Pastor Gideon
Gen 23
1 Sarah lived to be a hundred and twenty- seven years old. 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.
3 Then Abraham rose from beside his dead wife and spoke to the Hittites. He said, 4 “I am an alien and a stranger among you. Sell me some property for a burial site here so I can bury my dead.”
5 The Hittites replied to Abraham, 6 “Sir, listen to us. You are a mighty prince among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb for burying your dead.”
7 Then Abraham rose and bowed down before the people of the land, the Hittites. 8 He said to them, “If you are willing to let me bury my dead, then listen to me and intercede with Ephron son of Zohar on my behalf 9 so he will sell me the cave of Machpelah, which belongs to him and is at the end of his field. Ask him to sell it to me for the full price as a burial site among you.”
10 Ephron the Hittite was sitting among his people and he replied to Abraham in the hearing of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of his city. 11 “No, my lord,” he said. “Listen to me; I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. I give it to you in the presence of my people. Bury your dead.”
12 Again Abraham bowed down before the people of the land 13 and he said to Ephron in their hearing, “Listen to me, if you will. I will pay the price of the field. Accept it from me so I can bury my dead there.”
14 Ephron answered Abraham, 15 “Listen to me, my lord; the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver, but what is that between me and you? Bury your dead.”
16 Abraham agreed to Ephron’s terms and weighed out for him the price he had named in the hearing of the Hittites: four hundred shekels of silver, according to the weight current among the merchants.
17 So Ephron’s field in Machpelah near Mamre –both the field and the cave in it, and all the trees within the borders of the field–was deeded 18 to Abraham as his property in the presence of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of the city. 19 Afterward Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave in the field of Machpelah near Mamre (which is at Hebron) in the land of Canaan. 20 So the field and the cave in it were deeded to Abraham by the Hittites as a burial site.
Hebrews 11:8-13
By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
11 By faith Abraham, even though he was past age–and Sarah herself was barren –was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth.
Throughout the whole bible, Sarah is the only female whose age is revealed. That tells us the importance of Sarah. After Eve, Sarah is the second most important female character. We were also told about her beauty and even at the age of 90 she still captured the eyes of kings.
Abraham was not there during her death. The husband was probably tending to his business or at the fields when news of Sarah's departing came to him.
Abraham loved his wife and he came to mourn for Sarah. In verse 3, he rose up from where his wife was and made a decision where to bury his wife.
He was an alien to the land so he had to find a place to bury his wife. Logically speaking, if you were to pass away where would you want to be buried? The point is, when someone pass away, you'd want to be buried in a place significant to you. Where your home or heart is. Where your family is.
Abraham is an alien and a stranger in the land so, he would have wanted to take Sarah back to his home land. Even when looking for a wife, he searched his home town.
But no, he went to the Hittites.
Genesis 23:3-4 Then Abraham rose from beside his dead wife and spoke to the Hittites. He said, 4 “I am an alien and a stranger among you. Sell me some property for a burial site here so I can bury my dead.”
He is not a citizen and have no full rights. He asked the Hittites to sell him a burial ground. A holding for a grave. A possession. This same phrase is used in Genesis 17:8 “The whole land of Canaan, where you are now an alien, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.”
He want it to be owned, to be his.
The Hittites replied by offering him the choicest land for the burial. But Abraham was acting out his faith for an eternal possession. They wanted to just let him use it. Not own it.
Genesis 23:9 so he will sell me the cave of Machpelah, which belongs to him and is at the end of his field. Ask him to sell it to me for the full price as a burial site among you.”
He wanted to buy it for the full price to own that land. He told the people to ask Ephron to sell him the land even though he was in the crowd. He strategically told the people to convince Ephron.
Ephron was seated in the crowd and he wanted to give the field to Abraham. This was an ancient negotiation technique. He was offering it but still wanted to own the land.
In 23:15 he revealed the worth of the land at 400 shekels but it was done strategically so that the negotiation was to reveal the price yet looking generous.
