Sarah's Death: Genesis 23:1-2
We walk in hope at all times. Platitudes like this are powerful yet easy to forget. Only 23 chapters into God’s Word and we already have dozens of examples of God’s ability to walk with us through life. We have great reason to walk in hope regardless of what circumstances life brings.
Sarah dies. After 127 years, her role in Abraham’s life changes. God gave her 27 years to watch Isaac grow and become a young man. She had a full life, even if the events of her life were a bit oddly timed.
Sarah’s death is given a single verse. The whole rest of the chapter is devoted to the purchase of burial land. Let that sink in for a second.
This is not a statement about Sarah’s importance. Sarah played several key roles in many of the stories of Abraham. She had her flaws, but so did Abraham. The lack of verses surrounding Sarah’s death does not give any indication about her significance.
When Sarah dies, Abraham mourns. This is a deeply intimate moment. They had been together for many decades – far more decades than a typical husband and wife of those days would have known each other. They’d experienced spiritual highs and spiritual lows together. They worried about when God would fulfill His promise together. They stressed about the decision to make an heir through Hagar together. he Bible takes Sarah’s death and Abraham’s emotional turmoil and summarizes it in a single verse.
The claim the Bible makes by putting Sarah’s death into a single verse is a deeply spiritual one. When Sarah dies, she is in God’s care. When Abraham mourns, he mourns the transition of reality not the cessation of reality. As Paul says in his letter to the Thessalonians, those who are with God do not mourn like the rest of the world. Sure, we are saddened by the change of reality. Certainly, we need time to adjust to new habits and patterns in life. We miss conversations and moments we used to share. However, those who are in God work through our grief knowing our loved ones are with God and we will be with them again.
Sarah’s death does not mark the end of her life. Sarah’s death does not mark the end of Abraham’s relationship with her. The Bible does not need to contain a huge epitaph devoted to Sarah because her existence is not over.
Sarah’s role in this part of God’s story may be done, but her existence continues. Abraham has not lost Sarah; he has merely transitioned to a time where they are apart for a while. This doesn’t mean it was easy for Abraham to make the transition. It does show, though, that death is treated differently by those who walk with God. We walk in hope at all times.
