Read Genesis 23:1-20.

Introduction⤒🔗

A woman who did a lot of research that required a great deal of reading began to have difficulty with her vision. After a thorough examination, the eye doctor told her, “Your eyes are extremely tired, they need a rest.”

“But that’s impossible,” replied the woman, “my work demands a great deal of fine print reading.”

After thinking about this dilemma for a moment, the eye doctor inquired, “You work at home, don’t you? Well, do you have any wide panoramic views of the countryside where you live?”

“Yes,” she answered, “from the front porch I can see the peaks of the Blue Ridge Mountains.”

“Well then, the next time your eyes get tired, gaze steadily at the mountains for 10-20 minutes,” prescribed the doctor. “The far look will rest your eyes.”¹

What the eye specialist prescribed for the lady with tired eyes has spiritual application for us as well. As Christians, we, too, need to develop “the far look.” We need to set our hope on God’s heavenly kingdom, which is yet to come in glory, instead of expecting the complete fulfillment of all God’s promises in this world and in this present life. Because God’s promises transcend this present world, let us set our hope on God’s heavenly kingdom.

Set Your Hope on God’s Heavenly Kingdom, Recognizing Your Present Status as a Spiritual Sojourner←⤒🔗

Genesis 23 records the death of Sarah and the circumstances of her burial. The LORD has promised Abraham possession of the land of Canaan, (note Genesis 13:14-17, printed below). But at the time of Sarah’s death, Abraham owns no property in the land.

¹⁴After Lot had separated himself from him, the LORD said to Abram, Now lift up your eyes from the place where you are and look northward and southward and eastward and westward; ¹⁵because I will give to you and to your descendants forever all the land that you see. ¹⁶And I will make your descendants as numerous as the dust of the earth, so that if a man could count the dust of the earth, then may your offspring also be counted. ¹⁷Arise, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.

Abraham identifies himself to the Hittites as “an alien and a sojourner among you;” he acknowledges that at this time the land legally is the possession of the Canaanites. Abraham then proceeds to negotiate with the Hittites for the purchase of a burial site for his family. He succeeds in securing the site, but only at the very high price of four hundred shekels.²

Sarah has come to the end of her earthly life, Abraham is well advanced in years and is approaching the time of his departure, and at this late date all he possesses in the Promised Land is a burial site, nothing more. What about the promises of God? Time is running out for Abraham, time has already run out for Sarah.

What went through Abraham’s mind? What was he thinking at this stage of his life? The Book of Hebrews reveals these things to us:

⁸By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. ⁹By faith he became a sojourner in the Promised Land, as though living in a land that was not his own, living in tents, with Isaac and Jacob who were heirs with him of the same promise. ¹⁰He was willing to do so because he was looking for the city that has foundations, the city whose architect and builder is God... ¹³All these men were still living by faith when they died, not having received the fulfillment of the promises, only seeing them and greeting them from a distance, confessing that they were strangers and aliens on the earth. ¹⁴Men who say such things make it evident that they are seeking a country of their own. ¹⁵If, indeed, they had been thinking of that country from which they came, they would have had opportunity to return. ¹⁶Instead, they desired a better country, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. Heb. 11:8-10, 13-16

Hebrews informs us that by faith, Abraham went out to a place he was to receive for an inheritance; he went out, not knowing where he was going (vs. 8). By faith, he became a sojourner in the Promised Land (vs. 9). He looked for “the city that has foundations, whose Architect and Builder is God” (vs. 10). Abraham willingly acknowledged himself to be a sojourner on the earth, “because he was seeking a country of his own” (vs. 13-14). The country he was seeking was “a better one, a heavenly one,” the city God has prepared for him—which is none other than the kingdom of heaven (vs. 16).

What was Abraham’s perspective? Abraham possessed “the far look.” Whether from the very outset or in the course of time, it became clear to Abraham that the promises of God transcend this present world—he came to see that the land of Canaan was a type (an earthly representation) of the heavenly inheritance. By faith, his focus transcended this present world and, consequently, he was willing to identify himself as an alien and sojourner (both spiritually and physically) on the earth.

As a Christian, set your hope on God’s heavenly kingdom, recognizing and accepting your present status as a spiritual sojourner. In 1 Peter 1:1, the Apostle Peter addresses his epistle to “those who have been chosen by God and who are refugees.” The Greek word Peter uses, παρεπιδημοs, translated, “refugee” or “sojourner,” literally means “one who is beside the public assembly,” as opposed to being a part of it. Peter is writing to Jewish and Gentile Christians who were residents of what is modern-day Turkey, many of whom were no doubt born there, yet he identifies them as “refugees,” “sojourners,” “spiritual aliens.” Contrast the New Testament’s identification of the unbeliever, “those who reside upon the earth” (Rev. 3:10), with its identification of the Christian, “our citizenship is in heaven” (Phil. 3:20).

We tend to develop deep roots in this present world, especially to the place of our birth or long-time residence. But Peter teaches us that as Christians we need to develop a different perspective, our vision must transcend this present world—our hearts must be rooted in the heavenly kingdom of God, as the Apostle Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 4:18, “we do not focus on the things that are seen, but on the things that are not seen; for the things that are seen are temporal; but the things that are not seen are eternal.”

