Legacy

Abraham was already “very old” when he’d set about securing a wife for his son, but his efforts had paid off! We closed last time with Isaac marrying Rebekah and finding comfort after the death of his mother.

From “A Piece of the Promise”: 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.

Given Abraham’s age, I would expect he’d find this sense of “renewal” through Isaac’s children. As it turns out, Abraham wasn’t through having his own! Whoever would have expected that moving on with life for Abraham would include a whole new family?

Picking up in Genesis 25, however, we see that is precisely the case! Abraham has a new wife, Keturah, and more sons … 6 to be exact! 

In light of all that was promised through Isaac, Abraham sees to this important business before he dies:

At age 175 …

A good old age and satisfied with life! Isn’t that great?

Five months and four days ago, my mom died that way. With a lifetime of faithful choices behind her, she left behind a well-nurtured family and no unfinished business. Mom’s priorities were uncomplicated and straightforward. She loved God; she loved us, and she was there for anyone who needed her.

Mom lived authentically. She wasn’t shy about expressing herself, and that always included letting the people around her know, in both word and deed, how much she loved them. So when she died, there wasn’t really anything undone or unsaid. There was nothing left on the table and no regrets.

Satisfied with life.

Isn’t that the way we all want to go? Don’t we all want to die satisfied with life and the way we lived it?

I like Abraham’s attitude. No matter how old he was, it doesn’t look like he ever quit living! Age, after all, really is only a number, and the best thing we can do as long as we are here, however many years that may be, is to live every one of them.

And do it in a way that makes a difference.

I don’t know where Ishmael has been all this time, but he’s there with Isaac as they bury their father in the cave where he had buried Sarah.

Speaking of Ishmael, God had made promises about him, too.

When his mother, Hagar, had been a pregnant slave, abused and on the run, God sent an angel to her, an angel who told her to go home and gave her the following promise: (“The God Who Sees Me”)

Abraham (See ”Who’s in Charge Here?”) received a promise as well:

Everything God had said would happen DID happen. According to Genesis 25: 16, Ishmael was the father of 12 sons … “twelve tribal rulers according to their settlements and camps.”

Ishmael dies at age 137, and his descendants settled “near the eastern border of Egypt.”

With the six sons Abraham had with Keturah and the twelve tribes descending from Ishmael (all spreading out toward the east), no wonder Abraham is called the father of many nations … and we haven’t even started with the descendants of Isaac! But we’ll save that for next time!

Legacy…

What a wealthy one Abraham left behind. Even today, the mention of his name brings to mind qualities such as courage, faithfulness, and unyielding devotion to the God in Whom he trusted.

He’s known not only as the father of many nations but also as the father of the faithful.

He’s remembered for all time as a man who lived in a way so as to die “satisfied with life.”

I don’t think it gets any better than that!

One day you and I will leave a legacy; accidentally or intentionally, everyone does.

Abraham’s was no accident. We make our choices, and our choices make us; so the saying goes. I hope yours bring you more blessings than you can imagine!

Until next time, Kim