IIT UBF - University Bible Fellowship at IIT

Daily Bread

Abraham Buries Sarah at Hebron

Date: Mar. 13, 2025

Passage

Genesis 23:1-20 (ESV)

Sarah lived 127 years; these were the years of the life of Sarah. 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. And Abraham rose up from before his dead and said to the Hittites, “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.” The Hittites answered Abraham, “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.” Abraham rose and bowed to the Hittites, the people of the land. 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, 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.

Daily Bread

Key Verse: 23:19

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.

Sarah had 37 years of domestic life together with Abraham and Isaac, and then died in Hebron. She is the only woman in the Bible whose lifespan was recorded, another sign of her importance. God valued Sarah, cared for her so intimately, and took her to himself, but her example lives on in our faith.

Abraham was in mourning. But Sarah’s burial needed to be handled. Abraham had to engage thoroughly, contextually, humbly with his neighbors to purchase the burial plot for his dead wife Sarah. Although a “foreigner,” he is very competent and understands the procedures of engaging in such a transaction. On their part, the Hittites treat him with great respect, not only as an equal, but a “prince among us.” He earned that respect through his humility (7), cultural sensitivity and contextual awareness. Hebron means “unity” as with friends. Abraham spent money to make an alliance with the Hittites. Jesus tells us to use wealth to make friends (Lk 16:9). To do so we need to learn humility.

With this deal complete, Abraham finally has legal rights to the land, a foothold upon which God would build a tribe, a nation, a kingdom through him. The daily things of our lives also have great potential, as the kingdom grows through these (Mt 13:31-32).

Prayer: Father, your care for Sarah moves my heart to trust you more. Help me learn Abraham’s humility in all things today, trusting your purposes.

One Word: Sarah was buried like a seed in Canaan

Daily Bread

The Lord Will Not Relent

Amos 2:1-16

Key Verse: 2:6

Judgment on Israel

Thus says the LORD:

  “For three transgressions of Israel,
    and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
  because they sell the righteous for silver,
    and the needy for a pair of sandals—

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