And Sarah was an hundred and seven and twenty years old: these were the years of the life of Sarah. And Sarah died in Kirjatharba; the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan: and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her. And Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spake unto the sons of Heth, saying, I am a stranger and a sojourner with you: give me a possession of a buryingplace with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.
And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying unto him, Hear us, my lord: thou art a mighty prince among us: in the choice of our sepulchres bury thy dead; none of us shall withhold from thee his sepulchre, but that thou mayest bury thy dead.
And Abraham stood up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, even to the children of Heth. And he communed with them, saying, If it be your mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight; hear me, and intreat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar, That he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he hath, which is in the end of his field; for as much money as it is worth he shall give it me for a possession of a buryingplace amongst you.
And Ephron dwelt among the children of Heth: and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the audience of the children of Heth, even of all that went in at the gate of his city, saying, Nay, my lord, hear me: the field give I thee, and the cave that is therein, I give it thee; in the presence of the sons of my people give I it thee: bury thy dead. And Abraham bowed down himself before the people of the land. And he spake unto Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying, But if thou wilt give it, I pray thee, hear me: I will give thee money for the field; take it of me, and I will bury my dead there.
And Ephron answered Abraham, saying unto him, My lord, hearken unto me: the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver; what is that betwixt me and thee? bury therefore thy dead.
And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant. And the field of Ephron which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, and the cave which was therein, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all the borders round about, were made sure Unto Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all that went in at the gate of his city.
And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre: the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan. And the field, and the cave that is therein, were made sure unto Abraham for a possession of a buryingplace by the sons of Heth.
Genesis 23
In chapter 23 we have the record of the death and burial of Sarah. As so often, in these Old Testament histories, the facts related have a typical as well as a moral significance. That this is no fanciful conclusion is clear from the twofold interpretation of these events given in the New Testament.
An Allegory
In the Epistle to the Galatians the apostle gives us the allegorical significance of Hagar and Sarah. Hagar and her son represent the law and those who are seeking blessing under law; while Sarah and her children represent the unconditional promises of God and those who are blessed through grace (Gal. 4:21-2621Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? 22For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. 23But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. 24Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. 25For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. 26But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. (Galatians 4:21‑26)). The people of Israel, having put themselves under law, sought to obtain blessing on the ground of their own efforts; the result being they only brought forth the evil works of the flesh. They rejected Christ who was presented to them in grace, and through whom they could have received blessing on the ground of the promises made to Abraham. Peter, addressing the nation after the death and resurrection of Christ, could say, “Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Unto you first God, having raised up His Son Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities” (Acts 3:25-2625Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. 26Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities. (Acts 3:25‑26)). This offer of grace was rejected by the nation, and as a result, for the time being, God’s earthly people are set aside.
Christ’s Earthly Bride
The death of Sarah, following the offering up of Isaac, would seem to bring before us this setting aside of the nation of Israel that followed their rejection of the grace offered to them on the ground of the death and resurrection of Christ. Sarah, type of the wife of Jehovah, passes from the story, and Rebekah, type of the heavenly bride, comes into view.
A Plain Declaration
Such then would appear to be the typical meaning of the death and burial of Sarah. There is, however, the moral significance of these incidents, so clearly brought before us in the Epistle to the Hebrews. There we learn that these saints of old not only lived by faith but they “all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country” (Heb. 11:13-1413These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. (Hebrews 11:13‑14)).
Here, then, we see the faith of Abraham in the presence of death; the confession that he was but a stranger and a pilgrim, and, by his actions, declaring plainly his pilgrim character before the world.
Faith’s Prospect
Abraham’s faith had received Isaac at the word of the Lord when his own body was as good as dead. His faith had offered up Isaac at the word of the Lord, accounting that God was able to raise him up even from the dead. Then, in like faith, he buried Sarah in the sure and certain hope of resurrection. In faith he had ascended Mount Moriah to offer up his son. In like faith he now faced the cave of Machpelah to bury his wife. The moment had come when he had to bury his “dead out of sight,” but his faith knew that his loved one would come again and have her part in that better, heavenly country to which his faith was looking on.
