Genesis 23: a small piece but a bigger picture
Read: Genesis 23
What can one say about Genesis 23? What implications could the story over how Abraham brought a tomb in which to bury his wife Sarah have for us? We see a glimpse of the socio-political relations of the time, with Abraham still a nomad with no land, but well respected by surrounding peoples as someone of wealth and power, and the Hittites living in the land of Canaan, among other people groups. We see the typical scene of bargaining start to evolve and the shock the Abraham takes Ephron the Hittite's initial valuation of an extortionate price of 400 shekels.
Abraham's conduct is consistent with what else we have seen of him. His refusal of the Hittites' offer of the land for free is reminiscent of the events of Genesis 14:22-24, where he refuses anything from the King of Sodom, saying “With raised hand I have sworn an oath to the Lord, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, ‘I made Abram rich.’ (Genesis 14:22-23).
What application can we take from Abraham's principle? Does it mean that we are never to accept a gift from a non-believer, or never accept help when we need it? I think to take things that far would be to make doctrine out of narrative. However, it reminds us of a perspective that it is God who provides. God promised to make Abraham into a great nation, and for Abraham it was essential that the surrounding people's saw that it was God who did this, and not others. Abraham trusted that God would provide, and so was generous with his wealth. He did not live in fear of others because he was beholden to them.
In worldly terms, my employer has given me a large proportion of my 'wealth', and yet I know, as Abraham knew, that it was God who provides: others are only vessels with which he can do that. And so whilst I should work for my employer as though working for the Lord (Ephesians 6:5-8), because that is a worthy way to live which brings glory to God, I am not beholden to them, I do not look to them as the ultimate power that feeds and keeps me - I am free to worship God and not put others in that place.
There is a second noteworthy point to this passage, and that is the fact that it is the first time that Abraham owns land in Canaan. It could be said that there is an irony in the fact that his only acquisition is a place to bury his dead wife, but in fact it is also a reminder of the fact that Abraham is looking forward to the future when his descendants will take possession of the land. In practical terms, Abraham now owns part of Canaan and thus so will his heirs, but in this purchase he establishes a burial ground where many of the family were buried: a part of the history and identity of the nation that will later inhabit the land in God's name.
The writer of Ecclesiastes shows us what life is like without God's plan - if we are to rely on earthly wisdom alone, and writes: For a person may labour with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then they must leave all they own to another who has not toiled for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune. What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun? All their days their work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest. This too is meaningless. Ecclesiastes 2:21-23.
By the wisdom of the world, Abraham's life exemplified by this passage can seem meaningless and futile. God promises that his descendants will inherit the land but what has Abraham himself got to show as his legacy? Just a burial ground for which paid an exorbitant price. However, to look at things like this is to fail to see the bigger picture. Not only was Abraham and the promises God made to him a crucial part of God's plan to restore the whole world, but also Abraham himself, although he may not have known it, could look forward to eternity spent with God after his death.
Our achievements may seem meaningless in worldly terms. We may not be remembered by the general populace or have amassed any worldly wealth (and even if we did, we can't take it with us). But to focus our meaning on these things is to miss the point. '...our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ' (Philippians 3:20). Our life has meaning when we see it the context of the building of the 'new Israel' - God's people for all of eternity, living as a body with Jesus Christ at the head. Just as Abraham would have looked at the bigger picture, so should we, claiming this world, not for now, but for God and for eternity.
Finally, Abraham paid a price for the first piece of land: the 'beach-head' in Canaan, the very start of a land to call home for his descendants. The price has been paid for our citizenship too, by Jesus' death on the cross. He bought us (Galatians 3:13), like that plot of land. We are the new nation of God's people and we have a home in him. We may be strangers and foreigners in this world, but our home is in Jesus.
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