We have looked at the word for death and dead. As we know God loves variety and uses several different ways to describe the same basic concept. We are in Genesis chapter 25 today. We find a couple of figures of speech that are used to describe this idea of death. You could also call these euphemisms because it is a kinder way to say something that is very serious. Both of these are used twice in our chapter describing first Abraham and then his son Ishmael. Genesis 25:8 Then Abraham גָּוַעbreathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and full of years; and he was gathered to his people. Genesis 25:17 Ishmael lived a hundred and thirty-seven years. He גָּוַע breathed his last and died, and he was gathered to his people. Did you see them? This is an interesting way to talk about death. The phrase “gathered to his people” reminds us of what we talked about four days ago with our word bury. If you remember Abraham wanted to own the land so that he would have a place for his family to be buried together. This phrase be gathered to his people emphasizes this idea of family being together beyond just this life. Our word for today is the other phrase which is just one word in Hebrew the language God used to write the Old Testament which makes up two-thirds of His word.
Our word is גָּוַע expire, breath out one’s life, perish, die, pass away. It is used 24 times in the Old Testament. As we have already saw with our word for death after Adam and Eve sinned this is now everyone’s reality. Job 14:10 But a man dies and is laid low; man גָּוַעbreathes his last, and where is he? Job 34:15 All flesh would גָּוַעperish together, and man would return to dust. Psalm 104:29 When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they גָּוַעdie and return to their dust. A good example of this is what happened during the flood. Genesis 6:17 I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will גָּוַע perish. So everything that God originally but breath into now will breath out that last breath and die. We see our phrases used again when it is Isaac and Jacob’s turn. Genesis 35:29 Then he גָּוַע breathed his last and died and was gathered to his people, old and full of years. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him. Genesis 49:33 When Jacob had finished giving instructions to his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, גָּוַע breathed his last and was gathered to his people.
You may ask why does God use a lot of different ways to say the same thing. Well because he isn’t just saying the same thing he is giving us more than we realize at times. He is point us to the future. Yes because of our sin we will one day breath our last breath on this earth and die physically. But in Christ the good news is this. John 5:24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. Jesus has prepared a place for us so that we can be gathered to our people. Jesus describes this amazing picture of what this looks like when challenging people to accept him as the way to salvation and being gathered to God’s people. Luke 13:28-29 When you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out. And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God. Now that is a gathering we don’t want to miss. The good news that if we are in Christ we will be gathered to our people.