If you view yourself as a sojourner who is just temporarily passing through this world, what impact will this new perspective have upon your life? How will that view impact your priorities? Listen to the words of the Lord Jesus, recorded in Matthew 6:19-21,33,

¹⁹Do not store up for yourselves treasures on the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break in and steal; ²⁰rather, store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consume, and where thieves do not break in and steal; ²¹for wherever your treasure is, there will your heart be also... ³³But seek first [God’s] kingdom, and his righteousness; and all the things you need shall be given to you.

How will the far view impact your integrity?

⁹...we make it our goal, whether at home in the body or absent from the body, to be well-pleasing to Christ; ¹⁰because all of us must appear before the judgment seat of Christ; so that each one may receive the just reward for the deeds done while living in this earthly body. Each one will be rewarded for what he has done, according to whether it was good or bad. 2 Cor. 5:9-10

How will the far view affect your perspective on suffering?

¹⁶Therefore, we do not lose heart. Although our outward man is wasting away, our inward man is renewed day by day. ¹⁷Our light affliction, which lasts only for a moment, is producing an exceedingly great and eternal weight of glory for us, one that far outweighs all our earthly affliction. 2 Cor. 4:16-17

What enabled Abraham to exercise such life-transforming faith, faith that enabled him to willingly identify himself as a stranger and sojourner in the land of Canaan, the Promised Land? The answer: His personal communion with God. From the outset, the LORD instructed Abram, “Walk before me” (Gen. 17:1); that is to say, “live your life in my presence.” Abraham’s personal communion with God is what increasingly enabled him to see things from God’s eternal perspective and to trust in God’s covenant faithfulness.

What was the result and benefit of Abraham’s transcendent perspective? The benefit was hope, instead of anxiety and despair. For Abraham, death was not a permanent severance from the blessing but rather an entrance into the blessing, (following the resurrection of Christ).

Set Your Hope on God’s Heavenly Kingdom; Realizing that Your Physical Death will Usher You into Glory←⤒🔗

Genesis 25 records the death of Abraham and his burial beside Sarah in the cave of Machpelah. Verse eight reports that Abraham upon his death “was gathered to his people.” The expression, “gathered to his people,” is an Old Testament expression describing the hope of the godly, intimating the final gathering of God’s people. The New Testament picks up this same expression and applies it to the Christian’s final state of redemption:

²⁷...then the Lord shall send out the angels, and he shall gather together his elect from the four winds—from the most distant part of the earth to the most distant part of heaven.Mk. 13:27

¹Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to him... (2 Thess. 2:1)

Contrast this “gathering” with the fate of the ungodly as describe in Job 27:13,19, “This is the destiny of a wicked man determined by God... ¹⁹He lies down wealthy, but he shall not be gathered [to his fathers],” intimating the final casting out of the unconverted. Consider the New Testament’s commentary on the final state of the ungodly: “Then the king said to the servants, Tie him up hand and foot, and throw him out into the outer darkness; there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.” (Matt. 22:13)

During the Old Testament era, it appears that the redeemed, at the time of their death, entered into a state of soul sleep; note, for example, Psalm 88:10-12 and Psalm 115:17,

¹⁰Will you show wonders to the dead? Shall they that are deceased arise and praise you? ¹¹Shall your lovingkindness be declared in the grave? Or your faithfulness in the place of destruction? ¹²Shall your wonders be known in the place of darkness? Or your righteousness in the land of oblivion? Psl. 88:10-12

¹⁷The dead do not praise the LORD, nor any who go down into silence. Psl. 115:17

Old Testament believers departed this life with a sure hope, but the fulfillment of that hope was not realized until Christ’s work of redemption was accomplished, for it is “through Christ we have our access to the Father” (Eph. 2:18).

But for the New Testament believer—living on this side of Calvary and the accomplishment of redemption—the moment of death conveys his soul into the blessed presence of Christ his Savior: “we are confident, I say, preferring to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:8).

Set your hope on God’s heavenly kingdom, realizing that your physical death will usher you into glory. As the Apostle Paul testifies in Philippians 1:21,23, “for to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain...I have the desire to depart and be with Christ, for it is very far better.” Or as the Old Testament Psalmist testified concerning his hope, “As for me, I shall see your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied, when I awake, beholding your form” (Psl. 17:15).

Question #37 of The Westminster Shorter Catechism asks, “What benefits do believers receive from Christ at death?” then gives the answer, “The souls of believers are at their death made perfect in holiness, and do immediately pass into glory; and their bodies, being still united to Christ, do rest in their graves until the resurrection.”

Question #38 asks, “What benefits do believers receive from Christ at the resurrection?” and gives the answer, “At the resurrection, believers being raised up in glory, shall be openly [i.e. publicly] acknowledged [as God’s children] and acquitted on the day of judgment, and made perfectly blessed in the full enjoying of God to all eternity.”

Conclusion←⤒🔗

As Christians, we need to develop and consistently exercise “the far view.” Because God’s promises transcend this present world, let us set our hope on God’s heavenly kingdom that is yet to come in all of its glory.

