A Prince of God

1/9/2016

Genesis 23. 6 “Hear us, my lord; you are a prince of God among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will withhold from you his tomb to hinder you from burying your dead.” – the Hittites

When we look at the life of Abraham we see a man who was sold out to God. Now, to be sure, old Abe made some mistakes along his way, and every once in a while he took matters into his own hands to help God out. But good, bad, or otherwise, Abraham tried his best to keep God at the center of his focus and devotion. Abraham walked with God. And the longer he walked with God the more evident it was to those around him. Abraham had an impact on the society around him; they all thought he was pretty cool; a prince if you will.

Now, when Sarah, his wife, died, Abraham had no place to bury her. I don’ think they thought of death in those days like we do in ours. Abraham approached his neighbors, the Hittites and said: “I am a sojourner and foreigner among you; give me property among you for a burying place, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.” (Genesis 23.4) When he said give, he meant buy.

The Hittites responded: “Hear us, [lord]; you are a prince of God among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will withhold from you his tomb to hinder you from burying your dead.” In other words: Abraham, you impress us because of your walk with God; don’t worry about a tomb, we have plenty to share with you! Take one of ours for free!

What they didn’t understand was just how much God meant to him and how much a tomb of his own meant to him; Abraham wasn’t about to bury his wife in a borrowed tomb. And the narrative tells us that he persuaded them to sell him the cave of Ephron the son of Zohar, at the end of his field in Machpelah. Abraham knew that was where he was to bury Sarah, and Abraham insisted he own it. The prince of God wanted to own his own tomb; it was all the real estate he ever owned.

The people in Abraham’s neighborhood saw him as he was: a prince of God. They didn’t necessarily believe in God themselves, but they knew Abraham did. Which, in my mind begs the question: what would others say about my walk with God? Would they call me a prince of God? Or am I just another religious nut?

I think the answer comes from the reality of the depth and reality of my walk with God. Am I seeking God in a way that others can’t help but see? It really has to do with my view of God’s view of me. Walking with God will be obvious to others but my walking is never intended to make them notice – they’ll notice all on their own without my parading. My focus is to remain on Him, not on them.

As God’s favored children, do we draw attention as royalty, or are we indistinguishable from the “Hittites” around us? That’s not to put down the Hittites, they are free to believe whatever they want – the question is: are they aware of out stance with God and do they see us as princes and princesses of God? Our walk with God will be the deal-maker, or breaker.

Father, it’s not for me to worship You for notoriety; it’s for me to walk with You and let the chips fall wherever they may. My conduct in this world is obvious to others and You’ve called me to walk with You. Is it obvious? Am I perceived as royalty? Like Abraham, draw me into a deeper walk with You only caring that I represent You well in all of my days. Amen.