With the sacrifice of Isaac on Mount Moriah, which we discussed previously, we arrived at the peak in Abraham's life. After that time, his life went downward, and in this chapter we are confronted with death, for it speaks about the end of Sarah. The place of her death was in Hebron. Abraham and Sarah lived in Beersheba when he went out to sacrifice Isaac. But in Hebron, which means "binding together," they spent the evening time of their life, and here she died at the age of one hun­dred twenty-seven years.

By the fall death entered into the life of mankind. Especially in Genesis 5 we hear the death bell ring: "And he died." But in Genesis 23, for the first time, God's Word speaks in detail about a funeral. Not one will escape the judgment on sin; the Lord had said, "In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."

Sarah is the only woman whose age at death is mentioned, which tells us that she holds a very important place in sacred history. This is true because she was the ancestress of Israel. This was not only outwardly, in the flesh, but by faith she might also take part in the wonder of grace, which was wrought in her as the mother of the faithful (1 Peter 3:6). She is also mentioned among the heroes of faith, since by faith she received strength to give birth to Isaac when she was ninety years old.

For Abraham she was a companion on the path of faith. With him she was tried, with him she lived in tents, with him she hoped for the salvation of the Lord, which He had promised to them. Not always was she a helpmeet to him, and sometimes she hindered Abraham as he walked in the path of faith. But Abraham would not complain, because when he looked back in his own life, then it was also not without shortcomings and sin.

At that moment he could testify of many blessings in his life which came by her feminine faithfulness and care, but by her presence spiritual bless­ings were also bestowed upon him. Although Sarah's life was in the quietness of her tent, she was of the greatest importance in the kingdom of God, in which the Lord used her. Sometimes she is called the "Mary" of the Old Testament. What we have written about Sarah is not intended to praise the dead, as happens so often at funerals, but we mention this only to show what the Lord in grace had given to Abraham in his wife. God's work may not be hidden.

We may say of Sarah what is written of David in Acts 13:36, "For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption." After Sarah had fulfilled God's counsel, she was relieved from her post and died "in Kirjath-arba; the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan."

Several times in the course of this Bible study we have mentioned that Sarah was a beautiful woman, and she remained so until her old age. You have to remember that one does not find the greatest beauty in the lovers of sin and the world, but it is found in the life of sanctification. Then one may be as a tree whose leaves do not wither. We read of Moses that his eye was not darkened and his strength not diminished when he was one hundred twenty years old. We think it was, to a certain extent, the same in the life of Sarah.

We do not read that Sarah had a sickbed. Also, considering that Abraham came to her after she had died, it could be that she died suddenly. The Lord sends the angel of death in different ways. Sometimes it is after a long illness at a high age. It can be also in our youth, suddenly and unexpectedly. Would you be prepared, young people, if death would come today? Are you prepared to meet the Lord? In the past year we have had several callings that not only old people, but also young people, were taken away. The Lord warns us time and again to hasten for our life's sake.

Still, when Sarah died suddenly, as we suppose, then you must not think that she was not prepared to die. Already forty years previously she reckoned herself an old woman, but she was a woman with grace. For her, death was not a loss when it came to her at Kirjath-arba. This very old city was built by a giant named Arba. Later the name of the city became Hebron.

In Scripture it is expressly men­tioned that Sarah died in the land of Canaan. This is not to tell us that Hebron was situated in the land of Canaan, but to show that she died and was buried in the Promised Land. She had left everything and followed her husband to the land the Lord promised, and although they had not yet inherited the land, she might die in the land her children would receive. She might enter into the heavenly Canaan and her body might rest in the earthly Canaan.

When Sarah had died and Abraham had received the tidings, he went to the tent where the body of his beloved wife was laid in state, to weep for her, since it was a great loss for him. These words express that he came to show his grief and sorrow for this loss according to the customs of the Orient, which con­sisted of loud cries of sorrow and sometimes also of songs of lamentations. God's Word shows that Abraham honored the memory of his wife according to the customs of his time, which were quite different from our days because we live in a totally different society.

The Bible does not bind us to particular rules of mourning, but this history shows that mourning had its place in Scripture. We believe that a period of mourning, in a family in which the Lord has spoken by death, is fitting. Again, without binding anyone to certain old customs to wear mourning clothes, we believe that a period of mourning should be maintained. At some funerals nothing of grief is felt or seen, not even in the clothing. Personally, I wish that it were different, and that at such times of mourning, the family especially would wear more appropriate clothing. God's Word also speaks of mourning garments. Such clothing shows respect for the loved one who has gone the way of all flesh. I know that a mourning garment without grief in the heart is hypocritical, but still it is a good custom to maintain. There is something more that comes to my mind: Today we see many funerals, also in our circles, where many flowers are displayed. Does this go together with mourning? You may give the answer.

We believe that Abraham's outward appearance was in harmony with his inner feelings. He realized that from now on he would go alone as a stranger through the land. We then read that he "stood up from before his dead." This we must take literally, since it was the custom to mourn in a sitting position. He stood up, for he had to think of other things. In the Orient, decomposition of the body starts soon as a consequence of the heat. The changes showed Abraham that she did not belong to him anymore. We cannot live with the dead.

Usually the funeral would take place very soon, if possible on the same day. Therefore Abraham was forced to leave his beloved dead and to try to locate a fitting grave for her. We read that he went to the gate of the city at a time that the most important citizens of the city gath­ered there. He told them what had happened and that he would like to buy a burial place for his wife, which should then be his possession.

Abraham confessed that he was a stranger and sojourner among them, but still he was an inhabitant of Hebron. He did not look for a large part of their land, but only a few feet which he might call his possession, in which to bury his wife. You can see in this the leading of the Lord, because by such a transaction Abraham would become the owner of a small piece of land in the promised country which his descendants would receive in its entirety. By such a sale to Abraham the heathens could not deny that Israel had some rights in the land.

