There is so much to learn from the New Testament. Yet, I find myself so accustomed to reading it that I just skim right through it because I already “know” what I’m reading. So, just around this past Christmas I decided to start in Genesis again to see if it would capture my attention a little more. I have gleaned some wonderful spiritual truths that I had overlooked when reading these Bible stories in years past.
When Sarah died, it seemed to have hit Abraham and Isaac pretty hard. They had moved to this land far away from the land of their forefathers and the ones that they loved. Then, after a certain period of time, Sarah died. It was customary back then (according to my NIV Study Bible notes) to bury loved ones in the land of your forefathers. However, God had told Abraham to move to this new land flowing with milk and honey because it was to be His inheritance. It would be disobedient to return to the land he had moved from. If you’ll recall, Mrs.Lott did turn into a pillar of salt when she looked back. As an act of faith, Abraham bought a burial plot for his beloved. Although the Cananites were not Godly, the man that Abraham bought the plot from insisted that he buy the land around it so that the tomb itself would not be disrupted.
God’s hand goes so much further than we ever expect it to. During Abraham’s time of grief, God made sure that He had a serene place for Abraham to mourn his wife’s death. Not only that, but I would like to imagine that Abraham sat under the shade of some nice big trees and looked around at the land that the Almighty had promised him, dreaming about how fruitful it would become through his children.
Over and over, we are reminded of God’s charge to us…go away from the land that you’ve always known into the land that you’ve never dreamed of. You get glimpses of this land in your dreams, but don’t even have one percent of an idea of what it truly is. You see it only through similies and anaolgies. One day, if you have surrendered all your foggy dreams to Him, you’ll see Canaan Land in reality.