¹Since you were raised together with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated on the right hand of God. ²Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are upon the earth; ³because you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. ⁴When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, we also shall appear with him in glory. Col. 3:1-4

Discussion Questions←⤒🔗

1. How does Abraham describe himself to the Hittites? See Gen. 23:3-4a How does Abraham’s present situation compare with the promise the LORD made to him? See Gen. 13:14-17 and Gen. 15:18 What else was contained in this word of prophecy? See Gen. 15:13-16 Do you take into consideration “the whole counsel of God,” or just focus exclusively on the pleasant aspects of His Word?

³Then Abraham got up from beside his dead wife and spoke to the Hittites, saying, ^4aI am an alien and a sojourner among you... Gen. 23:3-4a

¹⁴After Lot had separated himself from him, the LORD said to Abram, Now lift up your eyes from the place where you are and look northward and southward and eastward and westward; ¹⁵because I will give to you and to your descendants forever all the land that you see. ¹⁶And I will make your descendants as numerous as the dust of the earth, so that if a man could count the dust of the earth, then may your offspring also be counted. ¹⁷Arise, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I will give it to you. Gen. 13:14-17

¹⁸In that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, 'Unto your seed have I given this land [i.e. Canaan] from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates...'Gen. 15:18

¹³And he said to Abram, “Know for sure that your seed shall be sojourners in a land that is not their own, and they shall serve them; and they shall afflict [your seed] for four hundred years. ¹⁴...afterward they shall come out...¹⁵But you shall go to your fathers in peace... ¹⁶And in the fourth generation [your generation] shall come up here again, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet full.” Gen. 15:13-16

2. How does Hebrews 11:10 describe “the city” for which Abraham was looking? Compare that “city” with the Apostle John’s description of this present world. See 1 Jn. 2:15-17 What is “the city” of which Hebrews speaks? See Heb. 11:16 Do you have a realistic, biblical view of this present world, and are you, too, setting your sights on that heavenly city? See Matt. 6:20-21, 33; 1 Tim. 6:17-19.

¹⁰...[Abraham] looked for the city that has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Heb. 11:10

¹⁵Love not the world, nor the things that are in the world...¹⁶for all that is in the world, the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the vanity of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. ¹⁷And the world passes away; but he that does the will of God abides forever.1 Jn. 2:15­-17

¹⁶...they desire a better [country]; that is, a heavenly one, wherefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. Heb. 11:16

²⁰...store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes, and where thieves do not break through nor steal, ²¹for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also...³³Seek first [your heavenly Father’s] kingdom, and his righteousness...Matt. 6:20-21, 33

¹⁷Charge them that are rich in this present world not to be haughty, nor to have their hope set on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy; ¹⁸that they do good, that they be rich in good works, that they be ready to give, willing to share; ¹⁹laying up in store for themselves a good foundation for the time to come... 1 Tim. 6:17-19

3. Do you think Abraham possessed this spiritual perspective and the understanding that Canaan was merely a “type,” (i.e. an earthly representation) of something far greater, from the time he was first called by God? Or do you think he came to a greater understanding as he matured spiritually? Are you maturing spiritually, as we are exhorted to do by the Apostle Peter in 2 Pet. 3:18? What spiritual resources has Christ made available to you to enable you to heed Peter’s counsel?

^18b...grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 2 Pet. 3:18b

4. What was the benefit of Abraham’s godly, transcendent perspective; the investment of his life in the kingdom of God, rather than in the life of this world? See Psl. 17:15; 1 Pet. 1:3-5; 2 Pet. 3:13 Do you share in this hope, which is only found in Christ and those who have put their faith in Him?

¹⁵As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with [beholding] your form. Psl. 17:15

³Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in accordance with his great mercy has begotten us for a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴for an inheritance that is imperishable and cannot spoil and is permanent, reserved in heaven for you ⁵who by the power of God are being preserved through faith for the salvation that is ready to be revealed at the last time. 1 Pet. 1:3-5

¹³...according to his promise, we are watching for a new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness resides. 2 Pet. 3:13

5. Abraham was not the only alien and sojourner; how does the Apostle Paul define the Christian? See 1 Pet. 1:1 As a Christian, how should the fact that your ultimate destiny lies beyond this present world impact your life? What impact should 2 Cor. 5:9-10 have on your conduct? What affect should 2 Cor. 4:16-17 have on your view of trials and suffering? What comfort and confidence should you derive from Phil. 3:20-21?

¹Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have been chosen [by God] and who are refugees of the Dispersion, [residing] in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia... 1 Pet. 1:1

⁹...we make it our aim...to be well pleasing unto him; ¹⁰for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive the things [done] in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. 2 Cor. 5:9-10

¹⁶...we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward [man] is being renewed day by day; ¹⁷for our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding [and] eternal weight of glory... 2 Cor. 4:16-17

²⁰...our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. ²¹By the power that enables him to bring everything into submission to himself, he will transform the body belonging to the present state of our humiliation, so that it may be conformed to his glorified body. Phil. 3:20-21