Lesson 53

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Bible Study 1 - Genesis 23 

Series # 4:         FOLLOWING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF FAITH

Lesson 53:        Genesis 23.1-20 STANDING TALL WHEN CONFRONTING DEATH

 
Genesis 23:1-20 (KJV) “¹And Sarah was an hundred and seven and twenty years old: these were the years of the life of Sarah. ²And Sarah died in Kirjatharba; the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan: and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her. ³And Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spake unto the sons of Heth, saying,  ⁴I am a stranger and a sojourner with you: give me a possession of a buryingplace with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight. ⁵And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying unto him,  ⁶Hear us, my lord: thou art a mighty prince among us: in the choice of our sepulchres bury thy dead; none of us shall withhold from thee his sepulchre, but that thou mayest bury thy dead. ⁷And Abraham stood up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, even to the children of Heth. ⁸And he communed with them, saying, If it be your mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight; hear me, and entreat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar,  ⁹That he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he hath, which is in the end of his field; for as much money as it is worth he shall give it me for a possession of a buryingplace amongst you. ¹⁰And Ephron dwelt among the children of Heth: and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the audience of the children of Heth, even of all that went in at the gate of his city, saying,  ¹¹Nay, my lord, hear me: the field give I thee, and the cave that is therein, I give it thee; in the presence of the sons of my people give I it thee: bury thy dead. ¹²And Abraham bowed down himself before the people of the land. ¹³And he spake unto Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying, but if thou wilt give it, I pray thee, hear me: I will give thee money for the field; take it of me, and I will bury my dead there. ¹⁴And Ephron answered Abraham, saying unto him, ¹⁵My lord, hearken unto me: the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver; what is that betwixt me and thee? Bury therefore thy dead. ¹⁶And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant. ¹⁷And the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, and the cave which was therein, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all the borders round about, were made sure  ¹⁸Unto Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all that went in at the gate of his city. ¹⁹And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre: the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan. ²⁰And the field, and the cave that is therein, were made sure unto Abraham for a possession of a buryingplace by the sons of Heth.”

 

INTRODUCTION

 

We have had the privilege to walk with Abraham up to the peaks and down through the valleys of a life well lived. We have seen him answer the call of God to leave his homeland to walk with God by faith with no questions asked. We have witnessed his many successes and his many failures. We have watched him as he experienced the joy of childbirth and sat on the edge of our seat as we observed him close and personal in his willingness to give that child up to the will of the Lord. Abraham's life has been filled with the very best and the worst that life can dish out.

 

I think most will agree that Genesis 22 took this man to the pinnacle of faith and obedience. Now we come to a chapter that takes him into the depths of the valley of the shadow of death. As we watch him say goodbye to his wife Sarah, we see a man who has learned to walk by faith as he weathers the most difficult storms of life. In this study we are going to watch Abraham in these verses as he teaches you and me how to live the life of faith even when what we feel is the worst tragedy if existence enters our view. Abraham is going to prove himself to be the example or STANDING TALL WHEN CONFRONTING DEATH.

 

INTERPRETATION

CONFRONTING DEATH WAS A TIME OF FAREWELLS

Genesis 23:1-3 (KJV) “¹And Sarah was an hundred and seven and twenty years old: these were the years of the life of Sarah.  ²And Sarah died in Kirjatharba; the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan: and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her. ³And Abraham stood up from before his dead…”

 

THERE WAS THE SADNESS OF SEPARATION

We are told that Abraham's wife of some 70 years has died. It seems when we are very young death hardly ever enters our minds. As we mature and get busy and involved in the activities of living and life sometimes we begin to live as though we will never die. Then, as age suddenly knocks on our door, we are made aware of the sober fact that death is not very far away for any of us. The Bible says in Hebrews 9:27, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:” This kind of separation is part of everyone's life, but when it comes, we are never quite prepared for the hurt it brings. I thank God; the cruel messenger of death will be done away with forever one day. The Bible says in Revelation 21:4, “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 15:26, “The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.”

THERE WAS THE STING OF SORROW

When death entered the home of Abraham, it broke his heart. The Bible says that he came to "mourn" and to "weep." These words mean "to wail" and to "shed tears," respectively. No one should ever be ashamed to mourn or weep bitter tears at the death of a loved one thinking it is some kind of weakness or unspiritual. This is a natural reaction to death! There are times when we hear people tell us not to weep over our dead, and to be quite frank, that is some of the worst advice a person could give anyone. When a person has had someone whom they love stripped from their presence, it is impossible not to weep for them and miss them. The late F. B. Meyer once said this, "Tears relieve the burning brain, as a shower the electric clouds. Tears discharge the insupportable agony of the hearer, as an overflow lessens the pressure of the flood against the dam. Tears are the material out of which heaven weaves its brightest rainbows. Tears are transmuted into the jewels of better life, as the wounds in the oyster turn to pearls." When death has intruded into the land of the living, do not fear their cleansing needful ministry in your life.

