Genesis 22:20-23:20
Key verse 23:4
Have you ever been to Hawaii? I have been there. Hawaii is
such a beautiful place. The weather is so pleasant that you feel refreshed when
you walk outside. In Hawaii, you can see tropical trees, mountains, and of
course the emerald sea. You can swim with fish around you in clear water. You
can lie down on the water. Don’t worry you won’t drown. If you are lucky, you
can watch movies on the seashore or a Hawaiian dance in the street for free. You
can also enjoy diverse food. Every night you can hear sweet music from streets.
However, the only problem I had was that I could not stay there forever because
Hawaii was not my home. I was a traveller. I had to come back home in College
Park. Likewise, we are all travellers on earth. No matter how much you have, it
is just for a while. You have to leave this world someday. And we Christians do
not even enjoy this world because we have something worldly people do not see
and have. So, we live differently than worldly people do, so we are often misunderstood,
mistreated, or left out. Some Christians suffer more than other people. Even worse,
many Christians are persecuted or killed around the world even now. Why should
we Christians live such a tough life on earth?
In today’s passage, Abraham says that he is a foreigner and
a stranger. He does not even have a piece of land for a burial site for Sarah. Why
does he live as a foreigner and a stranger? I pray that we can find the answer
from the passage.
Nahor’s sons
(22:20-24)
Read verses 20-24. Some time later after Abraham passed the test,
he was told about Milkah. Milkah was the daughter of Haran, who was Abraham’s
brother. She married Nahor Abraham’s other brother. Milkah bore eight sons to
his brother Nahor. One of Milkah’s son was Bethuel. And Bethuel was the father
of Rebekah, who became the wife of Isaac. (Ch. 24) So, Nahor’s account here tells
us about Rebekah’s family background. It also implies that Abraham’s generation
was being finished and the next generation (Isaac and Rebekah) was coming up. God
would continue his work through Abraham’s offspring as he promised.
Abraham wants to buy
a burial site for his dead
1 Sarah lived to be a hundred and twenty-seven years old. 2 She
died at Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and
Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep over her.
In the course of time, Sarah died at the age of 127 in Hebron when
Isaac was 37 years old. She had lived a miserable life due to her barrenness,
but God had mercy on her and she bore Isaac to Abraham when she was 90 years
old. She finished her life in God’s blessing. Abraham mourned for her. He was
so sad about her death. And then he realized that he had no land to bury his dead.
God promised Abraham that he would give the land of Canaan, but it would take
place four generations later. But Abraham needed a burial site for Sarah right
now. What did he do?
3 Then Abraham rose from beside his dead wife and spoke to the
Hittites. He said, 4 “I am a foreigner and
stranger among you. Sell me some property for a burial site here so I can
bury my dead.”
The Hittites were one of clans living in the land of Canaan and
they occupied Hebron at that time. Abraham asked them, “Sell me some property
for a burial site here so I can bury my dead.” The interesting thing here is
that Abraham decided to buy a piece of land to bury Sarah’s body in Hebron, not
in his original hometown.
Ancient people cherished their ancestral burial site and wanted to
be buried there. So, Abraham should have gone back to his old country to bury
Sarah. But he decided to bury her in Hebron. Why? It was because he no longer
belonged to his old family in Haran but to a new land, a new nation God would
establish through his descendants. God said to Abraham in 13:14-15.
14 The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him,
“Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and
west. 15 All the land that you see I will give to
you and your offspring forever.”
Hearing this, Abraham explored the region and then moved to Hebron
and stayed there. To him, Hebron was the center of the land God promised and it
became his permanent hometown. Though the land was not his yet, he believed
that God eventually would give the land to his offspring. “My family belongs
here. This is my home. I will bury my wife here because this is the land God
promised to give my descendants.” Abraham’s decision to bury Sarah in Hebron,
therefore, showed his faith in God’s promise and his commitment to the land. It
is important to understand his willingness to purchase a burial site as his
commitment to the land God promised to him. He believed God’s promise and also
took action about it.
How did the Hittites respond to Abraham’s request?
5 The Hittites replied to Abraham, 6 “Sir,
listen to us. You are a mighty prince among us. Bury your dead in the choicest
of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb for burying your dead.”
The Hittites allowed Abraham to bury the dead in the choicest of
their tombs because he was regarded as a mighty patriarch among them. “Sir, you
don’t have to buy a burial site. You can bury your dead in our best tombs.”
They respected him and so were pleased to offer their choicest burial site to
Abraham for free. That was a very attractive offer, wasn’t it? What was Abraham’s
answer?
