April 3, 2017
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in Genesis? Here’s today’s reading:
Genesis 23 (ESV)
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”… Continue Reading
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The loss of a wife or husband is significant. Even though it’s not a surprise when someone dies when they’re of old age (Sarah was 127) it doesn’t make it easy for the one left behind. In many ways, it makes it even harder.
Abraham mourning and weeping for Sarah (Genesis 23:2) shows the love he had for her and the loss he was experiencing. Abraham’s desire to buy property to bury Sarah in Hebron shows Abraham’s commitment to remain in the land God promised him – at least until all that the Lord had promised him had come to pass.
I think about death from time to time. If I’m honest, I think about it a lot. My grandfather died at 49. My dad died at 50. Both were unhealthy which is why the past few years I’ve made a commitment to live healthy. I want to live! I want to live a long life, not only in service to Jesus Christ but with my love, Michelle. While living healthy doesn’t guarantee a long life, I want to do what I can to have that opportunity.
I find hope in the words of the Apostle Paul, “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep” (1 Thessalonians 4:13).
Read chapter 23
Abraham’s grieving and wanting to honor Sarah with land that he buys for her final resting place is a beautiful gesture. The people are very respectful to him as well. Sad but sweet.
Reading Hebrews 3 today.
Real Talk: I took a break from reading and posting because I felt like there was so much more I need to see and meditate on in the gospel of John. It felt so…rushed. But once I stopped reading a chapter a day, that led to not reading God’s Word at all since March 26th, even though I hungered for it. What a spiritual struggle this has been, as the Holy Spirit has illuminated my lack of spiritual discipline when not responsible for preparing to teach each week. I’m grateful for God’s tenderness with me as He allows me to see how deeply entwined the many different aspects of kingdom life are, too. Very revealing and humbling!
With that confessed to God (and to you), I started anew in John 1 this morning after time alone with God in prayer, confessing my sin and asking for help with this renewed way of being alone with Him. I dug out an old spiritual journal (last entry Father’s Day 2016) and am journaling (handwriting) as I go this time, pausing whenever something in the Word (and in the Spirit) stops me, then writing that verse or passage down — circling, underlining, writing any thoughts, questions and insights, and meditating on that verse or passage the rest of the day. May God’s Word revive my famished soul. (I’m praying for all of us! Thank you so much to all who have been commenting here.)
love how real this section of scripture is interesting combination of the sacred and the mundane…..the profound loss of a soulmate juxtaposed with what appears to be bargaining over land can you picture this? Take the land no charge no I willl pay full price, take it what is 400 shekels to men like us…..
Read Genesis 23
Read chapter 23….whether Abraham chose to pay for the field to show the worth Sarah had to him or didn’t want some change in the future to limit his access, it was loving and wise for him to do what he did.