Isaac and His Wistful Burial

Sermon Notes by David E. Owen Isaac And His Wistful Burial

(Genesis 35:27–29)

Introduction:

This morning, it’s on my heart to preach from the last three verses of Genesis chapter 35, and I want to talk about “Isaac And His Wistful Burial.” The word ‘wistful’ has to do with contemplating something with a sadness and a melancholy spirit. It has to do with a thoughtful reflection. And as we finally come to the record of Isaac’s death, it causes us (and it must have caused his family) to reflect back upon Isaac’s lengthy life. And as we come to his graveside and see Jacob and Esau burying their father in the cave of Machpelah next to Rebekah and Abraham and Sarah, there is a wistfulness and a sadness in this scene.

For some time now, we have been looking at the life of the obscure pilgrim and patriarch named Isaac.

1. As I have been preaching this series of sermons on the life of Isaac, we began by looking at Genesis 21 as well as several other passages in Genesis to highlight and discover several aspects of “Isaac And His Wonderful Birth.” I tried to point out how the experiences in Abraham’s life leading up to, surrounding, and following the birth of Isaac relate to our own spiritual experience.

2. Then, I preached a message from Genesis chapter 22 about “Isaac And His Wide Brush-strokes.” When you talk about a painter using wide brush-strokes, you are referring to the practice of covering a lot of area on the canvas with the paintbrush. Figuratively, the expression of using a wide brush-stroke means to describe something in a very encompassing way. And that’s what Isaac does in Genesis chapter 22. In just a brief passage, Isaac paints a picture for us of (1) A Sinner Who Was Condemned; (2) A Saint Who Was Confounded; and (3) A Savior Who Was Crucified.

3. I also preached about an event in Isaac’s life in which he is only mentioned indirectly. The death of Isaac’s mother Sarah is recorded in Genesis chapter 23, but Isaac is not mentioned a single time in this chapter. It is not until Isaac takes Rebekah as his wife three years later that we are told in Genesis 24:67 that “Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.” I believe that in some ways, the record of Sarah’s death reveals the situation of “Isaac And His Worst Bereavement.”

4. From Genesis chapter 24, I tried to preach a message on “Isaac And His Willing Bride.” At the end of Genesis chapter 24, Rebekah’s willingness to become Isaac’s bride is shown in a very clear way… (Genesis 24:55-58) And her brother and her mother said, Let the damsel abide with us a few days, at the least ten; after that she shall go. {56} And he said unto them, Hinder me not, seeing the LORD hath prospered my way; send me away that I may go to my master. {57} And they said, We will call the damsel, and inquire at her mouth. {58} And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go.

5. We looked in Genesis 25 and talked about “Isaac And His Woeful Burdens.” And in the first part of the chapter, we discover some things that may have been burdensome to Isaac such as (1) The Brethren in verses 1-6, (2) The Burial in verses 7-11, (3) The Barrenness in verses 20-21.

6. We looked again at Genesis 25 as well as some other passages, and I preached on “Isaac And His Warring Boys.” And through Esau and Jacob, we saw the two paths that people take; a path of acceptance and faith towards God which is seen in the life of Jacob, and a path of ambivalence and antagonism towards God which is seen in the life of Esau.

7. We saw Isaac in his labor as he was digging and re-digging some of the wells of water that are associated with his life, particularly in Genesis chapter 26. In fact, these wells are such a significant aspect in Isaac’s life that one preacher had a sermon entitled “Well, Well, Well, Isaac.” Two weeks ago, I preached on “Isaac and His Well Background.” Page 2

8. Most recently, we looked back to the first part of Genesis chapter 26, and I preached on “Isaac and His Weak Behavior.” And we noticed Isaac’s lapse and lying in the Philistine kingdom of Gerar. But we also saw his amazing productivity and how God blessed Him in spite of his erring ways.

9. Again, it’s on my heart today to talk about “Isaac and His Wistful Burial.”

Why should we devote nine Sundays to the life of Isaac? As Warren Wiersbe said…

Isaac was the son of a famous father (Abraham) and the father of a famous son (Jacob), and for those reasons he is sometimes considered a lightweight among the patriarchs. Compared to the exploits of Abraham and Jacob, Isaac’s life does seem conventional and commonplace. Although he lived longer than either Abraham or Jacob, only six chapters are devoted to Isaac’s life in the Genesis record, and only one verse in Hebrews 11 (v. 9).

… However, there are more Isaacs in this world than there are Abrahams or Jacobs; and these people make important contributions to society and to the church, even if they don’t see their names in lights or even in the church bulletin.

