1 Sarah lived 127 years; these were the years of the life of Sarah. 2 And Sarah died at Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. 3 And Abraham rose up from before his dead and said to the Hittites, 4 “I am a sojourner and foreigner among you; give me property among you for a burying place, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.” 5 The Hittites answered Abraham, 6 “Hear us, my lord; you are a prince of God among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will withhold from you his tomb to hinder you from burying your dead.” 7 Abraham rose and bowed to the Hittites, the people of the land. 8 And he said to them, “If you are willing that I should bury my dead out of my sight, hear me and entreat for me Ephron the son of Zohar, 9 that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he owns; it is at the end of his field. For the full price let him give it to me in your presence as property for a burying place.”
10 Now Ephron was sitting among the Hittites, and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the Hittites, of all who went in at the gate of his city, 11 “No, my lord, hear me: I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. In the sight of the sons of my people I give it to you. Bury your dead.” 12 Then Abraham bowed down before the people of the land. 13 And he said to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, “But if you will, hear me: I give the price of the field. Accept it from me, that I may bury my dead there.” 14 Ephron answered Abraham, 15 “My lord, listen to me: a piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver, what is that between you and me? Bury your dead.” 16 Abraham listened to Ephron, and Abraham weighed out for Ephron the silver that he had named in the hearing of the Hittites, four hundred shekels of silver, according to the weights current among the merchants.
17 So the field of Ephron 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, throughout its whole area, was made over 18 to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the Hittites, before all who went in at the gate of his city. 19 After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah east of Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. 20 The field and the cave that is in it were made over to Abraham as property for a burying place by the Hittites.
In Genesis 15, God has promised two things in His blessing to Abraham. He promised to bless Abraham with [Offspring] and [Land]. God told Abraham that his offspring will be like stars in the sky (Gen 15:5) and they will possess the all the land from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites. (Gen 15:18-21)
However, when Sarah died at the age of 127, she was in Hebron and the author was specific to mention that the land belonged to Canaan. God had promised Abraham the land of Canaan, and yet when Sarah passed away, they had not witnessed the possession of even a single piece of land in Canaan. What would Abraham respond? Would he be disappointed and doubt God? Or would Abraham trust God to honour His promise?
Abraham is a sojourner and foreigner in the land of Canaan (v2), and thus not able to buy any land for himself. Yet, when Sarah passed away, he asked for a land to bury his dead. It was not meant only for Sarah, but also for the rest of his family. In those days, you will bury the dead where you deem as home. If you look at Jacob, his body was send back from Egypt to the cave, in the field at Machpelah where Abraham, Isaac and the family were buried. (Gen. 49:29-30) Abraham did not return to Ur to bury Sarah, but chose to bury his wife in a place where he was a sojourner and foreigner.
The word “hear/listen” appeared 6 times in the conversation between Abraham and the Hittites in the discussion on the purchase of the land. This word here is used as a legal term, signifying that the conversation was done in a an official manner. Verse 18 also tells us that the conversation between Abraham and Hittites were done at the gate of their cities, which also informed us that this was a formal event, done in the knowledge of the Hittites in public.
In the request for the land, the Hittites first offered for Abraham to bury his wife in any of their tombs and later to offer the land to bury Sarah for free. However, Abraham was adamant to own the piece of land and insisted to pay for the land. Ephron had offered the land to Abraham at 400 shekels of silver, which was a massive amount of money, even for the rich Abraham. Prophet Jeremiah brought a piece of land many years later at Anathoth for merely 17 shekels of silver. (Jer. 32:9) Abraham's act of faith was showcased by his determination to pay a huge price for the land in order to bury his dead.
Abraham believed that Canaan was the land that God has promised to his descendants. Abraham showcased practical faith and settled in Canaan. By the act of purchasing the land, it symbolized that one day the land of Canaan will belong to him just as God has promised Him. Hebrews 11:1 tells us that faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. By faith, Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out not knowing where he was going. Even when at old age, he continued to have no significant land of his own. How amazing is that?
Dear brothers and sisters, what promises have you claimed from God’s word today? Do we trust that God is sovereign in our lives, especially in those seasons when we cannot see the promises that God told us He will provide? Do we get hopeless and dejected when things are not going according to our own ways. Will we continue to live our lives in practical faith and trust that God is in control regardless of the circumstances we are facing. Would you come to God this morning to ask Him for trust and a faithful heart?
