Abraham 11

“A Time to Die”

King Solomon said,

Ecclesiastes 7:1 AV

1 A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one’s birth.

He did not say that death is better than birth; for, after all, we must be born before we can die.

Solomon’s point was that the name given you at birth is like fragrant ointment, and you must keep it that way until you die.

When you received your name at birth, nobody knew what you would make out of it; but at death, that name is either fragrant or putrid.

If it is fragrant at death, then people can rejoice; for after death, nothing can change it.

So, for a person with a good name, the day of death is better than the day of birth.

The names of Abraham and Sarah were fragrant in life and in death and are still fragrant today.

In these chapters, we meet Abraham and Sarah at the end of life’s road, and we learn from them what it means to die in faith.

1. The death of a princess

Sarah had been a good wife to Abraham and a good mother to Isaac.

Yes, she had her faults, as we all do; but God called her a princess and listed her with the heroes and heroines of faith

The Apostle Peter named her as a good example for Christian wives to follow, and Paul used her to illustrate the grace of God in the life of the believer.

Abraham’s tears

Genesis 23:1–2 AV

1 And Sarah was an hundred and seven and twenty years old: these were the years of the life of Sarah. 2 And Sarah died in Kirjatharba; the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan: and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.

How often in my pastoral ministry I have heard well-meaning but ignorant people say to grieving friends or relatives, “Now, don’t cry!”

That is very poor counsel, for God made us with the ability to weep; and He expects us to cry.

Even Jesus wept (John 11:35).

Grieving is one of God’s gifts to help heal broken hearts when people we love are taken from us in death.

Paul did not tell the Thessalonian Christians not to weep; he cautioned them not to sorrow “as others who have no hope”

1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 AV

13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

The grief of a believer should be different from that of an unbeliever.

Abraham loved his wife, and her death was a painful experience for him.

He showed his love and his grief by his weeping.

These are the first recorded tears in the Bible, and tears will not end until God wipes them away in glory.

Even though he was a man of faith, Abraham did not feel that his tears were an evidence of unbelief.

Sarah died in faith, so Abraham knew that she was in the Lord’s care.

In the Old Testament, very little was revealed about the afterlife; but God’s people knew that God would receive them when they died.

For the believer, to be “absent from the body” means to be “present with the Lord”

Philippians 1:21–23 AV

21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. 23 For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:

2 Corinthians 5:1–8 AV

1 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: 3 If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. 4 For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. 5 Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. 6 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: 7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) 8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

So Christians do not approach death with fear.

Revelation 14:13 AV

13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.

The death of the wicked is vividly described in Job 18, and what a fearful picture it is!

When the wicked die, it is like putting out a light

Job 18:5–6 AV

5 Yea, the light of the wicked shall be put out, and the spark of his fire shall not shine. 6 The light shall be dark in his tabernacle, and his candle shall be put out with him.

Trapping an animal or a bird

Job 18:7–10 AV

7 The steps of his strength shall be straitened, and his own counsel shall cast him down. 8 For he is cast into a net by his own feet, and he walketh upon a snare. 9 The gin shall take him by the heel, and the robber shall prevail against him. 10 The snare is laid for him in the ground, and a trap for him in the way.

Catching a criminal

Job 18:11–14 AV

11 Terrors shall make him afraid on every side, and shall drive him to his feet. 12 His strength shall be hungerbitten, and destruction shall be ready at his side. 13 It shall devour the strength of his skin: even the firstborn of death shall devour his strength. 14 His confidence shall be rooted out of his tabernacle, and it shall bring him to the king of terrors.

Or uprooting a tree

Job 18:15–21 AV

15 It shall dwell in his tabernacle, because it is none of his: brimstone shall be scattered upon his habitation. 16 His roots shall be dried up beneath, and above shall his branch be cut off. 17 His remembrance shall perish from the earth, and he shall have no name in the street. 18 He shall be driven from light into darkness, and chased out of the world. 19 He shall neither have son nor nephew among his people, nor any remaining in his dwellings. 20 They that come after him shall be astonied at his day, as they that went before were affrighted. 21 Surely such are the dwellings of the wicked, and this is the place of him that knoweth not God.