THERE WAS THE STRENGTH OF STEADFASTNESS

Did you notice that verse 3 said that "Abraham stood up from before his dead." That means that Abraham proved himself to be the example or STANDING TALL WHEN CONFRONTING DEATH. This means that when the mourning period was over, Abraham moved on with his life. You see, grief is a normal part of living, but there is a time when grief must reach an end. Sorrow over death is natural, but sorrow that does not end is unnatural. Over my years of ministry I have come across people who have grieved for their parents or a spouse or children for years after their death but that is not godly sorrow! The Bible says in 1^st Thessalonians 4:13, “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.” Even though our hearts are broken at the separation from our loved ones by death I hope that by God’s grace we all learn to rejoice over our loved ones who, like Sarah, have entered the realms of light with the Lord Jesus. The Bible says in 2^nd Corinthians 5:8-9, “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. ⁹Wherefore we labor, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.” One day, we will join with our loved ones around the feet of Jesus and look upon His wonderful face if we know Jesus as our personal Savior by God’s amazing grace. What a day, a glorious day that will be when He takes us by the hand and leads us through the Promised Land. Yes, what a day, glorious day, that will be.

EXPLANATION

CONFRONTING DEATH WAS A TIME OF FAITHFULNESS

Genesis 23:3-16 (KJV) “³And Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spake unto the sons of Heth, saying, ⁴I am a stranger and a sojourner with you: give me a possession of a buryingplace with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight. ⁵And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying unto him, ⁶Hear us, my lord: thou art a mighty prince among us: in the choice of our sepulchres bury thy dead; none of us shall withhold from thee his sepulchre, but that thou mayest bury thy dead. ⁷And Abraham stood up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, even to the children of Heth. ⁸And he communed with them, saying, If it be your mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight; hear me, and entreat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar, ⁹That he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he hath, which is in the end of his field; for as much money as it is worth he shall give it me for a possession of a buryingplace amongst you. ¹⁰And Ephron dwelt among the children of Heth: and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the audience of the children of Heth, even of all that went in at the gate of his city, saying, ¹¹Nay, my lord, hear me: the field give I thee, and the cave that is therein, I give it thee; in the presence of the sons of my people give I it thee: bury thy dead. ¹²And Abraham bowed down himself before the people of the land. ¹³And he spake unto Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying, but if thou wilt give it, I pray thee, hear me: I will give thee money for the field; take it of me, and I will bury my dead there. ¹⁴And Ephron answered Abraham, saying unto him, ¹⁵ My lord, hearken unto me: the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver; what is that betwixt me and thee? Bury therefore thy dead. ¹⁶And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant.” 

Abraham had been given all the land by the promise of God. However, He did not own one grain of sand or one square inch of the land at this point. Therefore, he went to speak to the men of the city in order to acquire a place to bury the dead.

ABRAHAM DECLARES HIS IDENTITY

Abraham said in verse 4, “I am a stranger and a sojourner with you: give me a possession of a buryingplace with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.”

Abraham told the men of the city that he was still a pilgrim among them. He had lived here some 62 years at this point, but he had never settled down. He said that he is a "stranger" or a “pilgrim” and is just “a sojourner” or one just "passing through." Even after all this time, Abraham has never set down his roots in this world.

This is a great lesson to us as Christians! As long as we do not allow our roots to get fixed too deeply in this world, we will not become too entangled in its affairs. All of us must never forget our identity! We must never forget who we are! We are in this world but we are not of this world! We are pilgrims and strangers in this world, just passing through. The Bible says in 1^st Peter 2:11, “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul...” In the power of the Holy Spirit as we walk with Jesus every day we need to so live and not settle down, but keep traveling, looking for that city that will be our eternal home!

ABRAHAM DEMONSTRATES HIS INTEGRITY

Genesis 23:5-17 (KJV) “⁵And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying unto him, ⁶Hear us, my lord: thou art a mighty prince among us: in the choice of our sepulchres bury thy dead; none of us shall withhold from thee his sepulchre, but that thou mayest bury thy dead. ⁷And Abraham stood up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, even to the children of Heth. ⁸And he communed with them, saying, If it be your mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight; hear me, and entreat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar,  ⁹That he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he hath, which is in the end of his field; for as much money as it is worth he shall give it me for a possession of a buryingplace amongst you. ¹⁰And Ephron dwelt among the children of Heth: and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the audience of the children of Heth, even of all that went in at the gate of his city, saying,  ¹¹Nay, my lord, hear me: the field give I thee, and the cave that is therein, I give it thee; in the presence of the sons of my people give I it thee: bury thy dead. ¹²And Abraham bowed down himself before the people of the land. ¹³And he spake unto Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying, but if thou wilt give it, I pray thee, hear me: I will give thee money for the field; take it of me, and I will bury my dead there. ¹⁴And Ephron answered Abraham, saying unto him, ¹⁵My lord, hearken unto me: the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver; what is that betwixt me and thee? Bury therefore thy dead. ¹⁶And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant.”

