Genesis 11:27-32

As I read this passage I can’t help but notice how rough life was even for the guys and gals in the Bible.

Followed by the introduction of a dad (Terah), and his three sons (Abram, Nahor, and Haran), we go on a rollercoaster ride of news, rising high on emotion as Baby Lot is born to Haran, and then the devastating fall out of Haran’s death. I’m sure Terah was grieved over the fact his youngest died before him. Soon after these events the family is uprooted to a new place. While en route Terah dies, and Abram is thrust into the position of “Head of the Household”. Not only is Abram trying to pick up the pieces of a broken and grieving family, he’s also in a foreign land separated from everything he was once familiar with. To add insult to injury he discovers his wife cannot bear children, bringing the dilemma of not being able to continue the family name (which was a big deal in the ancient Middle East).

Abram was stuck in the territory of Haran, he had followed his father there in obedience and now he is in the place where God, his heavenly father, will begin to command and lead, and Abram will learn to follow his new father.

“Be still, and know that I am God”

Psalm 46:10

Sometimes I find myself forgetting the fact that these biblical heroes got run over by life just like you and I today. It’s encouraging to me to see that even with the difficult life that Abram had, in the end, God worked amazing things from hopeless situations. This gives me a bit of hope in my seeming hopeless situations.

Let’s be real, all of us have had times where it seemed like the whole world was falling apart on top of us, and we get buried alive under the rubble. I’m sure Abram wasn’t exactly stoked in the midst of his current difficulties. However, God had a plan, and He was going to use this broken life and family to establish peace, restoration, and salvation to the whole human race.

“It is only when our lives are hid with Christ in God that we learn how to be silent unto God, not silent about Him, but silent with the strong restful certainty that all is well, behind everything stands God, and the strength of the soul is that it knows it. There are no panics intellectual or moral. What a lot of panicky sparrows we are, the majority of us. We chatter and tweet under God’s eaves until we cannot hear His voice at all-until we learn the wonderful life and music of the Lord Jesus telling us that our heavenly Father is the God of the sparrows, and by the marvelous transformation of grace He can turn the sparrows into His nightingales that can sing through every night of sorrow. A sparrow cannot sing through a night of sorrow, and no soul can sing through a night of sorrow unless it has learned to be silent unto God -one look, one thought about my Father in heaven, and it is all right.”

-Oswald Chambers (If you will be perfect pg.91)

No matter what gnarly situation you might be facing today, remember that God is working the present difficulty together for His future glory… through you. (Romans 8:28) You are part of His plan, and believe it or not He is using you, and your situation, to prepare the way for the arrival of His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus essentially takes the broken pieces and returns to us peace. (Jeremiah 29:11)

“I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of His wrath. He has led me and made me walk in darkness and not in light…He has hedged me in so that I cannot get out; He has made my chain heavy. Even when I cry and shout, He has made me desolate. He has also broken my teeth with gravel, and covered me with ashes. You have moved my soul far from peace; I have forgotten prosperity…Through the Lords mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness…The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord…For the Lord will not cast off forever. Though He causes grief, Yet He will show compassion according to the multitude of His mercies.”

-The Lament of the Prophet Jeremiah (Lamentations 3:1-32)

Genesis 24:1-4

The chapter to come is probably one of the greatest love stories in the Bible. It speaks of a Father’s concern for his son, a servants loving obedience to his master, and the love and commitment of a husband and wife. 

This account of relationship and marriage is painted by a couple key elements: Providence, Persistence, and Prayer. 

The same is true in the account of God honoring and successful relationships today!

God providentially brings them to be and orchestrates the process properly.  Then we as servants must serve each other persistently.  And at all times we must continue to sort through the journey prayerfully obeying and abiding in God’s truth and will.  As we do we see the molding and meshing of beautiful relationships that speak great depth of the character, intimacy, and blessing of our Lord.

