Paying Our Own Way

As Solomon explained in Ecclesiastes 2, Good people die just like wicked ones.  Sarah died when Isaac was thirty seven years old.   Genesis 23:1-4 tells the story.  “And Sarah was an hundred and seven and twenty years old: these were the years of the life of Sarah.  And Sarah died in Kirjatharba; the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan: and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.  And Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spake unto the sons of Heth, saying,  I am a stranger and a sojourner with you: give me a possession of a buryingplace with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.” 

For sixty two years, Abraham and Sarah had lived in Canaan.  While they had had an agreement to use the land and live at Beersheba, they did not own the land.   Before Isaac’s birth that hadn’t mattered, because they had no descendants t remember them anyway.  After Isaac’s birth they recognized the importance of knowing about one’s ancestry.    Abraham asked for a place to bury Sarah where their descendants could come and be reminded of their heritage. Genesis 22:5-20 describes how he acquired a place for his family to remember. 

“And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying unto him, Hear us, my lord: thou art a mighty prince among us: in the choice of our sepulchres bury thy dead; none of us shall withhold from thee his sepulchre, but that thou mayest bury thy dead.

And Abraham stood up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, even to the children of Heth.  And he communed with them, saying, If it be your mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight; hear me, and entreat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar, That he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he hath, which is in the end of his field; for as much money as it is worth he shall give it me for a possession of a buryingplace amongst you.

And Ephron dwelt among the children of Heth: and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the audience of the children of Heth, even of all that went in at the gate of his city, saying, Nay, my lord, hear me: the field give I thee, and the cave that is therein, I give it thee; in the presence of the sons of my people give I it thee: bury thy dead.

And Abraham bowed down himself before the people of the land.  And he spake unto Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying, But if thou wilt give it, I pray thee, hear me: I will give thee money for the field; take it of me, and I will bury my dead there.

And Ephron answered Abraham, saying unto him, My lord, hearken unto me: the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver; what is that betwixt me and thee? bury therefore thy dead.  And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant.  And the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, and the cave which was therein, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all the borders round about, were made sure Unto Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all that went in at the gate of his city.

And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre: the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan.  And the field, and the cave that is therein, were made sure unto Abraham for a possession of a buryingplace by the sons of Heth.” 

The Hittites offered to donate a piece of land for Abraham to use as a cemetery.  Abraham insisted on paying for it so that he had an actual claim on the land and was not just dependent on the whims of the people at the moment.   Even though they would have given him title to the land, There would have been a sense of obligation to them had he not paid for it.  That sense of obligation can lead to doing things we might not do otherwise.  Exodus 23:8 warns, “And thou shalt take no gift: for the gift blindeth the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous.”  It is impossible to guess how many people have gotten themselves into trouble because they felt obligated to do something for someone who gave them a gift, even if the giver had no such intention. 

Unfortunately, some people deliberately give gifts to try to pressure one to do what they want.    Proverbs 17:23 warns, “A wicked man taketh a gift out of the bosom to pervert the ways of judgment.”  This can range from a salesman offering you some gift to get you to try his product or a boy buying gifts for a girl to get her to have sex, to a business offering bribes to a politician or government official.  This is especially problematic when it involves those in positions of authority, as Proverbs 29:4 warns.  “The king by judgment establisheth the land: but he that receiveth gifts overthroweth it.”  Ultimately their corruption will destroy the group or organization they represent.  Deuteronomy 16:19 commands, “Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.” 

A great many of the problems in America today are the result of people in authority, whether in government, in business, or in religious circles receiving gifts or donations from lobbyists or special interest groups.  Abraham avoided the problem, refusing to accept even a piece of ground to bury Sarah without paying for it.  He insisted on paying the Philistines for the use of their land and the right ot live at Beersheba, and refused to even take payment from the king of Sodom for getting back their stuff, paying the expenses out of his own pocket.   We need to be careful who we accept gifts from.  When we pay our own way, we avoid obligations to others that might lead to problems.