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 23:5-6

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 21:12-13

God isn’t a liar.  He holds strong and true to His word.  He told Abraham that He would make a nation of His seed.  Now Abraham was put into a position where he just needed to trust the Lord.  Why was Abraham able to just let go and send Hagar and Ishmael off into the desert with no provision?  Because Abraham was beginning to understand that God is faithful. 

“Every crooked place shall be made straight and the rough places plain.” (Isaiah 40:4)

“And I will restore to you the years that the locust has eaten…and you shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, that has dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed.”  (Joel 2:25-26)

Today you might be faced with the decision to trust God and let go of a certain situation.  It may be hard, you might wish there was another way, but God reassures us to “not let it be displeasing”. 

She might want a divorce.

He is making bad choices and going down the wrong road.

Don’t give up, don’t be displeased… “Listen to the voice” of the Lord as He says, “I will also make a nation”.

God will care for your situation.  As you let it go into God’s hands, he’ll deal with it properly.  We see here the father of the faith maturing in his faith.  He’s letting go, giving matters over to God, and trusting Him to redeem the mistakes he was responsible for.  Sure it’s hard, but God will do just as He has said He would. 

Genesis 21:9-11

The story of Sarah, Isaac, Hagar, and Ishmael gives us an in depth illustration of the conflict within every man between the flesh and the Spirit, and the Law versus Grace (Galatians 3:19-4:31).  We’re told by Paul in the book of Galatians that Ishmael is a picture of the flesh and Isaac a picture of the Spirit, as well as Hagar a picture of the Law (or Mt.Sinai, where the Law was given) while Sarah is an illustration of the new covenant, also referred to as Jerusalem where Jesus shed his blood and sealed the deal for salvation.

“For it is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman, the other by a freewoman.  But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and he of the freewoman through promise, which things are symbolic.  For these are the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar—for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children—but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all.

For it is written:

“Rejoice, O barren, You who do not bear!  Break forth and shout, You who are not in labor!  For the desolate has many more children than she who has a husband.”

Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise.  But, as he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now.  Nevertheless what does the Scripture say?  “Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.”  So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free.”

Galatians 4:22-31

Abraham was in a hard spot.  On one hand he had the love of his youth, his first wife Sarah, with whom he’d trekked for so long, waiting for the day when the desire of their hearts, Isaac, would arrive.  On the other hand he had this relationship with Hagar that should have never happened, the path that should have never been taken, and the responsibility that he couldn’t put off due to the results of pursuing what he thought was best. 

Sound familiar? 

It’s exactly like us, when we choose to pursue our own desires instead of the way, God (the love of our lives), has called us to walk. 

Now the time arrived for Abraham to choose which will be nurtured and which will be cast off.  Will it be his first love and God given son, or will he choose the path which he tried to establish, the woman which wasn’t his wife, and the son which was birthed from disobedience and disbelief?

The option to raise and nurture both boys wasn’t available.  Enmity was present between Ishmael and Isaac.  That’s the way it is with the flesh and the Spirit.  The fleshy sinful desires will always look to overcome, smother, and destroy the God given spirit-filled promises for your life.  If Abraham didn’t choose, more than likely Ishmael would have killed Isaac, this might seem like speculation, but it wasn’t uncommon that a surrogate son who was old enough to realize all that he had coming to him as heir would do everything within his power to secure his inheritance, even if it meant killing the biological son.  And so it is with the Spirit and the flesh, if we don’t choose which to nurture and which to cast away we’ll see that the flesh will grow, the things that were birthed from our own desires will seek to dictate over the Spiritual things of God, moving ever so slightly into the position to smother, destroy, and dispose of the promises of God for our lives.

This story seems kind of odd and a bit harsh, but in reality it’s a stark contrast to the human condition of sin and sanctification.

When confronted with the failures of the flesh we’re tempted to embrace the Law (Hagar) to control the flesh (Ishmael).  We think, “If I crack down on the flesh, if I show it who the boss is and lay down the law, then I’ll be okay.  A couple practical rules here and there and this will all be under control.” 

The problem with that answer is the control never lasts, you’ll do fine for a day, a week, or even a couple months…but just when you think you’ve gotten things sorted and you let down your guard the flesh rises up and overcomes you.  That’s why the Law can’t bring salvation.  It will always condemn mankind, the Law isn’t bad, it simply shows us for who we are…fleshy and sinful.  Hagar and Ishmael needed to go.

The answer is Grace, God’s promise of salvation through the greater-than-Isaac, Jesus Christ the Son and the deliverance of God’s desired outcome (Sanctification).  We must embrace our Sarah and Isaac if we desire to see life and the best that God has in store for us, otherwise we will be living with conflict, strife, and under the oppression of the Law instead of the Liberty and Love of our Savior.

Genesis 21:2-7

Earlier Abraham and Sarah laughed at God when God promised them again and again the desire of their hearts, a son.  Now we see that in the fullness of God’s timing He has brought about the fulfillment of that promise and Abraham and Sarah aren’t laughing at God…their laughing with Him.  You see God knew their hearts, He saw their commitment and love to Him although at times they messed up and even doubted, God still brought about a reason to “Isaac” or literally translated “Laugh”. 

You see, although at times it seems like the wait is unbearable and the joke is on you, God allows what seemed to be cruel and unusual punishment to turn into praise.  Those things which made you cry will soon be taking on a new form and be the cause of joyful laughter.

