Abraham had some major life adjustments to make toward the end of his life. We all have to make adjustments throughout our life. Every stage of our life brings new challenges and new joy. Navigating life’s decisions and challenges is not always easy, but we learn from every decision we must make.
In my last issue, I talked about the circumstances of Abraham obeying the Lord by sacrificing Isaac. Abraham has reached the twilight years of his life and new experiences come with these adjustments. Let’s look at how Abraham managed them.
Abraham’s Major Life Adjustments after Sarah’s Death (Genesis 23:1-3)
Sarah lived to be 127 years old. She had been Abraham’s companion through everything – the call to leave Ur, the journey to Canaan, the years of waiting for Isaac, the tension with Hagar, and watching Isaac grow up. She let a full life, a good life full of hardships, successes, and seeing God’s faithfulness.
We all get to experience the same highs and lows, mountains and valleys in our lives. It does us good to reflect on them and see how God has brought us through each stage of lives. Many people do not reflect on these things, so it is time to start doing that now.
Abraham had to face something every married person dreads – the death of a spouse. After decades of partnership, he was suddenly alone. That’s a tough place to be in. Although I am not married, I understand the deep bond and togetherness a person loses when they lose their spouse.
Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. Don’t miss this detail. Abraham didn’t just move on as if nothing happened. He took time to grieve. Grief is not a sign of weak faith. Even people who trust God completely need time to process major losses.
The Bible says, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints” (Psalm 116:15). Paul teaches us that we do not grieve the same way the world does (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14). It is unhealthy not to grieve for the death of loved ones. Faith is our strength because we know this is not the end. Those loved ones who know Jesus are waiting for us on the other side of eternity.
Death hurts us. Although we know our loved ones in Jesus have gone before us, we still feel the pain of losing them now. We feel they have been ripped away from us, but our grief reminds us of them. We can celebrate their life and be at peace because we know they have gone to be with Jesus and we will join them when our time comes.
Those in the world who do not have their trust in Jesus do not have a hope past death. That is why the world grieves so strongly. If the person is lost in life, death makes that loss final. There is no hope of heaven or the presence of God. This is why it is so important for us to reach out to those who do not know Christ. This is the only opportunity they get to secure eternal life in Him.
Abraham’s grief was natural and necessary. Sarah wasn’t just his wife; she was his partner in God’s covenant promises. She was the mother of Isaac, the promised son. Our loved ones walk with us through life and leave a significant footprint and legacy in our lives. It’s wrong to not recognize this.
Now Abraham had to figure out how to continue his life without Sarah. Everything changes. Your daily routines, your future plans, even your identity – it all has to be adjusted. Abraham was facing the first of his major life adjustments.
Abraham Buys a Burial Place (Genesis 23:4-8)
As Abraham continued to have major life adjustments, his first practical need was to secure a proper burial place for Sarah. This was a significant issue for him. Abraham identified himself to the Hittites as “a sojourner and foreigner among you.” Even after all these years in Canaan, he still saw himself as a temporary resident.
This was probably his legal status in the land. The Bible teaches us that this is not our home. We are sojourners and strangers just like Abraham (1 Peter 3:11). We need to keep this mindset and perspective. It’s easy to get tied to the things of this world and possessions we have while we are here. We must maintain an eternal perspective to be effective for Jesus.
Abraham wanted to buy a burial place. He didn’t want charity or a temporary solution. He wanted to purchase property that would belong to him and his descendants. This shows Abraham’s faith in God’s promises even in his grief. He believed this land would truly belong to his family.
The Hittites respected Abraham and offered him the choicest of their burial places. They called him “a prince of God among us.” Abraham built such a reputation that even the unbelievers around him recognized God’s blessing on his life. That’s quite a testimony after decades of faithful living.
Abraham didn’t want to accept their generosity. He wanted to buy the property outright. There’s wisdom in this. When you accept charity, you often remain indebted as a slave to your benefactor Abraham’s first giver. When you purchase something legitimately, it belongs to you without strings attached. At any time, the Hittites could have demanded something from him.
