I like questions. I like asking questions, I like being asked questions, generally questions are a great way to learn things and to reflect on things that we have learned. But one question in particular I quite enjoy asking and being asked is the desert island question. You know the one I’m referring to right? This is the question that goes something like this, “If you were stranded on a desert island and you were allowed to have five things with you, what would those five things be?” How people answered this question tells you quite a lot about them and what they value and what their life revolves around.
So let’s play a little game shall we? Say I phrase the desert island question like this, “Say you were stranded on a desert island and you were allowed to only bring five sections of the Bible with you, which five portions of Scripture would you bring?” How would you answer this question? Perhaps you can already think of certain passages that you would want with you on the desert island. If I could not have or was not allowed to have the whole Bible, I imagine that I would ask for all of the Gospel of John, all of Romans, and all of the Psalms. And then I can imagine desiring to have certain portions of larger books like Jeremiah, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Deuteronomy, and Genesis. And speaking of Genesis I can guarantee you that one of the five portions of scripture that I would select to have on the desert island with me would be the entire Abrahamic narrative of Genesis 12 to 25. Why would I choose this portion? Simply put, in this section so much of the character of God and His covenant with His people is in view here, that I don’t think I could live without it.
I begin like this today, giving you this hypothetical desert island question because today we come to the end of the Abrahamic narrative. Today we see the death of Abraham. And so, it’s fitting for us to not only today reflect on this text here before us, but to reflect on all of the Abrahamic narrative that we have spent the past many months working through, in an effort to once again see some of the glory and the beauty and the wonder of what God gives us in this section of Scripture.
So that’s what we’ll do today, we’ll spend half our time diving into 25:1-18, and half our time reflecting on the entire Abrahamic story we have now concluded with.
The Sons of Abraham (v1-6)
“Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah. She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. Jokshan fathered Sheba and Dedan. The sons of Dedan were Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim. The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah. Abraham gave all he had to Isaac. But to the sons of his concubines Abraham gave gifts, and while he was still living he sent them away from his son Isaac, eastward to the east country.”
As v1 begins we see Abraham taking another wife named Keturah. This is an unusual thing to read as chapter 25 begins for many reasons. So much of Abraham’s story is taken up children. With he and his wife Sarah being unable to have children, of their attempt to have the promised son by their own means through their servant Hagar, and of their joy when they finally conceive on their own and give birth to Isaac, the child of promise. Yet here at the beginning of chapter 25, after the death of Sarah in chapter 23 we read here of Abraham taking another wife and having no trouble having more children, many more children.[1] Because of the seemingly strange placement of this detail, many people think that this section in chapter 25 is not in chronological order. Meaning, that these events we read of here happened earlier on before the death of Sarah. That is a possibility, there are other instances of events in Genesis being recorded out of chronological order, having more of a theological emphasis in their placement. Is that the case here? Perhaps. It might be the case that this is placed here to emphasize the role of Isaac and the torch being passed, that could be happening.[2] But it also could very well be chronological in nature. There is no issue in believing that after the death of Sarah and the birth of the promised son that God rejuvenated the body of Abraham allowing him to sire many more children in his old age.
Whatever the case may be, whether this is chronological in its ordering or not, the point of this initial section in v1-6 is found in v5, “Abraham gave all he had to Isaac.” Abraham did indeed have many sons, as these verses display, and these many sons would come to populate the nations surrounding Canaan from here on out.[3] But do not miss the prominence of the son of promise, Isaac, receiving all of Abraham’s possessions while the other sons simply receive gifts and are sent away out of the promised land to the east. Which, by the way, is an important little detail to notice, that the other sons of Abraham are sent off “eastward to the east country.” It is never a good thing in Genesis to go off to the east. This is the direction Adam and Eve were sent out in after God removed them from the garden, they were sent off to the east. And everyone else who goes off to the east in these early chapters of Genesis moves in a disobedient direction. So to see these other sons of Abraham be sent off to the east is to remind us of the prominence of Isaac. He does not go off to the east but stays here in the land of promise. The stage is now set for Isaac to takeover for Abraham as the new patriarch.
The Death of Abraham (v7-11)
“These are the days of the years of Abraham’s life, 175 years. Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people. Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, east of Mamre, the field that Abraham purchased from the Hittites. There Abraham was buried, with Sarah his wife. After the death of Abraham, God blessed Isaac his son. And Isaac settled at Beer-lahai-roi.”
