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January 20th
Our Bible reading for today is Genesis chapters 25 & 26.
Let’s jump right in.
Abraham married again after the death of his wife, Sarah. Sarah died at age 127. Abraham would have been 137. Three years later, their son Isaac married Rebekkah. And It was after that wedding that Abraham married again.
He and Keturah were married 35 years and had six sons.
Some have said that Keturah was Hagar by another name. But there is no biblical evidence of that.
In the Chronicles, Keturah is called Abraham’s concubine. So the Genesis record refers to Keturah as Abraham’s wife and the Chronicles, a concubine. I'm stumped too. But background study of the times makes it clear that men had a primary wife, that they lived with until death. But men could also legally have a secondary wife for childbearing.
My educated guess is that’s where Hagar came in. And perhaps Keturah was like a secondary wife per custom whom Abraham married after Sarah died.
I want to believe that maybe Sarah got sick and Abraham needed help caring for her...and that Keturah was promised a lifelong commitment from Abraham should Sarah die before Abraham did. And I want to believe that Abraham kept himself pure unto Sarah and only had relations with Keturah after Sarah died and they became husband and wife.
I suppose we will understand it better bye and bye.
Abraham died at age 175.
Before Abraham died, he did some interesting things.
First...Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac.”
That meant that Isaac became the head of the family...spiritually, financially, politically, and business-wise. And with this revelation, any thought that Abraham’s 1st son, Ishmael, by Hagar, might just be in the covenant picture going forward....that thought was dashed when Isaac took the keys from his father.
He owned the land and all that was on it...final decisions about family matters were his...and when his Dad wished to bless Isaac’s 7 brothers with gifts from the family wealth, Isaac would have had to sign off on it...(and apparently he did).
Now...let’s look at the “second interesting thing” Abraham did right before he died.
Since two sons, Isaac and Ishmael buried Abraham next to Sarah his wife in the cave of Machpelah...
“Abraham must have worked to bring the young men together”...
...to ask them to oversee his burial.
Abraham had plenty of loyal servants and friends that would have seen to every detail of Abraham’s burial and funeral. But in Abraham’s last days, it wasn't pomp and circumstance that was on his mind...it was FAMILY.
Whatever it was that separated the family...it must be overcome...whatever it was, that separated these brothers, pride or prejudice or anything else...it must be dealt with and put away forever going forward. Good dads want that for their children.
**Now just me thinking out loud...Maybe Abraham was trying one more time to make sure both of these sons shared their father’s faith with the assurance of eternal salvation.
“Good job, Abraham.”
One more interesting thing that Abraham did before he died...
“He gave gifts to his 6 sons by Keturah and sent them away to the land of the east.”
Why? Only an educated guess. Midian was one of Abraham’s sons by Keturah. The Midianite people came from Midian. And guess who spent 40 years in exile in the desert of Midian....the same guy that married the daughter of the priest of Midian...Moses...and Zipporaha led Moses to faith in the Lord of Abraham. God was preparing the way for Moses...to know God and be used of God to deliver Israel from Egypt. Wow!
And from Israel?...guess who came...our Jesus...our Savior and God...in whom we believe...and God set that up too
Praise His name...Enjoy the rest of the story.
