Real estate by faith
Prayer for illumination: please join me in prayer…
Sermon introduction:
Increasingly there seems to be many things in our culture that make us long for Heaven!
Our nation is 15 trillion dollars in debt…
In addition, Uncle Sam is taking away more and more of our freedoms while raising our taxes.
Furthermore, I recently watched a video of a Christian pastor addressing the issue of
homosexuality from a Biblical perspective on a campus in the Midwest. An army of angry, violent, and
mean spirited protestors showed up. They chained themselves to the doors of the auditorium, they
chanted, they yelled, and did everything else in their power to disrupt the speaker.
This may happen here! Thinking about these things makes me long for Heaven.
We could also talk about the rise of the new Atheism, the epidemic issue of pornography, etc…
Then there are our personal issues.
Some of us struggle with chronic illness and pain.
Others are unemployed or broke.
Others struggle with habitual sins, which is usually accompanied by condemnation.
Some of us have wayward children, unpleasant jobs, and un-reconciled relationships.
All these struggles and many others have a way of making us long for Heaven. The longer one
lives the more suffering one sees and the more one longs for Heaven.
But sometimes we are tempted to wonder if God is going to get us there!!!
This is exactly what the original audience of Genesis wondered. Do you remember the context???
They had just been delivered from Egyptian slavery and they were camped on the plains of Moab ready to
enter the Promised Land. But they did not have the faith to enter because “there were giants in the land”.
They are just like us. They wondered if God was really going to give them the promise land. Their
promise land was Canaan and our promise land is Heaven.
God told them this story (through the pen of Moses) to remind them that God always keeps his
promises, specifically his promise to give them the Promised Land.
In the same way God will keep his promise to get us to the promise land. We are going to look at
three things this morningthe promised land is introduced
the promised land is negotiated
the promised land is possessed
First, the promise land is introduced
What introduces the promise land in this story? Sarah’s death! Look with me at verses 1-2.
Genesis 23:1–2 (ESV) — 1 Sarah lived 127 years; these were the years of the life of Sarah. 2 And
Sarah died at Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went in to mourn for
Sarah and to weep for her.
After 100 years of marriage Sarah dies. Isaac is 37 and Abraham is 127.
We could spend several minutes eulogizing Sarah; after all she was a great woman of faith whom
the NT calls us to emulate (Heb 11, 1 Peter 3). In fact, she is so important that she is the only woman in
the Bible whose life span is mentioned.
Sarah was very dear to Abraham, which is why the text says that he mourned for her. The original
language suggests that Abraham participated in the traditional mourning activities of ripping his
garments, messing up his hair, cutting his beard, fasting, and scattering dust on his hair. (Greidanus, 222)
But Sarah’s death is not the main point of this passage. Sarah’s death provides the important
context to introduce the painful reality that Abraham and Sarah are still not in the promise land.
How does Sarah’s death introduce the promise land? Notice the location of Sarah’s death!
Look again at verse 2.
Genesis 23:2 (ESV) — 2 And Sarah died at Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan,
and Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.
Did you notice where Sarah died? She dies in the land of Canaan. This is the land that God
promised to give to Abraham several times. It is no coincidence that this story begins and ends by
mentioning that Sarah died and was buried in the land of Canaan.
God has mentioned this promise to Abraham four times in Genesis (12:7, 13:15ff, 15:18, 17:18)
Genesis 13:15–17 (ESV) — 15 for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring
forever. 16 I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the
earth, your offspring also can be counted. 17 Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land,
for I will give it to you.”
Why so much focus on land and not Sarah’s death? Because in this story of 20 verses, 17 verses
are devoted to obtaining a piece of the Promised Land and only 3 are devoted to Sarah’s death.
The author of Genesis wants us to pick up on his emphasis and see the tension in this story.
Here is the tension- Sarah just died in the promise land without receiving the promised land,
Abraham is getting older, and he still doesn’t posses the land. Things look awfully bleak. No doubt
Sarah’s death reminded Abraham that his death was just around the corner. Would he too die before
receiving what was promised???
Time seemed to be running out! Maybe you feel like time is running out and God still has not
delivered on some of his promises to you..
Illustration of time running out- have you been in a situation where time was running out?
Trying to catch a plan (watching the AAU ladies national championship basketball team race out of the
plan and down the hallway to catch their connecting flight to Las Vegas).
If Abraham died before receiving the promise land it would prove that God could not be trusted.
But Abraham trusted that God was going to do what he said he was going to do. God told
Abraham that he would be given land in Canaan so Abraham believed that one day he would have land in
Canaan as a result he buried his wife in Canaan.
First, the promise land is introduced…
Second, the promise land is negotiated
What do I mean? Abraham wants a piece of the Promised Land but he has to buy it from
some fierce negotiators.