The God of Resurrection
God had revealed Himself to Abraham as the Almighty, and as the God of resurrection, and had assured him that the land wherein he was a stranger—all the land of Canaan—was given to him for an everlasting possession (17:8). All was his by promise, though not yet in possession. In the faith of God’s promise he was careful to lay the body of Sarah to rest in the Promised Land. In the land of Canaan she had lived with Abraham as a stranger and a pilgrim; “in the land of Canaan” she had died; and “in the land of Canaan” she was buried (vv. 2, 19). In the same faith, at a later date, the sons of Isaac bury their father at Hebron, in the land of Canaan (Gen. 35:27-2927And Jacob came unto Isaac his father unto Mamre, unto the city of Arbah, which is Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac sojourned. 28And the days of Isaac were an hundred and fourscore years. 29And Isaac gave up the ghost, and died, and was gathered unto his people, being old and full of days: and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him. (Genesis 35:27‑29)). So, too, in due time, Jacob, though he died in Egypt, was buried in faith by his sons in the land of Canaan, in the cave of Machpelah (Gen. 50:1313For his sons carried him into the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham bought with the field for a possession of a buryingplace of Ephron the Hittite, before Mamre. (Genesis 50:13)). And similarly, Joseph when he came to die, took an oath of the children of Israel that they should carry his bones from Egypt to the land of Canaan (Gen. 50:25-2625And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence. 26So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt. (Genesis 50:25‑26); Ex. 13:1919And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he had straitly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you. (Exodus 13:19)).
Godly Sorrow
If, however, in these scenes we see shining examples of the faith of God’s elect in the presence of death, we also learn that faith does not set aside natural affection. Thus we read, “Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her” (v. 2). Faith knows full well that our loved ones that die in the Lord will rise again, and that for them death is gain; nonetheless we rightly mourn and feel their loss. Our sure and certain hope of resurrection tells us, as the apostle reminds us, that our sorrow is not the sorrow of those who have no hope. But there is no word to say we are not to sorrow. None could know the power of resurrection like the One who is Himself the resurrection and the life, and yet He wept at the grave of Lazarus.
A Promise Fulfilled
Furthermore, we see that in the presence of death, Abraham still acted as suits one that was a stranger and a pilgrim. He confessed before the sons of Heth, “I am a stranger and a sojourner with you.” As such he gained the respect of the world, for they said, “Thou art a prince of God among us” (v. 6, New Trans.). How striking the contrast to poor Lot—the believer who gave up his pilgrim character to dwell in Sodom. Such an example the world treats with well-merited contempt, for in the day of his trouble they said, “Stand back...this one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge” (19:9). Sixty years before this God had said to Abraham that one result of answering to the call of God, and taking the outside place, would be that God would make his name great (Gen. 12:22And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: (Genesis 12:2)). Here we see this word fulfilled, for the very world had to acknowledge that this separate man was “a mighty prince of God.” Poor Lot, who sought to make himself great in the world, as a judge in the gate, had to “stand back” and take a place of contempt in the eyes of the world.
A Lowly Mind
Nevertheless, Abraham did not presume upon the high respect in which he was held by the world in order to exalt himself. He did not speak of his dignities, of his high calling, or of the glories that lie before him. In the days of the Lord, when the careless world would make Him a King, He made Himself of no reputation and departed into a mountain alone (John 6:1515When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone. (John 6:15)). In like spirit, Abraham refused to magnify himself. He did not seek that the world should bow to him as a mighty prince, but rather he was marked by the lowly mind, for twice we read, he “bowed himself to the people of the land” (vv. 7-12).
A Righteous Character
The kindness of the world would press upon Abraham a burying place as a gift. True to his pilgrim character he refused to take the place of a prince that receives gifts and was content to be the stranger that paid for his wants. He refused to use the praise of the world to exalt himself, and he would not let the kindness of the world move him from the path of strangership. As before he had refused the gifts of the king of Sodom, so he also declined the gifts of the children of Heth. He bought the burying place, and as becomes a stranger in all his dealings with the world, he acted in strict righteousness paying “four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant.”
In all these ways we see that Abraham in his day was one that called on the Lord out of a pure heart, and followed righteousness, faith, love, and peace.
Midst the darkness, storm and sorrow, one bright gleam I see:
Well I know the blessed morrow Christ will come for me.
Midst the light and peace and glory of the Father’s home,
Christ for me is watching, waiting—waiting till I come.
Long the blessed Guide has led me by the desert road;
Now I see the golden towers—City of my God.
There amidst the love and glory, He is waiting yet;
On His hands a name is graven He can ne’er forget.
There amidst the songs of heaven, sweeter to His ear
Is the footfall through the desert, ever drawing near
There, made ready are the mansions, glorious, bright, and fair
But the Bride the Father gave Him still is wanting there.
Who is this who comes to meet me on the desert way,
As the morning star foretelling God’s unclouded day?
He it is who come to win me on the cross of shame;
In His glory well I know Him, evermore the same.
Oh, the blessed joy of meeting, all the desert past!
Oh, the wondrous words of greeting He shall speak at last!
He and I together ent’ring those bright courts above;
He and I together sharing all the Father’s love.
Where no shade nor stain can enter, nor the gold be dim;
In that holiness unsullied I shall walk with Him.
Meet companion then for Jesus, from Him, for Him made;
Glory of God’s grace forever there in me displayed.
He who in His hour of sorrow bore the curse alone;
I who through the lonely desert trod where He had gone.
He and I in that bright glory one deep joy shall share:
Mine, to be forever with Him; His, that I am there.