The Bible describes death as an enemy. This is the last enemy to be defeated. Jesus defeated death when he rose again from the grave after three days. The crucifixion is not the end of the gospel. There was resurrection after it. The message of resurrection is that Jesus triumphed over death, and so all those who believe in him.
In studying the long biography of Abraham from Genesis chapter 12, it is unusual that a long chapter beginning from chapter 22 verse 20 to chapter 23 verse 20 was exclusively dedicated to record the account of his wife's death, Sarah.
After long years of living together, finally, death separated Abraham and Sarah. What would be the response of Abraham? Would he be miserable and desperate now that his wife was gone? No! We see Abraham has a different attitude in facing his wife's death. He knew that death is an unescapable reality. Except for Enoch and Elijah, there is none recorded in the Bible who never died. Death is the common lot of all.
From Abraham's response to the reality of death, let us also ask ourselves, how should we ought to respond in case, whether we like it or not, God took our loved ones from us? Would we be bitter? Would we be desperate? I think there are important lessons we can learn from Abraham's response to his wife's death.
You should face the reality of death by accepting the fact that life here on earth is not permanent.
Richard Baxter, an English Puritan, wrote an advice for those who are contemplating to get married:
At your first conjunction (and through the rest of your lives) remember the day of your separation. And think not that you are settling yourselves in a state of rest, or felicity, or continuance, but only assuming a companion in your travels."
Many have a wrong impression about marriage. They thought that when they marry a person, their lives will be free of trouble and hardships, and that all will be happiness and joy. That's a very unrealistic assessment of marriage. The fact is, marriage is confronted with many trials and difficulties. That is why we need the Lord and his word. Without God and his word, marriage goes astray. Marriage can only survive, be victorious, and thrive through grace.
What Richard Baxter is telling us is that those of us who are married and those who will be contemplating to get married soon, we need to be mindful of the fact that marriage is not forever. There will come a time that whether you like it or not, death will separate you from your spouse.
And so our attitude should be one of humility. We should recognize each other as a fellow companion in this journey, we call life of faith. And in this journey, the most important thing is that you have someone who will encourage and comfort you when you are down, someone you can depend on, and will never leave you as long as he or she lives. And when that time of separation comes, you just face the fact, that life here on earth is not permanent. Your real home is heaven.
You should face the reality of death believing that the covenant of life continues.
We can see the emphasis on continuity of the covenant life in this death narrative. We can see this in at least two ways:
First, in chapter 22:20-24, we are reintroduced again to the brother of Abraham, Nahor. We first encountered him in Genesis 11:27-29. There we read that Nahor has a wife, Milcah. And this Milcah borne Nahor eight sons. One of them is Bethuel. This Bethuel is the father of Rebekah, the future wife of Isaac.
As you can see, Genesis 23 is about the death of Sarah. In the providence of God, he used Sarah to give birth to Isaac, the carrier of the covenant. But that now Sarah was dead, there was a need for a woman to continue Sarah's legacy. That woman was Rebekah.
And so we see the significance of the whole story from Genesis 22:20 to 23:20. God had already prepared a "replacement" to continue the covenant of life he started with Abraham. One generation was passing away, a new generation was about to rise, the generation of Isaac and Rebekah. The baton of the covenant was now about to be passed into the hands of Isaac and Rebekah. This story tells us that the death of Sarah is not the end of the covenant. It remains and continues in the line of Isaac and Rebekah.
The second way we can see the continuity of the covenant of life is in the purchase of the burial site. We see that almost the entirety of chapter 23 is devoted to this story, not to the death of Sarah itself. Yes, there is a time to mourn when your loved ones depart, and Abraham did that as stated in verses 1 and 2. However, beginning verse 3 up to verse 20, 18 verses all in all, we are told about the story of the purchase of a burial site. What is the importance of this story. Why did Moses emphasize this story in the account of Sarah's death?
I believe the major reason is that by purchasing a burial site, Abraham made a decision as to the place not only where Sarah would be buried, but his own body as well. And not only for him and Sarah, but also for their succeeding generation. By doing this, Abraham was acting in faith, claiming the land that God had promised him. The land that God promised him was also the land that he and his children would be buried. This burial place, the cave of Machpelah actually "stood for centuries as a monument to the faith of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." It "provided Israel with roots in the promised land." I think when Moses wrote this story, he must have provided Israel a strong motivation to march and possess the Promised Land.
Likewise, our faith should not be so "heavenly" as if it has nothing to do with the real world. Abraham’s purchase of the burial site exemplified his deep involvement in the present world and his concern for the continuity of the covenant. Yes, as Christians, our real inheritance is in heaven (1 Peter 1:4), but at the same time we have an obligation in this world for this world is our Father's world.
You should face the reality of death by anticipating your future life.
I believe that Abraham has been prepared by the Lord for the death of Sarah. Genesis 22, which talks about Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac, whom he loves so much, prepared him to accept his wife's death. We are told in Hebrews 11:19 that "the 'sacrifice' of Isaac on Mount Moriah brought Abraham to a firm faith in God’s power to raise the dead.
And so though death separates us from our loved ones, this should not be an occasion for misery and hopelessness. Instead, we should look forward to that grand Great Reunion where we will meet each other again. There, there will be no more communication barrier; we can understand each other better. We can no longer hurt each other due to our selfishness. There will be no more pain and suffering, no wars, no greed, no envy, and no sin. There will be no aging and sickness. And in the resurrection of the dead, our bodies will be raised imperishable. Our perishable and mortal bodies will be clothed with imperishable and immortality (1 Corinthians 15: 53). When that time comes, our victory over sin and death will be completed at last!
And so whenever we look upon the grave, we should look at it with hope in our hearts. Looking at the grave should lead our eyes to look beyond it into our eternal home, with our loving Father and His Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
Conclusion
The death of Sarah teaches us important lessons how to face the reality of death. Though it's natural for us to fear death and to mourn whenever our loved ones are taken away from us, yet, we must face death by accepting the fact that life here on earth is not permanent, by believing in the continuity of the covenant of life, and by anticipating our future immortal life.