Abraham’s Principled Land Buy in His Major Life Adjustments (Genesis 23:8-20)
Abraham did not take this moment to shrewdly bargain for land to buy. He did this because he wanted to bury Sarah in the place he knew would belong to his descendants. Even in his grief, he wanted to provide a resting place for his wife.
Abraham specifically asked to buy the cave of Machpelah from Ephron the Hittite. He knew exactly what he wanted and was not shy about asking for it. Sometimes in our major life adjustments, we need to be specific about what we need and be willing to ask for it.
I think it is interesting the way Abraham approached this decision. He does it in an indirect way. He asked the people to speak to Ephron for him. Ephron is standing there among them. Why didn’t Abraham just ask him personally? He made his request public to everyone even though it was for Ephron.
Perhaps his approach made the land buy happen. In his vulnerability, he received what he asked. Abraham had character and wisdom in his business dealings. Ephron offered to give Abraham both the field and cave for free. In front of all the people, he made this generous offer. Abraham insisted on paying the full price.
Ephron was also a shrewd businessman. He casually mentioned the land is worth 400 shekels of silver, “but what is that between you and me?” He was being generous but also letting Abraham know the value of of the property. Abraham didn’t try to negotiate or talk down the price. He immediately weighed out the full 400 shekels.
The purchase was made before all the Hittites at the city gate. Abraham wanted witnesses to this transaction. He was thinking about the future and his descendants’ rights to this land. Even in his grief, he was thinking strategically about his family’s future. After he bought the property, he could bury Sarah.
This became the first piece of the promised land that Abraham actually owned. God had promised him all of Canaan, but this cave became his first legal possession. Sometimes God’s promises are fulfilled gradually, piece by piece, rather than all at once.
Abraham’s Major Life Adjustments with a New Wife (Genesis 25:1-6)
After Sarah’s death, Abraham made another major life adjustment – he remarried. The Bible tells us he took another wife named Keturah. This might surprise some people. Abraham was well over 100 years old at this point, and yet he chose to remarry rather than live out his remaining years alone.
Whether to remarry or not can be a touchy subject. Some people never marry again after their spouse dies. Others do. I think a lot of times this is decided before a spouse passes. This is between them. Abraham decides to not live out his days alone. God will bless him in this as He has blessed the rest of Abraham’s life.
Through Keturah, Abraham had six more sons. God wasn’t finished blessing Abraham with children. The man who had waited so long for one son by Sarah ended up being the father of many sons in his old age.
Abraham gave gifts to all these sons, but he made sure they understood that Isaac was the heir of the covenant promises. He sent Keturah’s sons away to the east country while he was still alive. This was wise planning that prevented future conflicts over the inheritance.
Abraham lived to be 175 years old. Think about that – he lived 75 years after Isaac was born. God gave him decades to enjoy being a father and grandfather. He also gave him time to establish his legacy and make sure his family understood God’s covenant promises.
Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac. Isaac was the son of promise, and Abraham made sure there was no confusion about who would carry on the covenant line. At the same time, he provided for his other sons so they could establish themselves.
Life Lessons from Abraham’s Major Life Adjustments
Abraham’s major life adjustments teach us several important lessons about navigating significant changes in our own lives. It’s okay to grieve when we experience major losses. Abraham took time to mourn Sarah’s death. He didn’t pretend it didn’t matter or rush through his emotions.
Grief is a necessary part of processing loss and change. Even people of great faith need time to adjust to new realities. Don’t let anyone rush you through your grief or make you feel guilty for taking time to process major changes in your life.
We can learn more life lessons from Abraham’s major life adjustments. Think about how you can reflect on how God has blessed you in the stages of your life. It is often when we look back at our lives that we can see God’s clear him on them.
It’s much harder to see what He is doing in the moment. But it’s important for us to live in the moment and not in the past or future. We tend to dwell on the past. But when we dwell on the past or live in the future, we miss the present moments that are most precious to us.
You need to be in the moment for your family members and your friends. You need to enjoy the time God gives you. Living in the past rehashes things that cannot be changed. Living in the future challenges the present and the possibility of a future. If you miss these moments, what is the point of living?
