AN ASSURED POSSESSION
F. C. Mutton
This scripture, beloved brethren, brings before us the death of Sarah, a distinguished saint, a princess—her name means ‘princess’—the dignified, finished product of a long history with God and the ways of God, her years being mentioned, a hundred and twenty-seven years.
That prolonged period of formation and education had been completed. The place where she died, no doubt representing the conditions in which she died, is mentioned carefully, that she died “in Kirjath-Arba—that is Hebron, in the land of Canaan”. Where we read later it is said that Abraham buried Sarah “in the cave of the field at Machpelah, opposite to Mamre—that is Hebron, in the land of Canaan”. That is where, beloved brethren, her long history with God terminated, in this area in which Abraham dwelt, a man settled in relation to the purpose of God and stable in it, restful in it, and in communion in it, so that the heavenly visitors could come to him and be restful and be suitably entertained. That is the point which Sarah reached, where she would have dwelt, and where she died. It is a remarkable suggestion of spiritual completeness and moral completeness, and she dies.
How much there is in that that corresponds to this day, when we bury a sister of distinction at the end of a long history of formation with God. It says, “And Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her”. That too is today. Mourning has its place, as at Bethany in John 11. The Lord produces at a time like this with all of us the
spirit of mourning and weeping, making us tender, receptive, susceptible to His word. May we heed it, beloved. It comes to us, but as coming to us may we receive it.
What is especially affecting me is this expression, “And Abraham rose up from before his dead”. There is mourning, there must be mourning—the Lord Jesus Himself wept in the presence of death—but may there be with us all this rising up from before our dead, the sorrow in a very real sense carried forward, but something gained from the sorrow, and out of it, as the Lord is with us in it, and speaks to us in it, so that in a fresh way we rise up from before our dead. Abraham was to have a great accession of experience and substance. What impresses us as this chapter ends is that a certain new area was assured to Abraham for a possession. Twice that is stated—that this precious, most significant, area was “assured to Abraham for a possession”. That is, he got it in his grasp, in his grip, not only intelligently, but, I am sure, with profound affection, this area that relates to what has been secured as a result of Christ going into death. That, no doubt, would be the meaning of the cave; it is where He has been. Beloved, how could we face such an occasion as this were it not in the knowledge of the One who became dead and is living to the ages of ages? His going into death has secured a defined area in which all is victory and all is assurance, and in this area we bury our dead. How wonderful that is! We have been speaking of the blessed hope before us of being always with the Lord, of being present with the Lord; Christian burial is in this area, “the field”, the precious result, secured at such cost, of the dying of Jesus. There our dead are buried, buried with affection and with honour, and with profound respect, awaiting the day when all the precious treasure in that field shall be raised.
I believe that as we rise up from before our dead the Lord would cause these things to be assured to us for a possession, not only light but a possession. Our brother has been speaking of zeal. May our energies, our lives, be within this field. It speaks in verse 17 of “the field, and the cave that was in it, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all its borders round about”. Dear brethren, let us keep within these borders. It is an area that relates to all that opens up out of death and beyond death in which we find our life together and in which our energies and zeal are to be focused and concentrated. This was assured to Abraham for a possession. He had not had it before. I think the bearing of it upon us is that, as facing death and sorrow, and the breaking of natural ties, the Lord would give us an assured possession in a deeper sense than we have ever known before of this precious realm of life in the light of resurrection and in the light of the Lord’s soon coming for us. The trees would suggest present fruitfulness, all that is seen in the saints as the product of divine workmanship.
This chapter ends, “And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field at Machpelah, opposite to Mamre—that is Hebron, in the land of Canaan. And the field and the cave that was in it were assured to Abraham for a possession of a sepulchre by the sons of Heth”. Well, beloved, may this be an assured possession to us all, this precious heritage, opening up through the death of Christ and in the light of His glorious resurrection, and in the light of the purposes of God. May the Lord bless these impressions to us for His name’s sake.