Many would say that though they do not fear death and passing into glory, they do fear the dying process. Of what that will look like for them, as the body begins to fail and begins to shut down. And yet here as we look at Abraham’s death, it seems that it could not have been more peaceful. It is a death that any of us would truly desire to have. See how it’s described in v7. 175 years old, died in a good old age, full of years, and was gathered to his people. He was 75 years old when God called him out to go to a land he did not know, and here we see he spent 100 years in and around the promised land. This is indeed a full life that has enjoyed an abundant quality as well as abundant quantity.[4] We then see that his sons Isaac and Ishmael (notice who’s mentioned first despite their ages, to once again make much of the promised son) are reunited here as they come together to lay their father to rest in the cave of Machpelah where Sarah was buried, just as later on Jacob and Esau will be reunited together to bury their father. And notice, once again, in v11 who God is now blessing. After the death of Abraham we see here that God is now blessing Isaac, which means that the promise will now continue on through him.[5]
The Death of Ishmael (v12-18)
“These are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s servant, bore to Abraham. These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, named in the order of their birth: Nebaioth, the firstborn of Ishmael; and Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. These are the sons of Ishmael and these are their names, by their villages and by their encampments, twelve princes according to their tribes. (These are the years of the life of Ishmael: 137 years. He breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people.) They settled from Havilah to Shur, which is opposite Egypt in the direction of Assyria. He settled over against all his kinsmen.”
As we saw earlier on in the passage the death of Abraham, we now see as the passage closes the death of Ishmael. His very existence is tied a sinful episode when Abraham and Sarah attempted to bring about the child of promise in their own power, their own way, in their own time, and so from a plan they concocted Ishmael is born. And after that moment where, with God’s approval, Abraham sends Hagar and Ishmael away we see that not only the God took care of Ishmael but gave Ishmael many of his own sons. They’re all listed here and then we see that Ishmael himself died at the old age of 137 years old. Notice how the paragraph concludes, in v18, with the mention of Ishmael settling over against all his kinsmen. That it ends this way reminds us of the blessing and the curse that Ishmael experienced.[6] As a son of Abraham Ishmael was physically blessed by being of that household and under that roof for a time. But spiritually speaking Ishmael stands apart from the Abrahamic promise and the blessings of the covenant that go along with it, those belong to Isaac. Which is why v18 ends the way it does. With a direct quotation from 16:12 about how Ishmael will be a wild donkey of a man whose hand is against everyone, while he dwells over against all his kin. This would not only prove true for Ishmael but for all of his descendants as well.[7]
But Ishmael’s story does not end on a negative note. As we read of his own descendants we’re reminded that God truly did fulfill his promises to Ishmael. Back in chapter 16 He promised that He would bless Ishmael and make him into a great nation, and these verses are evidence that God kept that promise. So church, if God kept His promises to Ishmael, a son who’s not of the promise, how much more will God keep His word to Isaac, the very son of promise! Thus, while this passage ends with how God cared even for Ishmael, we are eager to see how God will be faithful to Isaac in the chapters to come.[8]
Conclusion:
How do we do justice to a life like Abraham’s, such a giant in his own generation?[9] Well we read earlier in v8 that he was a man who died in a good old age, old and full of years. It is fitting to finish out today’s message with a look back, on the biggest lessons we learn from Abraham’s life. I’ve chosen four of them.
Faith
Abraham the man of faith. Faith is indeed one of the main threads to pull throughout Abraham’s life. Think of how his story began when we first encountered him in Genesis 11-12. He was called out to go to a land he did not know. To go off into the unknown, trusting the Lord. This faith would then have to continue throughout the rest of his life as he encountered one challenge after another to the promises of God. He heard God promise him that he would be made into a great nation but he was old and Sarah was old. How would such promises come to pass? Romans 4 puts it well, saying that Abraham is the chief example of understanding salvation by faith alone. Romans 4 says Abraham believed in God “…who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. And hope he believed against hope that he should become the father of many nations as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about 100 years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness” (Romans 4:17-22).
In a similar way every single Christian is called to emulate the faith of Abraham, who only knew in part, and experienced in part but trusted that there was a lot more coming.
Spurgeon, M&E, 8/25 morning…
Providence
Just as faith is a monumental reality throughout the life of Abraham so too is providence. Throughout his journeys Abrahams faith was in God. Not just God in general but so often we see God described as the God who provides. This of course was one of the main lessons that Abraham had to learn as he was walking up the mountain knife in hand preparing to put his own son to death. Remember what Isaac asked Abraham as they were walking up the mountain? In chapter 22 Isaac turned to Abraham and asked, “Father, I see the wood I see the fire, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Do you remember Abraham’s answer? He looked at his son and he said “The Lord will provide…” That word provide is not just provide as in give what is necessary for the moment, but this word literally means to see to. So another way we could translate Abraham’s answer to Isaac as they’re traveling up the mountain is this, he looked at his son and he said “The Lord will see to our needs.” And see to them He did!