Abraham’s major life adjustments teach us also that this world is not our home. We are just passing through, aliens and strangers to this land. Jesus teaches us that we are in the world to influence it for Him, but we are not of the world (John 17:14-17). We do not live as the people of this world do. We are the clear difference they can see between the way they live in God’s best for them.
If you do not realize that you’re inheritance is heaven and the possessions you have on this earth will pass away with the rest of it, you will not live for Jesus the way you can. Your focus must be on winning souls for God’s Kingdom. You have a job to do here. You work in the world and you live as a child of God with an inheritance and destiny in God’s hands rather than your own.
Another lesson we learn from Abraham’s major life adjustments is that we have an opportunity to build a godly reputation. They say reputation is everything. I don’t know if it’s everything, but it is extremely important. People need to see you as a person of integrity, character, and substance. This is the difference you show the world.
When we become followers of Jesus, He drastically changes our character and the way we act. People will notice the difference in you if not immediately, over time. You may have come into your relationship with Jesus with bad character and a bad reputation. But the story is not over. Jesus is still writing the chapters of your life.
Take the advantage to show others how Jesus can change your reputation and character. Allow the Holy Spirit to gently push you into the kind of life God wants to see you carry out. Make the choices that bring glory to God. He will take care of your reputation.
We can also learn that major life adjustments don’t mean God is finished with us. Abraham remarried and had more children in his old age. He didn’t just survive after Sarah’s death – he thrived. God gave him a new season of life with new blessings and new opportunities.
Sometimes we think major losses or changes mean our best days are behind us. Abraham’s example shows us that God can bring new seasons of blessing even after significant losses. We should remain open to what God might do in our lives, even when everything seems to be changing.
We can also learn from Abraham’s major life adjustments how to be shrewd in our business practices. Abraham’s land purchase shows us how to conduct ourselves honorably even during difficult times. He didn’t take advantage of people’s sympathy or cut corners because he was grieving.
Instead, he paid full price, insisted on proper legal procedures, and thought about the long-term implications of his decisions. When we’re going through major life adjustments, it’s tempting to make quick decisions or accept shortcuts.
Abraham shows us a better way. Buying the property from the Hittites teaches us several things about handling major life adjustments with integrity and wisdom.
First, Abraham didn’t take advantage of people’s generosity in his time of grief. The world teaches you to take advantage of other people’s vulnerability or use your circumstances to get ahead in life. But that is not what Jesus teaches us to do. You can be shrewd in your dealings without being a snake.
Second, he paid fairly and promptly. Sometimes we think that if we can put the payment off, we can forget about it. We must be people that pay our debts and have our finances in order. It is not a good witness to Jesus if you try to take advantage of others or worldly financial practices. God is teaching us a different way to steward our finances.
Third, he made sure the transaction was public and legally binding. Most of the time, your financial transactions will be a private matter. But people should be able to see the difference in the way you deal with financial issues. Even if they look into your finances, they should see that you are serving Jesus with what you have.
A last lesson we can learn from Abraham’s major life adjustments is that we have the opportunity to leave a legacy. We can live in a way that glorifies Jesus and helps our families to see that we have a different Master. Jesus wants you to be an example to others of a godly life lived well.
You need to lay up a future for your children. Whether this is savings or property, or some other thing that will help them begin life in a way that they can honor God and live well, part of godly living is taking care of and preparing them for life. What can you do to help your family members start their life on godly footing and a successful life for God?
We need to plan wisely for the future during major life adjustments. Abraham made sure his legal affairs were in order. He clarified who would receive what inheritance. He provided for all his children while making sure the covenant promises stayed with Isaac.
When we’re going through major changes, it’s important to think about how our decisions will affect the future. What legacy are we leaving? How can we provide for those we care about while staying faithful to God’s calling on our lives?
The Saga Continues…
Abraham’s story teaches us so much about walking with God through every season of life, including the major adjustments that come our way. His example gives us hope that we can handle whatever changes life brings while remaining faithful to God’s calling on our lives.
We are slowly coming to the end of the lessons we can learn from Abraham’s life. In our next issue, we will look at his death and what lessons we can learn.
