FBC Morning Light – January 12, 2023

Well a good Thursday morning to you, and today we are reading in Genesis 23 24 Matthew 9 and the 9th

Psalm and Genesis in Genesis 23 and 24 there are two seemingly insignificant events that indicate a deep faith and those two events are a funeral and a wedding

Let me explain Abraham at this point in chapter 23 is 100 and let's see 137 years old

Sarah his wife dies. He's a hundred and twenty seven years old when she dies and they are

Sojourning in the land of Canaan. All right, so 137 years old. So that means

Isaac is 37 years old It's been 47 years ago

That the Lord promised Abraham again reiterated to Abraham that he was going to have a son through Sarah took ten years for that to happen and It had been many many years before that that God told

Abraham that he would inherit the entire land of Canaan that This would be his

Territory this would be his land the entire land of Canaan. All right, so we're now decades after that promise that Abraham and his descendants would have the land of Canaan that would be their possession

But here they are at the nearing the end of life. Sarah has passed away.

Sarah has died Abraham's a hundred and forty seven years old and they don't have

They don't have any of the land of Canaan. None of it. They don't possess any of it.

In fact Abraham has to negotiate with with half the

Hittite one of these Hittite men for for a burial plot for For his wife for Sarah He has no land

So he he comes to the to Heth and says to him listen

Can you please sell me the cave? that that's at the end of your field so that I can bury my wife and You know this this guy's well, man, you're a prince among us.

No, I'm not gonna sell it to you I'll give it to you and Abraham says no How much how much is it and it has says look it's it's worth 400 shekels of silver

What's that between the two of us and Abraham says okay good he weighs out for him 400 shekels of silver to buy this cave and the surrounding field so that he might have a place to bury his wife and He does so but why does he do that?

What why does he insist on burying? Sarah in this little plot of land a little plot of ground in the land of Canaan Well, because 50 60 so years ago

God told Abraham. This is your land This is your land

You're gonna own it. You're gonna take possession of it He wanted his wife's body to be buried in the land of possession the land of promised possession

At this point the only way you could get it was to buy it but in faith in Promise of God he bought this little piece of land so a funeral expresses

Abraham's confidence and faith in the ultimate promise of God in chapter 24 the the there's a wedding or Intended wedding a desired wedding that also expresses faith in the promise of God you see because Isaac's I mean, he's almost a middle -aged guy, and he doesn't have a wife

Abraham doesn't want him to marry a Canaanite woman Wants him to marry someone in his own tribal family

So he tells his oldest His trusted steward to go back to his land of his homeland back to his people and Find a bride that would be willing to leave that homeland and come all the way to Canaan To be a wife for his son

Isaac Isaac doesn't go looking for the bride, but the servant does

That's an interesting cultural thing too, but nevertheless. Let's go on with the story so The servant says okay.

I will do that But if you know If she doesn't agree should

I take your son there and and Abraham says no Absolutely not do not take my son back there.

No matter what you do Don't take my son there He says Abraham says the

Lord who took me from my father's house and my land my family who spoke to me and to my

And swore to me saying to your descendants. I give this land He will send his angel before you and you shall take a wife for my son from there

The woman isn't father isn't willing to follow you. You're released from the oath, but don't take my son back there

Why because this is the land of promise? You go and God will provide a wife.

I'm confident of that. I'm confident of that in faith I believe God will provide a wife for my son a woman who will be willing to come back here to the land of promise even though we don't own anything but a cemetery a very small one at that and God will because this is the land that God has promised to give and If you've read the chapter yet Or know the story already, you know what happens?

servant indeed goes to To Heron and he finds a wife for Isaac brings her back.

She's willing to come. She's more than willing to come Brings her back Isaac has a wife

Names Rebecca and he is going to have sons by Rebecca Jacob and Esau Jacob becomes

Israel through whom the nation is founded and And God's promise will be fulfilled

Abraham counted on that and these two again seemingly small decisions indicate behind them a

Confidence in the promise of God that it will that covenant promise of God will be fulfilled

He will give me this land. I will buy a Lot of ground to bury my dead here

I will insist that my son stay here and a bride be brought to him here why this is the land of promise that God has promised to us and What a tremendous faith

Was challenges us doesn't it challenges us to be a people of faith like faithful?

faithful Abraham And so again our father we pray today that you would encourage us to be this kind of a person a person who believes

Solidly firmly in the covenant promises that you have made to your people you have made even to us

We pray that we would be that kind of people of faith. We ask it in Jesus name and for his sake.

Amen All right. Well, listen have a good rest of your Thursday, and I trust the