Beauty in the Barrenness

Often the barrenness of our landscape is seen as without merit. But, as you ponder it there is a beauty that can be seen beyond its starkness and you begin to have a view of what our Lord faced for 40 days. It is a beauty of God’s handiwork in that it reflects only what is needed to sustain life for the creatures He has placed there. Each one is perfectly crafted to live in this environment with tough outer skins, special eyelids that keep out the dust and foreign intruders. Their feet are molded to walk on hot dry portions of the desert without being scorched. They can climb the barren rocks and hide in crevices where our peering eyes cannot see them. They gather liquids from the plants that grow and are nourished with the minimal rains that they store until replenished once again from the vital but infrequent rainfalls. It was in this environment Jesus fasted, prayed and was tested by the enemy and came forth as “gold refined in the fire”. He spent time with the creatures of His handiwork and was blessed by their presence. Is this how we see our barrenness? Do we see it as a marvelous introduction to all that God created and see it as “good”? Or do we sit in our barrenness, be it spiritual or physical, and only see the mirages of water and refreshment? Walk with Jesus in the barrenness and meditate with Him on this beauty where life is quiet and without earthly intrusions. Allow Jesus to walk with you and teach you His truth about Himself, His creation, His plans for you and His love for you. The enemy may come as your intruder into this blessed place but with a Word you can send him into the crevices of darkness away from your eyes and away from your heart. God allows the enemy of temptation, so that you may as Jesus, cling to Him and seek your refreshment from Him. He wants to teach you what can only be taught in the times of barrenness. Will you allow Him this privilege?

Photo from R. Inskip on US journey across America...Arizona

Today my Bible students and I waded through...yes waded through Gen 23. It is interesting that few commentators have dealt with this chapter and yet if one mines the truths herein there is a wealth of information that is not only intriguing but also worthwhile.

Within this chapter we learn of the death of Sarah. Trivia question: who is the only woman whose death is recorded? You are right if you said Sarah! Who is the only woman whose age is recorded? If you said Sarah you are right again! How about her place of burial? Sarah again. And what woman in the Bible is the only one whose name was changed? Yes, Sarah again. Sarah must have been pretty important for us to glean these points about her life. We might also add that Sarah is the only woman to have birthed a child after the age of 90+.

But in this chapter only 3 verses deal with the death of Sarah. The rest of the chapter is about the burial bargain Abraham struck with Ephron the son of Zophar which ended up being the most costly cemetery plot in all of biblical history. Note limited to biblical history! Many cemetery plots have cost more in dollars and cents but this one cost more than any other plot of ground in the entire Bible. In fact, Abraham ended up paying 400 shekels of silver for a cave, a field, the trees in the field and the boundary line. In addition, he also had to pay the taxes on this property from this time onward. In sharp contrast King David spent only 50 shekels of silver for the land belonging to Araunah for the plot of land that would house the Temple. Jeremiah only spent 7 shekels of silver for his plot of ground.


So what is the significance of this story in the Bible? First it shows that purchasing of a cemetery plot is vital to mark the site of a death. Secondly, where the plot is located is irrelevant to us but to Abraham it demonstrated that he had "moved on" from Haran to Canaan and trusted God for the future. Thirdly, family plots are not a new thing and in fact this is the first family plot and the first place that the word grave is used in the Bible. In this family plot not only would Sarah be buried but also Abraham, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob and Leah. Jacob's first love, Rachel would be buried in Bethlehem and her son Joseph would be buried in Shechem and our Savior in Jerusalem. Fourthly, Abraham knew that he needed to own a burial plot not borrow it. Jesus was laid in a borrowed tomb but He needed it only for 3 days. Abraham needed a grave for posterity! To take it as a gift from Ephron meant that he now owed him something in return or if he borrowed a grave from another it would have to be returned. Fifthly, if Abraham only owned the cave and Ephron's field was sold to another the entrance then might be restricted thus cutting off a family inheritance's entrance. And lastly and most importantly, Abraham's purchase revealed his faith in the Promises that God gave him about the land being a gift from God to his descendants.

So what questions are we to ask based upon this story? First have you planned for your death and/or do you plan like Abraham to wait for death of your loved one to occur? The story is told of a man who had two cemetery plots, one on the east coast and one on the west coast. The man's son seeing that the end was near asked his father which grave he would like for his son's to choose. The man answered: surprise me. Is that your choice?

Are you prepared as Abraham to purchase a plot for a high price or will you go to the bargain basement for your loved one?
Important questions to consider.

Trivia point: King Herod erected an edifice over the Cave of Machpelah to protect it. Today the Palestinians control this edifice. They have set up centopahs for each of the deceased in the cave but have closed off the cave. The centopah's are memorials draped in green cloths which are embroidered in gold.One wonders what Abraham would have said to all of this "show". We know he is not there as recorded in Luke 16 where the rich man speaks to him across the chasm and now in the presence of the God he love having been taken there when Jesus took the saints from Paradise to Heaven!

God has a secret place; a place in which He hides me. It is called the cleft of the rock and His shadow covers me as He passes by. When I am in that secret place as His child I can be sure that my prayers are heard by Him for He is my avid listener. As I wait in the secret place my heart grows fonder for I know that He is nearby. It is here that I find I can seek forgiveness and ponder His character. It is here hidden from the world that I can hear Him say “I am compassionate and my love is steadfast in my lovingkindness”. In this secret place I can hear His Voice which is powerful and majestic like a rushing mighty waterfall. It is here that I can sing, praise and give Him thanks for His eye is upon me. This is my place of refuge when in a moment my life can come tumbling down. It is here that I cry “Abba Father.” What is my secret place? It is my place of prayer and adoration, confession and thanksgiving where I can be transparent and vulnerable and away from the probing eyes of others and the noise of the world. I can pour out my musings and my inner heart thoughts. I love my secret place...in my prayer chair where I meet God each day. Where is your secret place?