The author of Genesis records three rounds of negotiations dealing with a small piece of the
Promised Land. This is where the tension in the story gets thick. We are not sure how things are going to
end up. He may not get this land if the sellers don’t cooperate and what would that say about God’s
willingness or ability to fulfill his promises!
Lets look at these three rounds of negotiations.
The 1st round of negotiations! (3-6)
Genesis 23:3–6 (ESV) — 3 And Abraham rose up from before his dead and said to the Hittites, 4
“I am a sojourner and foreigner among you; give me property among you for a burying place, that I may
bury my dead out of my sight.” 5 The Hittites answered Abraham, 6 “Hear us, my lord; you are a prince of
God among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will withhold from you his tomb
to hinder you from burying your dead.”
Abraham knows that as a sojourner and a foreigner (stranger and alien) ordinarily he has no legal
right to buy land in Canaan but he approaches the people of Canaan anyway.
When Abraham asks for property for a burial place the Hittites slyly respond by saying “sure you
can bury your wife in one of our tombs.” In other words he says “Can I have some property” and they say
“Sure you can have a tomb”. In other words, you can’t have any land but you are welcome to borrow a
tomb. But this would not do because if Abraham buried his wife in someone else’s tomb it would not be
his plot of land.
The 2nd round of negotiations! (7-11)
7 Abraham rose and bowed to the Hittites, the people of the land. 8 And he said to them, “If you
are willing that I should bury my dead out of my sight, hear me and entreat for me Ephron the son of
Zohar, 9 that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he owns; it is at the end of his field. For the
full price (legally binding and final price -Waltke) let him give it to me in your presence as property for a
burying place.” 10 Now Ephron was sitting among the Hittites, and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham
in the hearing of the Hittites, of all who went in at the gate of his city, 11 “No, my lord, hear me: I give you
the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. In the sight of the sons of my people I give it to you. Bury
your dead.”
In verse 7 (13,16,18) we read that Abraham addresses all the people of the land (technical term
for all the land owning citizens). He wants public witness in case the Hittites tried to take back the land
in the future.
In verse 8 we see that Abraham asks specifically for the cave of Machpelah owned by Ephron.
Today this cave is covered by the mosque of Haram El-Khalil.
Notice how Ephron (the shrewd businessman) responds! He wants to a make a few bucks.
Abraham asks for the cave and Ephron offers him the field the cave is on. It would be kind of like me
asking to buy one house and the developer says “Sure you can have that one house but you have to
purchase the entire development.”
In the 3rd round of negotiations! (12-18)
12 Then Abraham bowed down before the people of the land. 13 And he said to Ephron in the
hearing of the people of the land, “But if you will, hear me: I give the price of the field. Accept it from me,
that I may bury my dead there.” 14 Ephron answered Abraham, 15 “My lord, listen to me: a piece of land
worth four hundred shekels of silver, what is that between you and me? Bury your dead.” 16 Abraham
listened to Ephron, and Abraham weighed out for Ephron the silver that he had named in the hearing of
the Hittites, four hundred shekels of silver, according to the weights current among the merchants.
(emphasizing the legality of the deal) 17 So the field of Ephron in Machpelah, which was to the east of
Mamre, the field with the cave that was in it and all the trees that were in the field, throughout its whole
area, was made over 18 to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the Hittites, before all who went in
at the gate of his city.
Abraham is offered the field and tomb for $400. Most scholars think that this was a highly
inflated price. A typical labor would earn ten shekels a year and would not expect to make 400 shekels in
a lifetime.
Verse 15 is the climax of the story because at such a high price Abraham is not likely to buy the
field, which means that he would not posses a piece of the promise land. If he does not posses any of the
promise land God can’t be trusted.
But if he buys it he finally has a stake in the promise land. What is he going to do!!!
He quickly shells out the money.
The real hero of this story is not Abraham but God! God provided Abraham with money to buy the
land. God allowed Abraham to find favor in the eyes of these foreigners. God put it on the heart of
Ephron to sell Abraham the land!
This purchase of land was so important that it was recorded three times in the book of Genesis
(25:9-10, 49:29-32, 50:13).
the promised land is introduced
the promised land is negotiated
Third, the promise land is possessed
The promise land was specifically possessed by faith
Genesis 23:19–20 (ESV) — 19 After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of
Machpelah east of Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. 20 The field and the cave that is in it
were made over to Abraham as property for a burying place by the Hittites.
When Abraham buried his wife by faith in the promise land he planted his flag in the promise land.
This was a bold move! He was so confident that God would give his offspring this land he buried his wife
there.
If you lived in the ANE it would not make any sense to bury Sarah in Canaan because Sarah was
not born in Canaan. She would be forgotten in Canaan. Abraham should take her back to his homeland
and bury her with her people. But Abraham was finally a man of great faith.
