(vs1-2) “Sarah lived one hundred and twenty-seven years; these were the years of the life of Sarah. So Sarah died in Kirjath Arba (that is Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. Then Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spoke to the sons of heth, saying, I am a foreigner and a visitor among you. Give me property for a burial place among you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight”.
We have tears in this life because of sin and the consequences thereof. We may be blessed, endure great temptations, and get eternal life, but we still will shed tears in this sin-cursed earth, where there is death, consequences for sin, and while we long for heaven.
Heaven is not here; here, we cry. “Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her”. He had been blessed of God, comforted, and he enjoyed long life with Sarah, but it must come to an end. All of God's love would not spare him the sorrow of God's verdict against sin, which is death, pain, and tears, because we are evil and have done wrong, because in Adam, “all sinned” (Rom 5:12). When the world was made, no sin, so no tears were in it. But, soon as man sinned, shame, guilt, fear, lying, blame, hate, self-righteousness, and death came into the picture. “And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden” (Gen 3:8). As soon as we did wrong, Paradise became filled with parasites that eat dead flesh.
Our tears make way for comfort. Abraham is weeping, but Sarah isn't. She has entered her rest along with all who trusted Christ. 1 Thess 4 says, “the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord” (vs16-17). She is weeping no more, and she is passed from the valley of tears to the land of blessing, peace, and joy unfettered. There is a reward to the righteous, but it isn't fully experienced here, and no amount of holiness will keep us back from loss, struggle, heartbreak, and weeping.
Weeping endured for a night, but joy comes in the morning. Just as God comforts the cast down, He comforts us amidst the tears of life. Abraham would bury Sarah out of his sight, picturing her dying in Christ, and in Heth, which is the Promised Land (Gen 23:2). She had a field for her, which Abraham bought with money that God had given to him, even as the Son of God BOUGHT the remission of sins and a good resurrection by His shed blood and grace to us. Thus, Abraham was able to deal with the loss in a good way, to weep, but to bury... to pay for a field, and to be comforted by God.
You and I have GOD in the midst of tears. Do not run to the world or seek favor with men. Seek the face of God your Savior who gives you songs in the night, who hears your cry, and who shall wipe away and does wipe away your tears. We read, “For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning” (Ps 30:5). Receive the comfort of Christ.
Lastly, don't be ashamed to weep. You and I don't have to pretend that we're strong, but grab hold of your comfort in Christ.
No comments:
Post a Comment