Bible Text: Genesis 23-25 | Pastor: Eric Danielson | Series: Abraham

What kind of legacy will you leave behind? Will it be a legacy of faith? This isn’t just something to think about near the end of your life, because people will remember you for the way you live your life today. What will they remember about you? What kind of legacy will you leave?

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Leaving a Legacy of Faith
Genesis 23-25

This morning we are going to wrap up our sermon series on the life of Abraham by looking at three major things he did to prepare for the end of his life. Abraham didn’t go to the grave as if everything was coming to an end; he went to the grave preparing for things that were yet to come. He wanted to have a major influence on his descendants even after he died. He wanted to leave a legacy of faith and today we’re going to see how he did that.

Someday, unless the Lord returns first, we are all going to pass from this life, and when we do we are going to leave a legacy of some kind. We are going to leave memories in people’s minds of the kind of person we were – it’s the things that people will talk about when we’re gone. The question I want to ask you this morning is: What kind of legacy will you leave behind? What will people say about you when you’re gone? Will you leave behind a legacy of faith?

As people of faith, who believe in eternal life and that people are in need of salvation, we each have the responsibility to do so. God has called us to do our part to let our light shine to show the next generation the way of salvation through Jesus Christ. We can do that while we’re living, but we can also do that after we’re gone by leaving behind a legacy of faith. And this doesn’t begin when we’re near the end of our lives; it begins today. People are going to remember you for what you do now – the kind of life that you lead today, the decisions that you make; how you use your time and your money. So it isn’t too early to begin to think about these things and even to take actions that will change the direction of your future.

This morning we are going to look at the things that Abraham did to leave a legacy of faith and learn from the pattern of his life. We have three chapters left in the book of Genesis that cover the last part of Abraham’s life and each chapter contains one major way that he prepared to leave a legacy of faith.

The first is in chapter 23. When we left off last week, Abraham had just taken his son Isaac to Moriah to offer him to the Lord and Abraham was probably about 115 years old at that time –that sounds old, but he lived to be 175, so he still had a lot of years left. Nothing is written about the next 20-25 years of his life, but apparently he had moved back to Hebron during that time and he and Sarah had watched Isaac grow up. Then, when Abraham was 137, something major happened.

Read Genesis 23.
Sarah lived 127 years; these were the years of the life of Sarah. 2 And Sarah died at Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. 3 And Abraham rose up from before his dead and said to the Hittites, 4 “I am a sojourner and foreigner among you; give me property among you for a burying place, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.” 5 The Hittites answered Abraham, 6 “Hear us, my lord; you are a prince of God among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will withhold from you his tomb to hinder you from burying your dead.” 7 Abraham rose and bowed to the Hittites, the people of the land. 8 And he said to them, “If you are willing that I should bury my dead out of my sight, hear me and entreat for me Ephron the son of Zohar, 9 that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he owns; it is at the end of his field. For the full price let him give it to me in your presence as property for a burying place.”
10 Now Ephron was sitting among the Hittites, and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the Hittites, of all who went in at the gate of his city, 11 “No, my lord, hear me: I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. In the sight of the sons of my people I give it to you. Bury your dead.” 12 Then Abraham bowed down before the people of the land. 13 And he said to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, “But if you will, hear me: I give the price of the field. Accept it from me, that I may bury my dead there.” 14 Ephron answered Abraham, 15 “My lord, listen to me: a piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver, what is that between you and me? Bury your dead.” 16 Abraham listened to Ephron, and Abraham weighed out for Ephron the silver that he had named in the hearing of the Hittites, four hundred shekels of silver, according to the weights current among the merchants.
17 So the field of Ephron in Machpelah, which was to the east of Mamre, the field with the cave that was in it and all the trees that were in the field, throughout its whole area, was made over 18 to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the Hittites, before all who went in at the gate of his city. 19 After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah east of Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. 20 The field and the cave that is in it were made over to Abraham as property for a burying place by the Hittites.

So Sarah died and after mourning for her Abraham went east a few miles to talk to the Hittites about some land where he could bury her. It’s interesting to me that Abraham didn’t bury her in one of the many unoccupied caves in the area, nor did he bury her in one of the choicest tombs of the Hittites that they offered. Either option would have met his immediate need and would have been free. He chose to buy a piece of property for her burial instead. And that piece of property came at a very high price. Scholars note that 400 shekels of silver was a highly exorbitant price for that piece of land, but Abraham was willing to pay it. Why would he do that? Why spend a bunch of money to buy a field when he could have buried her for free?

