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!