“Now Ephron dwelt among the sons of Heth; and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the presence of the sons of Heth, all who entered at the gate of his city, saying, “No, my lord, hear me: I give you the field and the cave that is in it; I give it to you. Bury your dead!” Then Abraham bowed himself down before the people of the land; and he spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land saying, “If you will give it, please hear me. I will give you money for the field; take it from me and I will bury my dead there.”
Genesis 23:10-13
The exchange here between Ephron and Abraham is a perfect example of what the bargaining process was back in the ancient Middle East. Upon further study one can begin to see quite a few similarities between what was and what the bargaining process is today. Being that Abraham valued Sarah so highly he wasn’t about to bury her in a tomb that cost him nothing. In the same way we as believers must not settle into compromise while conducting ourselves in this world. While others who don’t necessarily agree with Christian beliefs or understand the biblical convictions of those who follow Christ, we as believers must seek to live in such a way that shows just how wonderful the ways of the Lord are. As this world tries to have us bury our standards and principles in a way that would dishonor the value of Jesus’ life present in us, we must tenaciously hold to our standards so that we might honor properly that which God has given us.
To settle the exchange Abraham humbled himself by bowing, as he did the proper purchase of the tomb was possible and the relationship with the sons of Heth was strengthened. So too, if we expect to effectively carry out business and strengthen the relationships we have in this world without compromising our standards and faith, we must conduct ourselves as Christ.
“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.”
Philippians 2:3-8
You see, Jesus too humbled Himself without compromising His Holy standard. In doing so He won the entire human race something of the greatest benefit…salvation. Through lovingly exhibiting the character of Jesus Christ to those around us we too will not only be blessed in our lives for the glory of God but we’ll also win those around us unto a far greater purpose…an intimate personal relationship with God.