What a difference it makes when you know Jesus Christ as your Savior and as “the resurrection and the life”.

Abraham’s testimony

Genesis 23:3–6 AV

3 And Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spake unto the sons of Heth, saying, 4 I am a stranger and a sojourner with you: give me a possession of a burying place with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight. 5 And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying unto him, 6 Hear us, my lord: thou art a mighty prince among us: in the choice of our sepulchres bury thy dead; none of us shall withhold from thee his sepulchre, but that thou mayest bury thy dead.

We cannot mourn over our dead forever; there comes a time when we must accept what has happened, face life, and fulfill our obligations to both the living and the dead.

Because he was not a citizen of the land, Abraham had to request a place to bury his wife.

The truth was that Abraham owned the whole land. God had given it to him, but there was no way he could convince his neighbors of that.

Like Abraham, God’s people today are “pilgrims and strangers” in this present world

We live in “tents” which one day will be taken down when we move to glory.

When Paul wrote “the time of my departure is at hand” , he used a military word that meant “to take down a tent and move on.”

Our present body is temporary, but one day we will receive a glorified body like the body that Jesus Christ now has in heaven.

The men of the land called Abraham “a mighty prince”, which in the Hebrew is “a prince with God.”

He had a good testimony among them, and they respected him.

Even though this world is not our home, we must be careful as pilgrims and strangers to have a good witness to those who are outside the faith .

These Hittites did not worship Abraham’s God, but they respected Abraham and his faith.

It is a wonderful thing in a time of sorrow when the child of God has a strong witness to the lost.

There is a natural sorrow that everyone expects us to manifest, but there is also a supernatural grace that God gives so that we might have joy in the midst of sorrow.

The unsaved can tell the difference, and this gives us opportunity for sharing the good news of the Gospel.

Abraham’s tomb

Genesis 23:17–20 AV

17 And the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, and the cave which was therein, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all the borders round about, were made sure 18 Unto Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all that went in at the gate of his city. 19 And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre: the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan. 20 And the field, and the cave that is therein, were made sure unto Abraham for a possession of a buryingplace by the sons of Heth.

When Abraham purchased the cave of Machpelah for a tomb, he was making a statement of faith to all who were there.

He did not take Sarah back to their former home in Ur but buried her in the land God had given him and his descendants.

When you get to the end of Genesis, you find that Abraham’s tomb is quite full.

Sarah was buried there, and then Abraham, Isaac, Rebekah, and Leah; and then Jacob joined them (50:13).

Genesis ends with a full tomb, but the four Gospels end with an empty tomb! Jesus has conquered death and taken away its sting. Because of His victory, we need not fear death or the grave.

2. The death of a patriarch

Genesis 25:1–11 AV

1 Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah. 2 And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah. 3 And Jokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim. 4 And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, and Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah. 5 And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac. 6 But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country. 7 And these are the days of the years of Abraham’s life which he lived, an hundred threescore and fifteen years. 8 Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people. 9 And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre; 10 The field which Abraham purchased of the sons of Heth: there was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife. 11 And it came to pass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac; and Isaac dwelt by the well Lahairoi.

After a person dies, we read the obituary; and after the burial, we read the will.

Let’s do that with Abraham.

Abraham’s obituary

Genesis 25:7–8 AV

7 And these are the days of the years of Abraham’s life which he lived, an hundred threescore and fifteen years. 8 Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people.

He died “in a good old age” as the Lord had promised him (15:15).

He had walked with the Lord for a century (12:4) and had been “the friend of God”.

Old age is “good” if you have the blessing of the Lord on your life.

In spite of physical deterioration and weakness, you can enjoy His presence and do His will until the very end.

Like Sarah before him, Abraham “died in faith.”

For 100 years, he had been a stranger and a pilgrim on the earth, seeking a heavenly country; and now his desires were fulfilled.

His life had not been an easy one; but he had walked by faith a day at a time, and the Lord had brought him through.

Whenever Abraham failed the Lord, he returned to Him and started over again; and the Lord gave him a new beginning.

He also died “full of years”

This suggests more than a quantity of time; it suggests a quality of life.

