【主題經文】
創世記 23:4-6
4 「我在你們中間是外人，是寄居的。求你們在這裡給我一塊地，我好埋葬我的死人，使她不在我眼前。」
5 「赫人回答亞伯拉罕說：」
6 「我主請聽。你在我們中間是一位尊大的王子，只管在我們最好的墳地裡埋葬你的死人；我們沒有一人不容你在他的墳地裡埋葬你的死人。」
親愛的家人，平安。
昨天我們在創世記22章，看見亞伯拉罕經歷信心的高峰。神試驗他，要他獻上以撒；但在最關鍵的時候，神親自預備公羊，使他經歷「耶和華以勒」。
到了創世記23章，畫面忽然轉到另一個很真實的場景：撒拉過世了。
亞伯拉罕剛經歷神應許的堅定，卻馬上面對至親離世的痛。這提醒我們，信心的道路不只是高山上的得勝，也包括人生中的眼淚、失去和等候。
在這章裡，亞伯拉罕說：「我在你們中間是外人，是寄居的。」從現實看，他在迦南地仍然沒有土地，沒有產業，沒有外在可以完全穩定他心的保障。
但很特別的是，赫人卻對他說：「你在我們中間是一位尊大的王子。」亞伯拉罕看自己是寄居者，但別人看見他身上有尊榮、有分量、有神同在的記號。
這也是我們在跟從神時常會經歷的掙扎。我們有時覺得自己仍在等候，仍未完全穩定，仍未完全得著；但神提醒我們，真正的尊榮不是來自我們手中已經擁有多少，而是來自我們是否活在神的應許和同在裡。
亞伯拉罕後來堅持用足價銀子買下麥比拉洞，不靠人的憐憫，也不接受模糊的人情，而是合法、公開、清楚地承接那塊地。這顯明他相信神的應許，也用正直來承接神的祝福。
今天我們從三方面來思想，在等候中，神要如何塑造我們的生命。
一、在等候中，重新看見自己的尊榮
創世記 23:4
「我在你們中間是外人，是寄居的。」
亞伯拉罕很誠實地承認自己的處境。他知道自己仍然是寄居的人，還沒有完全得著神所應許的地。
等候最容易讓人感到不穩定。當事情還沒有成就，當答案還沒有出現，我們很容易低看自己，覺得自己沒有根基、沒有保障、沒有分量。
但創世記23章6節說：
「你在我們中間是一位尊大的王子。」
亞伯拉罕雖然還沒有土地，但他的生命有神同行的記號。這提醒我們，人真正的尊榮，不是來自外在擁有多少，而是來自神放在我們生命中的身份。
彼得前書 2:9
「惟有你們是被揀選的族類，是有君尊的祭司，是聖潔的國度，是屬神的子民……」
今天，即使我們仍在等候，也不要讓缺乏定義自己。神要我們記得，我們是屬祂的人，我們的尊榮來自祂的呼召和同在。
二、在等候中，先站在神的應許上
創世記 23:8-9
「……把田頭上那麥比拉洞給我；他可以按著足價賣給我，作我在你們中間的墳地。」
撒拉過世後，亞伯拉罕沒有把她帶回從前的地方安葬，而是選擇在迦南地，就是神所應許之地，買下一塊墳地。
這不是普通的安葬安排，而是一個信心的宣告。雖然亞伯拉罕還沒有得著全地，但他先在應許之地站穩一步。
從人的眼光看，麥比拉洞只是一塊墳地；但從信心的眼光看，這是亞伯拉罕在應許之地第一個合法擁有的據點。
希伯來書 11:9-10
「他因著信，就在所應許之地作客，好像在異地居住帳棚……因為他等候那座有根基的城，就是神所經營所建造的。」
很多時候，神的應許不是一下子全部成就。祂可能先給我們一小步、一個開始、一個可以站住的地方。只要這一步是在神應許的方向上，就不是小事。
今天，讓我們不要因為還未完全看見，就退回從前的安全感；而是在等候中，先站在神已經說過的話上。
三、在等候中，用正直承接神的祝福
創世記 23:13
「……我要把田價給你，求你收下，我就在那裡埋葬我的死人。」
以弗崙表面上願意把田和洞給亞伯拉罕，但亞伯拉罕沒有接受模糊的人情。他堅持付價銀，並且在眾人面前公開完成交易。
創世記 23:16
「亞伯拉罕……把買賣通用的銀子平了四百舍客勒給以弗崙。」
亞伯拉罕知道，這塊地關乎神的應許。他不要將來有人說：「這是我們給你的。」他不要人的恩情混淆神的工作，也不要人的藉口損壞神的榮耀。
這也讓我們想起創世記14章，亞伯拉罕拒絕所多瑪王的財物，因為他不願意讓人說：「我使亞伯蘭富足。」
詩篇 84:11
