To Pass with Promise

“Sarah lived 127 years; these were the years of the life of Sarah. 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.” 
(Gen. 23:1-2) 

One of the most frequent conversations that I have as a pastor regards how to honor the dead. Though I have much to say about burial and cremation, gravesides and services, this particular passage brings a much greater matter into focus – promise. To understand this emphasis, let us first understand our passage before making some application. 

Abraham makes a conscientious decision to bury Sarah in the land of Canaan. He very well could have sent her back home to be buried with his father and family. He will send his servant to find Isaac a wife from there, so we could logically assume that he could also bury a wife there. Instead, Abraham haggles with a bunch of Canaanites over property value and land rights. Why does he go through all the trouble? The answer is simple – the promise. Joseph echoed Abraham’s sentiments: “God will surely visit you and bring you up out of this land to the land that He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” (Gen. 50:24) Abraham knew that the land of Canaan was a “land of promise” that pointed him forward to that “city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.” (Heb. 11:10) Abraham’s decision to bury Sarah in the land of promise demonstrated his firm belief in the promise of a better land. Her burial may have been attended with much mourning and weeping, but she was buried in hope. 

As we look to our own burial, are we laid to rest with the same hope? Do our funerals proclaim the same promise? Far too many funerals focus too much on the character and accomplishments of the deceased and far too little time on the accomplishments of Jesus Christ in whom the promises are “Yea” and “Amen.” (2 Cor. 1:20) And we wonder why we grieve far harder today. Though it soothes the soul to recollect on the lives of loved ones, the comfort fades as soon as the funeral procession leaves. But if our funerals are full of promise, we will our loved ones with promise – a promise of comfort, a promise of return, a promise of resurrection, a promise of hope. Thus, Jesus says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled; believe in God and believe also in Me.” (John 14:1) 

When we leave this world, what will we leave behind? Some memories of ourselves or the promises of Christ?