Genesis 25:1-11 – Living a full life with God

Besides marrying Sarah and Hagar, Abraham also had another woman. Her name was Keturah. Genesis 25 verses 1-5 tell us about her. Was she a wife or a concubine? We are thrown off by verse 1 that called her a wife and then in verse 6 called her a concubine. It is more likely that she was his concubine because 1 Chronicles 1:32 also referred to her as a concubine. Some has suggested that Abraham married Keturah after Sarah’s death. Considering the many children born to him by Keturah, it would be more probable that he took her as a concubine while Sarah was still alive. Like Hagar who bore Ishmael to him, Keturah also bore him other sons. We are told in verse 2 that Keturah bore Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah. But Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac. He did not want anything to interfere with Isaac’s faith development. As he had carefully arranged a wife for him, he also made sure his half-brothers would not interfere with his progress. So while Abraham was still alive, he gave gifts to each one of them and sent them away. 

Verses 6-11 tell us that Abraham had lived to a ripe old age of 175. He had a full and satisfied life. He was probably happy and contented. He died and Isaac and Ishmael buried him with Sarah in the cave that he had bought from the Hittites. Isaac must have contacted Ishmael and informed him of Abraham’s death. The two together then had their father buried in “…the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron, the son of Zohar the Hittite, facing Mamre.” This gesture of Isaac suggests that he and Ishmael had reconciled although they still lived apart after their father’s death. The word here specifically focus on Isaac, telling us that God blessed him. After all he was God’s special gift to Abraham. He was the child that God had covenanted to give to Abraham. And it would be through him that Abraham would have a covenant people who would bring blessing to all. So we learned that he lived by Beer-lahai-roi.

Abraham’s life leaves us with an example on how to live a full, happy and contented life. He wholly trusted God and was obedient to Him. Though he had made some blunders in his life, but overall he relied on God in his journey of faith. His constant looking up to God had sustained his life. Like him we must never become tired of following God or rely on Him in our faith journey. The Lord will bless us as he had blessed Abraham, when we seek to emulate him and put our faith in this wonderful God.