# 212 The Exhorbitant Price

The Book of Genesis

Day 212

This entire chapter of Genesis deals with the purchase of a burial place for Sarah. Allow me to make a few comments in parenthesis along the way:

Ge 23:5 And the sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him,  6 "Hear us, my lord: You are a mighty prince among us; (As a follower of God, Abraham had made an impression upon these people. The question begs to be asked,  As sons and daughters of the King of Kings are we  are we making a similar impression in the world in which we live?” Is there anything about us that would be deemed as princely?)

“bury your dead in the choicest of our burial places. None of us will withhold from you his burial place, that you may bury your dead." (You are free to bury Sarah in any one of our choicest cemeteries)

 7 Then Abraham stood up and bowed himself to the people of the land, the sons of Heth.  8 And he spoke with them, saying, "If it is your wish that I bury my dead out of my sight, hear me, and meet with Ephron the son of Zohar for me,  9 "that he may give me the cave of Machpelah which he has, which is at the end of his field. Let him give it to me at the full price, as property for a burial place among you." (“Thanks for the offer boys, but I don’t want to be beholding to any of you, I want to purchase the property so it is my own.”  Ro 13:8 Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.)

 10 Now Ephron dwelt among the sons of Heth; and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the presence of the sons of Heth, all who entered at the gate of his city, saying, (Gate of the city? OK that’s where the legal affairs of the city were handled. This transaction was going to be official!)

 11 "No, my lord, hear me: I give you the field and the cave that is in it; I give it to you in the presence of the sons of my people. I give it to you. Bury your dead!"  (Abraham could’ve called his bluff and taken him up on his offer, but this is not the way of bartering in the days of Abraham.)

 12 Then Abraham bowed himself down before the people of the land;  (Showing respect to the civil authorities)  13 and he spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, saying, "If you will give it, please hear me. I will give you money for the field; take it from me and I will bury my dead there." (Thanks for the generous offer, but I insist on paying you for this property.)

 14 And Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him,  15 "My lord, listen to me; the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver. What is that between you and me? So bury your dead."  (An exorbitant amount of money for this property, it really wasn’t worth that much, but that’s what he was asking. Then he makes like that amount of money is nothing between he and Abraham, it’s like, “But what is that amount of money between friends.”)

 16 And Abraham listened to Ephron; and Abraham weighed out the silver for Ephron which he had named in the hearing of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, currency of the merchants. (With the naming of a price, Abraham had Ephron. He couldn’t back out now as Abraham counted out the silver in the presence of witnesses and made his first official stake in the Promised Land!)

 17 So the field of Ephron which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field and the cave which was in it, and all the trees that were in the field, which were within all the surrounding borders, were deeded  18 to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the sons of Heth, before all who went in at the gate of his city. (The field, the cave, the trees, everything within the prescribed border now belonged to Abraham. )

 19 And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah, before Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan.  20 So the field and the cave that is in it were deeded to Abraham by the sons of Heth as property for a burial place.

This little piece of property would serve as a testimony to Abraham’s descendants that he believed God’s promises concerning ownership of the land that were first given to him back in  Ge 15:18, “On the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: "To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates-“

This promise is like the promise we have of the Promised Land of heaven.  It was paid for by the exorbitant price of the death of God’s only Son, and it is inherited by all who have the faith of Abraham, who “believed God and it was accounted to him as righteousness.”  Jesus has purchased your stake in the promised land. Receive Him as Lord and Savior and the Promised Land awaits you!