In some respects, we are able to compare Isaac to Christ and discover some analogies between their two lives. But perhaps more than that, Isaac’s life offers us a picture of the brief but meaningful record of the typical Christian, who like Isaac, has times of great blessing but also times of frustration and heartache.

Our text today includes the record of Isaac’s death and burial, and like the chronicle of Isaac’s life, this is a brief record characterized by a mix of blessing and heartache.

As we look at these verses, there are several ingredients in these few short verses that blend together to offer us a final course in Isaac’s life.

I. We See The Return Associated With Isaac’s Death (Genesis 35:27)

Why did Jacob come back to the father’s house?

A. There Was A Covenant Associated With The Father’s House (Genesis 35:27) And Jacob came unto Isaac his father unto Mamre, unto the city of Arbah, which is Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac sojourned. The Keil and Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament says… Jacob’s arrival in “Mamre Kirjath-Arbah,” i.e., in the terebinth-grove of Mamre (Genesis 13:18) by Kirjath- Arbah or Hebron (vid., 23:2), constituted his entrance into his father’s house, to remain there as Isaac’s heir. He had probably visited his father during the ten years that had elapsed since his return from Mesopotamia, though no allusion is made to this, since such visits would have no importance, either in themselves or their consequences, in connection with the sacred history. This was not the case, however, with his return to enter upon the family inheritance. With this, therefore, the history of Isaac’s life is brought to a close. John Butler said… “Jacob came unto Isaac his father unto Mamre... which is Hebron” (Genesis 35:27). … Jacob (had been) sent away from home to Haran for safety and a spouse. The stay lasted much longer than anticipated. Rebekah thought it would be for “a few days” (Genesis 27:44) and that she would “send, and fetch thee [Jacob] from thence” (Genesis 27:45). But the “few days” turned out to be a number of years; and when Jacob returned to the land of Canaan, the reunion was only with Isaac, for Rebekah had already passed away. The beguiling of Isaac by Jacob had a bigger penalty than anticipated.

In Genesis chapter 27, Isaac read the will, so to speak, as he was old and blind even then at the age of 137. At that point, Jacob and Esau were both 77 years old. Isaac would live another 43 years after this situation. Page 3

As F. W. Robertson said… In chapter 25, we find Abraham preparing for death by a last will: making Isaac his heir, and providing for his other children by giving them gifts while he yet lived, and so sending them out into the world. In this (27 th) chapter, the heir himself is preparing to die. The rapidity with which these chapters epitomize life, bringing its few salient points together, is valuable as illustrative of what human existence is. It is a series of circles intersecting each other, but going on in a line. A few facts comprise man’s life. A birth – a marriage – another birth – a baptism – a will – and then a funeral: and the old circle begins again. Isaac is about to declare his last will. It is a solemn act, in whatever light we view it. … Isaac was not left without warnings of his coming end. These warnings came in the shape of dimness of eyes and failing of sight. You can conceive a state in which man should have no warnings: and instead of gradual decay, should drop suddenly, without any intimation, into eternity. Such an arrangement might have been. But God has in mercy provided reminders. … Some of them regular-such as failing of sight, falling out of hair, decay of strength, loss of memory, which are as stations in the journey, telling us how far we have travelled: others, irregular – such as come in the form of sickness, bereavement, pain – like sudden shocks which jolt, arouse, and awaken. Then the man considers, and like Isaac, says, “Behold, I am old, I know not the day of my death.” As it seems clear at this point that Isaac is about to depart, Jacob comes back to the father’s house to enter into the fullness of the covenant blessings that belong to him as the inheriting son. Wiersbe said… Isaac’s death changed Jacob’s status: He was now the head of the family and the heir of the covenant blessings. He not only acquired Isaac’s great wealth, but he also inherited all that was involved in the Abrahamic covenant. His God would be known as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

