The Death of Abraham: Genesis 25:1-11
Over the last couple of weeks, as we studied Genesis chapter 24, we saw a clear display of the providence of God. We also witnessed the rock-solid faith of Abraham and his servant in the providence and provision of God. God is sovereign and has a plan and so we should not be surprised when everything works out. Someone once told my wife that things always have an uncanny way of working out for our family. For us it is no surprise. I often stand amazed and am humbled by the blessings of God’s providence, but I am no longer surprised. God’s plan will unfold according to his will and nothing can thwart him. He has covenanted with his people and it will come to pass. Case closed. In the text before us, we have the closing of Abraham’s earthly life. And though it is the closing of this chapter, the story continues on. The thread of redemption and salvation will continue to be woven through the fabric of history. Consider what we have seen already. We have seen the beauty of God’s creation and his ultimate creation, humans. The humans rebelled against God, bringing corruption and death into the creation. But God promised to send one that would destroy the works of evil. Then came Abel. Would he be the one to crush the serpent’s head? We see the answer quickly as Cain kills Abel. Then another is born, Seth, who worshipped the Lord. Seth grew up and had children of his own. And then another generation came and another. Finally, sin had fully corrupted the hearts of most people. But God preserved Noah and his sons and so, the line to Salvation was preserved. Yet, sin was still in the hearts of the people and many gathered to defy God once again. But God confused the languages of the people and began scattering them across the earth. Generations pass and the line is preserved by God as it passes to Abraham’s generation. God shows to the world that the path to salvation remains as he chooses Abraham from all other’s of his generation to be the family through which the line would continue. There are some missteps by Abraham and some outside forces threaten the promises, but this is all in the plan. As Abraham’s life closes the torch is passed to Isaac who will have the privilege to pass it on to the next generation. As we say goodbye to Father Abraham, I want to point out three main things from the text. First, in verses 1-4 we see the promise gets closer. Remember, Abraham greets the promise from afar but yet with each step the promise gets closer and more clearly seen. Verses 5-6 should cause us to meditate on the free grace of God. And finally, we will consider Abraham’s race the that was well run.