Genesis 25 Abraham’s Death
Abraham has many years and many children after Sarah’s death. Abraham’s death is attended by Ishmael and Isaac. He is placed with Sarah in the place he bought for her.
We were told the last time we were together, that Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death by Rebekah. Abraham was comforted after his loss of Sarah by another wife and at least two concubines. He had many more children through these women but none of them would inherit from him. They were all given gifts before his death and then sent away. NO ONE would carry Abraham’s covenant with God forward except Isaac.
When Abraham dies, we see two of his sons attending to his burial; Isaac and Ishmael. Both of these sons would bring nations to their abba’s name. And these nations would battle against one another to this very day. When looking over the names of Abrahams sons through his second wife, I see names of nations too. I would attribute many of the nations from the region to Abraham’s lineage. But there was still only ONE nation that God called His own. That born through the son of promise; Isaac.
Ishmael was 86 at the time of Abraham’s death. Isaac was 75. These brothers had been apart FAR longer than they had been together, but they didn’t lose track of where the other was. Isaac was able to get word to Ishmael of their abba’s passing. And Ishmael still loved Abraham enough to come back and help Isaac lay him to rest. Did Ishmael expect to receive an inheritance when he returned? Was there tension between the boys when none was forthcoming? If there was, they were able to put it aside to tend to their abba. They would go their separate ways afterwards. Let’s join the story a little before the brothers are called to care for their abba’s remains.
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Abraham feels his age every morning as he rises. He is grateful for the bed that Isaac reworks every time the skins stretch too much. It is not the same bed that Isaac built for Sarah but one built for him. He shares this bed with his wife, Keturah. She has been a good wife and bore him six sons over the last 30 years. These sons are grown, or nearly grown by now too.
Abraham had one of the greatest joys of his life just 15 years ago. It was when Isaac announced the birth of his twin boys; Esau and Jacob. They have grown into very handsome lads. Different as night and day, but treasured in Abraham’s eyes. They are the delight of his eye when they come and spend time with him.
God has blessed Isaac to the point that he and Abraham live apart. Isaac’s herds and properties are not nearly as large as Abraham’s, but he is blessed enough that he wants to give his herds space of their own. Which makes Abraham’s visits with his grandchildren special.
When the children are here, Abraham makes certain to share the stories of the Lord and His promises for their future. He has taken them onto his mountainside where he offers sacrifices to the Lord. He prays that his God will be their God as well. He reminds Isaac of the need to teach them of the Lord too. Isaac promises that he is teaching them. And his own experience on the mountain with his Abba spurs him on whenever he gets lax in their teaching.
Abraham also has a few sons by concubines that he found comfort in between Sarah and Keturah. He loves all his children, but there is only ONE son of promise. That is Isaac.
Abraham knows that his time on earth is coming to an end. He needs to make certain that everything is as it should be before he dies. Isaac is the son of promise. His descendants will one day possess this land that Abraham has sojourned in for almost 100 years. All the other sons are loved, but they will receive no inheritance. Everything that remains at his passing will be given to Isaac. But Abraham feels duty bound to give something to his other sons.
As Abraham approached his 175th birthday, he calls all of his sons to him. It is easier than normally, as most of them were already planning on coming back to celebrate the day of his birth. Some of Abraham’s sons had moved to nearby towns and set up their own camps, as Isaac had done. Others were still living within the encampment. And a few had moved even further away. Ishmael was the farthest away. Abraham didn’t know if he would even come, after the way they had parted company. “At least I know he is still alive” thought Abraham. Caravans had brought word back and forth for many years.
The morning of Abraham’s celebration, he summoned his sons. They all stood before him in his tent. “I have gifts I want to give each of you before I join my Lord. You all know of the Lord’s promise to bless my children and that I will become an abba of many nations. You are the beginnings of those nations.”
Heads nod around the room and a few sons stand a little taller.
“You also know that Isaac holds a special place in my God’s plan. This in NO WAY means that you are not important or loved. But it does mean that I must make certain preparations before I die to ensure that he is in the position God intends for him. This means that all of you must move from the land of Canaan. This is the land that Isaac will inherit.”
This isn’t really news to most of Abraham’s sons. He has been sharing his God’s promises with his children since the day they were born. A few had hoped that he would forget about this favoritism at some point.
“What is to become of us Abba” asks Medan. “Are we to be cast out of the land, penniless and with no future? How would we become nations?”
“First, you would use the skills I and many others have taught you. You would grow as men as you face obstacles, just as I did when I came into a new land. You all have amazing minds, strong hands, and undaunting spirits. But I will not leave you penniless. Each of you will receive from my hand this day enough to start in a new land. You will be expected to move east of the land of Canaan. If you are found within the borders of Canaan after my death, your gifts will be required of you and returned to Isaac as his own.”
Not penniless but not welcome either. They would all be required to leave in order to keep the gift of their abba; whatever that may be. This was a hard thing to ask those who had already settled into life in another town within the bounds of Canaan. But they would honor their abba no matter the cost.
“To each of you I give 1,000 shekels of gold, 500 shekels of silver, 1,000 sheep, 1,000 oxen, 50 camels, and 100 donkeys. You will also each receive male and female servants. Each will receive five families of servants. This is your portion that will carry you into a new land and help you establish yourselves in that land.”
This was an extravagant gift for each son. It was a drop in the bucket compared to what Isaac would eventually inherit. The size of the gift would be sufficient for those who managed it well and put effort into increasing it. Those who chose to squander their gift would have to learn to make it on their own. There would be nothing more for them after this day.
