1. “The Faith of Abraham – 13” Genesis 23:1-20 1/10/2010 Dr. Dane Boyles

2. “The Faith of Abraham – 13”
Surprisingly, most of chap. 23 is dedicated to the pained negotiations Abraham is forced to carry out to secure a burial plot for his wife.
A narrative that we might expect to find replete with sorrow, tears and worship is dominated by legal language and shrewd economic negotiations.

3. “The Faith of Abraham – 13”
Introduction: The Death of Sarah (23:1-2)
1 Sarah lived to be a hundred and twenty-seven years old.
2 She died at Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep over her. (Gen. 23:1-2)

4. “The Faith of Abraham – 13”
Sarah is the only woman in the Bible whose life span is given, signifying her importance.
She gave up all to follow the call of God to a new land.
In this way she became a type for all who would follow.

5. “The Faith of Abraham – 13”
How do you mourn for your life’s mate after a hundred years of marriage?
However, Abraham is at the threshold of another crisis.

6. “The Faith of Abraham – 13”
First Round of Negotiations (23:3-6)
3 Then Abraham rose from beside his dead wife and spoke to the Hittites. He said,
4 “I am an alien and a stranger among you. Sell me some property for a burial site here so I can bury my dead.”

7. “The Faith of Abraham – 13”
5 The Hittites replied to Abraham,
6 “Sir, listen to us. You are a mighty prince among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb for burying your dead.” (Gen. 23:3-6)

8. “The Faith of Abraham – 13”
Abraham is forced to set his emotions aside to make funeral arrangements.
Imagine the irony for Abraham, who has had to live with the tension that God’s prince spends his entire life as a “homeless one.”

9. “The Faith of Abraham – 13”
Abraham can bury his dead anywhere he likes, but real property is another matter.

10. “The Faith of Abraham – 13”
Second Round of Negotiations (23:7-11)
Abraham’s Request (23:7-9)
7 Then Abraham rose and bowed down before the people of the land, the Hittites. (Gen. 23:7)

11. “The Faith of Abraham – 13”
8 He said to them, “If you are willing to let me bury my dead, then listen to me and intercede with Ephron son of Zohar on my behalf (Gen. 23:8)

12. “The Faith of Abraham – 13”
9 so he will sell me the cave of Machpelah, which belongs to him and is at the end of his field. Ask him to sell it to me for the full price as a burial site among you.” (Gen. 23:9)

13. “The Faith of Abraham – 13”
Once the legal scene is set, Abraham begins to negotiate, placing three bargaining chips on the table.
He is willing to pay full market value for the field, and refuses to negotiate for a cheaper price.

14. “The Faith of Abraham – 13”
Abraham trumps their feigned generosity, countering their reluctance to sell with an offer of cold cash.

15. “The Faith of Abraham – 13”
Ephron’s “Generous” Offer (23:10-11)
10 Ephron the Hittite was sitting among his people and he replied to Abraham in the hearing of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of his city. (Gen. 23:10)

16. “The Faith of Abraham – 13”
11 “No, my lord,” he said. “Listen to me; I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. I give it to you in the presence of my people. Bury your dead.” (Gen. 23:11)

17. “The Faith of Abraham – 13”
Is Ephron really generous or is he caught in the throes of public pressure?
Is his offer of the field really a gift or just a political maneuver to elicit an exorbitant offer from Abraham?

18. “The Faith of Abraham – 13”
Third Round of Negotiations (23:12-16)
Abraham’s Counter-offer (23:12-13)
12 Again Abraham bowed down before the people of the land (Gen. 23:12)

19. “The Faith of Abraham – 13”
13 and he said to Ephron in their hearing, “Listen to me, if you will. I will pay the price of the field. Accept it from me so I can bury my dead there.” (Gen. 23:13)

20. “The Faith of Abraham – 13”
Ephron’s Final Answer (23:14-15)
14 Ephron answered Abraham,
15 “Listen to me, my lord; the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver, but what is that between me and you? Bury your dead.” (Gen. 23:14-15)

21. “The Faith of Abraham – 13”
What do we discern from Ephron’s words, generosity or greed?
Do you realize that a thousand years later, David paid Araunah the Jebusite 50 shekels for the site of the Jerusalem Temple, including cattle for sacrifice (2 Sam 24:24).

22. “The Faith of Abraham – 13”
The Deal Closed (23:16-18)
Cash on the Barrel (23:16)
16 Abraham agreed to Ephron’s terms and weighed out for him the price he had named in the hearing of the Hittites: four hundred shekels of silver, according to the weight current among the merchants. (Gen. 23:16)

23. “The Faith of Abraham – 13”
Here is a community taking advantage of a man at his weakest moment, all the for the sake of profit.

24. “The Faith of Abraham – 13”
The Deed of Sale (23:17-18)
17 So Ephron’s field in Machpelah near Mamre—both the field and the cave in it, and all the trees within the borders of the field—was deeded (Gen. 23:17)

25. “The Faith of Abraham – 13”
18 to Abraham as his property in the presence of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of the city. (Gen. 23:18)
In the end, both parties get exactly what they want.

26. “The Faith of Abraham – 13”
Conclusion: The Burial of Sarah (23:19-20)
19 Afterward Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave in the field of Machpelah near Mamre (which is at Hebron) in the land of Canaan. (Gen. 23:19)

27. “The Faith of Abraham – 13”
20 So the field and the cave in it were deeded to Abraham by the Hittites as a burial site. (Gen. 23:20)

28. “The Faith of Abraham – 13”
Sarah’s journey ends in Machpelah, the only property Abraham will ever own.
Sarah’s bones will look out over Mamre for all time, in anticipation of the promises of God and a new land.

29. “The Faith of Abraham – 13”
Lessons from Machpelah: How to die by faith:
1. Our Identity in this Life: Exiles and Strangers
Though he enjoys the reputation of a “prince of God,” to the very end he lives his life as a landless one.

30. “The Faith of Abraham – 13”
13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. (Heb 11:13).

31. “The Faith of Abraham – 13”
2. The Value of Death
Death heightens Abraham’s affections for heaven.
His desire is not merely to honor his wife, but to leave behind a permanent testimony of his unwavering hope.

32. “The Faith of Abraham – 13”
20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. (Matt 6:20).

33. “The Faith of Abraham – 13”
3. The Importance of Remembering
Abraham spent a fortune to leave behind a tangible memorial of the promises of God spoken to him at Mamre.

34. “The Faith of Abraham – 13”
Much of what the Bible demands can be comprised in one word: Remember.
How successful was Abraham in causing future generations to remember?

35. “The Faith of Abraham – 13”
I am reminded of another Jew, Joseph, who was shaped by this act of remembering.
What he needed was the body, that of an executed revolutionary hated by the Jews and mocked by the Romans.

36. “The Faith of Abraham – 13”
Joseph laid that body in his own tomb, and from that holy place we remember the day when forgiveness became our gift and heaven our home.