Craig Posted May 10, 2008 Report Share Posted May 10, 2008 Q2 (23:3-20) What is the significance of Abraham's faith in God's promises at the same time as he pays dearly for this small property? What does this tell us about faith? Abraham trusted that God would provide the burial tomb in Hebron for him to bury Sarah in. Whether he paid for it or not is immaterial. The fact is, God moved the Hittites to sell him the tomb and land to go with it. They did not have to do that. Honor God and He will provide for us. God honors His promises. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
servant for Christ Posted July 21, 2008 Report Share Posted July 21, 2008 Q2 (23:3-20) What is the significance of Abraham's faith in God's promises at the same time as he pays dearly for this small property? What does this tell us about faith? Abraham knew the land was his even if he did not get to enter the promised land as God said. He trusted the Lord completely. He paid for the land because he knew if he did not get to enter the land, his descendant's would. If he had not paid for the land, and he died, he could have lost the land. Abraham knew he had far more and better wealth by following Christ than the money he paid for the land. Abraham believed and trusted God because he knew he would keep his promises. Abraham never waivered from his faith in the Lord. His faith grew stronger and Abraham grew closer to the Lord. When we put our faith in the Lord completely, trusting Him completely, we untie God's hands to were He can work in our lives. Give thanks and praise to the Lord, and wait on Him, for He is never late and will never fail you. He is a true and faithful God, and an on time God. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masika Posted July 28, 2008 Report Share Posted July 28, 2008 Q2 (23:3-20) What is the significance of Abraham's faith in God's promises at the same time as he pays dearly for this small property? What does this tell us about faith? Abraham believed in God in all things although his wife died at this time He made plans for Sarah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul H Posted September 22, 2009 Report Share Posted September 22, 2009 What is the significance of Abraham's faith in God's promises at the same time as he pays dearly for this small property? What does this tell us about faith? Abraham wants to ensure that he and Sarah will be buried in a land which God has promised to him and his ancestors. There seems to be no doubt in Abraham's mind that this promise will be fulfilled, and therefore the price which he has to pay for this small piece of the promised land is irrelevant. In this, I think that we also see something of Abraham planting a flag. When God promises things to us, He doesn't expect us to sit there and wait for the promise to drop into our laps. He expects us to work with Him to the fulfillment of the promise, and how often in practice do we do just the opposite and actually work against the fulfillment of the promise (both Abraham and Sarah were guilty of this on several occasions through their lives, but still God remained faithful to His promises to them). So, here we see Abraham in a step of faith planting his flag in the promised land as a first step along the road to the fulfillment of God's promise which had been made to him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peggy Crans Posted September 22, 2009 Report Share Posted September 22, 2009 Q2 (23:3-20) What is the significance of Abraham's faith in God's promises at the same time as he pays dearly for this small property? What does this tell us about faith? Abraham believed God's promise. Although the land was not his or his heirs as yet, but he knew the promise God had made would materialize. There was no doubt in Abraham even as he was paying for this small parcel of land. He didn't know when this covenent promise would be fulfilled, but he knew it would be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lionbait Posted October 12, 2009 Report Share Posted October 12, 2009 Q2 (23:3-20) What is the significance of Abraham's faith in God's promises at the same time as he pays dearly for this small property? What does this tell us about faith? Abrahams faith has been grown in the same way as our faith, it starts of with a cost it grows into a wonderful flower of dependance in our Father just as Abrahams. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seeking His Face Posted January 11, 2010 Report Share Posted January 11, 2010 Q2 (23:3-20) What is the significance of Abraham's faith in God's promises at the same time as he pays dearly for this small property? What does this tell us about faith? He believed God, but like us his faith had highs and lows. With the death of Sarah maybe because of his emotional state he was not looking to God so much? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hanks Posted February 23, 2010 Report Share Posted February 23, 2010 Q2 (23:3-20) What is the significance of Abraham's faith in God's promises at the same time as he pays dearly for this small property? What does this tell us about faith? Not wanting to be indebted to an unbeliever Abraham paid this exorbitant price, in a land where he was an alien. But Abraham was a man of faith; he knew God had promised his descendants this same land. He knew God would keep His promises. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
