Sermon Tone Analysis

Sunday March 26, 2006

Genesis: Genesis 23:1-2-Abraham Mourns the Death of Sarah

Lesson # 122

Please turn in your Bibles to Genesis 23:1.

This morning we will study Genesis 23:1-2, which records Abraham mourning the death of his wife Sarah.

Genesis 23:1, “Now Sarah lived one hundred and twenty-seven years; these were the years of the life of Sarah.”

Sarah is the only woman in the Bible whose age at death is recorded signifying her importance to the plan of God since she is the mother of all believers.

She is also presented in 1 Peter 3:1-7 as an example for Christian woman to be obedient to their husbands.

1 Peter 3:6, “just as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, and you have become her children if you do what is right without being frightened by any fear.”

Sarah’s age at death is recorded implying that she watched Isaac grow into manhood.

Isaac was thirty-seven years old when Sarah died since Sarah was one hundred twenty-seven years old when she died and ninety when Isaac was born since Genesis 21:5 records that Abraham was a hundred years old when Isaac was born and Genesis 17:17 records that Sarah was ten years younger than Abraham.

Genesis 23:2, “Sarah died in Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan; and Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.”

The name “Kiriath-arba” means, “the city of Arba” and was older name of “Hebron” according to Judges 1:10, Joshua 14:15, and 15:13.

“Hebron” was located nineteen miles southwest of Jerusalem, on the way to Beersheba and was 3,040 feet above sea level, dominating a beautiful and fruitful area and ancient oaks (terebinths) filled the area.

Genesis 22:19 records that after the Lord prevented Abraham from sacrificing Isaac, Abraham lived in Beersheba.

Therefore, somewhere between Genesis 22:19 and 23:1, how many years we do not know, Abraham moved back to Hebron.

The prepositional phrase “in the land of Canaan” is inserted in order to link the story of Sarah’s death and her burial with God’s promise to give Abraham the land.

The natural boundaries of Canaan as expressed in the Bible extend from the Negev in the South to the northern reaches of the Lebanon Range in Syria and the land west of the range and of the Jordan to the Mediterranean Sea.

“To mourn” is the qal infinitive construct form of the verb saphadh (rp^s*) (saw-fad), which connotes that of loudly wailing, or specifically, short cries or exclamations of sorrow for someone who recently died.

The verb was connected with other practices of mourning rites, such as tearing clothes, wearing sackcloth, a coarse and uncomfortable material worn next to the skin (2 Sam.

3:31), fasting (2 Sam.

1:12) and beating one’s breast (Isa.

32:12).

These actions were considered appropriate signifying anguish in the ancient world of Abraham’s day.

The public display of sorrow indicated the communal and not just individual, nature of mourning.

Mourning for the dead began immediately at death, went on as the body was carried to the tomb, was observed at the tomb and lasted at least seven days after the burial.

“To weep” is the qal infinitive construct form of the verb bakhah (hk*B*) (baw-kaw), which refers to audible weeping.

In general, Orientals such as Abraham did not weep quietly but were inclined to loud weeping and lamenting.

The verb refers to Abraham’s emotional grief in mourning over the death of his wife Sarah.

Death is the sovereign decision of God based upon the integrity of God and omniscient knowledge of all the facts.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-2, “There is an appointed time for everything, a time for everything under heaven.

There is a time to be born and there is a time to die.”

Psalm 116:15, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones.”

Ecclesiastes 7:1b, “The day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth.”

The death of a member of the human race is not ruled by chance or fate but according to the providence of God.

The doctrine of providence expresses the fact that the world and our lives are not ruled by chance or fate but by God Who reveals the purpose of providence through the work of Christ on the Cross.

“Physical” death is the separation of the human soul (and in the case of the believer, the human spirit also) from the body (Matt.

8:22; Rom.

8:38-39; 2 Cor.

5:1-8; Phil.

1:20-21; 2:27, 30).

At physical death, the unbeliever’s soul is separated from his physical body and goes to Torments, a compartment of Hades (Luke 16:19-31).

The unbeliever’s physical body goes to the grave but is raised up at the Great White Throne Judgment (Dan.

12:2; Rev. 20:11-15) and their ultimate destiny is the Lake of Fire (Matt.

25:41; Rev. 20:12-15).

The believer’s physical body goes to the grave at physical death and his soul and human spirit go to be face to face with the Lord (2 Cor.

5:8).

2 Corinthians 5:1, “For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”

2 Corinthians 5:2, “For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven.”

2 Corinthians 5:3, “inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked.”

2 Corinthians 5:4, “For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life.”

2 Corinthians 5:5, “Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge.”

2 Corinthians 5:6, “Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord.”

2 Corinthians 5:7, “for we walk by faith, not by sight.”

2 Corinthians 5:8, “we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.”

2 Corinthians 5:9, “Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.”

2 Corinthians 5:10, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”

The believer will receive a resurrection body at the resurrection of the church, which is called by theologians, the “rapture” of the church.

1 Corinthians 15:51, “Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed.”

1 Corinthians 15:52, “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.”

1 Corinthians 15:53, “For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.”

1 Corinthians 15:54, “But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, ‘DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory.’”

1 Corinthians 15:55, “O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY?

O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?”

1 Corinthians 15:56, “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.”

1 Corinthians 15:57, “but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

1 Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”

Jesus Christ’s death on the Cross has freed us from the fear of death.

Hebrews 2:14, “Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil.”

Hebrews 2:15, “and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.”

Physical death cannot separate the believer from the love of God (Rom.

8:38-39).

Romans 8:38, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers.”

Romans 8:39, “nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Death was designed by God to be your greatest testimony for the Lord in the pre-historic angelic conflict.

Those who are grieving, bearing the sorrow, our grief should be an expression of our spiritual life and should honor those whom we love, those whom we stand by as they are being put into the ground.

The Lord promises to wipe away every tear from our lives caused by the death of loved ones.

Isaiah 25:8, “He will swallow up death for all time, and the Lord GOD will wipe tears away from all faces, and He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth; For the LORD has spoken.”

Revelation 21:5, “and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

We should carry a fragrance of memories of those who have died and gone home to be with the Lord.

A funeral is designed to celebrate God’s victory over death, to pay our last respects to a loved one and is a reminder of the shortness of time on this earth.

Life hangs by a very fine thread that can be snapped at any moment.

A funeral should motivate the believer to use the remainder of his time on earth to execute God’s plan for his life to become like Christ.

Romans 14:8, “For if we live, we live because of the Lord and if we die, we die because of the Lord therefore whether we live or whether we die, we belong to the Lord.”

Every funeral should have: (1) Decision (2) Gospel (3) Victory (4) Guidance for those left behind.

(5) Conclusion to emphasize the importance of salvation through faith alone in Christ alone and executing God’s plan.