the Fourth Week after Easter
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Daily Devotionals
Day by Day Devotional - Year 1 of 5
Genesis 23:1-20
A sepulchre is all that Abraham was going to possess in this land of Canaan which nevertheless is promised to him. In buying the field and the cave of Machpelah to bury Sarah in, the man of God confirms his sure expectation of the resurrection. For him, Sarah is living with a divine life. It is therefore necessary to make sure of all the rights on the place where her body will be placed, that body which will be raised. The full price paid for the cave and the field reminds us of the rights permanently acquired by the cross of Christ — death vanquished and the certainty of the impending resurrection of all believers.
As in chapter 14 where we have seen him refuse the presents of the king of Sodom, Abraham does not intend to be indebted to anyone. He insists on paying the full value of the field, without any bargaining. A Christian is recognized in all his contacts with people of the world by his correctness and his absolute honesty. We are exhorted in the New Testament not to owe anything to any man (Romans 13:8), to "walk honestly toward them that are without" (1 Thessalonians 4:12), and finally to provide "for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men" (2 Corinthians 8:21; see also Romans 12:17).
