So the field of Ephron in Machpelah, which was to the east of Mamre, the field with the cave that was in it and all the trees that were in the field, throughout its whole area, was made over to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the Hittites, before all who went in at the gate of his city. After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah east of Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. (Genesis 23:17-19 ESV)
Promises
Even though God had promised the entire region would be Abraham’s, so far Abraham had not seen much fulfillment. In the same way that Abraham and Sarah might have doubted God’s promise for a child, they might have been doubting God’s promise of land.
And Abraham believed enough to start the ball rolling. He bought this land, with the purpose of burying Sarah, as the first installment of the Promised Land. Just as Isaac was only one child on the way to legions, so the cave of Machpelah was the first square of land on the way to the expanse of heaven itself.
Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebecca, Jacob, and Leah all end up buried in that place. Because their families all believed God’s promises.
Today, Christians, heirs of Abraham, are more than I can count, fulfilling God’s people-promises. And today, Christians live under King Jesus all over this world, fulfilling God’s land-promises.
We are peculiar, we can see God’s promises are kept.