It’s because he wasn’t just burying his wife; he was preparing to leave a legacy of faith for future generations. In verse 4 he refers to himself as a “sojourner and foreigner” among them. That’s the way the Hittites and Canaanites viewed him. They were the native people; the land belonged to them. But in Abraham’s mind it was completely different. God had called him to that land and promised him that one day all the land of Canaan would belong to his descendants – as far as he could see.

Believing that to be true, he knew he what he had to do when Sarah died… The NIV Study Bible notes that in that culture, people had a strong desire to be buried “with their fathers” in their native land. Where would that be for Abraham and Sarah and their descendants? Would it be back in Mesopotamia where they had come from? No. That was no longer their native land. God had called them to the Promised Land. So Abraham had to purchase burial grounds in the land of Canaan, so that future generations would see that Canaan was their native land according to the promises of God where they too would be buried with their fathers. The decision to buy that land was like an anchor that would keep Abraham’s descendant anchored to the land. But more importantly than that, it represented Abraham’s faith in the promises of God. By buying it he was demonstrating his unswerving faith that God would fulfill his promises through his descendants after he died. Abraham’s offspring would know that he bought that cave because he believed in the promises of God.

He invested in something that would point future generations to his faith and to the promises of God. And as we learn from his life, I think it is important for us to do the same thing as well. Abraham could have done a lot of things with that money. He had immediate needs for cattle and livestock, and all kinds of material things. And he didn’t have to buy that cave to meet an immediate need. But he willingly chose to invest a lot of money into something that would point people to God. I think most of us are in the same position today – so many things to spend our money on; so many needs. Why invest significant money in the kingdom of God when there are always more bills to pay? Because it’s not just about meeting our immediate needs and wants; it’s about making an influence for God’s kingdom both now and for generations to come. If you are not in the practice of giving generously to the work of God’s kingdom, I encourage you to prayerfully take that step of faith and step into the joy of giving to ministry. Not only will that investment yield immediate fruit in the ministries you give to, but you will be leaving a legacy of faith for your children and grandchildren and others to see. People know what’s most important to us by how we spend our money. What will your spending point people to – only the things of this world? Or will it point people to God? What kind of legacy will you leave?

The second way that Abraham prepared to leave a legacy of faith is in Genesis 24. About 3 years after Sarah died, Isaac was about 40 years old, and Abraham decided it was time to arrange for his son’s marriage. I imagine that he began to think about what would happen to Isaac if he wasn’t married when he died? Who would he marry? What made the most sense from a human perspective is that he would marry one of the daughters of the Canaanite kings or rulers. They were neighbors and through an arranged marriage they would form a strong alliance for prosperity and protection. But that’s exactly what Abraham did not want to happen.

Read Genesis 24:1-9.
Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years. And the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things. 2 And Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh, 3 that I may make you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell, 4 but will go to my country and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son Isaac.” 5 The servant said to him, “Perhaps the woman may not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I then take your son back to the land from which you came?” 6 Abraham said to him, “See to it that you do not take my son back there. 7 The LORD, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my kindred, and who spoke to me and swore to me, ‘To your offspring I will give this land,’ he will send his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there. 8 But if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be free from this oath of mine; only you must not take my son back there.” 9 So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master and swore to him concerning this matter.

Why did Abraham forbid his servant from finding a wife for Isaac among the Canaanites or taking him back to Mesopotamia? Again that seems to make the most sense and would meet the immediate need – why wouldn’t he allow him to do those things? It’s because he wasn’t just trying to find a wife for Isaac; he was preparing to leave a legacy of faith for future generations. Abraham had entered into a covenant with God and the terms of that covenant were summarized in Genesis 17:7-8: “And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. 8 And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.”

So according to the terms of the covenant, God would give them all the land of Canaan as an everlasting possession and he would be their God. But if Isaac married a Canaanite woman or moved back to Mesopotamia that would all be ruined. The Canaanite people worshipped false gods and did all kinds of wicked and immoral practices. If Isaac married into one of their families it would only be a matter of time before he and his children would begin doing the same things. It happened all the time later on in Israel’s future. They would turn away from God to worship idols. And if Isaac found a wife back in Mesopotamia and ended up moving back there, the covenant would be broken as well – the land of Canaan was to be their everlasting possession. So Abraham made careful preparations through the arrangement of Isaac’s marriage to protect the covenant and the faith of his people for future generations. He preserved the faith by taking a stand for what he believed. He refused to make compromises in the midst of a wicked and immoral culture and refused to take the easy road. He demonstrated strong resolve and perseverance in following the truth.