「因為耶和華神是日頭，是盾牌，要賜下恩惠和榮耀。他未嘗留下一樣好處不給那些行動正直的人。」
在等候中，人最容易心急；心急的時候，就容易用人的方法、模糊的安排、灰色的選擇，去幫神的應許快一點成就。
但亞伯拉罕提醒我們：真正相信神的人，不只是相信神會給，也相信神能夠用正直的方法給。
【總結】
創世記23章讓我們看見，等候不是生命停頓的地方，而是生命被神塑造的地方。
亞伯拉罕仍是寄居者，卻沒有失去尊榮。
亞伯拉罕還沒有得著全地，卻先站在神的應許上。
亞伯拉罕可以接受人情，卻選擇用正直承接神的祝福。
這就是在等候中的生命。
真正的等候，不是消極、無奈、被動地等；真正的等候，是在神尚未完全成就以前，仍然知道自己是誰，仍然相信神說過的話，仍然守住清潔和正直。
【追求】
今天，讓我們在神面前思想：
一、我是否因為還沒有完全得著，就低看自己？
二、我是否因為等候太久，就想退回舊有的安全感？
三、我是否因為想快一點得著，就接受模糊的方法？
四、我是否忘記，神正在等候中塑造我的生命？
【禱告】
親愛的天父，我們感謝祢。
謝謝祢藉著創世記23章，讓我們看見亞伯拉罕在等候中的生命。他雖然是寄居者，卻在祢裡面有尊榮；他雖然還沒有得著全地，卻仍然站在祢的應許上；他雖然可以接受人的好意，卻選擇用正直和清潔的方式承接祢的祝福。
主啊，我們承認，很多時候我們在等候中會軟弱。當事情還沒有成就，當環境還沒有穩定，我們很容易不安，很容易低看自己，也很容易想用自己的方法去抓住結果。
求祢恢復我們的眼光，讓我們不再只看自己還沒有什麼，而是看見我們在祢裡面是誰。
求祢幫助我們在等候中站在祢的應許上。即使現在只看見一小步，仍然願意順服；即使現在只擁有一小塊地，仍然相信祢的話必要繼續成就。
也求祢保守我們的心，不走模糊的路，不用人的方法代替祢的工作，不因心急而失去正直。
聖靈啊，求祢進入我們的等候，安定我們的心，恢復我們的身份，堅固我們的信心，煉淨我們的動機。讓我們不是被等候消耗，而是在等候中被祢塑造，成為更成熟、更穩定、更能承接應許的人。
奉主耶穌基督的名禱告，阿們。
創世記 23
1 撒拉享年一百二十七歲， 2 在迦南境內的基列·亞巴，即希伯崙去世。亞伯拉罕在那裡痛哭，哀悼她。 3 他從妻子屍體旁邊站起來對赫人說： 4 「我是寄居在你們這裡的異鄉人，請你們給我一塊地，我好埋葬我的亡妻。」 5 赫人回答說： 6 「我主，請聽我們說，你在我們中間是一位尊貴的王子，你可以選我們這裡最好的墳地，沒有人會反對你使用他的墳地埋葬你的妻子。」 7 亞伯拉罕就向他們下拜，說： 8 「如果你們真的准我安葬妻子，就請你們代我求瑣轄的兒子以弗崙， 9 請他當著你們的面，把他田地盡頭的麥比拉洞按實價賣給我作墳地。」
10 當時以弗崙正坐在赫人當中，於是他在城門口赫人聚集的地方當眾答覆亞伯拉罕說： 11 「不可！我主，請聽我說，我當著族人的面，把那塊地和山洞送給你，你只管去安葬你的妻子！」 12 亞伯拉罕向當地的人下拜， 13 當眾對以弗崙說：「你若願意，請聽我說，我要把地錢給你，請你收下，好讓我安葬我的妻子。」 14 以弗崙回答說： 15 「我主，請聽我說，四公斤半銀子的地對你我來說算什麼呢？去安葬你的妻子吧！」 16 於是，亞伯拉罕就照以弗崙當眾提出的價錢，按通用的重量單位秤了四公斤半銀子給他。
17 這樣，以弗崙在麥比拉、靠近幔利的那塊地和山洞及地界內所有的樹木， 18 都歸了亞伯拉罕。這是在城門口的赫人面前買下的。
19 之後，亞伯拉罕把妻子撒拉安葬在迦南的幔利附近、麥比拉田間的洞裡。幔利就是希伯崙。 20 這塊赫人的地和其中的山洞從此成了亞伯拉罕家的墳地。
【Key Scripture】
Genesis 23:4-6
4 “I am a foreigner and a visitor among you. Give me property for a burial place among you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.”
