Solomon wrote, "A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death, than the day of one's birth." (Ecc. 7:1) The point was not that it is better to die than to be born. Rather that we are given a name at birth that is like a fragrant ointment and that we should keep it that way until we die. At birth no one knew what we would make of our name, but at death our name will either be fragrant or putrid. Consider names of individuals like Judas Iscariot, Pontius Pilate, Adolf Hitler, etc. These names were given at birth filled with hope and promise. We are talking about the testimony of our lives. When a person with a good name dies, the day of death is better than the day of birth and folks will rejoice over their lives. Over the last several weeks we have studied the life of Abraham and Sarah. Now we come to end of their lives. We have learned from them how to live by faith, and now we will see what it means to die in faith. Tonight we will look at the death of a princess. Sarah had her faults, as we all do, but God called her a princess. She had been a good wife to Abraham and a good mother to Isaac. She is included in God's 'hall of faith' in Hebrews eleven, Peter named her as a good example for Christian wives to follow, and Paul used her to illustrate the grace of God in the believer's life.
Faith in the Dark
I. A Time of Tears v1-2
A. God made us with the ability to weep.
B. Grieving is one of God's gifts to help heal broken hearts when people we love are taken from us in death.
C. Do not counsel someone who is grieving over the death of a loved one to not cry.
D. These are the first recorded tears in the Bible, and they will not end until God wipes them away in glory.
E. The O.T. believers knew very little about the after-life, but they did know that God would receive them in glory.
(Psalms 73:24) Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.
F. Abraham loved his wife, they had traveled together for many years, and her death was a very painful experience for him...he showed his love and his grief by his weeping.
II. A Time of Testimony v3-6
A. We cannot mourn forever, there comes a time when we must accept what has happened and go on.
B. Abraham requested a place to bury Sarah.
1. Keep in mind that although he had been given the land by God.
2. He did not fully possess it, it was still in the hands of the heathen nations.
3. So it was that he requested from them a place to bury his dead.
C. The men of the land called Abraham a "mighty prince".
1. He had a good testimony among them, and they respected him.
2. We are reminded of the importance of maintaining a good testimony before the lost of this world.
3. These men did not believe or worship Abraham's God, but they respected Abraham's and his faith.
4. They offered him his choice of their own tombs to use.
III. A Time of Strength v7-16
A. He requested the cave at Machpelah.
1. This would serve Abraham's purposes better than one their own sepulchers.
2. However, this was owned by Ephron.
3. Abraham allowed Ephron to set the price.
B. Ephron took advantage of the situation.
1. He would not sell just the cave to Abraham.
2. He offered him the cave and the field where the cave was located.
3. This was an opportunity to make a profit at the expense of Abraham's grief.
4. There are many "Ephrons" today who seek to benefit from other people's misery.
C. Abraham didn't bicker with Ephron, because he was a man of his word.
D. He weighed out the price in silver and bought the land and the cave.
IV. A Time of Faith. v17-20
A. This was not just a burying place for Sarah, but was to be a family tomb.
1. Later Abraham, Isaac, Rebekah, Leah, and Jacob would be buried there.
2. The area was surveyed and established as Abraham's possession by the sons of Heth.
B. This also testified of Abraham's respect for the dead.
1. The O.T. Jews and the N.T. Christians handled the death of loved ones in similar manner.
2. While heathen people would cremate their dead, believers have washed the body, wrapped it in clean cloth with spices, and placed it in the ground or in a tomb.
3. While there may be some situations where cremation is a better way to dispose of a body, for the most part, Christians have preferred burial.
4. This is the way that the Lord's body was handled after His death on Calvary and is also the way that Paul teaches in 1Co. 15.
C. Abraham was making a statement of faith in purchasing the cave at Machpelah.
1. He did not return her to their former home in Ur.
2. He buried her in the land that God had given to him and his descendants.
There are times when we all look at an impossible situation and wonder how much more we can take. Let me assure you that God's grace is sufficient for you in everything we will face in this life. He will give us grace to deal with our loss and to go on for His glory, until the battle is over. I do not know what you might be facing this evening, but I do know that through faith you can have the victory.
(1 John 5:4) For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.