and insisted on paying for it. This encourages me to do what my conscious is telling me. Remember the Holy Spirit will often influence our feelings to guide us into doing what is right. Thus if we feel that doing a certain thing is the right thing, it probably is, assuming that what we are feeling doesn’t violate any explicit commands or principles found in Scripture.
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 I can bury my dead there.”
These verses show that Abraham was fair and wanted to be just and blameless. Even though he could’ve taken the land for free, he wanted to be treated equal. I don’t actually understand how this would show that he is holy though, because it was a gift from Ephron. But anyway, i guess Abraham felt it was the right thing to do.
This is sad that we are reading of Sarahs death. I have never read the hole book of Genisus but this pasage makes me think about my family members that are not saved, and when the day comes for me to bury them, I hope God will change them by then.
Reading this kind of makes you think about how quickly death can come. In the last chapter we were reading, Sarah was completely fine and this chapter starts out with her dead. This is sad but its also there to tell us that we need to be ready for it whenever it comes and make sure that we are saved!
Aww so sad to see Sarah gone…abraham and her are such great examples to us…talk about obedience and patience!
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 I can bury my dead there.”
As frugal shoppers, we usually try to find the best price for things and are always looking for sales and ways to save money. Abraham does the opposite by wanting to pay full price for land that he could have gotten for free. This shows that Abraham’s heart wasn’t just set on material possessions. Like Abraham, we shouldn’t seek our own temporary wealth or satisfaction but seek to glorify God by acting righteously and fairly and seeking the good of others, not just our own.
15 “Listen to me, my lord; the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver, but what is that between me and you? Bury your dead.”
Here is a good example of Christian charity, before Christ. This is a great idea for us, don’t hold back your money, don’t make sure that your not giving the poor too much. Give from the bottom of your heat.
What i loved about this chapter was the amazing camaraderie between Abraham and these people the Hittites! We don’t see kindness like that that often now a days! This is a kindness we should show to not only our brothers and sisters in Christ, but also people who don’t follow the Lord. Christ’s love should be shown clearly in our lives because that’s how we rep Jesus!! As my sister just yelled from the living room, let people fall in love with God, not you!! haha :D
Its sad that Sarah died, but she lived a long life. 127 years is a pretty long time. Like some people already said, we need to be sure we are right with God because we never know when our time is up.
i agree with Shelby!! Sarah’s obedience through life and everything she wasn’t afraid to die for her faith. 127 Wow LONG TIME we served God always and we need to do the sane
Jeff, good comment, that is exactly what I was thinking. We need to set good examples as Christians and treat people fairly, this means paying the full price for something and not trying to sell something that doesn’t work.
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 I can bury my dead there.”
It is cool how Abraham insisted on paying for that burial sight because he didn’t want to burden Ephron. We should take this as a reminder that when we deal with other people we shouldn’t rely on them supplying us hospitality we should invite them into our house, being open and willing to share our home. Paul did this when he lived among the different people through out Europe.
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.”
I was so amazed to see that Abraham was treated with kind of generousity, but like Alicia and Jacob said, God always provides for those who are faithful to Him.
4 “I am an alien and a stranger among you. Sell me some property for a burial site here so 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.”
Now that is true humbleness, when you can remain humble even when dealing with burying your loved ones. And look how the Hittites respond to this. Imagine the response we can get by putting others first.
3 Then Abraham rose from beside his dead wife and spoke to the Hittites. He said,
4 “I am an alien and a stranger among you. Sell me some property for a burial site here so I can bury my dead.”
Even after Sarah had passed, Abraham cared for her. Like a model husband, he took his wife to a safe place. Abraham’s selfless gesture not only reflected the love Abraham had for Sarah, but the love that God shows to us. From the beginning to the end, God has always and continues to keep a hand of protection on us, because He cares too!
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.”
I loved Beth Lauder’s comment on this verse! Abraham’s life was a testimony to the living God to everyone who saw him and considered what had happened in his life up till this point. His desire was to follow God no matter what and this gave him a good standing with both God and men. We should definitely desire to live this way and at times it may really benefit us, like it did Abraham here with burying Sarah.
