Daily Devotion

Wednesday, February 4, 2026  

Today's Scripture
Genesis 23:1–20

Sarah lived one hundred twenty-seven years; this was the length of Sarah’s life. 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.

Abraham rose up from beside his dead, and said to the Hittites, “I am a stranger and an alien residing among you; give me property among you for a burying place, so that I may bury my dead out of my sight.” The Hittites answered Abraham, “Hear us, my lord; you are a mighty prince among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our burial places; none of us will withhold from you any burial ground for burying your dead.” Abraham rose and bowed to the Hittites, the people of the land. 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 son of Zohar, so 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 a possession for a burying place.” 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, “No, my lord, hear me; I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it; in the presence of my people I give it to you; bury your dead.” Then Abraham bowed down before the people of the land. He said to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, “If you only will listen to me! I will give the price of the field; accept it from me, so that I may bury my dead there.” Ephron answered Abraham, “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.”

Abraham agreed with 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. 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, passed to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the Hittites, in the presence of all who went in at the gate of his city. After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah facing Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. The field and the cave that is in it passed from the Hittites into Abraham’s possession as a burying place. (NRSV)

There’s almost always a story behind the story. At first this passage seems like a polite, deferential exchange between two negotiating parties. “Let us give you the land. No, I insist on paying. Seriously, we will give it for free. No, I insist on paying.” Ah, but there is so much more.

In Genesis chapters 12, 13, 15, and 17 God promises Abraham that he and his descendants will possess the land of Canaan. In our passage, this promise starts to take shape. Why does it matter if the Hittites give the land or if Abraham purchases it? A burial place for Sarah is a relatively small plot of land. Why is this important?

By purchasing the land, Abraham takes a step towards legitimacy and longevity. The land is legally transferred without favors or backroom deals. There will be a record of the land transfer. Abraham legitimately owns this land. A burial place has permanence to it. Abraham and his descendants now have a multigenerational link to this place.

God made promises to Abraham and Abraham is making a financial and generational investment towards the promise. We often talk about faith as feelings but in this passage, Abraham takes tangible action.

When we make a pledge during stewardship season or become part of the Legacy Society by including Fourth Church in our will, we saying we belong to Fourth Church, and we are making a tangible contribution to what God is doing in our church. We aren’t doing this as a favor but rather a commitment. Sometimes to faithfully live into God’s promises, we need to put our finances on the line. This is where we belong and we invest.

Prayer

Holy God, you are faithful to your promises. I long for legitimacy and longevity when it comes to my own faithfulness. Give me a yearning to be faithful to your ways. Amen.

Written by Andrea Denney, Executive Director of Operational Ministries

Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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