Jacob Chanikuzhy

For Matriarch Sarah life was not a cake walk. Though she left Haran fully trusting her husband, Abraham was not always a source of strength and solace for her. There were times when perhaps she felt deeply betrayed by her husband. As she was very beautiful Abraham feared that others would try to kill him in order to possess her. Hence, Abraham occasionally insisted her to hide the truth that she was his wife. As a result, two times she had to join the harem of foreign rulers (Genesis 12:10-20; 20:1-18). One can imagine the ordeal a chaste woman would undergo in such situations. Abraham seemed to have ignored her dignity and honour in his fear for his own life. Then she almost reached a breaking point twice in her relationship with her maid servant Hagar who gave Abraham a child in his own blood. We can guess the pain and frustration Sarah endured more than three quarters of her life as a barren woman. It is worth noting that her death is recorded immediately after the story of the sacrifice of Isaac. Did she actually know about God’s command to sacrifice Isaac? Jewish stories tell us that Sarah did not know about the plan of Abraham when he left home with Isaac for Mount Moriah. But, later when she came to know about it she was shocked and heart broken and then she died.

It is worth noting that after describing the burial of Sarah, the author continues the story by mentioning that, “And Abraham was now old, advanced in years….” (Genesis 24:1). The readers know already that Abraham was advanced in years when he left Haran. But, now it states that Abraham was old. According to the Jewish sages, though Abraham was advanced in years he did not feel himself very old until the death of his wife Sarah. Her companionship helped him to keep his youthful vigour. Although Abraham had experienced many troubles that would have caused a premature ageing in any person, Sarah’s presence had sheltered him from the ill effects of all the troubles and trials of his life. But at her death old age leapt upon him.

In Sarah we see a faithful wife who followed her husband in all his journeys; a generous companion who gave her maid to her husband so that he may have a child of his own; a committed mother who was willing to take any step to eliminate all elements that would disturb the future of her son; a loving woman who would shelter and strengthen her life partner.

Abraham promptly mourned the death of his wife – cutting his beard, dishevelling his hair and scattering ashes on his head, rending his cloak and fasting. Then he wanted to give her a burial worthy of her honour. But the problem was that he did not have even an inch of land as his own in the “promised land.” So, he requested the Hittites to sell him the cave in Machpelah so that he can bury Sarah (Genesis 23:1-20). To the readers’ surprise, the owner of the cave in Machpelah was so generous to give the land without any price. But, his “generous offer” must have been a strategic move to deny Abraham any legal title for the land. When Abraham insisted to buy the land, he charged him an exorbitant price of 400 shekels. Without any hesitation Abraham paid the price according to the legal procedure and thus became the owner of the burial place. This means, Abraham had to pay a great price to possess a piece of land which in its entirety was promised to him and to his progeny by God.

If the land was promised to Abraham and if he believed in that promise why did Abraham try to possess a piece of land buy paying a price for it? Here Abraham shows us how the promises of God actualize in human life. The fact that God promised us something does not mean that we need not do anything to achieve it. It is also through human instrumentality that God accomplishes his plans for the humankind. Abraham’s possessing a piece of land symbolized the future possession of the land by his progeny.

At her death Sarah was buried not in a borrowed grave but in a cave which was owned by her husband. That means, the promise of the land was fulfilled in her case at her death. Sarah’s attaining after her death the divine promise of the possession of the land assures us that we have something to hope for even after our death.