Good Monday to you my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
I wonder what you value most among all your possessions. What about your REPUTATION…might that be one of the most valuable things you own? Oh yes, my friends, we must OWN our REPUTATION because we each built it every day we’ve lived. Here’s wonderful news: you have the rest of your life to REFINE your Reputation!
These days we’re traveling with old Abraham and Sarah through their story in God’s “Grand Narrative”. Today we’ve come to the end of the journey for Sarah as recorded in Genesis 23:1,2…“Sarah lived to be 127 years old. She died in Kiriath Arba (that is Hebron) …and Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep over her.” You’ll recall Sarah gave birth to Isaac at age 90, thus they had 37 wonderful years together before she died.
Hebron has been a very special place in Israel for centuries, do you know why? As we continue through God’s “Grand Narrative” about Israel, we’ll see Abraham bought a cave here in Hebron as a family burial plot and Sarah was the first to be buried there. Eventually Abraham, & Sarah; Isaac & Rebekah; Jacob & Leah; three generations, were all buried there! (Gen. 49:29-33)
It’s very appropriate, of course, that old Abraham would grieve deeply at the death of his dear wife who had walked such a great journey of faith in God with Abraham. How many of us men can celebrate that we also have wonderful wives who are women of great faith in God?
Brothers, have you thanked your wife for her spiritual strength and vitality lately? Sadly, I notice one other thing in the death of Sarah, do you see it? Evidently Abraham had not made a plan for he needed to rush quickly from his grieving to purchase a burial place. (Gen. 23:3,4) Fortunately, Abraham had a great reputation with those among whom he and Sarah had now lived for about 50 years.
Look at what they said to him when Abraham requested land to purchase for Sarah’s burial: “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.” (Gen. 23:5,6) So, it challenges me to ask, ‘how do we evaluate the reputation we have with the people among whom we live’? What do you suppose Abraham and Sarah had done to earn such high reputation praise?
I notice one other thing in the brief paragraph that describes Sarah’s death: ‘Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep over her.’ That suggests to me that Abraham was not there when Sarah died, and perhaps that’s because her death was sudden rather than a long illness? That challenges me to ask another important question: Are you and I PREPARED for our death and that of our spouse, our parents or even children?
Death is inevitable for all of us, and wisdom calls us to make whatever plans are necessary so when it happens to you, those who love you will know what to do! Or when it happens to those you love and for whom you feel some responsibility, you will know what to do?! Are there written plans? Do those who will execute the plans know the plan and where the documents are to be found? Are those plans which are legal properly written and authorized so they will be accepted as valid by the courts?
Abraham was not prepared, are you and I?
Life goes on for us, after we rise up from grieving the death of our loved ones, doesn’t it? Within 3 years after Sarah’s death, Abraham took seriously the matter of finding the right wife for his Covenant son Isaac. Genesis 24 is that remarkable story and I urge you to read every verse. It’s a Hollywood script if you like adventure and romance!
Abraham sent his most trusted servant back to Harran, the city where Terah, Abraham’s father, had first settled with Abraham, Sarah and Lot after they moved from Ur, remember? (Genesis 11:31,32) Evidently Abraham’s brother Nahor had also moved to that town and raised his family there, including a beautiful daughter Rebekah. (Gen. 24:15) I love Abraham’s confidence in sending his servant to find a wife for Isaac: “The LORD, the God of heaven, who brought me out of my father’s household and my native land and who spoke to me and promised me on oath saying: ‘To your offspring I will give this land’ – HE will send His angel before you so that you can get a wife for my son from there.” (Gen. 24:7,8)
For all you parents and grandparents who are anticipating the future day when your children and grands will be seeking a spouse, are you praying about that right person even now? Do you trust that God knows who that right person will be? What advice are you giving your children and grandchildren about discerning who God’s best life partner is for them?
The servant Abraham sent on this delicate, sacred, wife-finding mission was evidently a man who had come to understand and revere the God of Abraham and had also learned great faith in God from Abraham. As the servant neared a well outside Harran, after a long journey of nearly 500 miles, he prayed: “LORD, God of my master Abraham, make me successful today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. See, I am standing beside this water spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. May it be that when I say to a young woman, ‘Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels also’ – let her be the one You have chosen for Your servant Isaac. By this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master Abraham.” (Gen. 24:12-14)
Oh my, I love the confident faith in God which that specific prayer demonstrates! I think the servant had a good understanding of the generational and God Covenant significance of this wife selection process.
Isaac was the promised Covenant son, but God had made it clear there would be more generations which followed Isaac in this Covenant, so Isaac’s wife would be critical to this generational Covenant with God! Watch that friends, you and I cannot imagine the significant potential of the spouse choices of our children and grandchildren!
The remainder of Genesis 24 is one of the most wonderful but also strategic stories in the entire Bible, and I urge you to read or listen to it in the Audio Bible link below. Watch carefully for all the little details that demonstrate God’s direct involvement in this miracle!
Remember, God’s generational Covenant promises to Abraham hinged on Isaac having a wife who understood and would join him in following God’s guidance of living the Covenant in their generation. Now think about that for a moment and consider the significance of you and me making wise choices as we continue our family heritage in our generation!!
The closing verse of this remarkable story is this: “Isaac brought her [Rebekah] into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he married Rebekah. So, she became his wife, and he loved her, and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.” (Gen. 24:67) The great faith of Abraham and his servant had resulted in a remarkable selection of Rebekah for Isaac.
Isaac’s comfort tells me he and his mother Sarah had often spoken about the miracles God had done so he, Isaac, would be the miracle Covenant son, the only child Sarah would ever bear and raise! Have you noticed the very special mother-son relationship which God often develops?
But of course, God’s continuation of His Covenant through Isaac and Rebekah would require a son, and tomorrow we’ll look at what God did to continue the miracle!
For today, oh we have much to think and pray about, and here’s a wonderful worship song with a Caribbean flavor to draw our hearts to our Covenant keeping God in worship, and I’ll meet you here again tomorrow.
Today’s Scripture: Genesis 23 & 24.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Genesis 24
Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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