As we learned in our brief discussion of faith that God is a God who can be trusted, here in this brief mention of providence we learned that God is a God who takes care of his people. When we do not understand, when we do not see, when we do not know how things are going to work out, how our needs are going to be met, God stands forth in Abraham’s life as the God who understands, the God who sees, and the God who not only knows how things are going to work out, but the God who’s going to meet all the needs of all His people for all time.
Covenant
Dare I say this is the biggest thing we see in Abraham’s life that God is a God of covenant, and in covenant god is a god who is faithful to His people. We said it long ago but perhaps you remember the distinction we made when we first got to Genesis 12 about the nature of covenant, that God gave a command to Adam in the garden, that God gave a command to Noah after the flood, and yet here as we transition from Adam to Noah to Abraham we do not see Abraham receive a command, we see Abraham receive a promise. In other words, Abraham is not told what he ought to do in order to become a great nation, Abraham is told what God will do to make him a great nation. Of course, Abraham then shows himself to be what we’ve already said, the chief example of faith in the God who makes great covenant promises. And that through faith he enters into all the blessings of the covenant promises.
And then, wonder upon wonder we came to Genesis 15 where God confirms to Abraham the covenant that He has made through a mysterious ceremony. Remember it? God has Abraham take a certain number of animals cut them in half and put the animal parts over against each other in a row making a kind of pass through bloody severed animals. This is very strange for us today and at a great distance from us today, but this was very common in their day when two parties were going to enter into a binding agreement. They would take these animal parts and walk through them together in effect saying to one another ‘If I don’t keep my end of the bargain let what happened to these animals happen to me.’ So God has this scene set up with Abraham and he then causes a deep sleep to come upon Abraham and in that state Abraham has a vision. And in this vision he sees God alone walking through the animal parts, teaching Abraham that the curses of this covenant will fall on God and God alone if this covenant is broken by either God or Abraham. Of course God will be faithful to his covenant, God is God, but Abraham will not be. And so, in the fullness of time God himself would come down to bear the curses of the covenant in behalf of his beloved people, in Christ on the cross.
Which of course brings us to our 4th and final lesson to pull out of the life of Abraham…
Christ
We see Christ all over Abraham’s life. As Abraham left his home and went out into the unknown to a land he had not been to before trusting the Lord for all things, so to the eternal Son of God in the incarnation left His home and went out into a land He had not been to before where He would have to trust His father for all things.
We see Christ as the fulfillment of the covenant ceremony in Genesis 15, as He bears the covenant curse for God’s people once for all time.
We see Christ as the great substitute, given by God for our sins as we see Isaac spared on the mountain and God provide the ram caught in the thicket to be sacrificed.
We see Christ as the fulfillment of all the covenant promises. God was faithful to His promises and made Abraham into a great nation indeed, and that in this he would be a blessing to all the world.
But as Paul teaches us in Galatians 3, the true descendant of Abraham that will bring blessing to the world is none other than Christ Himself! Christ is the descendant of Abraham! And Paul points this out and more when he says, “…you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise” (Gal. 3:26-29). So when we embrace Christ by faith, as He’s offered to us in the gospel, we enter into, and become full partakers of all the promises of God made to Abraham.
So Church, may God grant you and may you pursue faith like Abraham. May you trust the God of all providence who takes care of all the needs of His people. May you rejoice and rest easy in the God of covenant who is faithful to His people. And may you ever and always hold Christ before you, as our great covenant head, Redeemer, and friend.
[1] John D. Currid, Genesis 1:1-25:18, EP Study Commentary (Holywell, UK: Evangelical Press, 2015), 434.
[2] Bruce K. Waltke, Genesis (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Academic, 2001), 336.
[3] Gordon J. Wenham, Genesis 16-50, WBC (Waco, Texas: Zondervan, 2000), 160.
[4] Waltke, Genesis, 340.
[5] Currid, Genesis 1:1-25:18, 437.
[6] Waltke, Genesis, 344.
[7] Currid, Genesis 1:1-25:18, 439.
[8] Wenham, Genesis 16-50, 165–66.
[9] James Montgomery Boice, Genesis 12-36 (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 1985), 724.