In order to secure a place to bury his wife, Abraham struck a deal with one of the sons of Heth, a man by the name of Ephron. Abraham mentioned a certain piece of property and Ephron offered to give it to him, but Abraham refused the deal, because he did not want to be indebted to any man.

This is a good lesson for every person, especially a Christian! I know how we have been brain washed and how society has made living tough for all of us, especially young people just starting out. For many in this world, life is a hardship from the cradle to the grave. There are some young people who work hard, go to school, get part time jobs to help pay their way and do all they can to be responsible and when the education is finished they look for a job and cannot find a job in their field or that pays enough to earn a living. Others who do not seek further education scrape and work at anything they can to survive and it is hard and it is such a tragedy. I have been there so I know how difficult finances can be in life. However, some of us bring some of our hardships upon ourselves when others are left with nowhere to turn for help. I have seen many young people want to begin adult life at the same point where their parents have worked hard for 30-40 years to obtain. There are many who will go into debt up to their eyeballs and further and fight and struggle to keep their heads above water to survive and that has become the normal way of life. Nevertheless, in many if not in most cases it is a disaster waiting to happen while the fat cats that make the loans are getting richer and richer at their demise. It is not only the young people that fall into this trap either. There are many adults who are constantly trying to keep up with the “Jones Family” living above their means, going deeper and deeper in debt for no sensible reason at all. People buy things with money they don’t have to get things they don’t need to impress people they don’t even like and complain about not having enough money to pay the bills.

The Bible says in Romans 13: 8, “Owe no man anything, but to love one another…” We need to be cautious and do all we can to live so that we owe no man anything but love. I know it is difficult in our society but it is possible with God’s help and our strong will and determination and commitment. I think it is interesting that when Ephron saw that he had the advantage over Abraham, he charged him far more than fair price, but instead of standing up for himself, Abraham humbly accepted the offer and paid Ephron what he asked. Having to pay for land that God has promised to give him might have caused many of us to stumble a little bit, especially having to pay more than the actual value, but Abraham was able to see beyond the present into a future where it was all his anyway. This all just goes to prove that even in trials; Abraham was a man of integrity! How we conduct ourselves when the pressure is on says more about us than how we act when things are good! One of the best example in the Bible of integrity under pressure is Job. The Bible says in Job 1:20-22, “Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, ²¹And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. ²²In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.” Notice that it says "In all this..."

 

APPLICATION

CONFRONTING DEATH WAS A TIME OF FAITH

 

Genesis 23:17-20 (KJV) “¹⁷And the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah which was before Mamre, the field, and the cave which was therein, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all the borders round about, were made sure ¹⁸Unto Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all that went in at the gate of his city. ¹⁹And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre: the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan. ²⁰And the field, and the cave that is therein, were made sure unto Abraham for a possession of a buryingplace by the sons of Heth.”

The fact that Abraham buried his wife in the cave in Hebron shows the depths of his faith in the Lord God. Of course, Abraham's faith is well known and documented, even in the New Testament in Hebrews 11:13-16. In Abraham's life, we can see faith exhibited in three areas.

 

FAITH IS EXHIBITED IN THE PROMISES OF GOD

Abraham was able to buy the cave with confidence seeing that he already owned the land in trust. It had been given to him by the precious promise of God. We know this because if you remember the Bible said in Genesis 13:15-17, “For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. ¹⁶And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. ¹⁷Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.” Abraham knew that one day he and his descendants would be buried in this very cave. However, he was able, by faith, to see far beyond this. He was able to see a day when he would stand with Sarah, in the presence of the Lord in Heaven.

 

This same faith dwelled in the heart of Job. The Bible says in Job 19:25-27, “For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: ²⁶And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: ²⁷Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.” This same faith should dwell in our hearts as well. In the Bible Jesus said in John 14:1-3, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. ²In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. ³And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” When we are able to look beyond this present life to the things we have been given from God in promise, by faith, it secures the heart, frees the mind and strengths the hands to work until our journey through this land is finished. The Bible says in Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” When we know we are going home some day, it makes the trials of this journey bearable!

