Genesis 23:1-20 The Death of Sarah

Even though God has blessed us with great promises, we also experience sorrow. Some contemporary Christian music convey the idea that when we trust in the Lord, all of our difficulties fade away. Living the Christian life is nothing but blue skies and sunshine.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Believers face great difficulty. They experience death. Abraham was no different.

Abraham’s wife passed away while at Hebron, and Abraham went “to mourn for Sarah and weep for her” (23:2). Abraham knew God’s great blessings and faithfully looked forward to the fulfillment of the covenant God had made with him. Even so, Abraham also experienced sadness. The death of Sarah shows us that truth.

God’s blessings do not always come free from sorrow. We experience joy and sorrow in life. Trusting in the Lord does not guarantee that sorrow will be removed from our lives.

Second, Abraham’s hope was not in this world only. The promises God had given him did not cease to exist merely because Sarah had passed away.

Similarly, when a Christian dies those of use who remain have sorrow, but we also know that there is a continuing hope beyond the grave. We have the promise of eternal life. Our hope does not rest in this world alone.

“My hope is in the Lord who gave Himself for me, and paid the price for all my sin at Calvary” - My Hope is in the Lord