Genesis 23:1-24:9

When death comes unexpectedly knocking at our door, there are three ways we are called to respond.

Outline

  • First, weep for the person (23:1-2)
    • Weep for their life (23:1)
    • Weep for their death (23:2)
  • Second, work through the process (23:3-9)
    • Work through the process by remembering our true home (23:4a
    • Work through the process by remembering our true hope (23:8-9)
  • Third, Wait on the promise (23:10-20)
    • Wait on the first fruits of the promise (23:10-16)
    • Wait on the fulfillment of the promise  (23:17-20)

Christ Connections

  • Abraham isn’t alone in being a sojourner and foreigner. Jesus, the son of Abraham, is a sojourner with nowhere to lay his head yet he is the messianic king. When we are unified with Christ we become sojourners in a foreign land, awaiting our true home like Abraham.
  • Jesus comes as the son of Abraham, a death starts the process of the promise coming true, this time not Sarah’s but his own. Just as Abraham pays a purchase price to secure a place in the promised land, Jesus pays for our sins through his blood to make a way for you and me. Just as a cave is used as a burial place marking the first fruits of this fulfillment, so it is with Jesus who is peeled off the cross and taken to a burial place in a cave. Here is the difference—if you go to the Middle East, you could still find Sarah’s bones; but you won’t find the bones of Jesus.

Applications

  • The way Abraham mourns the loss of Sarah reminds us of twin dangers we face in loss:
    • Some of us skip the weeping. We are tempted to move on rather than mourn, we feel pressure to be strong for others so we won’t let our guard down so instead we put our mask up and fake it until we make it. Christ tells us to weep with those who weep.
    • Some of us get stuck in the weeping. Their death doesn’t just crush our hearts but even our hope. Doesn’t just change our emotions but even our identity.
  • In Matthew 11:28–30, Jesus offers us freedom and comfort in our sorrow by going to him. When we grieve, we can turn to the one who is gentle.
  • We are sojourners in a strange land and must keep our focus on our ultimate home that will come through Christ’s redemptive plan.