Summary of Genesis 23
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.
Abraham is asking the Hittites to sell him land to bury Sarah. The conversation goes back and forth as they want to give Abraham the land for free. In the end, they settled on a price, and Abraham buried Sarah in the cave in the land deeded to Abraham by the Hittites as a burial site.
Questions
Genesis 23:1-2 records Sarah’s death. How does God’s relationship with her and her legacy of faith impact you? Like Abraham, Sarah can see God at work as their faith in God grew. Thats the only thing that matter at the end when we die, our faith in God.
What do the words of Abraham’s neighbors the Hittites tell you about his life of faith?
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.
There is great respect here, and the Hittites know him, his life, and his God. In ESV, “Abraham was referred as a prince of God. They acknowledge God is on his side and he belongs to God.
How did this purchase prove Abraham’s faith in God’s promises? Even though God said that all the land will be given to him and his descendants, he did not take it by force. He did not even take it when it was given to him for free. He paid at full price, and he did it honorably.
How do your actions prove to others around you that you trust in God’s promises? Give thanks to God and seek for his providence.
God affirmed His covenant with Abraham