13and 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 I can burry my dead there.”
I felt bad for Abraham he had just lost his wife and people were trying to sell the burial land for Sarah high because they thought that since Abraham was going through a time of pain he wouldn’t care about the cost.
It was awesome today! this doesn’t relate to SOTD but it does to Evangelism Night last saturday night! So after my bball game this girl comes up to me, and she says “Hi! I remember you from Evangelism Night, you had been talking to me up on that hill” and talked to her more and you could tell that Evangelism had a big impact on her, it was awesome! But yeah let’s keep Evangelism nights going, unfortunatley I will not be there tommorrow…but yeah! :)
I think it was great to see how much Abraham was respected. He was offered whatever he wanted because of how he was regarded.
I thought it was great to see how respectful Abraham was of the Hittites. He was a stranger in their land, and treated them with respect and courtesy. He was an example to the Hittites of what a person who follows the Lord is like. We need to be like that at our schools! We need to stand out because we follow the Lord.
I love how Abraham never stops caring about others. Even when he is offered a tomb for free, he still pays the man what it was worth. As Christians, we need to put others’ needs above our own.
like everyone else has said, its sad to see sarah die in this chapter. We have been reading all about her life and seen how great of an example she is to us! Both Abraham and Sarah are great examples of what a Christian is, following God no matter what!
1 Sarah lived to be a hundred and twenty-seven years old.
HOLY CANOLI!!!!! 127!?!?!?! Abraham’s wife lived to be really really really really old! If that doesnt amaze you, there were acctually many other people during this time (“Bible Times”) who lived to be a heck-of-a-lot older than Sarah! Adam lived to be around 900! People during these times lived to be a lot older (before the flood). After the flood, the average of people’s age started lowering significantly because of the atmospheric changes…………I just thought that was an interesting fact to wip out there…………….
It is sad to see that Sarah has died. She has been a good role model throughout this book. Even though she had times of uncertainty, she finished life obeying God. Also, Abraham is a great example in this chapter of how we should always put the needs of others above ourselves.
Thats awesome to hear KJ! Sarah was a great example like all of you guys said! And the awesome thing is that all throughout the Bible and the coming chapters there are obedient and godly men and women for us to follow their example!
I love what Pastor Bobby wrote about the fact that this is a reminder of life’s ups and downs. I also think it’s a reminder of the love and respect that Abraham had for his wife Sarah. If he would have taken the land for free, the Hittites could potentially take it back or bury their dead next to Sarah which would be a big bummer for Abraham. instead, he insisted 4 times to buy the land and gave them the exact amount they said it was worth. I love to see this love he had for her!!
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.”
I thought that the Hitites were welcoming of Abraham even though he was an alien to their country. It surprised me that they would offer any one of their burial sites for free. However, Abraham wanted to do the right thing and pay for what would be his. In this chapter, you can tell how much he loved his wife.
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.”
here the kindness of teh Hittites kind of suprised me. i think that it is cool how nice they were to Abraham; they may have sensed how much he loved Sarah and how badly he wanted to have her have a good burial site. their love is a great example of how we should love our spouses when we possibly get married
Sorry for the late comment! Better late than never! ;D
I was going to say the exact same thing as Beth Lauder
15 “Listen to me, my lord; the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver, but what is that between me and you? Bury your dead.”
Abraham was such a righteous man and all the people admired him for it. They were willing to give the burial site to him for free because everyone saw God in His life and they feared the Lord. They did not want God’s wrath upon them. We should be the same way with obeying our parents. I know, that I am not always obedient and it’s something I can improve on. Like the other day in the car. I should have stopped when mom told me to but I didn’t. I disobeyed and kept going. God is going to judge me for that one day so let us always keep our minds on Jesus and FEAR the Lord! :O
Kind of like Bobby said, its the end of Sarah here, but it just makes me remember how she was laughing when she thought she was too old for a baby, but then she was laughing with joy once the Lord brought her the baby. She had to see it to believe it. We just have to remember when things seem hard that the Lord is capable of doing anything and you can never go wrong with trusting the Lord and having faith in Him.