Sarah lived one-hundred and twenty-seven years old then she passed away. Abraham wanted to burry his wife but they were in a foreign land when she passed away, so he asked the sons of Heth if he could buy land from them to properly mourn and burry his wife. In that time frame, if someone wasn't properly buried it was a huge sign of disrespect, however selling land to foreigners was also something that wasn't done much. But these men knew of Abraham and his God and because of the good reputation Abraham had, he agreed to give him land. In the text it shows that the men were willing to give the land to Abraham for free, but Abraham insisted on paying for it. In the side notes it states that this was simply normal bargaining tools and still is
common in those regions today. Had Abraham took the land for free, the men would have had no respect for him, but they made it sound as if they wanted him to have the land for free even though it was worth 400 shekels of silver. Abraham didn't bargain, he gave them exactly what they asked for even though it was custom to ask for double of what something was worth and have a counter offer at the fair price. Abraham knew this yet over paid for the land because he didn't want to owe these men anything and he didn't want to take advantage of the situation, and God had provided him with the finances to pay it.
When we choose to follow God and we seek him out, it shows in our behavior and helps to give us a good reputation. This was the case with Abraham, people who had never met him before knew he was a good man that served God. We should strive for this, we should want people to think highly of us, not because of our own merit but because God blesses us. God had already promised this land to Abraham, he could have just told the sons of Heth that and taken the land, but that approach would have caused a problem. Abraham knew there was a right and respectable way to handle things and a wrong way that would offend people and cause strife. He knew God gave him that land but he also knew that God gave him the finances to receive it the peaceful way.
Genesis Chapter 23
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