Abraham understood and he gave him full value without hesitation. Abraham initially only wanted the cave but in the end he sold Abraham the cave including the fields and all that's on it.
This was the first piece of land in Canaan that was owned by Israel, a deposit of the promise land that God in the future was giving him. He was acting out his faith. He demonstrated that by making that place his home. A deposit for things to come.
Hebrews 11:8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.
He followed God by faith without knowing the end. Abraham obeyed God and went.
Abraham understood another factor. He knew that ultimately he will enter heaven. Hebrews 11:10
For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
God has planted TOP for a purpose with a promise. We look forward to a place where God is the architect and builder. But while we are on this earth, TOP is being led to bigger things. When we bought the fourth floor, it was a deposit of things to come.
We are stationed here to be a lighthouse. We shouldn't move away as we are to work out God's promise to the church.
When we bought this place in 1999, the people offered interest free money to help buy the property. Today we have the fourth floor, and I pray we will own the third floor. We may take up the whole building (claps) but only if it is God's plan.
My heart is to plant churches and it must be a step of faith. At this place we are planting our flag and claiming it. Abraham gave a lot of money for the burial ground, but he knew he had to legally own it.
This morning, I challenge each one of us. When the church presents the news to us, let us rise up and meet the challenge.
Last but not least, we have a future that we need to stake a claim for our children and children's children like what Abraham did. Let's do it in faith and not in fear.
I have a dream. Can I share my dream with you? That we have a bigger foyer for us to fellowship between services. With a nice reception area as we mingle. A boardroom for meetings and that the fourth floor can be solely for the sanctuary. And the third floor for the children's church. I see the children's church and I cry. So pitiful. It's not like we cannot afford it. We will still leave a place for the Big Party. We have crossed the 400 mark. We can have collapsible doors which can also be used for lunch and wedding receptions. We will move our office there and if no place move the office out. Let's use this place for ministry.
But guys, it's not the pastor doing this alone right? To see this happen, I need you. We need to put our hands to it and do it.
We may come to a place where we have multiple service. We may move the Hokkien service to the third floor. But we need space to make it all happen.
1 Sarah lived to be a hundred and twenty- seven years old. 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.
3 Then Abraham rose from beside his dead wife and spoke to the Hittites. He said, 4 “I am an alien and a stranger among you. Sell me some property for a burial site here so I can bury my dead.”
5 The Hittites replied to Abraham, 6 “Sir, listen to us. You are a mighty prince among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb for burying your dead.”
7 Then Abraham rose and bowed down before the people of the land, the Hittites. 8 He said to them, “If you are willing to let me bury my dead, then listen to me and intercede with Ephron son of Zohar on my behalf 9 so he will sell me the cave of Machpelah, which belongs to him and is at the end of his field. Ask him to sell it to me for the full price as a burial site among you.”
10 Ephron the Hittite was sitting among his people and he replied to Abraham in the hearing of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of his city. 11 “No, my lord,” he said. “Listen to me; I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. I give it to you in the presence of my people. Bury your dead.”
12 Again Abraham bowed down before the people of the land 13 and he said to Ephron in their hearing, “Listen to me, if you will. I will pay the price of the field. Accept it from me so I can bury my dead there.”
14 Ephron answered Abraham, 15 “Listen to me, my lord; the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver, but what is that between me and you? Bury your dead.”
16 Abraham agreed to Ephron’s terms and weighed out for him the price he had named in the hearing of the Hittites: four hundred shekels of silver, according to the weight current among the merchants.
17 So Ephron’s field in Machpelah near Mamre –both the field and the cave in it, and all the trees within the borders of the field–was deeded 18 to Abraham as his property in the presence of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of the city. 19 Afterward Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave in the field of Machpelah near Mamre (which is at Hebron) in the land of Canaan. 20 So the field and the cave in it were deeded to Abraham by the Hittites as a burial site.
Hebrews 11:8-13
By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
11 By faith Abraham, even though he was past age–and Sarah herself was barren –was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth.