 

FAITH IS EXHIBITED IN THE PLAN OF GOD

Abraham knew that even as he buried Sarah here, there would come a day when his descendants would inherit this land and would dwell there. Because of this great knowledge, Abraham was able to endure his grief, his pain, and his losses. He knew that God's plan is always best. The Bible says in Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” If we could ever really and truly grasp that truth it would change our lives! It would spell the end to most if not all of our second guessing, our worrying and our "whys?" and "what if's" in life. Even though we may not understand it and though it may seem to be hard at times, God has a perfect plan and it is not meant to hurt us, but it is meant to produce His image in our life. The Bible says in Romans 8:29, “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” God’s plan is meant to glorify His name and to further His kingdom in this world. The best thing we can ever do is to submit humbly and wholly to what the Lord is doing in and around us!

 

FAITH IS EXHIBITED IN THE POWER OF GOD

Even as Abraham looked at death directly in the face, he was able to walk in victory because he knew that he was serving a God who controlled all the affairs of life and of death! He knew that even though his pain was great and his loss was terrible, in the end, he would come out a winner because God inhabits the throne! We need to remember that God has always been, is today, and will always be on His throne and He has everything under control and knows everything about everything that is going on in every situation in every life. We are not going to be in this world with all its pain and heartache forever! For those of us who have accepted and received the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior by faith into our hearts there is coming a day when we are going to leave this world for our new home that He has prepared for us in heaven. When that day comes, it will be worth it all and we will enjoy the victory! The bottom line is this: we have read the conclusion of God’s Holy Bible and we know that we have already won all there is to win. Therefore we must just wait until the victory we already hold by faith is beheld by sight!

 

“There is coming a day when no heartaches shall come, no more clouds in the sky, no more tears to dim the eye; all is peace for evermore on that happy golden shore – what a day, glorious day that will be.”

“There’ll be no sorrow there, no more burdens to bear, no more sickness, no pain, no more parting over there; and forever I (WE) will be with the One who died for me – what a day, glorious day that will be.”

“What a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see, and I look upon His face – the One who saved me by His grace; when He takes me by the hand, and leads me through the Promised Land – What A Day, Glorious Day, That Will Be!”

(“WHAT A DAY” – By: Jim Hill)

 

CONCLUSION

There are times when we all look at an impossible situation and wonder how much more we can take. Let me tell you now that God's grace is sufficient for you in everything you will face in this life. Jesus told the Apostle Paul in 2^nd Corinthians 12:9, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” We all face different situations every day in many areas of life. I do not know where you may be at this moment in life but I can promise you that Jesus will give you grace to be one who is STANDING TALL WHEN CONFRONTING DEATH and will help you to go on for His glory, until the battle is over. I do not know what you might be facing tomorrow, but I do know that faith where your victory lies. The Bible says in
1 John 5:4 “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.” 

The sad fact is that there are some reading this Bible Study who cannot claim this promise and do not have this hope and future because you have never prayed and confessed that you are a sinner and need to be forgiven. You have never by faith accepted the fact that Jesus, Gods only Son took upon Himself the sins of everyone in all time – past, present and future – who would believe in him. He took our punishment for our sins and died a cruel death on a cross as the final sacrifice and the blood of his body cleanses us and makes us pleasing to God so that we could be saved from going to an eternal hell and opens the door to heaven and gives us eternal life. Before anyone can ever stand tall before anything one must first bow low in prayer and faith.

 

DO YOU NEED SOME HELP?

To find more help in receiving Jesus Christ as your personal Savior please go to the Bible Study Title Page “ETERNAL LIFE.” Please send me an email and let me know about any decision for Christ you make so that I may pray for you. Feel free to send me any questions, comments, or responses you may have as well. For those who are already Christians I invite you to also please let me know of any decisions you make in your Christian life for Jesus. Please send me your questions, comments, or responses and let me know if the Bible Studies are helping you.

rfdenning1951@gmail.com

ALWAYS REMEMBER!

The support of your local Church ministry and the ministry of your Pastor should be the first priority of your Christian life and your service to the Lord. Be faithful to prayerfully prepare and attend Sunday School and Worship Service this Sunday and participate in worship as your Pastor preaches the Word. Do not forget to give the Lord at least your TITHE through your local church from your gross income – that is your first fruits. Any other other giving is an offering to a ministry unto the Lord. Honor the Lord in all you do and with all that you have. Always remember that everything you have and all you are belongs to the Lord. It is on loan to you – so manage it well! There will be an audit one day! Make sure the Books Balance!

 

All Bible Studies Are Prepared by Pastor Frank Denning And May Be Be Used By Permission.