B. There Was A Comfort Associated With The Father’s House (Genesis 35:27) And Jacob came unto Isaac his father unto Mamre, unto the city of Arbah, which is Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac sojourned. Adam Clarke wrote… It has been conjectured that Jacob must have paid a visit to his father before this time, as previously to this he had been some years in Canaan, but now, as he was approaching his end, Jacob is supposed to have gone to live with and comfort him in his declining days. I surmise that Jacob was comforted by being with his father as much as he offered comfort to his father. The Keil and Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament says… Isaac died at the age of 180, and was buried by his two sons in the cave of Machpelah (Genesis 49:31), Abraham’s family grave, Esau having come from Seir to Hebron to attend the funeral of his father. But Isaac’s death did not actually take place for 12 years after Jacob’s return to Hebron. For as Joseph was 17 years old when he was sold by his brethren (37:2), and Jacob was then living at Hebron (37:14), it cannot have been more than 31 years after his flight from Esau when Jacob returned home (cf. Genesis 34:1). Now since, according to our calculation at Genesis 27:1, he was 77 years old when he fled, he must have been 108 when he returned home; and Isaac would only have reached his 168th year, as he was 60 years old when Jacob was born (25:26). Consequently Isaac lived to witness the grief of Jacob at the loss of Joseph, and died but a short time before his promotion in Egypt, which occurred 13 years after he was sold (41:46), and only 10 years before Jacob’s removal with his family to Egypt, as Jacob was 130 years old when he was presented to Pharaoh ( 47:9). But the historical significance of his life was at an end, when Jacob returned home with his twelve sons. In his “Bible Biography Series,” John Butler writes that… This reunion took place as a result of a revival in Jacob’s life. When Jacob returned to Canaan from Haran, he did not immediately head for the home of his father, Isaac. He stopped at Shechem and there paid a price for the immorality of his daughter and the bloody conduct of his sons Levi and Simeon (Genesis 34). God then ordered him to Bethel (Genesis 35:1) which started a revival in Jacob’s home. This, however, was followed by a series of sorrowful events—Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse died (Genesis 35:8—she had been living in Jacob’s home), Rachel his favorite wife died when giving birth to Benjamin (Genesis 35:19), his oldest son Reuben was immoral with one of his wives (Genesis 35:22), and then Genesis 35 records the death and burial of Isaac, which though it is not in chronological order, not only fits in the organization of the book of Genesis but also fits in the list of sorrowful experiences Jacob had after his revival. Revival does not exempt us from troubles and trials in life. “Many” are the trials and troubles of the “righteous” (Psalm 34:19). Albert Barnes wrote that… Deborah dies in the family in which she began life. She is buried under “the well-known oak” at Bethel. Jacob drops a natural tear of sorrow over the grave of this faithful servant, and hence, the oak is called the oak of weeping. It is probable that Rebekah was already dead, since otherwise we should not expect to find Deborah Page 4

transferred to Jacob’s household. She may not have lived to see her favorite son on his return.

Wiersbe said of the narrative that begins in chapter 35… God had promised to bring Jacob safely back to Bethel (28:15), and He kept His promise, as He always does. Jacob kept his part of the agreement by building an altar and leading his household in worshiping the Lord. Once again, Jacob gave a new name to an old place (vs. 6-7). “Luz” he had renamed “Bethel, the house of God” (28:19); and now “Bethel” he expanded to become “the God of Bethel “ It wasn’t the place that was important but the God of the place and what He had done for Jacob. … We don’t know when Rebekah’s maid Deborah (24:59) became a part of Jacob’s household, but her presence in the camp suggests that Jacob’s mother was now dead. Deborah had stayed with Isaac until Jacob drew near to Hebron, and then she went to be with the boy she had helped to raise years before. Was she the one who broke the news to Jacob that Rebekah was dead? Jacob’s tender treatment of this elderly servant is an example for all of us to follow. John Phillips wrote that… There was to be one more funeral when Jacob was bereaved of his father (35:27-29), although Isaac did not actually die at that point in history. Jacob had left Bethel and had left a lonely marker on the way that would lead to Bethlehem. His old nurse was dead, his beloved Rachel was dead, Dinah was nursing her heartache and shame, Levi and Simeon were still in the camp having brazened out their deeds, Reuben had acted worse than a pagan. So nursing his many hurts Jacob came at last to Isaac, his blind old father. The death of Isaac is instantly recorded as though to emphasize that Jacob must find his consolation in God and God alone. The Pulpit Commentary says… And the days of Isaac were an hundred and fourscore years. At this time Jacob was 120; but at 130 he stood before Pharaoh in Egypt, at which date Joseph had been 10 years governor. He was therefore 120 when Joseph was promoted at the age of 30, and 107 when Joseph was sold; consequently Isaac was 167 years of age when Joseph was sold, so that he must have survived that event and sympathized with Jacob his son for a period of 13 years. Matthew Henry said of Jacob’s return and… The visit which Jacob made to his father Isaac at Hebron. We may suppose he had visited him before since his return, for he sorely longed after his father’s house; but never, till now, brought his family to settle with him, or near him, v. 27. Probably he did this now upon the death of Rebekah, by which Isaac was left solitary, and not disposed to marry again. After 30 years away from his father, Jacob returns to the father’s house after much toil and sorrow. Being back in his father’s house must have been a great source of comfort to Jacob after all of the heartaches in his life, even those mentioned in Genesis 35.

