Dealing with Death.

(Artistic impression of the Burial of Sarah in the cave of Machpelah)

This is a topic which recently sprung up in my mind when I learnt that my good friend's loved one passed away. I have yet to experience death of my closest loved ones; thus i felt inadequate in consoling my good friend.

I tried to look through the scriptures on anything that talk about dealing with death. Then Genesis 23: 1-20 came to my attention. This chapter talks about the death of Sarah, Abraham's wife. Of the 20 verses, only 2 verses dealt with the emotional grief experienced by Abraham; while the remaining 18 verses focused on the purchase of a burial ground for Sarah. I believe Abba wants us to focus more on these 18 verses.

(Godly Grief)

I believe Abba condones griefing as a way to cope with the Death of your loved ones. In Genesis 23: 1-2, Abraham is mentioned to be weeping and griefing for Sarah. As you see, Abraham expressed the grief common to those who face the death of a loved one. Faith is not manifested by a stoic, stainless steel attitude toward death. Look even Jesus wept at the grave of Lazarus (John 11:35).

(Purchase of the burial plot)

Let's examine the remaining 18 verses. Firstly, Sarah’s death brought Abraham to a point of decision. Most often when a burial plot is purchased for the first partner another is bought alongside for the surviving partner, and frequently a whole family plot is secured simultaneously. When Abraham decided upon the burial place for Sarah, he also determined the place of his burial and of his descendants.

Abraham thus bought a burial plot from the Hittites for himself and his family. Notice the irony here: He was compelled to buy a portion of the land God had promised to give him and his descendants(Genesis 15:18-21). How ironic that Abraham should humbly bow before these people and petition them for a piece of ground.

(Implications of the Purchase of the burial plot)

1) Abraham's act of purchasing the plot signifies his submission to the earthly authorities. Just as Christians are citizens in two worlds, not just one. While our inheritance is in heaven, “imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away” (I Peter 1:4), we have duties and responsibilities in this secular world. We must submit to earthly authorities and institutions (I Peter 2:11ff), obey the laws of the land and pay our taxes (Romans 13:1-7).

2) The covenant of God should be the basis for our actions and decisions. Abraham’s faith was in God, but it was not a nebulous, groundless faith. It was his faith in God’s ability to keep His covenant which prompted his purchase of the plot where he was to be buried.By determining that Sarah, and later he and his descendants, would be buried in Canaan, Abraham “staked his claim” in the land which God had promised. The land where he would be buried was to be the homeland of his descendants.

3) It indicates that in the Old and New Testament, the grave is the symbol of hope to a true believer in God. The cave of Machpelah stood for centuries as a monument to the faith of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The empty tomb of our Lord guarantees the Christian that the grave is not our final resting place but an abode for the body until Christ returns for His own (I Corinthians 15)

(Concluding remarks)

Biblical scholars concur that Sarah is the only woman in the Bible whose age is revealed. She passed away at one hundred twenty-seven years old. In Abba's grace and mercy, Sarah lived a ripe old fulfilling age. Look even at the age of ninety, she was a woman attractive enough to catch the eye of Abimelech (20:1-2). In Abba's eyes, Sarah have found her fountain of youth and beauty. Look on the bright side, Sarah lived her life to the fullest.

Next, with regards to coping with grief, there is a noteworthy view from my good friend Jackie. In his view, until Rapture arrives, the body is not still not perfect and deaths occur inevitably. Abba prepares us mentally to deal with the eventual death of our loved ones. This preparation may first begin with say the loss of a pet when you are a small child. Then it advances to say perhaps the demise of a hi-bye friend, a very close friend, then eventually to the demise of your closest loved ones such as your children/spouse/parents. You agree on this?

Anyway, as deliberated so far in my writing, of the 20 verses in genesis 23:1-20, only 2 verses dealt with Abraham's griefing while the bigger portion of the verses centered on the purchase of the burial plots. Hence, I believe no doubt that Abba condones us to grief but He does not want us to sink in the sea of grief forever but rather to immerse in the bigger positive biblical implications from the purchase of the burial plot as a result of Sarah's death. The 3 implications discussed here are not limited as Im sure there are even greater truths to be learned from it. Of course, it takes time, time to heal and forget. It is not easy to get over it. Jia you MY....