City Life Starter

Written by Efe Abbe

The Word

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, “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.” Then Abraham bowed down before the people of the land. 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.” Ephron answered Abraham, “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.” 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. 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 to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the Hittites, before all who went in at the gate of his city. 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. The field and the cave that is in it were made over to Abraham as property for a burying place by the Hittites.

Genesis 23:10-20

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…

Hebrews 11:13

Reflection

After Sarah died, Abraham mourned her, then proceeded to make burial arrangements. His concern was very practical: where would Sarah be buried? As a sojourner, Abraham owned no land yet, which meant he would need to acquire a grave for Sarah. Now, he had a plot in his sights which belonged to a native named Ephron. He proceeded as was the custom, to do business at the city gate and made this purchase before witnesses, paying 400 shekels (~10 pounds) of silver for the land.

While this land had a cave which Abraham intended to use as a tomb, its location (east of Mamre [meaning from seeing/to understand]) isn’t a coincidence. Abraham moved to Mamre and built an altar after God told him to “lift his eyes” to see how expansive God’s promise to him and his descendants would be (Genesis 13:18). Lot had just separated from Abram/Abraham and God reiterated His promise to Abram to “make [his] offspring as the dust of the earth.” God told Abram, “Arise, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I will give it to you” (Genesis 13:16a; 17). 

In Genesis 18, while he is living “by the terebinths of Mamre,” Abraham “lifted his eyes” to see God (along with two angels) paying him and Sarah a visit. Abraham offered them hospitality with a sumptuous feast and on this visit, God confirmed to them the time that Isaac would be born. 

Purchasing this plot was Abraham’s way of staking his claim, declaring he was seeing God’s promise to make him into a great nation, to give him and his offspring this land, and to bless all the families of the earth through him even after he was dead.

Application

Reflecting on the faith of Abraham, Sarah, and other faithful, the author of the letter to the Hebrews writes: 

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…And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.

Hebrews 11:13, 39

God’s entire promise to Abraham was fulfilled in Jesus, the Messiah (Anointed One), and Abraham’s descendant through whom all families of the earth can now have access to God – the ultimate blessing. In Jesus, we have access to God the Father’s life now, but we are still waiting for the fulfilment of God’s promise to make all things new (Revelation 21:5).  So how do we see the promise and greet it from afar? Again, we have some help from the author of Hebrews:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:1-2

This is how we stake our claim in God’s promise of eternal life in the new heaven and earth, just like Abraham did.

Prayer

Dear Father, You always keep Your promise – help us to keep looking to Your Son, our Savior, Lord, and returning King for the fulfilment of all You have promised us. Amen.