Death & the Promise of God-Gen. 25
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Death & the Promise of God- Gen. 25
Death & the Promise of God- Gen. 25
We covered the topic of death a few weeks ago when we examined Genesis chapter 23 and discussed the death of Abraham’s wife, Sarah. In that chapter, and other passages of Scripture, we noted the reason for death, our responsibility in death, and the right response to death (that is, the Christian response or biblical response).
In this chapter, we take up the subject of death again, and this time it is the aged patriarch who has meet with the great equalizer. Rather than looking at death from a Christian’s perspective, we are going to switch our location and look at it, as much as we possibly can, from God’s perspective. That is, we are going to look at it from the perspective of God’s promise to Abraham.
It is an Abrahamic perspective, if we could phrase it like that, when we consider Hebrews 11:8-19. Notice the several instances of promise. Abraham lived his life built on the promise of God. We too, can engage with death while standing on the promise of God. Or, I would argue, we cannot face death in a way that glorifies God and results in our good unless we stand on the promise of God.
Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 1.
I. Death Afflicts Us All- 25:1-18
I. Death Afflicts Us All- 25:1-18
Death has been called the great equalizer, and rightly so. It does not matter how much money you have, how powerful physically or mentally you are, or anything. Death comes upon the rich and poor, the wise and foolish, the happy and sad, the big and small, and we could go on ad infinitum.
We notice that this view of death comes from the Word of God. God pronounced, as we noted two chapters ago, death as the result of Adam’s choice to disobey his God. Romans 5:12 “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—”
Death afflicts us all. Unfortunately, a form of prosperity gospelism has made its way into evangelical churches. Its the idea that as long as I do what God says (and these are always limited to outward manifestations, such as church attendance, giving money, etc.). We see this when sickness or death comes into our lives. We immediately wonder, “Why is God doing this!? I am doing the right things!”
And especially when it comes to death we wonder why God would allow a loved one to pass away (regardless of the age). But brothers and sisters, death afflicts all of us.
A. Death Afflicts God’s People- 25:1-11
A. Death Afflicts God’s People- 25:1-11
Abraham is God’s friend (James 2:23), and after the death of his wife Sarah he remarries a lady named Keturah. She is only mentioned again in Scripture in 1 Chronicles 1:32 in the genealogy. He had more children (a point we will consider more in a moment).
Our focus is on 7-11 where the aged patriarch dies. God had given Abraham some incredible promises in Genesis 12:1-3. God had fulfilled some of those promises, yet Abraham died “not having received the things promised.” Death afflicts God’s people.
We could spend hours upon hours retelling the death of God’s people within biblical and redemptive history. Books like Eusebius’s Church History or Foxe’s Book of Martyrs recount the death of many of God’s people. One example, a brother named Dorotheus, has this written about him,
When [Peter] refused [to sacrifice to a false god], he was hoisted up naked and lashed with whips until he should give in. Since even this failed to bend him, they mixed salt with vinegar and poured it over the lacerations of his body where the bones were already protruding. When he scored these agonies too, a lit brazier was applied, and the rest of his body was roasted by the fire as if meat for eating—not all at once, lest he find too quick a release, but little but little. Still he clung immovably to his purpose and expired triumphantly in the middle of his tortures.”
Death, sometimes terrible death, afflicts God’s people. How do we respond? We cannot be like the world, for we have Christ as our Savior. We know that death afflicts us all, including God’s people. We will address the encouraging part of this momentarily. But notice that...
B. Death Afflicts the Unsaved- 25:12-18
B. Death Afflicts the Unsaved- 25:12-18
For genealogical purposes, Moses includes the names of Abraham’s other children, not the promised line, and presents their heritage. While that is vital for the people of Moses’s life and for the ancient near east generally speaking, for our purposes we simply not that death afflicts the unsaved as well. Again, although we mentioned this in our coverage of chapter 23, death presents wonderful opportunities to present the gospel. When people mourn their loved ones, we can offer them the hope of eternal life through Jesus Christ
Although death afflicts both believers and unbelievers, we can learn important lessons and live life in light of death. One of the ways we can do that, as depicted here in our chapter, is to remember that Death Cannot Stop God’s Promise.
II. Death Cannot Stop God’s Promise- 25:19-28
II. Death Cannot Stop God’s Promise- 25:19-28
One of my most precious possessions is my Maw Maw’s Bible. She died right before we candidated her in November 2019 after a several year bout with Alzheimer’s. I asked my mom if I could have one of her Bibles and she gave me one. As I flipped through the pages, I found an old cross -stitched cross book mark and a page from a devotional (Open Windows, I believe). The devotion for that day (December 12) was titled “My Redeemer Liveth,” and it was based on Job 19:25. When she died we were all very sad, and I still miss her to this day. But I know, beyond a shadow of doubt, that she is alive, never to die again.
Why? Because Jesus is the resurrection and the life (John 11:25). That is, because of God’s promise. Notice the line of Abraham continues in 10–34. Isaac, his son, his precious and promised son, lived. Like his father, Isaac and his wife Rebekah could not conceive. And I love what happens, he prays and the Lord answers. Rebekah also prays and the Lord answers her as well.
This is a complete change from his parents’ approach! We won’t revisit that, but just remember Abraham’s failure to go to God and remember that long-standing consequences of that decision. God promised Abraham that He would bless Him and that through Abraham all the nations of the earth would be blessed. This was carried out through the line of Abraham until the coming of Messiah Jesus.
We can rest on the promises of God, refusing to let death discourage us beyond hope. Rely on 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. God will return, we do have hope, and though death is the great equalizer, God is the author of Life. Death cannot stop Him who is almighty.
Hunter: Nimrod
Shepherd: Abel
III. Death and the Lesson of this Life- 25:29-34
III. Death and the Lesson of this Life- 25:29-34
We notice in verse 28 that the parents, though certainly more in-tune (at least initially) than their parents, still had shortcomings. Isaac was driven by his stomach and Rebekah by her younger son. Now we see the fruits of their labors represented in the two boys, Esau and Jacob.
I was also curious why it was such a big deal for Esau to despise his birthright until I was taught about the unity of Scripture. It was not just a status of honor within the family, nor was it just the way a son inherited his father’s wealth. No, it was much more than that: it was the privilege of position in God’s plan of redemption. Notice that it is through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, not Esau. Although Abraham did not have the knowledge of redemptive history that we do, it is nonetheless true that Abraham looked to the future, to the heavenly city, to redemption.
It is this place within redemptive history, that tool that God would use to bring about the Messiah’s coming, that Esau despised. As C. H. Mackintosh once wrote,
“The natural heart places no value on the things of God. To it, God’s promise is a vague, valueless, powerless thing, simply because God is not known.”—C. H. Mackintosh
One of the good things about death is that it points us beyond this life. If we are not careful, we can become earthlings, or worldlings (C.S. Lewis). That is why we must follow Paul’s admonition in Colossians 3:2 “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” Learn from the valuable lesson of death, that there is much more than this life, that stew, football, or anything else bound to this world.