I think we face the same pressures and temptations today in our culture. We are tempted to make compromises in the faith to become like the people around us and to leave the way of faith behind in order to take the easy road. Living the Christian life is not easy and will probably become increasingly difficult. And Christians seem to be making compromises left and right. What effect is this going to have on future generations? We already see that effect happening today – the erosion of the faith and biblical morality. We are now a post-Christian culture. But that doesn’t have to happen in your family. One of the ways you can leave a legacy of faith is to take a stand for what you believe and refuse to make compromises or take the easy road out. That will make an influence in people’s lives today, but it will also make an influence for generations to come. We have the responsibility to pass on the faith to the next generation and to do our part to keep our children and grandchildren from going astray. What are you teaching your children and grandchildren today by the way you live your life? What will they see about your lifestyle when you’re gone? What kind of legacy will you leave?

The final way Abraham prepared to leave a legacy of faith before he died is in chapter 25. Abraham’s servant had a successful journey and the Lord provided a wife for Isaac from Abraham’s brother’s house – a young woman named Rebekah who returned to Canaan to become Isaac’s wife. With Isaac married, Abraham, who had been a widower for several years took another wife, which we read about next.

Read Genesis 25:1-10.
Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah. 2 She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. 3 Jokshan fathered Sheba and Dedan. The sons of Dedan were Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim. 4 The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah. 5 Abraham gave all he had to Isaac. 6 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.
7 These are the days of the years of Abraham’s life, 175 years. 8 Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people. 9 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, 10 the field that Abraham purchased from the Hittites. There Abraham was buried, with Sarah his wife.

So this is the final story of Abraham that few people take notice of, but it involves that last 35 years of his life and most of his children, so it’s a pretty big deal. Abraham took another wife and had 6 sons with her. These were all under the age of 35 when he died. These sons would have been very important to Abraham and I’m sure he loved them very much. He was a very rich man and you’d think that when he died, he’d leave part of his inheritance to each of them – there was plenty to go around. And these sons could have formed a powerful alliance with Isaac for greater protection and prosperity after Abraham died. But before he died, he sent each of them far away from Isaac to the east. And he didn’t divide up the inheritance between them, he gave them gifts and sent them on their way. He left his entire inheritance to Isaac who remained alone in the land of Canaan. Why would he do that?

It’s because it wasn’t just about blessing his sons; it was about leaving a legacy of faith… God had told Abraham that he would carry on his covenant with Isaac as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him (Gen. 17:19). That was God’s sovereign choice – the covenant was to be carried on through Isaac – the child of promise and the only child born of Sarah. That didn’t mean Abraham couldn’t get remarried or have other children after Sarah died; but it did mean they wouldn’t be part of the covenant. Abraham knew this when he married Keturah and started having kids. Even though he loved them and they were important to him, he knew they could not share in his inheritance and he knew that it was his responsibility to make sure they wouldn’t interfere with Isaac after he was gone. So, he gave each of them gifts, which I’m sure were very substantial, and he sent them away from Isaac. Protecting Isaac’s inheritance and the covenant was most important so he didn’t allow other important things to interfere.

Part of leaving a legacy of faith is protecting what’s most important by not allowing other important things to push it aside. What’s most important in our lives and families is our relationship with God. And there are a whole bunch of other really important things that try to get in the way. All kinds of things are screaming for our attention and we have to decide if we are going to let them. What will people say is the most important thing in your life? You can say that it’s your relationship with God, but how you actually live your life will tell the real story. Do you say no to other things in order to protect the time and attention you need to devote to worship and your relationship with the Lord? It’s ok to be involved in other important things – just like Abraham was. But in order to leave a legacy of faith we have to be willing to say no to what’s important to protect what’s most important. Do you still have time to read the Bible to your kids and pray? Do you still take time to take your family to church? Are these things the highest priorities in your life or do they keep getting pushed aside by other important things? What kind of legacy will you leave?

The way that Abraham prepared for the end of his life is the way that I hope and pray that each of us will live today. Because how we live today will have an influence even after we’re gone. We have the responsibility to leave behind a legacy of faith so that God can use our example to point people to Jesus and the truth of the gospel.

