Time had passed by. The Bible did not record what transpired from
the time Abraham returned with Isaac from Mount Moriah up till now. It is not
hard to imagine what Sarah must have felt when Abraham shared with her the intention
of offering Isaac to God, though we are not told her reaction. We conclude that
like Abraham she also trusted God and believed all that God had promised, and so
concurred with Abraham. For whatever God had said of her conception at an old
age, had truly come to pass. And she must have come to trust God more and more.
It is also not hard to imagine how she must have rejoiced when Abraham returned
with Isaac from Mount Moriah. The three of them shared a wonderful experience
not known to many. It’s hard to be unfaithful and non-committed to a God who has
done so much for them.
Some 15-20 years must have passed by since Abraham’s return from
Mount Moriah. Though no account of what happened during this period is given,
we believe each of them must have lived a devoted and God pleasing life. We are
told that Sarah died at Kiriath Arba that was known as Hebron earlier. She was
127 years old when she died. We know that Abraham loved her dearly and to him,
her death was a loss. So we read that he wept over her. Abraham then sought to find
her a good burial ground. Kiriath Arba was a settlement of the Hittites, and
they were known as the Heth. Abraham wanted to purchase a piece of land that
belonged to a person by the name of Ephron. So he appealed to the leader of the
Heths to help him obtain the land for Sarah’s burial. Notice how humbly Abraham
approached the Heths. Though he was well recognized for his stature, he did not
assert himself. He came humbly and observed the proper protocol to buy the cave
of Machpelah. Abraham was unassuming. He knew his place. Like him, we need to
deal with all with decorum. Everyone, great or not, young or old, rich or poor,
deserves our respect. As believers we ought not to think too highly of
ourselves. We must work to cultivate a culture of honour. Being respectful and
courteous begets respect and courtesy in return. It makes for peaceful co-existence
as we serve the Lord. Paul’s advice is still valuable. His advice recorded in
Romans 12:3 is: “For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more
highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound
judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.”
Besides Abraham was not one who would take
advantage of the situation. Though he was offered the land free of charge, he
would rather pay the price required of it. So he bought Sarah’s burial ground
for 400 shekels of silver. With the purchase of the land, presumably on the
same day that Sarah died, Abraham was then able to lay her to rest. This place
later also became the burial ground for Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This piece of
land was the only one that Abraham had purchased and owned. But ultimately his
descendants owned the whole region.
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