II. We See The Reflection Associated With Isaac’s Death (Genesis 35:27–28) It is a touching scene in the lives of both Jacob and Isaac to see the son who had for 30 years lived 500 miles away come walking into Mamre where his father lived. We are not told whether he had seen Isaac in the past 30 years. This setting causes us to reflect upon the arena of Isaac’s life, and then the age of Isaac is highlighted.

A. Notice The Statement That Causes Us To Reflect Upon The Land Where Isaac Lived (Genesis 35:27) And Jacob came unto Isaac his father unto Mamre, unto the city of Arbah, which is Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac sojourned. The Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary says… Jacob came unto ... Mamre, unto the city of Arbah, which is Hebron. (See Genesis 23:2 where it mentions that Sarah died at Kirjath-Arbah) At the time of Jacob’s flight, Isaac was resident in Beer-sheba; but as he advanced in age he seems to have removed to Mamre (some 25 to 30 miles north-east of Beer-sheba), to be near the family gravesite. The UBS (United Bible Societies) Old Testament Handbook Series says… And Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre, or Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron): came in this context suggests that he returned with the intention of remaining. We may say, for example, “came home,” or “came back home.” In 13:18 Mamre is at Hebron, and in 23:2 Kiriath-arba is also Hebron. In this verse the compiler is concerned to identify both Mamre and Kiriath-arba with Hebron, which was known to his readers in his day. Note that TEV says “at Mamre, near Hebron.” FRCL offers another model, “at Mamre, near Kiriath- Page 5

Arba, which is now called Hebron.” Hebron is about 24 kilometers (15 miles) south of Bethlehem and the same distance west of the Dead Sea. From Shechem to Hebron Jacob and his people have been traveling south. Where Abraham and Isaac had sojourned: this may need to be restructured as a sentence: “This is where Abraham and Isaac had lived.” In some languages this will have to be something like “where Abraham stayed first, and where Isaac later stayed.” Twenty-seven years after Isaac’s death, Jacob was 147 years old, and he spoke to his sons… (Genesis 49:29-31) And he charged them, and said unto them, I am to be gathered unto my people: bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, {30} In the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite for a possession of a buryingplace. {31} There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah. Abraham and Isaac, though pilgrims and strangers, had become sojourners and residents of this land of Hebron. It became familiar territory to them. And here, at Mamre, close to the family burial plot, Isaac spent the last years of his life. It was near the place where his mother had died; it was near the place where he had buried his parents and where he had buried his wife.

To say that they were “sojourners” in this land indicates that this was not where the family originally came from, and it was not where they were ultimately going, but this is where they lived and resided while in this world.

B. Notice The Statement That Causes Us To Reflect Upon The Longevity Of Isaac’s Life (Genesis 35:28) And the days of Isaac were an hundred and fourscore years. John Butler said… The end of the story of Isaac recorded in the Scripture occurs with a brief report of his death and burial. The location of this report in Scripture is not chronological. That is, a number of incidents which occurred before Isaac died and was buried are reported in Scripture after this notice in Scripture of his death and burial. But the location is still appropriate, for it brings to a close the section concerning “the generations of Isaac” (Genesis 25:19). … Forty-three years earlier, Isaac had said, “I am old, I know not the day of my death... that my soul may bless thee before I die” (Genesis 27:2, 4). Isaac at 137 thought he had one foot in the grave. We can excuse him for thinking that inasmuch as his half brother Ishmael died at 137 (Genesis 25:17) and Isaac’s sight was about gone at 137. Isaac was quite pessimistic about his life at that juncture, but he lived another 43 years. … (In fact, as Butler points out) Isaac lived the longest of the three great patriarchs of the Jewish nation. Abraham lived to 175, Jacob lived to only 147, but Isaac made it to 180. Stopford A. Brooke said of Isaac that he had… Dropped into a querulous (cantankerous, grouchy, irritable) old age, and became a lover of savoury meat. But our last glimpse of him is happy. He saw the sons of Jacob at Hebron, and felt that God's promise was fulfilled. (The Biblical Illustrator) When verse 29 says that Isaac was “full of days,” The Pulpit Commentary says… being old and full of days (literally, satisfied with days. In Genesis 25:8 the shorter expression satisfied is used).

III. We See The Reunions Associated With Isaac’s Death (Genesis 35:29)

Death tends to bring people together as surely as it separates people.