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound…To comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”

Isaiah 61:1-3

This prophecy from the prophet Isaiah was a word from God Himself declaring what His Son, Jesus Christ, “The Anointed One”, would come to do here in the lives of those who were feeling the effects that life here on earth often oppress us with.  And as Isaac was promised to Abraham and Sarah, so too we have some promises in Jesus that are coming to fruition in our lives. 

Where loss has made us mourn, Jesus will gain for us joy

Where situations have brought heaviness, Jesus will clothe you with praise

Where addictions have you imprisoned, Jesus will bring liberty

Where relationships broke your heart, Jesus will apply healing

Put your hope in the Lord, He’s on His way to deliver!

“And the Lord visited Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had spoken.”

Genesis 21:1

Psalm 127:3 tells us that children are a gift of the Lord.  A gift cannot be given without a gift-giver; someone who comes near, who purchases, who offers the goods to those in need.   The verb “visited” here in vs.1 carries exactly that thought.  It means that the Lord got involved in the day to day happenings of his friend Abraham and his friends wife, Sarah. 

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”

James 1:17

So if you’ve waited and waited and still you feel like your gift has never arrived or maybe you doubt that God is a good gift giver, consider the fact that Abraham and Sarah have waited 25 long years. 

This might bum some of us out. 

“You mean to tell me I might have to wait that long for what I want?” you say.

You have to understand there is more being worked out here than a simple delivery of want; for at the same time there is a delivery of need being carried out.

“What are you talking about Dan?”

When we read James 1:17 we tend to fix our focus on the “good gifts” part.  What we really need to be considering is the “perfect gift” part.  One verse later we see a bit more insight to what this perfect gift is. 

“Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of His creatures.”

James 1:18

God has a plan; His will is being worked out in our day to day affairs.  He doesn’t desire to simply indulge our every want; He desires to give us perfect presents that we might be presented perfectly in Eternity. 

Back in the day when Christmas and birthdays came around I used to be the kid that desired the latest greatest toy.  When a commercial would come on, I would the one saying, “Yeah, that’s what I want!”  Then about a week later another commercial would be aired and again I would say, “Yeah, that’s what I want!”

In reality I was just following the hype, I was misled about what I wanted because I wasn’t aware of my need.  That’s why when I got underwear or socks or something practical as a present I was discontented.  Until that day finally came when I started paying for stuff, not long after that day I realized that apart from my parent’s things cost money and money wasn’t easy to come by.  After that the toys lost their value and the practical seemed much more beneficial. 

It’s like that with the father, I’m not talking about toys and socks, all that stuff is temporary, the Perfect Gift Giver neither thinks on the sentimental or practical, He thinks in the realm of perfection.  It’s either temporary or eternal in that realm.  And the Father is looking to give gifts with the eternal in mind.  That’s why the wait, the want, and even the needs that we consider are often missing the point.  Because we’re still thinking about “good gifts”, and the Father is preparing the “perfect gifts” that will mold us for eternity.  

As Isaac arrived to perfect God’s promise to Abraham and Sarah, so too our perfect gifts will come to prepare us as “a kind of first fruits of His creatures.” 

Genesis 20:3-5

Here in Genesis 20:5 is the first time the word Integrity is used in the Bible.  The interesting thing is that in this first mention of this word the person that is being spoken of isn’t a biblical hero, it’s not even a guy who is well known for good works.  It’s actually the Philistine King Abimelech who is referred to as having Integrity.  Now you might find yourself asking:

“Wait a second…Aren’t the Philistines later to become the enemies of Abraham’s children “the Israelites”?” 

To be honest, I would too.  But it seems that there are a couple things that God is giving some light to here in the story of Abraham and Abimelech.

Although Abimelech is shown here in this passage to have integrity, it say’s in verse 6 that it was actually God that kept Abimelech from sinning.  It doesn’t matter who you are, or where you’re from, at the end of the day its God who establishes righteousness.  Because Sarah was indeed Abraham’s half-sister, Abraham didn’t exactly lie, but then again he didn’t tell the truth.  But in God’s math, a half-truth always equals a whole lie.  Abraham blew it, so did Sarah, and Abimelech ends up being the only guy who shows a little bit of “honest to goodness” integrity. 

Integrity however isn’t what gets us into heaven…Holiness and righteousness is.

You see integrity is simply the soundness of your character.  Character is the substance that God shapes to be Holy and righteous here on earth so we might have the capacity for eternity with Him in heaven.  Apart from God our character falls short of eternal standards and our capacity for Holiness is zero.  That’s why God sent us Jesus Christ, by living a perfect standard of character and dying and innocent death God then saw the flaws in our character perfected by the propitiation of Jesus.  Jesus willingly indwells us with Holiness through our faith in Him and we are saved. 

You see all of us blow it like Abraham and Sarah.  All of us tell half truths, at times backsliding from where we’ve come in our faith.  Then in a wonderful way Jesus reminds us that He has made up for our short-comings, and by faith in Him we can go beyond our shortcomings into an abiding righteous walk both positionally and practically day by day.

Remember, although you see guys like Abraham and think “What a screw-up, that guy is such a bonehead” and then see guys like Abimelech and think, “That guy is a gem”; the truth is bones are alive because of the blood that flows through them… and gems, although nice to look at, are altogether dead inside.  It’s not simply a matter of integrity; it’s also a matter of life and death, apart from Jesus we’ve got nothing.