7 Then Abraham rose and bowed down before the people of the land,
the Hittites. 8 He said to them, “If you are
willing to let me bury my dead, then listen to me and intercede with Ephron son
of Zohar on my behalf 9 so he will sell me the
cave of Machpelah, which belongs to him and is at the end of his field.
Ask him to sell it to me for the full price as a burial site among you.”
Abraham appreciated their generosity, but he still wanted to buy a
burial site among them. Why did Abraham insist that he buy a burial site with the
full price though the Hittites generously offered him a choicest tomb for
Sarah?
·
Abraham did not want to accept anything from anyone other than
God. He did not want to bury Sarah in the land that belonged to the Canaan
people. We cannot and must not receive God’s promise in a worldly way.
·
He wanted to secure a permanent burial site. Securing the burial
site was a serious matter to Abraham. It was not only for Sarah but also for
himself and his offspring. The circumstance could change over time. Later they
could say, “That was our favor for you so that is not yours. Return it to us
now.” Then, Abraham or his descendants could lose their burial site and their
dead as well. Without their family burial site, he and his descendants could not
take root in the land forever. So, he wanted to prevent any potential dispute
on the burial site in the future by purchasing it.
So, Abraham bowed down to them and earnestly asked them to allow
him to buy a burial site in their land. And he specified which land he wanted
to buy. It belonged to Ephron the Hittite, which Abraham thought was the best
choice for the burial site. So he asked the Hittites to intercede with Ephron
on his half.
Abraham purchases the
burial site
Let’s read verses 10-16.
These verses show how Abraham made a deal with Ephron the
owner of the land Abraham wanted to purchase. Ephron happened to be sitting among
his people. Hearing Abraham’s plea, he kindly offered the field, including the
cave in it. “No
problem, sir. I give the field and the cave in it as well. I give this in the
presence of my people. Please bury your dead.” His offer was so tempting. However,
Abraham again humbled himself and pleaded with him to sell the field to him. He
knew that nothing is free in the world and that man is not trustable in nature
due to his sin. So Abraham insisted that he pay the price of the field. Seeing
that Abraham was so persistent and serious, Ephron set his terms. And Abraham
agreed to Ephron’s terms and paid four hundred shekels of silver (about 10
pounds) according to the weight current among the merchants.
17 So Ephron’s field in Machpelah near Mamre—both the field and
the cave in it, and all the trees within the borders of the field—was
deeded 18 to Abraham as his property in the
presence of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of the city.
So, Ephron’s field in Machpelah, including the cave in it
and all the trees within the borders of the field, were deeded to Abraham as
his property. It was done in the presence of all the Hittites in the gate of
the city. Everyone there saw it and became witnesses of the deed. This way, the
deal was made legally and publically before all the Hittites. Now the burial site
became Abraham’s permanent property. That was his first real estate in
the land. This way, Abraham secured the burial site so that his descendants
could take their root in the land of God’s promise forever.
19 Afterward Abraham buried his wife
Sarah in the cave in the field of Machpelah near Mamre (which is at
Hebron) in the land of Canaan. 20 So the field and
the cave in it were deeded to Abraham by the Hittites as a burial site.
Afterward Abraham buried Sarah in the field of Machpelah, the land
of promise. And then later Abraham himself was also buried there. When he died,
the promised land still was not his. Yet, he believed that the land would
belong to his offspring someday and God would establish his kingdom through his
descendants in the land. In this way, Abraham not only hoped for God’s kingdom
but also made a commitment to it. Because of his commitment to God’s promise, he
lived as a foreigner and a stranger in the land. How difficult and insecure his
life among foreign countries was! He was lonely. He was always pressured to
protect his family. However, he did not complain. Rather, he looked forward to
the country God would build (15:18-21; 17:7) and enjoyed his pilgrimage on
earth.
Heb 11:8-16 - 8 By 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. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised
land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as
did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the
city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
Later, his son Isaac and his wife Rebekah and his grandson
Jacob and Jacob’s wife Leah were all buried in Machpelah. (25:9-10; 49:29-32; 50:13) Machpelah
became the symbol of their faith in God’s promise that their future country
would be established in the land of Canaan. The land of Canaan was their homeland
and their hope and foundation. Their minds and hope were always in the land God
had promised to them. Even when they went down to Egypt, they still longed for
the land of promise and believed that God would bring them back to the land of
Canaan. When Jacob died, he said to Joseph, “I am about to die, but God will be
with you and take you back to the land of
your fathers.” (48:21) And by faith he gave Joseph and his two sons some
portion of the land as their inheritance. (48:22) When Joseph died, he
commanded his people to bury his bones in the land of promise, not in Egypt. (50:24;
Jos 24:32)
As such, these people did not own the land. But by faith they
always longed for the kingdom God would build for them in the land. Until they
finally possessed the Promised Land, they were not ashamed to live as
foreigners and strangers on earth. They suffered in other country. They became
slaves and were persecuted so much. Yet, they rejoiced in their future country
and live as God’s people. Heb 11:12-16 says this about them:
13 All these people were still living
by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they
only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such
things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If
they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had
opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one.
Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has
prepared a city for them.
They lived as foreigners and strangers on earth because they
made a commitment to their own country God would establish. They were the
kingdom people. God was happy with them and finally gave the land to them. God
is very pleased with those who make a commitment to his kingdom. He is so proud
of them.
On December 28, 1993, my wife and I got off the plane in
Baltimore along with our two babies in a stroller. It was our first oversea
trip and the beginning of our mission life in America. Immediately, we faced
troubles living here. The language barrier and culture difference was enormous.
Each day’s struggle stressed us out so much. I was an able man in Korea but
here I became nobody, even a stranger. I lost almost 20 pounds in six months. I
missed my parents and coworkers in Korea. For the first time, I learned what
the life of a foreigner was. But I was thankful that I came here not as an
immigrant but as a pilgrim travelling to the kingdom of God.
Last year, my family joined this new ministry along with Dr.
Lim’s family. I asked myself again and again why I should do this. It was
comfortable for me to stay in Washington UBF. I had good coworkers and my Bible
students there. I had settled down. Why did I have to start everything anew? I was
worried especially about my children. And this ministry faced more difficulties
than expected within and without. The most difficult thing was that some people
misunderstood us, accused us, or even hindered our ministry. Some people who we
though were close to us turned their faces away from us. We were left out. We were
lonely. It looked like we lost everything that we had obtained for the last
tens of years in this land. Yet, we did not defend ourselves. We did not
compromise God’s will and plan for us. Rather, we could look for and rejoice in
what is ahead of us – the kingdom of God. God’s promise came to us as real. Now
we hope more than ever for his kingdom where we will enter in the end. I have
learned I am a foreigner and a stranger on earth until I enter His kingdom. There
is no permanent place for me to stay because I have made a commitment to the
kingdom of God. Heb 11:36-40 says,
36 Some
faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They
were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by
the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute,
persecuted and mistreated— 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and
mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.
39 These were all commended for their
faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, 40 since God had planned
something better for us so that only together with us would they be made
perfect.
Like them, Christians are people who make a commitment to
God’s kingdom. Such people have no attachment to the world and so their lifestyle
is different from ordinary people. Their focus is on God’s work. They go out to
meet strangers in the street or on campus to preach the gospel. Some put their
children into babysitters to fish or to attend the Sunday worship service. Some
cut down their work hours to devote more time to God. Some give up what they
have acquired so far without hesitation in order to better serve God’s will. They
look very strange and even foolish to worldly people. They are sometimes
misunderstood, mocked, bullied, despised, accused or left out. Sometimes, we
Christians could even lose our friends, coworkers, or family members. Yet, because
of God’s promise, we still rejoice more in God’s kingdom, don’t we? The world
is not worthy of us because we have made a commitment to the kingdom of God.
Conclusion
In today’s passage, we learn that Abraham made a commitment
to the land of promise and so purchased a foot of the land for burial site. He
and his wife were buried there. His son and grandson were also buried in Machpelah.
They all looked forward to the kingdom God would build for them so they lived
as foreigners and strangers on earth. For hundreds of years since they were dispelled from the land,
Israel people did not have access to Machpelah because Arab people
occupied it and prohibited them from coming there. Regardless, Machpelah has
been always the home of Israel people. It is the second holiest place for
Israel people. If you go there, you can see many Israel people praying in
tears. They shed tears because they know they are still foreigners and
strangers and look forward to the Messianic kingdom. Sadly, they do not know
that the ultimate kingdom of God Abraham looked forward to has already come
through Jesus. However, we Christians lack their hope for and commitment to God’s
promise. We Christians are those who put hope in God’s kingdom and have
made a commitment to it. That is why we live as foreigners and strangers and
preach the Kingdom. I pray that we all may diligently spread the gospel of the
kingdom with priority and rejoice all the more in his kingdom, which is coming closer.
Amen!
Message by David Yun
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