PAY THE PRICE FOR WHAT YOU WANT

PROCLAMATION

“Ephron answered Abraham, saying unto him, ‘My lord … the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver; what is that betwixt me and thee?  Bury therefore thy dead.’  And Abraham … weighed to Ephron the silver … four hundred shekels of silver …”  Genesis 23:14-16 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These are the words of God which were revealed to and written by Moses under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  While they were in Hebron in the land of Canaan, Abraham’s wife Sarah died at a hundred twenty-seven years of age. (Genesis 23:1-2)  After weeping, Abraham sought to buy a place in this foreign land to bury his wife. (Genesis 23:2-4)  Out of their respect for Abraham, the Hittites told him that he could have anyplace that he wanted to bury his wife. (Genesis 23:5-6)  Abraham asked them to ask Ephron the son of Zohar for the cave of Machpelah, which is at the end of his field.  He said that he would pay him whatever the land was worth. (Genesis 23:7-9)  Ephron offered to give the land and the cave to Abraham, but he refused to accept it as a gift, preferring to buy the property. (Genesis 23:10-13)  Ephron answered Abraham saying that the land was worth four hundred shekels of silver, which he said was nothing between the two of them.  Abraham paid him the four hundred shekels of silver and buried Sarah in the cave of Machpelah. (Genesis 23:14-20)  Abraham knew that God had promised to give him and his seed all of Canaan, and he chose to wait on The Lord.

 

APPLICATION

Today there are times when some people will give a person a gift and they expect something in return in the future.  Some people will use a gift to make us feel beholden to them.  They can hold it over our heads, or brag about it to others.  There are times when it is better for us to pay full price for an item and not be in debt to anyone.  Some people are great manipulators and a gift can be used to gain leverage over another person.   Additionally, we should beware of gifts that have “strings” attached to them.  The “strings” can tie you to that person and create an unwanted future obligation.  Not all gift givers have good intentions.