Abraham
– Holding Fast
To The Will Of God
·
Sarah
passed away at age 127 near Hebron (23:1,2). Abraham needs to make arrangements
for her burial, and he goes to talk to the Hittites (23:3)
·
Apparently
the Hittites were in control of the region. They were among the Canaanite
tribes (descendants of Ham, Gen. 10:16) that the Israelites were later to drive
out (Deut. 20:17)
·
Abraham
says to them that he is an "alien" and a "stranger" (23:4)
Think about what he is saying. "Alien" means foreigner.
"Stranger" means temporary resident.
·
Abraham's
thoughts were not on his material possessions. He did not live like someone who
valued worldly comforts. Read Heb. 11:9-10.
·
Lot
chose the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham remained in his tents, a
temporary shelter that could easily be moved. Abraham was looking forward to a
permanent place in the presence of God. See Heb. 11:13-16
·
Abraham
negotiated to buy only part of a Hittite field, so he would not be responsible
for paying the dues on the land. Yet, he buried Sarah there when the custom was
to be buried with one's ancestor. Abraham was making a statement that this was
his homeland, because God had promised it to him.
·
Yet,
Abraham is paying for land that God had promised him. Is it because Abraham
does not want to be indebted to the Canaanites, just as he refused the wealth
of the king of Sodom?
·
What
did the land of Israel mean to Abraham? It was the home that God promised him,
and led him to, yet Abraham looked forward to another home. See John 8:56
·
We
may not be "of this world", but we are still "in it". Why
are we asked to stay in these strange lands? The reason goes to the heart of
the story of Abraham. Because of God's plan of redemption. We play a role in
bringing the Good News to those who don't yet know God.
·
But
how are we to make it through a godless world? We'll talk more about this next
week, but Solomon gave us part of the answer in the book of Ecclesiastes.
·
See
Eccl. 1:14. In his search for fulfillment, Solomon tried just about everything
"under the sun" his day and age had to offer. In the end, he found it
all to be empty and meaningless. (e.g. Eccl 4:4)
·
What
did Solomon conclude in the end? See Eccl. 12:13.
·
We
should not feel comfortable here. We should feel out of place. Be careful of
trying to make this life more comfortable by our own efforts, and in the
process neglecting God's way.
#1) We should view our time on
Earth as a temporary stop. We should not feel at home here.
#2) Part of our faith is looking
forward to the eternal, not keeping our eyes on things "under the
sun".
For
next week, read Judges 21:25