5 And the sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him,
6 “Hear us, my lord: You are a mighty prince among us; bury your dead in the choicest of our burial places. None of us will withhold from you his burial place, that you may bury your dead.”
Dear family, peace to you.
Yesterday, in Genesis 22, we saw Abraham standing in a very deep place of faith. God tested him by asking him to offer Isaac, but at the most critical moment, God Himself provided the ram. Abraham experienced the Lord as “Jehovah Jireh” — the Lord will provide.
But when we come to Genesis 23, the scene suddenly changes. It becomes quiet, real, and painful. Sarah passed away.
Abraham had just experienced the confirmation of God’s promise, yet now he had to face the sorrow of losing his wife. This reminds us that the journey of faith is not only about victory on the mountain; it also includes tears, loss, and waiting.
In this chapter, Abraham said, “I am a foreigner and a visitor among you.” In reality, he still had no land in Canaan. He had no permanent possession, no visible inheritance, and nothing outward that could fully settle his heart.
But what is very powerful is that the sons of Heth said to him, “You are a mighty prince among us.” Abraham saw himself as a foreigner and a visitor, but others saw dignity, weight, and the mark of God’s presence upon his life.
This is also something we often struggle with as we follow God. Sometimes we feel we are still waiting, still unsettled, and still not fully possessing what God has promised. But God reminds us that true dignity does not come from how much we already possess outwardly, but from whether we are living in His promise and His presence.
Later, Abraham insisted on paying the full price for the cave of Machpelah. He did not rely on human pity, nor did he accept a vague favour. He purchased the land legally, publicly, and clearly. This showed that he believed God’s promise, and he wanted to receive God’s blessing with integrity.
Today, let us reflect on three ways God forms our lives while we are waiting.
- In waiting, see again the dignity God has placed upon you
Genesis 23:4
“I am a foreigner and a visitor among you.”
Abraham honestly acknowledged his situation. He knew he was still living as a foreigner and had not yet fully received the land God had promised.
Waiting can easily make us feel unstable. When things have not yet happened, when answers have not yet come, we may begin to look down on ourselves. We may feel that we have no foundation, no security, and no real weight.
But Genesis 23:6 says:
“You are a mighty prince among us.”
Although Abraham did not yet own the land, his life carried the mark of God’s presence. This reminds us that a person’s true dignity does not come from outward possessions, but from the identity God has placed upon his life.
1 Peter 2:9
“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people…”
Today, even while we are still waiting, we must not allow lack to define us. God wants us to remember that we belong to Him. Our dignity comes from His calling and His presence.
- In waiting, stand first on God’s promise
Genesis 23:8-9
“If it is your wish that I bury my dead out of my sight, hear me, and meet with Ephron the son of Zohar for me, that he may give me the cave of Machpelah which he has…”
After Sarah passed away, Abraham did not take her back to his former homeland to bury her. Instead, he chose to buy a burial place in Canaan, the land God had promised.
This was not just a funeral arrangement. It was a declaration of faith. Although Abraham had not yet received the whole land, he first stood on one small part of the promised land.
From a human point of view, the cave of Machpelah was only a burial place. But from the perspective of faith, it was the first legal possession Abraham had in the promised land.
Hebrews 11:9-10
“By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents… for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.”
Many times, God’s promise is not fulfilled all at once. He may first give us one small step, one beginning, one place where we can stand. If that step is in the direction of God’s promise, then it is not a small thing.
Today, let us not go back to our old sense of security just because we have not yet seen everything fulfilled. Let us stand, even in waiting, on what God has already spoken.
- In waiting, receive God’s blessing with integrity
Genesis 23:13
“And he spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, saying, ‘If you will give it, please hear me. I will give you money for the field; take it from me and I will bury my dead there.’”
At first, Ephron seemed willing to give the field and the cave to Abraham. But Abraham did not accept a vague favour. He insisted on paying the price, and he completed the transaction publicly before the people.
Genesis 23:16
“And Abraham listened to Ephron; and Abraham weighed out the silver for Ephron which he had named in the hearing of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, currency of the merchants.”