A preacher and writer of years ago named T. H. Leale said… The death and burial of Isaac: -- I. It Was The Occasion Of Family Reunion. II. It Was A Time For Revival Of Memories Of The Past, III. It Was The Beginning Of Another And A Higher Life. (From The Biblical Illustrator)

A. There Is A Graveside Reunion Mentioned In Connection With Isaac’s Death (Genesis 35:29) And Isaac gave up the ghost, and died, and was gathered unto his people, being old and full of days: and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him. Page 6

Of this expression “gave up the ghost,” Adam Clarke wrote… The original word wayigwa, from the root gaawa‘, signifies “to pant for breath, to expire, to cease from breathing, or to breathe one’s last”; and here, and wherever the original word is used, the simple term “expired” would be the proper expression. In our translation this expression occurs Genesis 25:8, 17; 35:29; 44:33; Job 3:11; 10:18; 11:20; 13:19; 14:10; Lamentations 1:19; in all of which places the original is gaawa. It occurs also in our translation Jeremiah 15:9, but there the original is naapchaah napshaah, “she breathed out her soul.” Warren Wiersbe wrote… We trust that Isaac and Jacob experienced a complete reconciliation and that the old patriarch died “full of years” as did his father (25:8). Esau came from Mount Seir to pay his respects to his father and to assist Isaac in burying him in the cave of Machpelah (49:29-32). Esau was a man of the world and not a child of the covenant, but he was still Isaac’s son and Jacob’s brother, and he had every right to be there. Death is a human experience that brings human pain to our hearts, and caring for the dead is a responsibility for all the family — believers and unbelievers. The Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary says… It is a pleasing evidence of the permanent reconciliation between Esau and Jacob, that they met at Mamre, to perform the funeral rites of their common father.

B. There Is A Glorious Reunion Mentioned In Connection With Isaac’s Death (Genesis 35:29) And Isaac gave up the ghost, and died, and was gathered unto his people, being old and full of days: and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him. One writer said of Isaac that… His Death Was Peaceful. 1. Because his spirit was given up to the rightful owner. 2. Because the soul’s earthly activities had come to an end. 3. Because his soul’s temporal purposes had been gained. (The Homilist; in The Biblical Illustrator) I read a story that said… It was a typical scenario of young boys debating whose father was the best. This discussion highlighted who their fathers knew. The first boy started the debate by claiming his father knew the mayor. He was soon topped by the second boy who said, “That’s nothing. My dad knows the governor.” The stakes were getting pretty high, and the eavesdropping father wondered what his young son would say about him. The little boy shot back, “So what! My dad knows God!” Would your son say the same thing? May our children always be able to say, “My dad knows God?” (* Pulpit Helps, Feb. 1994, p. 14 – from the Stories for Preachers and Teachers CD)

Who were “his people” that Isaac was gathered to? When Jesus encountered the centurion of Capernaum who came to Jesus and asked the Lord to heal his servant, Jesus commended the faith of the centurion. Upon hearing the man’s request, the Bible says… (Matthew 8:10) When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. (Matthew 8:11) And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus indicated that it wouldn’t just be Jews in the kingdom of heaven, but there would be a gathering of people from other places. This gathering is a gathering of those who have come to God by faith.

Isaac was gathered to the people of faith in Almighty God. As John Butler said… Death brought reunion with his people. This statement “Gathered unto his people” from our text “certainly implies more than being laid in the common ancestral grave or even than passing out of this life” (Leupold). Keil said, “The phrase is constantly distinguished from departing this life and being buried, [it] denotes [here] the reunion in Sheol with friends [of the faith] who have gone before.”

Who will you be gathered to when you die?

Conclusion: H. B. London tells of Tim Kimmel… Tim Kimmel is a well known Christian author. He does much of his work at a large roll-top desk in his office. On the top of this desk are a unique set of pictures. To the far left is a photo of the place where he was born— Jamison Memorial Hospital. At the far right is a picture of the place where he will most likely be buried— Graceland Cemetery. Between those two pictures is a photograph of his wife and children. It’s a daily reminder of where life began, where it will end, and what really matters during the in-between time. Life is short, so seize Page 7

the moments with your family. (* Pastor to Pastor, H. B. London, Vol. 13 – from the Stories for Preachers and Teachers CD)

As we have viewed the different pictures of Isaac’s life, we have looked at his birth all the way through to his death. And we have looked at the brief glimpses that the Bible gives us of the years in between. In some of these pictures, we can see God’s leading and guiding, while in other pictures we discover the self-will of Isaac.

What do we discover in the pictures of our lives? What do you see as you reflect upon the days of your years? As we all march toward the grave, I believe that it is critical that Christ be front and center in every picture and season and event of our lives.