Day 5 of Week 3

September 22, 2008
Day Five of Week Three
To Mourn For Sarah
 
Today's Treasure: Genesis 23: 2
She died at Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep over her.
 
Beth does not want to cover Chapter 22 in the study guide because of the difficult material. She will be covering Abraham offering Isaac as a sacrifice to God in the video/audio material. PLEASE take time to listen to this. If you need to borrow it, contact me through phone or e-mail, and I will get the material to you. In today's lesson, we are going to cover Chapter 23 of Genesis. As you can see from the title of the lesson, Sarah must leave us in this study. I hate losing a character that I have grown to love. It was so easy to identify with Sarah because of her attributes and her flaws. I can honestly say that her flaws were something I could definitely relate to.
What is the subject matter of Genesis 23?
The death of Sarah and Abraham's desire to bury her properly
 
Many of us have buried loved ones. Which part of this scene sparks a memory that causes you to relate? Why?
Well, I remember very clearly how much we wanted Brian's mother to have a beautiful ceremony for her funeral. We were so consumed with grief that we could not think of planning a funeral, but we wanted her funeral to speak of how much we loved her. We wanted her to have the most beautiful music, the nicest flowers and the hardest of all was the casket. We would have borrowed money to give her everything we wanted her to have. It was just that important for us to express to our friends and family how loved she was this side of heaven. Another huge reason I wanted her to have the nicest of everything was the fact that she gave her very best to everyone she came in contact with. She expected nothing but gave everything. There are very few people that are sincerely like that, and I wanted her to always have the very best. The funny thing is if she had been the one to make the choices for her funeral it would have been so simple. She would not want a big deal made of herself…which made it even more worthwhile!!!
 
My mother and father-in-law were married for thirty-eight years before she died. We have watched my father-in-law go through some terrible transitions over the last year and a half. In the beginning, he was scared to death of being alone. We found out that Joy was sick, and she died five weeks later. There was no time to even get use to the idea of "cancer", let alone living without her. My father-in-law tried to make a lot of decision immediately after she passed, and it was painful (an infuriating) to watch!!! Soon, Brian and I realized that he was just "lost" in his search for a new identity. I am sure Brian and I jumped to a lot of conclusions without considering how heart-wrenching it would be to lose a spouse after thirty-eight years.
 
Do you know a couple who have been together so long you can't picture them apart? Share who they are and something special about them.
You know, the first couple that popped in my mind when asked this question is a relatively young couple. It's not the amount of time they have been together; it is the dynamic of their relationship that makes it impossible to imagine them apart. Lewis and Laurie Moore have been mentors to our family for about five or six years now. They have the most amazing ability to communicate and share their married life together as an example to younger couples. I just really admire their mutual respect for each other and their obvious desire to spend time together. Their marriage has been a great example to Brian and me.
 
In Genesis 23: 2, underline the two things Abraham went to do.
"She died at Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep over her."
 
Wouldn't you agree that weeping is just one expression of mourning? Think about it for a moment. What are some other expressions?
Anger, depression, loss of appetite, loneliness and fear
 
What does Abraham tell the Hittites he needs?
Some property for a burial site for Sarah
 
Abraham wanted to purchase a burial site for Sarah that was fitting for her. He owned no property in the land, but he wanted to purchase the property so that it belonged to his family. Sarah was Abraham's princess and God's princess. To him, Sarah only deserved the best. He was not going to accept hand-outs from anyone.
"[Abraham] said, 'I am an alien and a stranger among you. Sell me some property for a burial site here so I can bury my dead.' "
 
What was the amazing response of the Hittites (vv. 5 – 6)?
They told Abraham that he was a mighty prince among them and he could bury his dead in the choicest of tombs.
 
Glance back at Genesis 14: 23 – 24. What was Abraham's basic attitude about receiving something free of charge?
He told the King of Sodom he would accept nothing free from him so he could never say he made Abram rich. He (Abraham) wanted it known that every blessing he received came from God.