Abraham Buys Sarah’s Tomb

Abraham Buys Sarah’s Tomb

Genesis 23: ¹⁴ And Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him, ¹⁵ “My lord, listen to me; the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver. What is that between you and me? So bury your dead.” ¹⁶ And Abraham listened to Ephron; and Abraham weighed out the silver for Ephron which he had named in the hearing of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, currency of the merchants.

 

¹⁷ So the field of Ephron which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field and the cave which was in it, and all the trees that were in the field, which were within all the surrounding borders, were deeded ¹⁸ to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the sons of Heth, before all who went in at the gate of his city.

 

¹⁹ And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah, before Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. ²⁰ So the field and the cave that is in it were deeded to Abraham by the sons of Heth as property for a burial place.

 

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Ephron the Hittite was very wealthy and owned a field with a cave fit to bury a king. Abraham asked that he purchase the cave from Ephron, but Ephron insisted on giving it to Abraham. Knowing this “gift” would be forgotten, Abraham insisted on paying for the tomb.

 

My Observations:

• This is the first mention of record keeping such as a deed, so the Hittites were advanced.
• Abraham understood currency and was able to purchase Sarah’s tomb.
• Silver was the currency of choice since gold was rare and highly sought after as a part of the Garden of Eden.

 

Living amongst the Hittites may have been rewarding and challenging at the same time. This group of raiders were strong, which would probably keep Abrahm ready to fight at all times. But on the other hand, no outside raiders would dare to attack. This seemed like a suitable place to bury Sarah.

 

Abraham became rich in land through this purchase. He probably stationed guards around the land to keep people from squatting. He received a deed and buried Sarah in the tomb. He paid more for the land than CHRIST was offered for HIS life.

 

Challenge

• Why did GOD go into detail about how much ‘Abraham paid for Sarah’s tomb and how he got a deed?
• Has anyone ever offered to pay for something for you, but you sensed it would be wise for you to pay for it yourself?
• What is GOD’s wisdom saying to you about dealing with someone who does not have your best interest in mind?