Sarah's Death and Burial

Story: Sarah’s Death and Burial

Passage: Genesis 23

Characters: Sarah, Abraham, Ephron

Summary: Sarah died when she was 127. Abraham mourned for her and wanted to bury her but he did not own any land. He asked to buy a piece of land so he could bury Sarah on his own land. The Hittites were willing to give Abraham land for free, but he insisted on buying the land. The people kept trying to give it to Abraham but he ended up buying the land and burying Sarah.

Notes: Abraham refused to take land for free from the Hittites. I think there were a couple reasons for this. Abraham was all about only being dependent on God and not man. He refused the plunder from rescuing Sodom for that very reason. He did not want charity form the Hittites. Abraham also knew God was going to give him that land eventually. He was probably aware that friendly relations with the Hittites would have to end eventually. He didn’t want his wife buried on their land, he wanted her on land belonging to him. God had set Abraham and his family apart from the other people living in the land. Abraham didn’t want to bury his wife on their land. He wanted to own the land fair and square so that he could keep his family separate from the Hittites. I think it is interesting that Abraham had a cave specifically picked out! He knew what he wanted and he bought it!

Questions: Why did that specific cave stand out to Abraham? Did he buy the land because he knew it would be his land someday? Why was Abraham so respected among the Hittites?

Lessons: When God makes a promise to us, it is important that we live our lives and make our decisions with that promise in mind. If God calls us to something, that should become our life goal.