1.In Genesis 23:1-24:20 we read of the extensive bargaining that went on between Avraham and Ephron the Hittite for land to bury Sarah. Why did Avraham make such a big deal about buying the land when the man was willing to give it to him. What is our lesson here?
Genesis 23:16-20, “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. 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 deeded to Abraham as his property in the presence of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of the city. Afterward Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave in the field of Machpelah near Mamre (which is at Hebron) in the land of Canaan. So the field and the cave in it were deeded to Abraham by the Hittites as a burial site.
First, Ephron said he would give Avraham the cave and land. Avraham insisted on paying the full price for the property.
He wanted the transaction to be done publicly He wanted a legal record of the sale. This would be proof that Avraham was the rightful owner of the property He paid the full price – 400 shekels of sliver. The exact location and description of the property is listed.
Why did Avraham go through all this?
G-d had already promised him the land as an eternal possession.
Why didn’t he just wait for G-d to do it?
Avraham had the promise of G-d for land and descendants.
At this point he had no land and one son.
G-d promised but he needed to do his part.
He knew G-d’s promises required his active participation.
He could not just sit back and do nothing to bring these promises to fulfillment.
So he legally bought his first piece of land.
Next he sent his servant to find a wife for Isaac
He wanted the right wife for Isaac, the right mother for the next generation
He was planning toward the future when there would be children.
Both of these decisions showed Avraham was actively involved in bringing G-d’s promises to be. G-d expects us to be His partner not just a passive observer in life.
Each of us have choices in our life.
Maybe even now you are being given choices.
The question is how do we react?
Do we say if G-d wants it to happen he will bring it about.
Or are we an active partner with the Father in bringing His will to fruition.
Our challenge is to look and listen for those opportunities and challenges He puts in our path and to quickly say yes to Him.
This was a very important transaction.
It is described three other times in Genesis.
Think of how important this purchase was and still is in the life of the Jewish people.
This cave contains the bodies of Avraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebecca, Jacob and Leah.
Genesis 25:9: Isaac and Ishmael bury Avraham, “His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite”
Genesis 49:29-32:Jacob tells his sons where to bury him and who else is buried there, “Then he gave them these instructions:“I am about to be gathered to my people.Bury me with my fathersin the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite, the cave in the field of Machpelah,near Mamrein Canaan, which Abraham bought along with the fieldas a burial place from Ephron the Hittite. There Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried, and there I buried Leah. 32 The field and the cave in it were bought from the Hittites.”
Genesis 50:12-13: Joseph buried Jacob:, “So Jacob’s sons did as he had commanded them:They carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre, which Abraham had bought along with the field as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite.”
One last thought on this piece of land that Avraham legally bought – it is one of the most hotly debated areas of Israel today. Even today the world pushes Israel to give it over to the Palestinians.
2.In this Torah portion Avraham is negotiating with the Hittites for land to bury Sarah. Compare what we read about his relationship with the Hittites and Lot’s relationship with the people of Sodom? Do you see any difference? Is it an important lesson to us in how we relate to unbelievers?
First read Genesis 23:5-6, “And the Hittites replied to Abraham, saying to him, “Hear us, my lord: you are the elect of G-d among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our burial places; none of us will withhold his burial place from you for burying your dead.”
They used the phrase, “you are the elect of G-d among us”
The acknowledge Abraham
He was the alien and stranger, and “a prince of G-d in our midst.”
How was Lot seen by the people of Sodom?
The contrast with Lot could not be greater.
Lot had abandoned his distinctiveness.
He had made his home in Sodom.
His daughters had married local men.
Look at Genesis 19:1-2, “The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When he saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. “
It says Lot “sat in the gate” of the town.
That implies he had become one of the elders or judges.
Yet when he resisted the people who were intent on abusing his visitors, they said
verse 9, “Get out of our way,” they replied. “This fellow came here as a foreigner, and now he wants to play the judge! We’ll treat you worse than them. They kept bringing pressure on Lot and moved forward to break down the door.
What difference do you see here?
Lot, who assimilated.
He was scorned.
The people had no respect for him.
Abraham spoke to the Hittites with respect as he bargained with them
but he had maintained his distinctiveness as a man of G-d
Because of that he was respected.
At the end of Avraham’s life he died as a dignified man of G-d.
Lot ended up in a very different situation
He had to flee the very people he had called friends.
For us, people may not agree with our beliefs but if they witness us living a G-d centered life they will respect that. When we get so involved in activities of the world that we look no different than the rest of the world no one is going to respect our faith or desire to follow the G-d we serve.
3.In Genesis 24 we read about the mission of Avraham’s servant to find a wife for Isaac. What is interesting is that his name is never mentioned although some say his name was Eliezer. How would you describe this servant of Avraham? What does the servant’s story in these verses teach us?
How scripture described Avraham’s servant Genesis 24:12-27, “Then he prayed, “L-rd, G-d of my master Abraham, make me successful today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. May it be that when I say to a young woman, ‘Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too’—let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.” Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milkah, who was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor. The woman was very beautiful, a virgin; no man had ever slept with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar and came up again. The servant hurried to meet her and said, “Please give me a little water from your jar.”“Drink, my lord,” she said, and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink. After she had given him a drink, she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have had enough to drink.” So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew enough for all his camels. Without saying a word, the man watched her closely to learn whether or not the L-rd had made his journey successful.When the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka[c] and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels. Then he asked, “Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?” She answered him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son that Milkah bore to Nahor.” And she added, “We have plenty of straw and fodder, as well as room for you to spend the night.”26 Then the man bowed down and worshiped the L-rd, saying, “Praise be to the L-rd, the G-d of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my master. As for me, the L-rd has led me on the journey to the house of my master’s relatives.”
Everything the servant did was focused on fulfilling his commitment to Avraham
He had committed himself to completing this mission for his master.
He did not consider his own comfort or desires.
Genesis 24:33 the servant said, “Then food was set before him, but he said, “I will not eat until I have told you what I have to say.”
He purpose was to be faithful to the mission of his master
He wanted to bring honor to his master.
What a wonderful lesson for us.
I hope we can grasp this in our lives.
Life isn’t all about us; how good we may look, who we know, what we have accomplished. We do not live our lives for the sole purpose of, “what’s in it for me?”
What our life should be about is Him who loves us.
We should be focus on completing G-d’s plan for our life
We must guard against getting sidetracked with things that deter from that goal.
In the Messianic Scripture John the Baptist said
John 3:30 that he must decrease so that Yeshua would increase.
Like the servant, his concern was His master and fulfilling his task.
So it must be with each of us.
When we get to the end may we all hear these words:
Matthew 25:23, “Well done good and faithful servant.”