One man in my life who left behind a legacy of faith is my Grandpa Don. Grandpa died 9 years ago, but his life is still having an impact on his children and grandchildren today. On the day that he died I took some time to write some things down about the legacy he left in my life and I’d like to close the service this morning by having Sophia read what I wrote. My prayer is that as we hear about his example in my life, each of us will take seriously this call to leave behind a legacy of faith.

“Grandpa Don’s Legacy In My Life.”

My Grandpa Don passed away on August 6, 2009, and in his dying moments, these thoughts came to mind about his life and the legacy he has left in my life.

My first memories of Grandpa Don were the nights when I got to stay overnight with he and Grandma at their house. I remember the fried eggs and bacon and hunting for squirrels behind the house. I remember exploring in the barn and old buildings and fishing and swimming in Swenson Lake. I remember picking rocks and riding in the tractor. I remember duck hunting, pheasant hunting, and deer hunting. Grandpa Don cared about me and about all of his grandkids. He cared enough to spend time doing what we wanted to do. He cared enough to spend time teaching us things about life and about Jesus. I remember sitting in the dining room asking Grandpa questions about everything I could think of and I was amazed that he knew everything! He was the smartest man I knew. How many 60-65 year old men would sit and engage in conversation with a 6 year old?

When I got older, the overnighters stopped, but the memories didn’t. I remember going to Grandpa Don’s to go hunting and then sitting at the kitchen table with Grandpa, Grandma and Carol drinking coffee, eating some kind of snack and catching up on the latest news. Grandpa, Grandma and Carol always wanted to know what was going on in my life. I remember some of the work projects around the farm like painting the house, painting the garage, mowing the lawn, tearing down the barn, and tearing down the old shed with the mysterious well underneath. I remember holiday meals at their home – there was nothing quite like a Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter meal at Grandpa Don’s. I remember going on a fishing trip to Canada that was well over a week long and spending precious time with Grandpa in the fishing boat.

Grandpa Don was there when I graduated high school, he was there when I got married, he was there when I was ordained into the ministry. His love for the scriptures and especially not forgetting the Old Testament was an awesome example for me. In the last several years I cherished conversations with him about the scriptures and about ministry. I loved sitting and talking with him about the Lord.

In the past year, I could see Grandpa getting old. His body was just breaking down. I’ve wondered how I would react to a loved one dying as Grandpa is the closest relative or friend that I’ve had to say goodbye to. With Grandpa, I feel joy mixed with sorrow. I have tremendous joy because I know without a doubt that Grandpa belonged to Jesus. He was one of His. I know that Grandpa Don has experienced much gain in death because for him to live was Christ and his death has brought him face to face with the one who Grandpa wanted the most. Grandpa’s suffering is over and his joy is monumental and for that I rejoice. But I also feel deep sorrow for the temporary loss of fellowship with one who is so dear to me. Because Grandpa Don belonged to Jesus and was being formed into the likeness of Jesus, he was an amazing man and an amazing Grandpa and I will miss him. I wish my own children could have known him like I did, and by the grace of God, someday they will.

In his last days when I asked him what he desired most, he made no mention of anything about himself, but rather he asked that we would pray for all those in the family, as he would no longer be able to. Grandpa Don prayed everyday for each family member by name. My Grandpa was passionate about many things, but if I was to say what I thought he was most passionate about, it is clear from what I’ve seen that his greatest passion was to see everyone in his family come to know, trust, and live for Jesus who was so precious to him.

Grandpa Don loved Jesus more than anything else in life and as I think back over the years and all the memories I have of Grandpa I can always see his love for Christ and his desire to do whatever he could to make Christ known to those around him, especially his family. He was not passive in this. He intentionally would do things and speak of things that would cause people to consider Jesus. He was not quiet about his Savior, nor was he harsh. Speaking of Jesus was very natural for him because his love for Christ was so great. Doing things to imitate Jesus was common because he was a man captivated by his Lord. You could not know Grandpa Don without knowing something of his Savior.

My last memory of Grandpa Don was speaking to him over the phone on the Monday (August 3) before he died. He was too weak to talk much so I read Psalm 46 and Philippians 1:1-2:11 to him and prayed over the phone. It is what he wanted and is a precious memory for me and for me it captures forever in my mind the essence of what Grandpa Don’s life was all about – living to know Jesus and make him known.