Abraham knew that this land was connected to God’s promise. He did not want anyone to say later, “We gave this to you.” He did not want human favour to confuse the work of God, nor did he want human claims to damage the glory of God.
This also reminds us of Genesis 14, when Abraham refused the possessions of the king of Sodom, because he did not want anyone to say, “I have made Abram rich.”
Psalm 84:11
“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.”
In waiting, people can easily become anxious. When we are anxious, we may be tempted to use human methods, unclear arrangements, or grey areas to help God’s promise happen faster.
But Abraham reminds us that a person who truly trusts God does not only believe that God will give; he also believes that God can give in a righteous and upright way.
【Summary】
Genesis 23 shows us that waiting is not a place where life stops. Waiting is a place where God forms our lives.
Abraham was still a foreigner, yet he did not lose his dignity.
Abraham had not yet received the whole land, yet he first stood on God’s promise.
Abraham could have accepted human favour, yet he chose to receive God’s blessing with integrity.
This is a life formed in waiting.
True waiting is not passive, helpless, or empty. True waiting means that before God’s promise is fully fulfilled, we still know who we are, we still believe what God has spoken, and we still keep our lives clean and upright before Him.
【Reflection】
Today, let us reflect before God:
- Have I looked down on myself because I have not yet fully received what I am waiting for?
- Have I wanted to return to old forms of security because the waiting has felt too long?
- Have I accepted unclear or unhealthy ways because I wanted the result to come faster?
- Have I forgotten that God is forming my life in the waiting?
【Prayer】
Dear Heavenly Father, we thank You.
Thank You for speaking to us through Genesis 23. Through Abraham’s life, we see what it means to live faithfully while waiting. Although he was a foreigner, he carried dignity in You. Although he had not yet received the whole land, he still stood on Your promise. Although he could have accepted human favour, he chose to receive Your blessing in a clean and upright way.
Lord, we confess that many times we become weak in waiting. When things have not yet happened, when our circumstances are not yet settled, we can become anxious. We may look down on ourselves, or we may try to use our own ways to hold on to the result.
Please restore our vision. Help us not to focus only on what we do not yet have, but to see who we are in You.
Help us to stand on Your promise while we wait. Even if we can only see one small step, help us to obey. Even if we only hold one small piece of ground, help us to believe that Your word will continue to be fulfilled.
Please also guard our hearts. Keep us from unclear ways, from human manipulation, and from losing integrity because we are impatient.
Holy Spirit, please enter into our waiting. Settle our hearts, restore our identity, strengthen our faith, and purify our motives. Let us not be consumed by waiting, but be formed by You in the waiting, becoming more mature, more stable, and more ready to receive Your promise.
In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
Genesis 23
1 Sarah lived one hundred and twenty-seven years; these were the years of the life of Sarah. 2 So Sarah died in Kirjath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.
3 Then Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spoke to the sons of Heth, saying, 4 “I am a foreigner and a visitor among you. Give me property for a burial place among you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.”
5 And the sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him, 6 “Hear us, my lord: You are a mighty prince among us; bury your dead in the choicest of our burial places. None of us will withhold from you his burial place, that you may bury your dead.”
7 Then Abraham stood up and bowed himself to the people of the land, the sons of Heth. 8 And he spoke with them, saying, “If it is your wish that I bury my dead out of my sight, hear me, and meet with Ephron the son of Zohar for me, 9 that he may give me the cave of Machpelah which he has, which is at the end of his field. Let him give it to me at the full price, as property for a burial place among you.”
10 Now Ephron dwelt among the sons of Heth; and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the presence of the sons of Heth, all who entered at the gate of his city, saying, 11 “No, my lord, hear me: I give you the field and the cave that is in it; I give it to you in the presence of the sons of my people. I give it to you. Bury your dead!”
12 Then Abraham bowed himself down before the people of the land; 13 and he spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, saying, “If you will give it, please hear me. I will give you money for the field; take it from me and I will bury my dead there.”
14 And Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him, 15 “My lord, listen to me; the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver. What is that between you and me? So bury your dead.” 16 And Abraham listened to Ephron; and Abraham weighed out the silver for Ephron which he had named in the hearing of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, currency of the merchants.
17 So the field of Ephron which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field and the cave which was in it, and all the trees that were in the field, which were within all the surrounding borders, were deeded 18 to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the sons of Heth, before all who went in at the gate of his city.
19 And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah, before Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. 20 So the field and the cave that is in it were deeded to Abraham by the sons of Heth as property for a burial place.
Zion Bread of Life Christian Church 
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