He only had a small piece of land for a grave but this grave tied him and his descendants to this
land forever. Finally Abraham has some of the land he was promised.
Not only did Abraham posses this land by faith so did his offspring
Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Leah, and even Joseph all expressed similar faith by making sure
that they too were buried in the promise land. (Gen 49:29-32, 50:4-14, Heb 11:13-16, Gen 50:24).
We have looked at the introduction, negotiation, and possession of the promise land. Let’s makes
some application!
Application
What in the world does this story have to do with us?
Everything!
The Promised Land was always meant to point Abraham and his offspring to the true Promised
Land the Land of heaven.
Let me explainThe apostle Paul makes it clear that you and I are the descendants of Abraham if we believe the
gospel.
Romans 4:11–12 (ESV) — 11 He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness
that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who
believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, 12 and to
make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the
footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
Romans 2:28–29 (ESV) — 28 For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is
circumcision outward and physical. 29 But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the
heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.
So if we are children of Abraham does that mean that we (being his offspring) will also inherit
land? Yes!!! Is it a strip in Palestine? No… it is so much greater.
Romans 4:13 (ESV) — 13 For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of
the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith.
Matthew 5:5 (ESV) — 5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Hebrews 11:9–14 (ESV) — 9 By faith he (Abraham) went to live in the land of promise, as in a
foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was
looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. … 13 These all
(Abraham and Sarah) died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and
greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14
For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland.
According to this divine commentary on Genesis 23 Abraham was ultimately looking forward to
entering heaven not merely the land of Canaan.
The promise land we receive is Heaven. This earth, all of it, will be restored. Jesus by his life,
death, and resurrection will redeem all of his creation including the Earth and we will dwell here with
him for all eternity.
Heaven is Canaan, the Promise Land, and Paradise.
But what will the Promised Land be like?
Revelation 21:1–5 (ESV) — 1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and
the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem,
coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud
voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and
they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear
from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain
anymore, for the former things have passed away.” 5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold,
I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
Rev 21:1-5 is a picture of paradise restored on Earth the new Eden, the promised land!
When thinking about heaven we need to remember that God is infinite. We can
never have exhaustive knowledge of God.
Storms- “Heaven is characterized by the increase of joy. Heaven is not simply about the
reality or experience of joy, but its eternal increase. The blessedness of the beauty of heaven is
progressive, incremental, and incessantly expansive… We will constantly be more amazed with God,
more in love with God, and thus ever more relishing his presence and our relationship with him. Our
experience of God will never reach its consummation. We will never finally arrive, as if upon reaching
a peak we discover there is nothing beyond. Our experience of God will never become stale. It will
deepen and develop intensify and amplify, unfold and increase, broaden and balloon.” (Storms, 1723)
God is the infinite fountain of Joy and we will drink of this fountain for all eternity. Each
passing year we will experience more joy than the year before because we will have more knowledge of
God than the year before.
How do I get into the promise land? Jesus!!!
When will we get to the Promised Land? Not until we die or Jesus returns! Just like Abraham
we don’t receive all of God’s promises in this life. God began to fulfill his promises to Abraham in Genesis
23 and God began to fulfill his promises to us when Christ rose from the grave.
Our salvation is already and not yet. This helps us make sense of so many of the disappointments
in our difficult and short lives. Abraham bought this cave in hope and we too have hope for life beyond
the grave.
What makes you long for the promise land?
Habitual sin… no habitual sin in heaven
Pride… no pride in Heaven
Fear of man
Chronic pain
Famine, drought, heat
Broken relationships
Corrupt politicians and taxes… not in Heaven
Death… no death in heaven
Unemployment
Cancer…
Divorce
Spiritual apathy
Lonliness
Depression
Anxiety
Etc…
“No chilling winds nor poisonous breath Can reach that healthful shore; Sickness, sorrow, pain and
death,
Are felt and feared no more.”
If your going to Heaven give all praise, honor, and glory to God!
When life is really good; the money is flowing, your health is good, your job is good, and your
relationships are good you can drift away from your focus on the Promised Land.
When was the last time you longed for heaven? Has it been a while? Ask God to refocus your
attention on the things that matter and don’t let the ease of the American lifestyle distract you.
I was talking to a friend who pastor’s in a country that is more hostile to the gospel than ours and I
will never forget what he said to me a while back. He said “Dave, we are thankful for persecution because
it helps us think more about Heaven”
How do we know that we can trust God to get us too the Promised Land? The story of Sarah’s
tomb and the story of the empty tomb! God provided Abraham with a tomb proving that he would give
him more land later. God provides us with the empty tomb proving that Jesus Christ has risen from the
grave. Since he has risen from the grave we know that we will someday rise with him and enter into the
Promised Land. Lets pray…