Abraham, who was flourishing and fruitful to the very end, fulfilled the picture of old age given in Psalm 92:12–15.

How few people really experience joy and satisfaction when they reach old age!

When they look back, it is with regret; when they look ahead, it is with fear; and when they look around, it is with complaint.

An anonymous wit claimed that he would rather be “over the hill” than under it.

But death is not a threat to the person who trusts Jesus Christ and lives by His Word.

Then, when death comes, you go to meet the Lord with joyful confidence.

Like everything else in life, to be successful in old age, you must start working at it very young.

That is the counsel Solomon gives in Ecclesiastes 12.

The chapter describes some of the inevitable physical problems of old age, but it also emphasizes that a godly life beginning in one’s youth is an investment that pays rich dividends when life draws to a close.

The phrase “gathered to his people” (Gen. 25:8) does not mean “buried with the family”; for Sarah’s body was the only one in the family tomb.

This is the first occurrence of this phrase in the Bible; and it means to go to the realm of the dead.

The Old Testament word for the realm of the dead is sheol; the New Testament equivalent is hades.

It is the temporary “home” of the spirits of the dead awaiting the resurrection.

The permanent home for the saved is heaven; and for the lost, it is hell.

Jesus Tells us that there are 2 sections in Hades.

Paradice and Hades.

For trhe saved paradice is a blisful timeless existance in the presence of the Lord.

For the Lost Hades is a tourmented time waiting for judgment.

For the lost, hades is the jail, while hell is the penitentiary.

Abraham’s will

Genesis 25:1–6 AV

1 Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah. 2 And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah. 3 And Jokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim. 4 And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, and Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah. 5 And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac. 6 But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country.

Abraham left his material wealth to his family and his spiritual wealth to the whole world, all who would believe on Jesus Christ.

When God renewed Abraham’s natural strength for the begetting of Isaac, He did not take that strength away; and Abraham was able to marry again and have another family.

However, he made a distinction between these six new sons and his son Isaac; for Isaac was God’s choice to carry on the covenant line.

Keturah’s sons received gifts, but Isaac received the inheritance and the blessings of the covenant.

All who have trusted Jesus Christ are “as Isaac was, the children of promise”

This means that we have a share in Abraham’s will!

What did he leave us?

To begin with, Abraham left us a clear witness of salvation through faith.

Paul cited his example in Romans 4:1–5, relating it to Abraham’s experience in Genesis 15.

Abraham could not have been saved by keeping the Law because the Law had not yet been given.

He could not have been saved by the ritual of circumcision because God declared him to be righteous long before Abraham was circumcised.

Like everybody else who has ever been saved, Abraham was saved by faith and by faith alone.

But Abraham also leaves us the example of a faithful life.

James used Abraham to illustrate the importance of proving our faith by our works.

Wherever Abraham went, he pitched his tent and built his altar; and he let the people of the land know that he was a worshiper of the true and living God.

When he offered Isaac on the altar, Abraham proved his faith in God and his love for God.

He was not saved by works, but he proved his faith by his works.

From Abraham, we learn how to walk by faith.

True, he had his occasional lapses of faith; but the general manner of his life evidenced faith in God’s Word.

“The pith, the essence of faith,” said Charles Spurgeon, “lies in this: a casting oneself on the promises.”

Abraham gave the world the gift of the Jewish nation;

and it is through the Jews that we have the knowledge of the true God plus the Word of God and the salvation of God.

It is beyond my understanding how anybody could be anti-Semitic when the Jews have given so much to the world and have suffered so much in this world.

Finally, because of Abraham, we have a Savior.

In the first verse of the New Testament (Matt. 1:1), Abraham’s name is joined with the names of David and Jesus Christ!

God promised Abraham that through him all the world would be blessed, and He has kept that promise.

conclusion

There can be only one Abraham and Sarah in God’s great plan of redemption, but you and I have our tasks to perform in the will of God.

Today, you are writing your obituary and preparing your “last will and testament” as far as your spiritual heritage is concerned.

Today you are getting ready for the last stage of life’s journey.

Are you making good preparations?

Are you living by faith?

If you live by faith, then you will, like Abraham?