Abraham had seen God's faithfulness and experience God's providence: saving their marriage twice (from Pharaoh and Abimelech), giving him wealth (far more than enough), protecting his nephew, and lastly in blessing him a promised son: Isaac, when he was 100 years old. Not just that, Abraham has received many blessings and see God's faithfulness even though he is unfaithful. We need to remember once again that Abraham was Abram the idolater who was called by God to a land (the promised land). Abram was used to be a man who walks by what he sees instead of by faith(Genesis 12 - when there was famine, he decided to go out of the promised land and moved to egypt).
After God tested Abraham's faith by asking Isaac to be sacrificed, the next chapter told us a story that is common to all of us, that is: death. God took Sarah from Abraham, and he mourn and wept, indicating that Abraham was really sad because he miss the one he loved. Now the Bible tells us the next step that Abraham took was that he rose up and go to the Hitites, and asking them to give him a land. Abraham even insisted to buy the land. Culturally, this act from Abraham was something that we need to ask why, because first, people back then normally prefer to be buried in their ancestor land, meaning in the context of Abraham, that land was not where his family dwelt in. It was indeed just like what Abraham said in Gen 23:4 that he was a sojourner and foreigner there. So that is the first question, why Abraham chose to bury his wife (and himself - because it is a tradition that husband and wife was buried at the same place) in Canaan instead of his hometown (Ur). The second question is why Abraham insisted to buy the property for the burial of sarah?
Remember that God has promised him two things: first is about descendants - that Abraham will be a great nation, and second is the promised land that God will give to him and his offspring, lastly that through Abraham will be a blessing. Yes, at this stage Abraham already received a descendant that God promised (Isaac), and that is a glimpse to what will happen in the future. What about God's promise regarding the land? well as we can see through the story, Abraham did not have the land yet, just as what he described in verse 4 that he is an alien and a sojourner. So will he gets to see it? If you were Abraham will you put your trust in God even through what seemingly impossible? Abraham did, in fact He has shown his faith in Genesis 22 by his obedience to God to sacrifice Isaac, his only son - trusting that God is faithful, and His promise will always stand true. Abraham believed even if he had to sacrifice Isaac, God is mighty and able to raise him from the dead; and now when Sarah died and he still has not seen God’s promised regarding the land being fulfilled, Abraham once again clinged to God's promise that God's promise will stand true.
Hebrew 11:9 reveals to us something about Abraham, that he went to live in the land of promise as in a foreign land, living in tents.. this is in accordance to what Abraham said in Gen 23:4 that he said he was a sojourner and a foreign. Why is that? the answer is in the next verse (verse 10): “for he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.” Abraham, by faith takes up God’s calling and went out from where he stayed, forsaking everything that he had in hope of a better city that God prepared for him. This is the truth for every believer, that we ought to be like Abraham, a sojourner to this world. We can see the difference between a sojourner compare to a native (or permanent residence) in the way they live, think, talk, and their dress, their friends, their citizenship. A sojourner is evident in those areas. If someone is the same in all these areas as the "natives," they are no longer sojourners - they are permanent residents. Christians shouldn't live as if they are permanent residents of planet earth. As a sojourner of this world, we won’t take a hold of the things that this world has offered, instead we always think that everything in this world is just temporary. If we live now, it is only for sometime, and someday we will go back to our home. A true Christian will never think this world as truly their home. Our home is there where God The Father has prepared for us… a better city that has foundations whose designer and builder is God - a city where we will see Him face to face - that is our home.
Abraham has faith towards what God has promised him. Even though he is old, and Sarah (his wife) has died, and he might think that his day may not be too long, he did not lose hope. Even till now he has not own any part of the land that God has promised him, Abraham still trusted that God will fulfill his promise. Abraham could gone back to bury Sarah in his homeland, but he forsake that, because he trusted and choose a land that God has called him to and promised for him - and so what we see here in Genesis 23 is his act of obedience towards God’s promise. Abraham chose to buy a land (instead of receiving it for free as a temporal place). He chose to buy so that he owns it legally - he shows his faith through his deeds in purchasing the field in Machpelah, which was to the east of Mamre, the field with the cave that was in it and all the trees that were in the field for 400 shekels. Abraham believed that this is the land that God wants him and his offspring to own, and so he do whatever he could to own it, even just a part of the whole canaan. This is an act of faith (obedience towards God’s will). Faith is not passive, but faith is an act.
If you believe to what your doctor says, you will follow what he says you should do - either to take medicine or having a rest. It requires some sort of faith - and when you obey his suggestion - that is an act of faith. Similarly if you believe Christ is your Lord and Savior, you will obey him as an act of faith - meaning you will submit your life acknowledging that He is the LORD over your life, and at the same time to cast out our fear, and put our hope in Him for He is our Savior. We submit - doing what He says, as well as acknowledging that we are helpless, and so trusting He will do the work in molding us to make us holy and blameless.
Hebrew 11:13-16 says this:
“These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.” (Hebrews 11:13-16 ESV)
After the death of Sarah, Abraham purchased the field in Machpelah, next we see he asked his servant to find Isaac a wife, then soon after the next passage in Genesis 25, Abraham died in 175 years old. The verses above said that abraham died in faith, not having received the things promised. Abraham did not see literally that he become a great nation, he did not see that he and his offspring owns the promise land, he did not see that through him is the blessing to all nations.. what he saw was just a glimpse.. Isaac is born (a son - not a nation), and owning Machpelah (not the whole promised land). It is just like what was written in Hebrew, he only seen them and greeted them from afar… BUT he has faith (even when he died), that God will fulfill it, that God is able. He did not return to his homeland because he desire and trusted for a better country that God has prepared for him. Abraham was persevering in faith.
Do we have such faith? do we desire a better country that is a heavenly one? do we look forward on the eternity, do we really trust and put our hope for those glorious days? as according to what God has promised us, that we will have eternal life [enjoying Him forever]? Do we really believe that? if so, is it being reflected on our life? How do we live? do we live as a permanent resident of the world, or do we live like a sojourner that has a home above?
This Abraham in Genesis 23 to 25 is different from Abram in Genesis 12. This Abraham we see in Genesis 23 is a man that has been built and nurtured by God's love. Abraham has started his calling by faith, and has journeyed with faith, and now we will see that he ended his life also with faith. He perseveres in faith. May we also persevere in faith till He calls us home.
God Bless,
Paul
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