Genesis 23:19-20

So we see that Abraham purchased the field from Ephron.  The field was in Machpelah, literally translated “Portion”.  Interestingly the only portion of the Promised Land that God had allowed Abraham to actually own was the plot of land in which he buried his love and greatest desires.  As time would pass this area would become the place where his sons and daughters to follow would lay to rest as well. 

So too, the only thing we really possess, or the “Portion” we’ve been bestowed with here on earth is the free will to bury our ambitions and greatest desires safely into the hands of the author and perfector of our lives.  As we purpose our lives to be submitted to God’s will we will see that His blessings and promise will expand into the lives of our children and on and on it goes. 

As Abraham set that example and received the portion the trees of Mamre, translated “strength” became the place where God met and blessed Abraham’s children.  In the same way the places in which we bury our will and say, “Lord your will be done” are the places that God will bless and meet us, and as our children follow suite they will experience the same with the Lord.  What seemed like death to our greatest love and desires will become the launch pad for abundant and blessed life not only for us but for many to follow. 

Abraham didn’t fully see the fulfillment of God’s promise in his lifetime, but his kids did.  Because of his example and the way he laid all things to rest in the portion of the Lord, the generations to follow entered into the fulfillment of the Promised Land.  Listen up parents, as you obey the Lord and lay to rest your personal desires and ambitions, as you deeply invest into the Lord and the portion He’s given you, you’ll see that your children will follow suite and will receive the fulfilled promises and blessings. 

“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth…Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.”

Hebrews 11:13-16

Don’t be discouraged folks; God isn’t slack on His promises.  You might not see all of the fruit of your life here and now, perhaps your children will see the blessing where you had to experience the death; the wonderful truth is God has prepared something abundantly more wonderful in heaven.  As we are faithful to receive this portion and invest into it we will see the return for eternity.

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. 

Genesis 23:5-6

It’s amazing to see the favor that Abraham holds with the locals being that he is a “foreigner and a visitor in the land”.  It’s a stark contrast to Lot who also being a stranger and visitor in his land actually held a high political office and prospered in his local region, however, when communicating with the locals they stated, “Who are you to us?”  It’s interesting to me that Lot chose the greener grass, the nicer deal, and his selfish ambition drove him to compromise, and his example and witness was exactly that…compromised; his decision to honor himself while also trying to honor God hurt his ability to reach those around him and exemplify Holiness to those around him.  Abraham on the other hand chose to honor God, yup…he made mistakes, but all in all his passion was to honor God first and exclusively, in doing so he was blessed and we see here that those around him noticed the blessings as well as his relationship with God, Abraham’s ability to minister to them and testify to his neighbors was so evident.

More recently I was teaching a general overview of Christianity in a college located in the southwest of England.  After the session was done a student raised his hand and asked the question, “Do you often get insulted for being a Christian?”  I responded to his question by sharing how when I was younger I often was timid and quiet about my faith because I was often afraid of what others might say or do to me if they knew of my faith in Jesus Christ.  As I’ve matured in age and faith I’ve found that just the opposite is true.  Like Abraham, the more open and honest I am about my faith, the more people notice.  How they respond is out of my control, one thing is certain however, they will see me for who I am, and who I am will essentially lead them to the majesty of Jesus Christ or lead them away from the glory of God.  Sure, I get a few people that insult me, but more importantly I get people that see firsthand the Lord’s presence in my life, and they recognize my standing among them, I am a “Son of the King”  a “mighty prince” and the favor followed is the blessing imparted by our identity as such. 

Genesis 23:4

Being that Abraham already had a firm understanding of eternity, death, and the grave with his previous faith experience with Isaac, he was now able to properly practice grieving and by faith leaving Sarah’s memory into the hands of the Lord.  By faith he was seeking to move on, fully honoring the Lord as well as honoring Sarah properly, you see, a lot of what Abraham had become as a man was partly due to who his wife was as a woman.  To celebrate and commemorate Sarah Abraham didn’t lie down, give up, or get bitter…instead he chose to press on, move forward, and finish what he and his wonderful wife had begun together.  Abraham wanted to move forward towards heaven by continuing that which he was called to do here on earth.

