The "Joy" of Death (Gen 25:1-11)

"...he died at a ripe old age, having lived a long and satisfying life" (Gen 25:8, NLT).

Previous passage: The Lord Will Provide (Gen 22:1-14).
Contrasting passage: Lot's End is God's Judgment (Gen 19:1-38)

Death is gut wrenching and crippling to countless billions, to put it mildly. One of my most vivid memories is that of a successful Chicago lawyer in his mid to late 30s. He was a brilliant confident self-made man. He built up his law firm from the ground up, has dozens of lawyers working for him, lives in a 5 million dollar house (25 years ago), has countless luxury cars, and a stunning wife. I met him as a trainee oncologist. He came to see my mentor oncologist with complaints of mild difficulty in swallowing for 3 weeks. He just had a biopsy taken from his throat and came to the oncology office to discuss the findings. He was jovial as he entered the office with his gorgeous wife. He said jokingly, "Doc, am I gonna live?" But the mood soon changed. After some elaborate explanation by the oncologist, it gradually dawned on him what his biopsy report meant when his diagnosis read "small cell carcinoma of the esophagus." The moment arrived when he suddenly realized that he had inoperable terminal cancer and had about 4 months to live.

His response was worthy of an academy award performance, except that it was reality. In literally a split second, his face turned ashen white. The look of horror on his face was visibly palpable. His whole body went limp and he spontaneously slumped over onto his wife's lap, for she was sitting next to him. Then for half an hour he sobbed uncontrollably, in silent morose sobs and with spasms of unashamed loud wailing, as his wife gently and tenderly caressed his hair. Finally, he left the oncology office with the posture of one who has been mortally wounded.

This is a dramatic response of one who was facing his own mortality. Let us contrast this with the death of our father of faith, Abraham. Gen 25:1-11 has 3 sections:

1. God Kept His Promise (1-4): Abraham’s new wife.
   
2. God Showed His Grace (5-6): Abraham’s provision for Isaac.
   
3. God's Friendship Made All the Difference (7-11): The death and burial of Abraham.
   

I. God Kept His Promise (Gen 25:1-4): Abraham's New Wife

Abraham took another wife Keturah (Gen 25:1), who bore him children (Gen 25:2), who then bore him even more descendents for many generations (Gen 25:3-4). This shows that God is faithful to keep His promise to make Abraham a father of many nations (Gen 17:5-6; 15:5,18-21). Midian (Gen 25:1,4), one of Keturah's sons was the father of the Midianites, Israel's half-brothers. They would play a role in Israel's future. Moses' father-in-law, Jethro was a priest of Midian (Ex 2:16). God kept his promise to Abraham to the very end of his days. Like Abraham, we are called to trust God (Prov 3:5) and His promises. We never outgrow our need to trust God. God keeps his promises to us as long as we have breath.

II. God Showed His Grace (Gen 25:5-6): Abraham's Provision for Isaac

"Abraham left everything he owned to Isaac" (Gen 25:5). Abraham secures the unique place that Isaac is going to have in the plan of God. From Isaac, who received everything from his father, we learn that grace affords us benefits that we have not earned and do not deserve. The covenant of grace affords us unearned favors. Isaac did nothing to deserve this. God had chosen him even before he was born (Gen 17:19). Then to the sons of his concubines, he gave them gifts and sent them away from Isaac (Gen 25:6), to keep them from battling over the land that was given to Isaac.

Why did Abraham leave everything to Isaac? It was God's revelation (Gen 17:19). Though Abraham struggled for God's blessing to fall on Ishmael (Gen 17:18), God choose Isaac instead. Such inequality in the treatment of our children would be the surest way to spoil or hurt our children. But this was not the reason behind Abraham's "bias." He did not do so out of favoritism or his own personal preference, but because of God's revelation to him.

This part teaches us the doctrine of unconditional election and free grace (Eph 1:4; 2 Tim 1:9). God choose Isaac before he was born (Rom 9:6-16). God choose Jacob not because he was better than his older brother Esau. God does not choose his servants because of something in them or in us. God's election is never based on our merit or our works (Eph 2:8-9), but on the love of God in Christ. God always bestows his blessings based on the unearned favor of God. No one earns it. No one merits it. It is given by the free grace of God.

III. God's Friendship Made All the Difference (Gen 25:7-11): The Death and Burial of Abraham

How did Abraham die? "Abraham lived a hundred and seventy-five years. Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and full of years; and he was gathered to his people. His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him..." (Gen 25:7-9). There is a richness and a fullness in the description of Abraham's death. The NLT says, "having lived a long and satisfying life." In sharp contrast to Abraham's full and satisfying life when he died (Gen 25:8) is Lot's tragic last description in the Bible (Gen 19:27-38). What do we learn here? 2 things:

1. Lot's unfavorable end, despite being a righteous man (2 Pet 2:7-8). He died lonely, isolated and a drunk, with his 2 daughters having sex with him. Why? He lived in fear (Gen 19:30), rather than by faith (Rom 14:23; Heb 11:6).
   
2. Abraham's full and satisfying life. The most important lesson is that friendship with God makes all the difference in the world.

John Calvin says, “The chief part of a good old age consists in a good conscience and a serene and tranquil mind.” Calvin also says, “We see how many in our own day are in bondage to the desire of life; yet nearly the whole world languishes between on the one hand, a weariness of the present life, and, on the other hand, an inexplicable desire for it to continuance. The contentment with life, therefore, which will cause us to be ready to leave live, is a favor from God.”  In other words, it is God who gives us contentment that enables us simultaneously to enjoy life, but also to be ready to leave it when God calls. God had given that blessing to Abraham.

Sadly, people of various ages, whatever their status in life, show such an ingratitude for their lot in life. They become cynical, jaded and bitter as they age. In contrast, Abraham’s love for God and his fellowship with him, had made his life singularly full.

During a tornado in Oklahoma City, a man and his wife had their 3 week old son snatched from their arms, carried a mile away, and killed. When reporters asked him about this, he said, "I just want to thank God that He allowed me to be a father for 3 weeks." That is the difference between one with the fullness of life and one who doesn't have it.

In fullness of years and life, Abraham "was gathered to his people" (Gen 25:8). There is a sense of the continued existence of those who believe in the Lord after death. Matthew Henry says, “Death gathers us to our people. Those that are our people while we live, whether they are the people of God or the children of this world, are the people to whom death will gather us.” Will we be gathered to the children of promise, or will be gathered to the children of this world?  It depends upon with whom we find our ultimate fellowship in this life.

At the funeral of Abraham his 2 sons Isaac and Ishmael were temporarily united (Gen 25:9), as they shared the responsibility of their dad's funeral. Jacob and Esau would also be reunited in a similar fashion at the death of Isaac (Gen 35:29). After the funeral, God Himself confirms the covenant blessings on Isaac (Gen 25:11). So the blessing of Abraham did not die with him. God continued to favor all the children of promise.

The fullness of Abraham’s life was because of his friendship with God. The things that made Abraham’s life rich was not his possessions, it wasn’t the great age which God had granted him, but rather it was his relationship with God. 3 times in the Scripture, Abraham is explicitly called the friend of God (II Chron 20:7; Isa 41:8; Jas 2:23). The fullness of his life was based upon that redemptive friendship he had with the living God.

God through his Son has chosen to call us friends (John 15:15). He longs for us to be an eternal, saving, redemptive friendship with Him. May God make that a reality in all of our lives that we should be called the friends of God.

Reference: ESV Study Bible, 2008.

Genesis 25:1-11 "The Death of Abraham," Ligon Duncan.

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