23 November 2014 Sunday Morning Service
Bible
OT Genesis 23 : 1 – 20
NT 1 Thessalonians 4 : 13 – 18
Genesis
23:1 Sarah lived to be a hundred and twenty-seven years old.
23:2 She died at Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep over her.
23:3 Then Abraham rose from beside his dead wife and spoke to the Hittites. He said,
23:4 “I am an alien and a stranger among you. Sell me some property for a burial site here so I can bury my dead.”
23:5 The Hittites replied to Abraham,
23:6 “Sir, listen to us. You are a mighty prince among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb for burying your dead.”
23:7 Then Abraham rose and bowed down before the people of the land, the Hittites.
23:8 He said to them, “If you are willing to let me bury my dead, then listen to me and intercede with Ephron son of Zohar on my behalf
23:9 so he will sell me the cave of Machpelah, which belongs to him and is at the end of his field. Ask him to sell it to me for the full price as a burial site among you.”
23:10 Ephron the Hittite was sitting among his people and he replied to Abraham in the hearing of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of his city.
23:11 “No, my lord,” he said. “Listen to me; I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. I give it to you in the presence of my people. Bury your dead.”
23:12 Again Abraham bowed down before the people of the land
23:13 and he said to Ephron in their hearing, “Listen to me, if you will. I will pay the price of the field. Accept it from me so I can bury my dead there.”
23:14 Ephron answered Abraham,
23:15 “Listen to me, my lord; the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver, but what is that between me and you? Bury your dead.”
23:16 Abraham agreed to Ephron’s terms and weighed out for him the price he had named in the hearing of the Hittites: four hundred shekels of silver, according to the weight current among the merchants.
23:17 So Ephron’s field in Machpelah near Mamre–both the field and the cave in it, and all the trees within the borders of the field–was deeded
23:18 to Abraham as his property in the presence of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of the city.
23:19 Afterward Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave in the field of Machpelah near Mamre (which is at Hebron) in the land of Canaan.
23:20 So the field and the cave in it were deeded to Abraham by the Hittites as a burial site.
1 Thessalonians
4:13 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope.
4:14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.
4:15 According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.
4:16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
4:17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
4:18 Therefore encourage each other with these words.