Genesis 23 - Day 23 (click here to read the chapter)
Scripture: Genesis 23 Commentary: After Eve, Sarah is the first woman of importance to tread the stage of Genesis. From Cain to Babel, the primeval history preserves an almost exclusively male orientation; women are rarely mentioned except as adjuncts to their husbands. But with Sarah we meet a woman of heroic proportions, worthy grandmother of the nation of Israel. Her life was far from easy. She suffered the shame of childlessness till she was ninety. Twice she was trapped in a foreign king’s harem by her husband’s unbelieving folly. Twice she was provoked beyond the breaking point by her slave-girl Hagar or her son Ishmael. Once she had seen her own son leave to be sacrificed by his father. From the way her husband treated her sometimes, one might wonder whether he really cared about his wife at all. Was he not most interested in preserving his own skin, and sometimes in serving God? The stories of the expulsion of Ishmael and the sacrifice of Isaac highlighted Abraham’s deep affection for his sons. So this story makes plain Abraham’s sincere love for Sarah and the honor he bestowed on her. Abraham mourned for his wife in the conventional way, but he went much further. With great skill and determination, he purchased a large and expensive piece of land in which to bury Sarah. The business negotiations with the Hittites dominate this chapter to such an extent that it is easy to lose sight of Abraham’s motives, his determination that his wife must be buried in an inalienable family grave where she may enjoy undisturbed peace. The negotiations proceed in three stages. First, he asks the native inhabitants of Hebron, the Hittites, whether they as a body will allow him, a mere foreigner, to have a burial plot for his wife. With a great show of sympathy and open-heartedness, they invite him to use whichever of their graves he fancies to bury his wife. However, they did not actually offer to sell him land for a grave plot. But deliberately overlooking this small point, Abraham takes up their willingness to allow him the use of their graves and asks if Ephron would sell him the cave of Macpelah, so he can use it for a burial ground. Ephron responds with apparent warmth to this suggestion, offering to give Abraham not just the cave but the surrounding land. Maybe this was more than Abraham wanted, but in one sense it was less. For land merely given, as opposed to bought, might be taken back or impose on the recipient other unwanted obligations. So Abraham astutely takes the offer to give as an offer to sell, which may well have been Ephron’s intention anyway, and he insists that he name his price. At last Ephron does, and the heavy price of four hundred shekels is paid. Even if Ephron did overcharge Abraham, the price paid suggests Sarah’s burial ground was quite extensive. As befits the mother of the nation, her grave was impressive, a worthy memorial to a great woman. Furthermore, it was in a place associated with some of her happiest memories. It was at Mamre that the Lord had promised her that she would give birth to a child within the year (18:1–15). Indeed, most of the great promises of land, descendants, and covenant blessing seem to be associated with their years in Mamre, according to 13:14–18:15. And in a sense the purchase of the plot of land at Macpelah was a first step toward Abraham and his descendants’ acquisition of the whole land of Canaan. For this reason, Genesis draws attention twice to the rather obvious point that Hebron is in the land of Canaan (23:2, 19) and repeatedly insists that the negotiations and payment for the land were conducted publicly before the elders of the city (vv 10, 13, 16, 18). There was no doubt that this part of Canaan justly belonged to Abraham and his heirs. Wenham, G. J. (1994). Genesis 16–50 (Vol. 2, pp. 129–130). Dallas: Word, Incorporated. Application: As followers of Jesus we are to be different than the rest of the world. Yet, in order to be heard and make a difference, we need to know the customs and act accordingly. Prayer: Lord, help me to reflect Your light and glory in the world today. Comments are closed.
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January 2024
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