The father of the faithful called himself a stranger, which was true in a twofold sense. First, he did not belong to the Hittites because he came from another part of the world. But he was also a stranger on earth as he looked for a continuing city. Sarah had gone before him to take part in the promise of the Lord, which was now fulfilled for her. Are we also strangers on earth? This means that, by the grace of God, we do not feel at home with the world anymore. That will be seen in the fruit of our life, and we will take a low place, as Abraham did before the inhabitants of the city of Hebron.

This humble attitude of Abraham was well received by the people, as we hear from the answer, "Thou art a mighty prince among us." In Dutch it is, "A prince of God." Many think it means a great or mighty prince, but we believe that also the Hittites had seen that Abraham partook of God's favor, although they did not know his God. Likewise in the life of Joseph later on: the Lord blessed him, and his superiors shared in those blessings. Sometimes even today the presence of a child of God can mean a great blessing for society. Happy is the people who may know that the Lord is their God.

The inhabitants of Hebron assured Abraham of their willingness to cooperate regarding his request. We read, "And Abraham stood up." No doubt the negotiations were done while sitting, in accordance with the Oriental customs. He then made a stately bow to them in response to the honourable way in which they had spoken of him. But then he came with his specific request. He had considered the cave of Machpelah, which belonged to Ephron, the son of Zohar. He did not first speak to him, but to the Hittites. They also had to be in agreement that he might bury his dead in their territory, so that no objections would come from their side. Abraham made it clear that he wanted to possess this burial place and to pay the full price.

It was now Ephron's turn to speak. He had heard Abraham's request to buy the cave from him. His answer seemed to be negative, for he said, "Nay, my lord, hear me." He said that he did not want to sell the cave, but he wanted to give the cave and the surrounding land to Abraham. This was really the Oriental way of dealing, which was not meant seriously. Actually he meant that he did not want to sell the cave only, but also the land around it.

Abraham did not make any objections. He bowed again as a sign of gratitude that no one had made any objections against the sale, but also that he appreciated the offer of Ephron. However, he would not accept this offer to give it to him; he wanted to buy it so he could bury his wife in his own land. Ephron men­tioned the price: 400 shekels of silver. The word "shekel" means "to weigh." It was not stamped like a coin, but was a piece of silver of a certain weight. We do not know the weight, neither the value, but it must have been a considerable sum of money that Ephron asked.

Under these circumstances Abraham did not want to bargain about the price which was asked. So the field of Ephron which was in Machpelah became the possession of Abraham. In the future this grave would be important for the descendants of Abraham when they lived in Egypt. This grave created a bond with Canaan, since their forefathers were buried there; at the same time they were reminded of God's promise that He would give this land to them.

The specifications of the property are mentioned, and they are similar to our modern deeds. It is not enough that one purchases a well-known lot. The contract must mention everything which belongs to it. Most likely this cave, as its name means, was a double cave, which could be reached from two sides since it had two entrances. This meant that there was room for more bodies to be buried. He bought it as a burying place for Sarah and himself, but later on also Rebecca and Isaac, and Leah and Jacob received their resting places in the same grave until the day of resurrection.

After all the formalities were fin­ished, Abraham buried Sarah there. It must have been a moving funeral when he stood with Isaac at the grave side. The thoughts of these two men must have multiplied. Isaac, who was so attached to his mother, must say farewell to her mortal remains. Also Abraham's thoughts must have multiplied. In Sarah the Lord had shown Abraham that what is impossible for man is possible for the Lord. He had seen it in the birth of his son.

Is it not the same for us? When we bury our dead, it seems impossible that they will once arise from the dead, as we confess. The same God who made the impossible possible in Sarah's life will once perform an even greater miracle when He calls the dead to life again. Then His subjects will be taken up into eternal glory, but the unconverted will be condemned. On which side do we stand? It is yet the time of grace, in which we can be called from spiritual death to life.

Blessed is the man whose expecta­tions are from the Lord alone; he will not be ashamed. In this time state it is a church militant, but a better future is waiting for them. At the moment of death their soul may enter into glory, while their bodies will be entrusted to the earth. When Christ comes upon the clouds of heaven to judge the quick and the dead, then the graves will be opened, and soul and body will be reunited. But then it will also be seen who has served the Lord and who has not. In this time it is possible that we cover up how we live, but then the Lord will reveal to the whole world what we have been. There are two ways. If we have never been brought from the broad way, then we will be rejected forever. If, by the grace of God, we have been brought into the narrow path with Sarah, then we may enter, by free grace, into the heavenly mansions.

Young people, do you sometimes think about the fact that one day the mourners will go about the streets when you have come to the end of your life? It may be soon, it may yet be some years; but the time is com­ing. The main question then will be: Are we prepared to meet the Lord, as Sarah was? You do not expect to become 127 years old, but still, by nature, we set far away both the day of our death and the day of Christ's coming. Only when the Lord begins to reprove us of sin, will it become different. We hope and pray that the Lord may give such labor in our heart to seek Him while it is yet the time of grace. At the moment of death it will be too late, because where the tree falls there it will remain forever.

The poet says in Psalter 247:

O God, our help in ages past;
Our hope for years to come,
Be Thou our Guard while troubles last,
And our eternal home.

Questions⤒🔗

1. Look back in the history of the life of Abraham and Sarah and relate what transpired when they lived in Hebron.
2. Mention some of the customs about mourning in those days.
3. Describe how an Oriental sale took place.
4. Abraham paid 400 shekels of silver for the cave of Machpelah. Try to find other coins or means of payment mentioned in the Bible and the value of each.
5. What should be the content of a funeral service today?