Old Testament - Genesis 23:1-20  - (Burial of Sarah)
Channel: Calvary Chapel Windward
Date: 2016-01-30

Old Testament - Genesis 23:1-20  - (Burial of Sarah) - CC Windward - Pastor Tim

Genesis 23:1-20  - Burial of Sarah - Calvary Chapel Windward - OAHU, HAWAII - Pastor Tim Newman - From Local Olelo / Oceanic / Time Warner Cable show "A View from Calvary" - Episode #: - Original Air Date: 03/25 2012 A.D.

PASTOR TIM's NOTES:

Genesis 23:1-20
“The Burial of Sarah”
1. The death of a PRINCESS
Vs. 1-2
1a. Sarah had been called a PRINCESS by God.
We know that it had been exactly sixty-two years since she and Abraham had left
Ur. She dies at age 127 and this means that Isaac was 37 years old.
Abraham would out live her by 38 years.
Sarah was at hand for every pinnacle of Abraham’s life.
Sarah was also there for all Abraham’s failures.
And, of course, she was principal to some failures of her own—in the Hagar
affair and mocking the Lord’s promise of Isaac.
In and through all of this Sarah had become a woman of faith.
God called her a princess (Gen. 17:15)
She is listed with the heroes and heroines of faith (Heb. 11:11).
The Apostle Peter named her as a good example for Christian wives to follow (1
Peter 3:1–6)
Paul used her to illustrate the grace of God in the life of the believer (Gal. 4:21–31).
Isaiah 51:1, 2
1b. Abraham mourns for his PRINCESS wife.
This passage begins with “Sarah died” and ends with “Abraham buried Sarah his wife”
and in between are variations of “bury … dead” seven times.
Paul did not tell the Thessalonian Christians not to weep;
he cautioned them not to sorrow
“as others who have no hope” (1 Thes. 4:13–18).
 Ps 73:24-26
For the believer, to be “absent from the body” means to be “present with the Lord”
(Phil. 1:21–23; 2 Cor. 5:1–8); so Christians do not approach death with fear.
The death of the wicked is vividly described in Job 18, and what a fearful picture it
is!
2. The burial PLACE requested
Vs. 3-6
2a. Abraham makes his Request for a PLACE to bury Sarah.
The point is;
HE MAKES THE REQUEST BECAUSE HE BELIEVED THE PROMISE.
Sarah had died in the land, in Hebron, the heart of the promised land.
“To your offspring I will give this land” (12:7).
13:15, 13:17, 15:18, 17:8
2b. Abraham has earned the Respect of the sons of Heth
The men of the land called Abraham “a mighty prince” (Gen. 23:6), which in the
Hebrew is “a prince with God.”
3. The full PRICE would be paid
Vs. 7-16
3a. Abraham request the cave at Machpelah before asking the
PRICE.
Abraham was open and honest in his request:
He wanted to buy the cave of Machpelah from Ephron, who was in the crowd at the
time.
Ephron had Abraham in a corner, and he knew it.
Sarah had to be buried soon, and Ephron had the only piece of property that met
Abraham’s needs.
3b. Abraham must now purchase the cave and the field at full
PRICE.
Four hundred shekels of silver was about six and a quarter pounds of silver.
Why does he do it this way and pay the full price?
So that no subsequent Hittite could dispute Abraham’s ownership.
4. Abraham receives his only PROPERTY ever purchased.
Vs. 17-20
4a. The purchased PROPERTY was a statement of faith.
Abraham was investing in the promise of the Land.
From Sarah’s time on, the cave at Machpelah became an ossuary, a depository for
the bones of the patriarchs.
God promises us a new body!
In 1 Corinthians 15:35–38,
Paul makes it clear that there is continuity but not identity between the old body
and the new body. He illustrated this miracle with the planting of a seed.
4b. The purchased PROPERTY becomes the tomb of many.
Machpelah in Hebron became a monument to Abraham’s faith in God’s sure word
of promise.
Did Caleb drive out the giants, the sons of Anak?
We read in vs. 2 that Hebron is also called Kirjath Arba. Kirjath Arba means, “City
of Four”. Four what? Josh 15:14
How do we deal with the death of a loved one? The same way that Abraham did. He wept and
mourned for the one he loved. He buried the one he loved believing in the resurrection.



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