Throughout the whole bible, Sarah is the only female whose age is revealed. That tells us the importance of Sarah. After Eve, Sarah is the second most important female character. We were also told about her beauty and even at the age of 90 she still captured the eyes of kings.
Abraham was not there during her death. The husband was probably tending to his business or at the fields when news of Sarah's departing came to him.
Abraham loved his wife and he came to mourn for Sarah. In verse 3, he rose up from where his wife was and made a decision where to bury his wife.
He was an alien to the land so he had to find a place to bury his wife. Logically speaking, if you were to pass away where would you want to be buried? The point is, when someone pass away, you'd want to be buried in a place significant to you. Where your home or heart is. Where your family is.
Abraham is an alien and a stranger in the land so, he would have wanted to take Sarah back to his home land. Even when looking for a wife, he searched his home town.
But no, he went to the Hittites.
Genesis 23:3-4 Then Abraham rose from beside his dead wife and spoke to the Hittites. He said, 4 “I am an alien and a stranger among you. Sell me some property for a burial site here so I can bury my dead.”
He is not a citizen and have no full rights. He asked the Hittites to sell him a burial ground. A holding for a grave. A possession. This same phrase is used in Genesis 17:8 “The whole land of Canaan, where you are now an alien, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.”
He want it to be owned, to be his.
The Hittites replied by offering him the choicest land for the burial. But Abraham was acting out his faith for an eternal possession. They wanted to just let him use it. Not own it.
Genesis 23:9 so he will sell me the cave of Machpelah, which belongs to him and is at the end of his field. Ask him to sell it to me for the full price as a burial site among you.”
He wanted to buy it for the full price to own that land. He told the people to ask Ephron to sell him the land even though he was in the crowd. He strategically told the people to convince Ephron.
Ephron was seated in the crowd and he wanted to give the field to Abraham. This was an ancient negotiation technique. He was offering it but still wanted to own the land.
In 23:15 he revealed the worth of the land at 400 shekels but it was done strategically so that the negotiation was to reveal the price yet looking generous.
Abraham understood and he gave him full value without hesitation. Abraham initially only wanted the cave but in the end he sold Abraham the cave including the fields and all that's on it.
This was the first piece of land in Canaan that was owned by Israel, a deposit of the promise land that God in the future was giving him. He was acting out his faith. He demonstrated that by making that place his home. A deposit for things to come.
Hebrews 11:8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.
He followed God by faith without knowing the end. Abraham obeyed God and went.
Abraham understood another factor. He knew that ultimately he will enter heaven. Hebrews 11:10
For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
God has planted TOP for a purpose with a promise. We look forward to a place where God is the architect and builder. But while we are on this earth, TOP is being led to bigger things. When we bought the fourth floor, it was a deposit of things to come.
We are stationed here to be a lighthouse. We shouldn't move away as we are to work out God's promise to the church.
When we bought this place in 1999, the people offered interest free money to help buy the property. Today we have the fourth floor, and I pray we will own the third floor. We may take up the whole building (claps) but only if it is God's plan.
My heart is to plant churches and it must be a step of faith. At this place we are planting our flag and claiming it. Abraham gave a lot of money for the burial ground, but he knew he had to legally own it.
This morning, I challenge each one of us. When the church presents the news to us, let us rise up and meet the challenge.
Last but not least, we have a future that we need to stake a claim for our children and children's children like what Abraham did. Let's do it in faith and not in fear.
I have a dream. Can I share my dream with you? That we have a bigger foyer for us to fellowship between services. With a nice reception area as we mingle. A boardroom for meetings and that the fourth floor can be solely for the sanctuary. And the third floor for the children's church. I see the children's church and I cry. So pitiful. It's not like we cannot afford it. We will still leave a place for the Big Party. We have crossed the 400 mark. We can have collapsible doors which can also be used for lunch and wedding receptions. We will move our office there and if no place move the office out. Let's use this place for ministry.
But guys, it's not the pastor doing this alone right? To see this happen, I need you. We need to put our hands to it and do it.
We may come to a place where we have multiple service. We may move the Hokkien service to the third floor. But we need space to make it all happen.
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