Jesus in the Old Testament is a series of posts that will offer my readers a chance to consider pictures or shadows of Jesus in the Old Testament. As mentioned in the introduction to this series, some may be obvious, some may be not so obvious, and some may simply be a facet of the Lord those reading may not have considered previously.
I hope as we venture through this series, we will see the Lord in many wonderful pictures throughout the Old Testament.
| SEEING JESUS IN |
| ABRAHAM |
| CAVE AS A POSSESSION |
| Genesis 23:17-18 So the field of Ephron in Machpelah, which was to the east of Mamre, the field with the cave that was in it and all the trees that were in the field, throughout its whole area, was made over to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the Hittites, before all who went in at the gate of his city. Genesis 23:19 After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah east of Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. Genesis 25:8-9 Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people. Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, east of Mamre, |
| Luke 23:53 Then he took it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud and laid him in a tomb cut in stone, where no one had ever yet been laid. Luke 24:2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, |
Abraham needed to address the affairs of his home, specifically the death and entombment of his wife Sarah. Being a stranger amongst those he resided, Abraham was literally passing through a land that had been promised to him by God, but had not realized the fulfillment. He needed to secure a place of burial for for his dear wife Sarah. So started the dealing, the negotiation with an Hittite for a patch of land that would eventually become a small area of land his family would be given.
Abraham sought out the cave of Machpelah, a possession of a man named Ephron. Initially Ephron offered it to Abraham as a gift, but wisely Abraham insisted on terms of payment, so all things may be orderly and above board, without any hint of possible impropriety or advantage. This plot of land that received death was the first plot of land in Canaan that was to be the legal possession of the Jewish people. A field with a cave.
Eventually, all of Abraham’s immediate family found their resting place in this cave. Sarah, Abraham, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob and Leah laid their heads down in this cave. All entered the cave, and their body stayed in the tomb.
For millennia, the Jewish nation generally followed this practice for the dead, eventually using ossuaries for a space saving option.
Abraham owned the cave. It was the only piece of real estate he owned, other than by the faith he lived in. That faith made no difference to the Hittites though.
Jesus did not own any cave, in the sense of a legal transaction with Joseph of Arimathea. It would have been unnecessary, for He was only occupying it for a short term. But at the risk of being flippant with the story of the resurrection, Jesus owned that cave. He controlled it, He dominated what it stood for. He entered, dominated death, and left it empty, hollow and without force.
Abraham and his family – their bodies experienced the effect of death, and one day, we shall all, by the power of Jesus, own the grave. We shall walk out as He did, only on His power and by His promise.
Yes He owned that grave. May we always have before our eyes that resurrection of the One who left a grave behind!
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