Sure he was grieving his loss!

 No, he wouldn’t forget about Sarah!

He was doing what was best because Sarah had now moved onto what was best, the company of the Father…God.  We make a huge mistake when in grieving loss we choose to close up shop, to let go of vision and calling, and simply trade in our blessings for bitterness.  We, like Abraham, should seek a place to grieve and then leave, letting go of the loss and heading on towards the blessing and gain that God has in mind for us, not only here on earth being that we are still living, but also in the next life where we see the rewards for how we lived.

Genesis 23:3-4

Abraham’s words go deep, “I am a foreigner and a visitor among you”, tell us of his mindset at the moment.  Technically Abraham had spent a long enough time in this area of Hebron, as well as developed in financial status to be able to have a piece of land and be considered a resident, however, Abraham hasn’t purchased land up to this point and now we get a peek at his perspective of himself and his latest situation. 

Something happens to your perspective the moment a loved one dies.  Relationships that seemed to have such a strong connection are ripped from our hands; the people we thought would go on with us forever suddenly leave.  Where did they go?  Questions like this often follow death, and thoughts about the eternal begin to mix in with your current thought process.  You see, when loss happens it brings a very real contrast between temporary and eternal.  The love that you had for someone becomes longing, and that longing desires to continue with those that have passed.  I believe this was the meaning of Abraham’s words.  The moment Sarah died, home wasn’t home for Abraham, it didn’t matter how much wealth and security he had, death plays no favorites and claims whomever… whenever it pleases.

In the same way we as believers in Jesus Christ have a similar longing, a love that is eternal made to wait upon the temporary.  The difference is that Jesus has told us that He is not bound by death, He rose again defeating death and sits at the right hand of God in heaven preparing for us a heavenly home where things that were once temporary are eternally secure.  We’re told that Abraham had this understanding:

“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance…By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God…These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.  For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland.  And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country.  Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.”

Hebrews 11:8-16

The Bible teaches us that through our faith in Jesus Christ we not only hope for, but we are certain of our eternal destiny.  We declare on earth where it is we choose to make home, and in the same way that preparations are made for us when we book into a hotel, we see that preparations are made for us in heaven by our heavenly host, the builder and maker, God.

Genesis 23:1-2

Just a short while ago Abraham received back his son from the altar, now he was saying goodbye to his bride.  So we see the same in our lives. Sometimes we’re receiving blessings from God, and then the difficult moments of having to let go arrive.  Death and loss are always subjects of difficulty for everyone; we see that even Abraham, a spiritual giant of a man, wept for his wife.  Grief is okay, it actually helps us to release that which is going on in our heads and hearts before the Lord, and when done properly it allows the Lord the opportunity to clarify and console. 

It’s said the reason why God created the tear ducts and tear reflex was to keep the eye lubricated and cleansed of any particles that might harm the eye’s surface or impede on the eye’s ability to see.  In the same way God has given us the gift of grief to work the spiritual cleansing of the hearts interior as tears cleanse the eye.  As we tell God how we feel, the Lord begins to comfort and reply with His faithful and gentle cleansing of the particles that irritate the peace of our hearts and heads, keeping us from seeing clearly His character. 

After one hundred and twenty seven years of life Sarah had now died in Hebron, which literally translated means “fellowship”, this is so fitting being that most of Sarah’s life was spent in fellowship with her husband.  Sarah and Abraham’s relationship is an awesome example to us of commitment, love, faithfulness, and honor to each other and the Lord.  We often think of Abraham as the Godly example being dubbed things like, “Father of the faith” or “the friend of God”, however, we see Sarah gets a mention when Paul likened her to grace while Hagar was likened unto the Law.  Then Peter mentioned her as the example of what a woman of God should be (1 Peter 3:5, 6). 

