April 25: The Fourth Sunday of Easter
These are the days of the years of Abraham’s life, 175 years. Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people. Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, east of Mamre, the field that Abraham purchased from the Hittites. There Abraham was buried, with Sarah his wife.—Genesis 25:7-10
Abraham (1) breathed his last; (2) died; (3) was gathered to his people; (4) was buried. We often think a phrase like “was gathered to his people” refers to something that happens at or after burial, but Abraham was not buried with his ancestors. His ancestors were in the land he left, the land to which he never returned. People were buried in their homeland and even though Abraham had to buy this cave at an enormous price (Gen. 23:16), it allowed him to declare to all the generations to follow: “This was our home!” So of course he was buried there even though the “gathering” would go on for a long time.
Abraham and Sarah in their day could hardly be described as residents of that land. Even Abraham calls himself a “sojourner and a foreigner” there. Yet the passage above says that he died “in a good old age, an old man and full of years.” This is apparently the ancient Near Eastern version of “happily ever after.” While Ecclesiastes 12 suggests that old age and the days of trouble go together, Abraham seems to have had it better than that.
Why? How come? Don’t we want to know because that’s how we want to die! Hebrews 11 reveals this in the most practical of answers. In that long roll call of faith, each saint is afforded one verse each except Moses who has 6 and Abraham who has 12. And in those 12 is a verse that should shake us to our foundation: But as it is, they [the saints mentioned there] desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.—Hebrews 11:16
There it is: why did Abraham die with a fully satisfied life? Because God was not ashamed to be called his God. Why was God not ashamed to be called his God? Because Abraham learned disdain for earthly things and was looking for a divine consummation, a new heaven and a new earth, ie., the true Promised Land.
When we cherish Christ and his work to bring us to that new heaven and new earth, when we live by faith rather than obeying ourselves to indulge in excessive love of this present life, then God is not ashamed to be called our God. That’s a good way to end life in this present age.
And that’s the gospel! Come hear it preached and enacted in the supper with Jesus this Sunday.
The related hymns we’ll sing are:
Thine Be the Glory
Great is Thy Faithfulness
Amazing Grace
Sunday school for children (in Genesis) and adults (in Galatians) is up and running! Coffee and other treats are served at 9:15, teaching begins at 9:30, and we break to get ready for worship at 10:15.Â
Visitors are always welcome!