The group of brothers broke up after Abraham’s gifting to them. It was time to celebrate the day of their Abba’s birth!
The ceremony went long into the night. Good food and wine flowed in abundance. Music and laughter filled the night air. Abraham couldn’t remember a more joyous celebration. Even the sons who were less pleased with their abba’s gift, would not spoil this day for him.
One week later, joy turned to mourning. Abraham had died in his sleep. Most of the brothers were in the middle of following their abba’s command, to move from the land of Canaan. They chose not to return as there was nothing left for them. Ishmael had been among the brothers who stood before Abraham on the day of his celebration. He too had received the gift from his Abba’s hands. But Ishmael would return. He would help his brother Isaac care for their Abba’s earthly remains.
Ishmael had heard of Sarah’s passing. He wept for Isaac’s loss, but he rejoiced that the woman who had driven him from his Abba was gone. He did not mourn for Sarah. He would mourn for Abraham.
Ishmael arrived in camp the day after Abraham died. He found Isaac sitting at the door of their abba’s tent with his head bowed. Ishmael came and sat down beside him. “I’m here for you brother.”
Isaac raised his head and looked at his brother. “Thank you. I don’t know what to do. My head feels like it is stuffed with wool.”
“Tell me what happened when your ima died? How did abba deal with it?”
“He went to the men in Hebron and purchased a piece of land and with a cave on it. We buried her there.”
“Then that is where we should bury him.”
“Thank you.” Isaac laughed a short dry laugh. “I seem to be saying that a lot.”
“That’s ok. I was the same way when my ima died. One of my sons had to help me sort things out.”
“I never even thought about you having sons. I have twins. They are 15 now.”
Ishmael laughed. “Double trouble! I met them when we were together for abba’s birthday.”
“I was so busy with making sure everyone was taken care of, that I didn’t get to spend time with you. I’m sorry. I really wanted to catch up. Did you bring any of your sons with you? And how many do you have anyway?”
“No. They were all busy and they never knew abba. I figured that they wouldn’t really fit in. Abba did ask about them though. That surprised me! I figured that, once I was gone, he would have forgotten all about me.” Ishmael paused, “Oh. I forgot. I have twelve sons.”
“TWELVE! That’s amazing! Congratulations brother. It took us so long to have the twins that I think we are probably done. And they keep us both jumping.”
The brothers sat in companiable silence for a few minutes.
“Do you think we should get him buried now? He is going to start to stink pretty soon” Ishmael said.
“You’re right. I’ll get the cart and call for anyone who wants to go with us.”
“Can it just be the two of us for now? I don’t really feel a part of this family anymore.”
“Sure. Just us brothers.”
Together Ishmael and Isaac washed their abba and prepared his body for burial. They brought his body on the best cart to the cave where Sarah was laid. They took Abraham’s body and laid it on a shelf beside Sarah.
“Looking at them laying on this stone slab reminds me of the bed I made for them. They both needed something off the floor, firm enough to support their weight, and soft enough to keep their bones from crunching against one another.”
“They don’t need that now. Only our honor and carrying them in our hearts. And for you to carry on the plan Abba’s God gave him.”
“I hope I will be able to. It scares me that I have to move on without his guidance. I honestly don’t know what it is that I’m supposed to do.”
“Other than trust his God?”
“Yah, that. And he is my God too. We had an experience that bound me to Him forever.”
Ishmael’s eyes widened. “Really? Then He will be able to tell you what to do.”
“I sure hope so!”
The brothers gathered the cart and rode back to the company of Abraham. They spent the night catching up with each other. Isaac even shared the story of his abba nearly sacrificing him.
Ishmael was blown away! “You’ve got to be kidding! And you STILL came home with him?”
“I did. The experience showed me the depth of his faith and the importance of the call on his life. That is when abba’s God became my God too.”
In the morning, Ishmael bid Isaac goodbye and set out for his home. Isaac let everyone know where Abraham was buried. “We will have a dinner tonight to honor him.”
Keturah was angry that the boys didn’t let her come with them. Her anger didn’t bother Isaac very much, since she had left the whole task in his hands. She didn’t lift a finger to help. She promised to help with the dinner. What she did instead was play the grieving widow and let people fawn over her. Isaac saw to the guests.
Isaac was more than happy to set out to his home the next day. He would have to come back and forth until he got his inheritance settled. Then he wouldn’t have to see Keturah again. “Let her sons take care of her” thinks Isaac.
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Something I find very interesting is the place where Isaac chose to live. It is the same place where he had been just prior to Rebekah’s coming. It is also the place where Hagar fled when she was running from Sarah. The place where “He sees me.” I’m curious as to when the name became known. Did Hagar share the story of this place? She is the one who named it. Did Isaac know of the significance of this place before he moved there? If he did, was it a conscious effort to be ‘closer’ to his brother, Ishmael? Or was it simply a lovely spot to live?
And will I EVER run out of questions?! Probably not.
Father God, thank You for creating all the questions in my mind. They are the building blocks of the stories You give me. I love seeing where they will go as we walk along. Thank You for sharing Your stories with me.
I find it interesting that we don’t see Isaac and Rebekah making You a big part of their lives. They must have to some degree because Jacob knew You. His parents introduced You into his life. Which we will get to look at deeper in a few days. I suppose that means I should hold my questions until then. Ok Father. I’ll wait.
