Genesis 25:9-11

THE BURIAL OF ABRAHAM

"And Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre; the field which Abraham purchased of the children of Heth: there was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife. And it came to pass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed Isaac his son: and Isaac dwelt by Beer-lahairoi."

"Isaac and Ishmael ..." It is obvious that if Keturah had been a more RECENT wife of Abraham than either Sarah or Hagar, that her sons would have surely been represented in the funeral arrangements; and the fact that they were not bestows full credibility upon the comment of Josephus that, "At the time of the marriage of Isaac and the transfer of Abraham's wealth to him, the children of Keturah were gone to their remote habitations."[12]

It is satisfying that here Ishmael and Isaac, united in their common love of their great father, should have cooperated in the funeral. How often it is, even today, that funerals are the occasion for the reunion and reconciliation of relatives long estranged. Death is a great antidote for the pride, passion, and hatreds that mar men's lives. It is without doubt that Abraham had given instructions that would cause his body to be laid beside that of the beloved Sarah, in the same cave of Machpelah which he had purchased for that very purpose.

"Beer-lahairoi ..." This residence of Isaac was at the same well where Hagar had been greeted by the Angel of Jehovah and was refreshed after her expulsion from the household of Abraham.