Torah Portion--The Life Of Sarah

Deuteronomy 28:26; Jeremiah 22:19; 2 Chronicles 25:23; Numbers 19:16; Exodus 21:22-23; Psalm 88:6-12; Genesis 49:29; 2 Samuel 19:38; Nehemiah 2:5; 2 Kings 23:6; Jeremiah 26:23; Genesis 25:8; Deuteronomy 21:23; Genesis 50:2-26; Jeremiah 34:3; 2 Chronicles 16:14, 21:9; John 19:40; Mark 16:1; Luke 23:56; Genesis 23:3-19, 50:13, 24:2-9; Luke 9:23-24; Genesis 5:2; John 16:13; Genesis 24:22; Ephesians 5:23; Isaiah 46:9-10

We are walking in today:  Torah Portion--The Life Of Sarah

Witness common throughout the Bible:  H2455 chol profane, unholy, the opposite of consecrated
Leviticus 4:27; Numbers 16:28-30; 1 Samuel 21:4-5; Ecclesiastes 6:1-2; Jeremiah 26:23, 31:5; Matthew 27:27; Mark 12:37; Acts 4:32, 5:18, 10:14-15, 10:28, 11:8-9; 1 Corinthians 10:13; Titus 1:4; Jude 1:3

Our teaching today is from the weekly Torah portion for the week of November 9-15
Chayei Sarah/ Sarah's Lifetime  Genesis 23:1-25:18; 1 Kings 1:1-31; Matthew 19-23; Mark 13-14; Luke 17-20  or click above to order a calendar that includes the weekly Torah portions

This portion opens up with the passing of Sarah at the age of 127.  Abraham goes to the people in the land to ask to purchase land with a cave to bury her.  Initially the people of the land, the sons of Heth offer the land at no charge.  As the negotiations continue Ephron the Hittite comes in with the same offer and then the final amount is decided. Abraham pays for the place called Machpelah, 400 shekels of silver.  The burial practices of the Hebrews are seen here, that the body would be entombed outside of the regular living quarters.  As we find in the Torah, that the people did not become defiled by a dead body.  This practice appeared more simple than the extravagant practices of embalming by the Egyptians.  When a man died in the Bible he is often said to sleep with his fathers.  The tombs were often set apart by families.  Or those well advanced in age would desire to be buried in their home towns.  The more common people without exceptional wealth were not buried in familial grave sites or tombs.  We have this example in the Brit Chadasha or New Testament that in the burial of Yeshua, the preparing of the body was done in haste due to the closing of the day, and the following feast days, before He was placed in the tomb. 
After the passing of Sarah, Eliezer, Abraham's servant was instructed go out for a bride for Isaac from Abraham's home land.  The other requirements were for the woman not be from the local people and that she would have to come away with him, that Isaac would not go and live there.  Eliezer make a promise to Abraham to do all that he was instructed to do.  If in foll0wing every instruction, and the bride did not come away with him for Isaac, he was still in good standing with Abraham.  Eliezer travels to Abraham's home town with the traveling party to wait by the wells with his 10 camels.  His prayer to Yahweh that the woman who comes out at this time of drawing water, would will give him drink and will also water the camels is the one that meets His approval for Isaac.  Rebecca is the maiden who does comply with his request.  They all return to her family home and see if she will go with Eliezer to wed Isaac.  The importance of the bride not being amongst the people where Abraham was living, could be that the influence of the family would be too great to overcome.  Remember that both where Abraham lived now and where he came from are people with pagan practices.  Not allowing Issac to go to her land but rather remain set apart and separate from the pagan practices, that she too would cross over also becoming a Hebrew.  To hear more of this teaching click here.