l.a. Posted March 20, 2010 Report Share Posted March 20, 2010 Q2 (23:3-20) What is the significance of Abraham's faith in God's promises at the same time as he pays dearly for this small property? What does this tell us about faith? This passage tells me Abraham knows this land is to be his; it was promised to him. He is taking the measures necessary in the world to assure he is recognized as the owner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foofee's Nana Posted April 5, 2010 Report Share Posted April 5, 2010 What is the significance of Abraham's faith in God's promises at the same time as he pays dearly for this small property? He was willing to pay the ptice the Hittites wanted so the land would truly be his according to law, he needed this as his family burial site and and wanted to follow the law so it would remain in his family. God had told him this was his promised land and he believed this so much he was willing to be there even in death. What does this tell us about faith? He believed God in His promises and took that step of faith to bury his dead there...in his promised land. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pearl Posted June 30, 2010 Report Share Posted June 30, 2010 Q2 (23:3-20) What is the significance of Abraham's faith in God's promises at the same time as he pays dearly for this small property? What does this tell us about faith? I actually think that Abraham's purchasing of this property had a lot to do with his faith. He knew that the land would one day be his as promised by God. We must do our part in the life of faith and Abraham did his part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan8 Posted November 23, 2010 Report Share Posted November 23, 2010 Q2 (23:3-20) What is the significance of Abraham's faith in God's promises at the same time as he pays dearly for this small property? What does this tell us about faith? Abraham was a citizen of a city whose builder and maker was God, but he also was presently a foreigner in a land that was eventually going to be his. As a foreigner in that land he would have to abide by the laws of the land and not come in and take over knowing it was going to be his later. Everything will be ours one day as we will be the heir of all things. Does that give us the right to go into the bank and just take everything; or, go to a supermarket and take things off the shelf and not pay for them? Of course not. Just as everything will be ours one day, it is still not in our possession presently so we have to abide by the laws of the land and pay for those things knowing one day all things will be ours. Abraham cared enough for his family that he wanted a proper burial place for them. This Hittite was shrewd knowing that the land would revert back to him at Abraham's death. Abraham was able to see through the world's shrewdness and said he wanted to buy the land. Of course money was no object for Abraham because he was very wealthy and I am sure the Hittite took advantage of that. But Abraham knew that one day that land and thousands of miles in every direction would be his and his descendants but for now he must wait (again) and trust God to bring it to pass. So in the meantime, I want my family to have a proper burial so I will pay the price whatever it is, knowing one day it will all be mine anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spen Posted March 22, 2011 Report Share Posted March 22, 2011 Q2 (23:3-20) What is the significance of Abraham's faith in God's promises at the same time as he pays dearly for this small property? What does this tell us about faith? The significance for Abraham is that God enabled him to glimpse into the future and to trust in his God for that very future. The N.T. was to use Abraham Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wifee Posted December 30, 2011 Report Share Posted December 30, 2011 2a)Abraham as foreigner had no settlement rights,but he had faith to ask Hittite leaders and to pay generously for land,he knew his time left was short& his reward was later. B)We need to believe and not hold back when having sought way ahead, but proceed in trust, doing what we can &being generous out of thanks that we will be provided for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Jerry Posted April 16, 2013 Report Share Posted April 16, 2013 I don’t see that Abraham’s faith in God’s promises is diminished because he had to pay dearly for this small property. We don’t know how God is going to fulfill his promises but this must have been one of the ways. He had given Abraham the ability to pay this enormous price. This tells us that we never know how God is going to do the things that he does. So just because it isn’t the way we would have done it, it is still God providing the means to do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig Posted December 28, 2013 Report Share Posted December 28, 2013 Abraham buys a family burial plot in order to bury Sarah and later himself, in the land that has been promised to him by God. He believes that God is going to provide the land to his descendants as promised and he is buying a family burial plot in advance.  So in a sense he will be in that promised land.  