Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Genesis 23

"Sarah died in Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her."
Genesis 23:2


Abraham buys a field and a cave in which to bury his wife, but he refuses to accept the land as a gift. This isn't the first time we've seen Abraham refuse a gift. Many times, he has either given back what didn't belong to him or he has paid for whatever is being offered as a gift.

Why does he pay when something is offered freely? I think that this is because he doesn't want to be endebted to anyone, and so that he can truly say that the Lord has provided all he has - nobody will be able to say that they made him great by giving him something. There's a lot of honor in this kind of living, and it also gives a certain amount of fulfillment to know that you worked hard for all that you have.

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