Day 32: Where Do You Store Your Treasure?
Channel: Hope Church UK
Date: 16/03/2021

Where Do You Store Your Treasure? 

WORSHIP: ONLY ONE LIFE (So Soon It Will Pass)  
https://youtu.be/QiESJ7-QRls

PASSAGE - Genesis 23:1-20
The Death of Sarah
23 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.

3 Then Abraham rose from beside his dead wife and spoke to the Hittites. He said, 4 ‘I am a foreigner and stranger among you. Sell me some property for a burial site here so that I can bury my dead.’

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.’

7 Then Abraham rose and bowed down before the people of the land, the Hittites. 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 9 so that 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.’

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. 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.’

12 Again Abraham bowed down before the people of the land 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 that I can bury my dead there.’

14 Ephron answered Abraham, 15 ‘Listen to me, my lord; the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver, but what is that between you and me? Bury your dead.’

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.

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 legally made over 18 to Abraham as his property in the presence of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of the city. 19 Afterwards Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave in the field of Machpelah near Mamre (which is at Hebron) in the land of Canaan. 20 So the field and the cave in it were legally made over to Abraham by the Hittites as a burial site.

PRAYER: 
Hebrews 11:13-16
- Heavenly Father, we pray that this day you will help us to live as citizens of the city that is to come. We ask that you would show us how and help us to use our talents and possessions for your kingdom and your glory. We thank you that we know the grave is not the end but is the beginning of eternal life in Heaven with you and all your people. We thank you that you gave your only son as the sacrifice of atonement for our sins, to give us eternal life. Amen.

PRAYER POINTS:
- For those who are bereaved and have lost their loved ones recently.

- For summer missions and mission gap years. For young people and others to volunteer for these missions.

- Hope Church outreach, ie Pop In, youth and children's clubs, Alpha and any other outreach events.