Abraham's faith is such that he believes and trusts God's promises to him to the point where he can assuredly buy the burial plot knowing that his descendants will some day own the land that the plot resides in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lighthouse2014 Posted May 6, 2016 Report Share Posted May 6, 2016 Q2 (23:3-20) What is the significance of Abraham's faith in God's promises at the same time as he pays dearly for this small property? What does this tell us about faith? Abraham's faith is knowing that God has promised him the land where is to bury Sarah, but he pays the price for both because he has not yet inherited them. He is not in possession of the promised land and does not know when God's promise will come, so he must purchase the parcel of land. Abraham knows God has promised him the land of the Canaanites and Hittites, by faith he knows his heirs will posses it in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosesam Posted October 24, 2019 Report Share Posted October 24, 2019 Q2 (23:3-20) What is the significance of Abraham's faith in God's promises at the same time as he pays dearly for this small property? What does this tell us about faith? Abraham had remained a wanderer right in the middle of his own property given to him by God Himself, without buying any piece of property. But he needed to buy a burial place he can rightfully call his own. Moreover, a proper burial was an important sign of respect. He didn’t want to take Sarah’s body back to Mesopotamia, for he knew that this was his property to be inherited by his later generations. So in order to buy a burial property, he goes to the elders of the city, follows their traditions and culture for obtaining the land, but never tries to negotiate to improvise his position. A huge price, probably ten times more than the prevailing rate, is asked for a small piece of property and Abraham could not indefinitely postpone the decision of the purchase of the land as it is a burial ground for his wife. Abraham pays the asked price immediately in the midst of the city elders. By doing this he makes clear to everyone that he is not dependent on a good deal to come negotiating with them, nor does he intend to place himself in a position where anyone can say they did Abraham a favor. Now he has a place in the land, but only as much as is sufficient for a burial ground. He never buys more land, because he was content to wait till it was given to him by the Lord as promised by Him. By burying his wife in Canaan and not taking her back to the place of his ancestors, he was establishing once for all that his family will call Canaan home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godswriter Posted February 17, 2020 Report Share Posted February 17, 2020 Q2 (23:3-20) What is the significance of Abraham's faith in God's promises at the same time as he pays dearly for this small property? What does this tell us about faith? It means that Abraham knew that God would provide for him and his descendants in the long term. It means that we must be willing to trust God even when it is hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irmela Posted April 21, 2021 Report Share Posted April 21, 2021 The land had been promised to Abraham as an eventual inheritance to his posterity. If Abraham accepted the property as a gift, upon his death it would go back to the title holder. Upon purchasing the land, that was the first step towards acquiring the land promised to him. So he bought it with the full understanding or acceptance in his mind that more land was to follow. That was faith. He was 'seeing' the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krissi Posted May 28, 2022 Report Share Posted May 28, 2022 What is the significance of Abraham's faith in God's promises at the same time as he pays dearly for this small property? What does this tell us about faith? I'm trying to wrap my head around this story. God had told Abraham the land was his --that's part of the promise. But on it were "squatters," people who thought they owned the land God had given Abraham, but in God's reality, the land was not theirs. Abraham was stuck between two realities -- God's reality of the land being his own, and what the human beings on earth thought was real. What's interesting, at least to me, is that he deferred to human reality. As far as we know, he didn't tell anyone that the land was his, but bought it. He acted as if it was not his land and allowed some shyster to defraud him out of money so he could appear, before other men, to have obeyed and deferred to their laws. In essence, he paid to be put above their future claims on that wee bit of property, the field and the cave. I'm not sure he cared about the money. He was old and wealthy. What mattered to him was that he had an indisputable claim to the property in the minds of other people. Perhaps he was trying to avoid future war that would be instigated by his distant relatives who could have felt they had to protect and honor his burial place if it was not legally his. Until God "really" gave him the land, his claim to it wasn't acknowledged by any human authority except the cave and field. This reminds me of the yet ... not yet-ness of the coming of the Kingdom of God. It's here ... but it's not. The two realities are in tension. We live in one and secretly relish and claim the other. The visible may trump the invisible, in our lives, but not forever, thus, it's here but not here, yet but not yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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