Yeah, they both made mistakes, hit some bumps together, but the wonderful thing was their willingness to accept correction from the Lord, admit their wrongs, and stay committed to the Lord as He led them on to be ‘A Man’ and ‘A Woman’ of God.

Genesis 22:20-23

Just before the ending of Chapter 22, we are introduced to some extended family of Abraham.  Now one of the children of Abraham’s brother Nahor has a child, her name is Rebekah.  And here we have the beginnings of the story of Isaac and Rebekah, probably one of the coolest love stories in the Bible.  So just after we close with the story of Isaac as the burnt offering we see the introduction of the bride.  Which is interesting because not too long after the sacrifice of our Greater-than-Isaac we see the introduction of another bride…the Church; as we take a look at the chapters to follow we’ll see a beautiful story of husband and wife begin to unfold, from pursuit, to first meeting, and finally to marriage, in the same way we as the bride of Christ are living in a similar love story.

We’ve witnessed His pursuit as He sacrificed Himself on the cross so that we might be in a relationship with Him.

We meet Him and get to know Him through the truth of God’s word, the Bible.

And finally we commit our lives to Him when we believe in our hearts and confess with our mouths that He is Lord, similar to vows taken at an altar in marriage.

It’s a beautiful thing this relationship with Jesus Christ, to have and to hold till death draws us infinitely closer! 

Genesis 22:15-18

God instructed and Abraham obeyed.  As we continue to learn from the lives of the Word we see that obedience is one of the most valuable keys to our relationships with the Lord.  For in obeying God we will find that faith will grow, hope will become clear, and love will blossom to maturity. 

In Abraham’s obedience all the generations to follow would be blessed as a great nation.  Today the testimony of that blessing is apparent as the Jewish race is the only ancient civilization to have survived the test of time.  It’s a common fact that after any ancient civilization lost rule of their land that civilization would soon fall and become overcome and eventually wiped out.  The Mayans, Incas, Assyrians, and Babylonians are a few among many of these fallen empires.  The Hebrew nation, commonly known today as the Jews or Israeli’s is the only people group, culture, and nation that have survived with its identity completely intact.  As it were, that would be enough; however we see that upon this particular blessing God has been abundantly clear in His faithfulness to the Jews throughout the years.

Let me explain:

Jesus, or the Angel of the Lord, speaks this promise to Abraham… “Blessing I will bless you” which is also abiding with the blessing and promise earlier spoken by God Himself unto Abraham:

“I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Genesis 12:3

Any nation that has attacked or cursed the Israelites has soon after been overcome as a nation.  The Jews have been persecuted and attacked for centuries; their enemies have included Assyrian’s, Babylon, Midian, Moab, Philistia, Agag, and even more contemporary nations like Nazi Germany.  It isn’t coincidence that soon after these nations sought to wipe out the Jews they themselves were the ones being overcome.  So too we see that through Abraham’s seed, God not only blessed the Jewish race, but the whole world, because millennia later the Messiah would arrive and bring freedom and salvation to all mankind; every race, gender, and culture; multiplying the number of those who would enter into heaven as numerous as the sand on the seashore.

You see, in the eyes of the Lord we as mankind had a common enemy.  It wasn’t an opposing race, nation, or culture…it was a hereditary condition called sin.

In the same way God was faithful to defend the Jewish race, God has also carried His faithfulness through Abraham to the entire Human race.  Blessing us and not cursing us, saving us from destruction and delivering us unto abundant life.

As I was sharing this with a friend more recently I was asked, “How is it that you as a Christian can be so exclusive about salvation and entrance into heaven?”

I responded by saying, “Christianity isn’t exclusive, it’s actually quite open.  Because of the finished work that Jesus carried out on the cross, all can freely receive salvation!”

The question that follows is, “Will you receive it?”