BW 01.23 - Genesis 23-25, Settling Accounts
At the end of chapter 22, Abraham gets an update on his family back home. His brother Nahor has twelve sons, eight by his wife and four by his concubine. One of the eight, Bethuel, will later have a daughter named Rebekah (she marries Isaac) . Chapter 23 covers the passing of Sarah at age 127, and Abraham's intense negotiations to buy some land to bury her on. The negotiations were intense because Abraham wanted to make a fair purchase, and the people of the town wanted to give him the land outright to honor and bless him. Finally, he declared what piece of land he wanted, and the owner set a value, trying still to give it, and Abraham counted out the money in a public transaction. The deed was granted, and "the field of Machpelah near Mamre (which is at Hebron) in the land of Canaan" (Gen 23:19, NIV) became Abraham's family cemetery. Chapter 24 is the story of Isaac's arranged marriage. Abraham charged his chief servant with the task of...