Womeninthechurch40

Women in the Bible

Lesson Forty: by turtle

Once our main focus is about woman and not men I such you read Genesis 22 on your own if
you want to know the whole story of Abraham and his relationship with his son. Sarah was old.
She died one day like we all do. The Bible does not say what Sarah died of but probably one
factor was age for she was 127. The story of Sarah burial is the first that I can remember being
recorded in the Bible. In fact others had died and were buried but this is the first grave that was
bought. First Abraham mourned. Then he got and went to the neighbors to buy a cave to bury
his wife in. This ideal of burying in a cave often reminds me of Romeo and Juliet the
Shakespearean play. At the end of the play Romeo dies by the dagger in the tomb. Inside a
grave. Jesus was buried in a cave. This custom was not unusual. It kept animals from harming
the body as it decayed. Today we do much the same thing when we go to the morgue and buy a
casket and put our love ones in it. Some people make all preparation ahead of time and some
make preparation for burial at the time of death. Going through the preparation process helps
in the grieving process.

Genesis 23:1-20 KJV
(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.
(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 buryingplace 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.
(7) And Abraham stood up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, even to the children
of Heth.
(8) And he communed with them, saying, If it be your mind that I should bury my dead out of
my sight; hear me, and intreat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar,
(9) That he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he hath, which is in the end of his field;
for as much money as it is worth he shall give it me for a possession of a buryingplace amongst
you.
(10) And Ephron dwelt among the children of Heth: and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham
in the audience of the children of Heth, even of all that went in at the gate of his city, saying,
(11) Nay, my lord, hear me: the field give I thee, and the cave that is therein, I give it thee; in
the presence of the sons of my people give I it thee: bury thy dead.
(12) And Abraham bowed down himself before the people of the land.
(13) And he spake unto Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying, But if thou
wilt give it, I pray thee, hear me: I will give thee money for the field; take it of me, and I will
bury my dead there.
(14) And Ephron answered Abraham, saying unto him,
(15) My lord, hearken unto me: the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver; what is that
betwixt me and thee? bury therefore thy dead.
(16) And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which
he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current
money with the merchant.
(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.

Some might feel I should go into more detail on the burial process. Yet some things even I do
not believe should not be necessarily be picked apart to death. The fact is simple Abraham goes
and buys a cave from his neighbor. His neighbor willing allows Abraham to make the purchase.
One thing is plain anything that was worth money was properly paid for.

There is a season for everything a season to mourn.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 KJV
(1) To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
(2) A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is
planted;
(3) A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
(4) A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
(5) A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a
time to refrain from embracing;
(6) A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
(7) A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
(8) A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.