A Piece of the Promise

As so often happens in life, there’s a mixture of sorrow and celebration facing Abraham and his son.

At age 127, Sarah dies in Kiriath Arba (Hebron) in the land of Canaan. Genesis 23 records an interesting exchange between Abraham and the Hittites as Abraham seeks to procure a burial site.

By way of reminder, the “Hittites” are descendants of Noah’s son, Canaan. Here’s a poster from the long-ago lesson, “Faith, Facts and the Family of Noah:”

I’m no history scholar, but in doing some reading about ancient practices regarding land ownership, I was reminded of a small mountain community I once visited in Guatemala. Here, the land is owned and passed generation to generation and closely protected within a tightly knit circle, a circle that definitely does not expand to “outsiders.” If you aren’t from that community, you don’t just show up and think you’re going to buy land! (In fact, one lady from there ended up losing hers after marrying a man from a different part of the country.)

Whatever the customs in Hebron were, there’s a lot of very polite negotiating going on, on both sides, from the time Abraham rises from beside Sarah’s body and addresses the gathered Hittites:

Their courteous response:

The Hittites don’t talk to Abraham as though he’s an “outsider” … but of course he is.

Whether they didn’t want to sell him land or they truly had such high esteem for Abraham and were actually being generous and hospitable (or both) Abraham isn’t looking to use someone else’s tomb.

He wants to buy a piece of property … but not just any property.

As it happens, Ephron is in attendance “sitting among his people.” He speaks up and offers to give Abraham both the cave and the field. This seems to be a very gracious gesture, and it may be. But there’s something better than even a generous gift, and that’s a legal deed which is secure, permanent, and doesn’t come with the sense of indebtedness that so often accompanies “gifts.”

Ephron says it’s worth 400 shekels of silver, and the polite negotiating ends with Abraham paying the full price and securing legal … and permanent claim.

The cave serves as a burial ground for Sarah and, in the future, also for Abraham, their son Isaac and his wife, and their grandson Jacob and his wife … 3 generations. (Genesis 49)

Furthermore, Abraham now owns a permanent stake and legal claim within the Promised Land.

When we lose someone we love, it doesn’t seem right that life should go on. But it does … and nothing quite renews life for us like watching its cycle continue through our children, grandchildren, and even great-grandchildren.

Abraham has been promised many descendants through his son, but Isaac still needs a wife. And Abraham is about to take matters into his own hands!

Up Next: Who Doesn’t Love a Love Story?