Genesis 22:20 and 23 "And it came to pass after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying, Behold, Milcah, she hath also born children unto thy brother Nahor; . . . And Bethuel begat Rebekah: these eight Milcah did bear to Nahor, Abraham's brother."
Genesis 23:1-2 "And Sarah was an hundred and seven and twenty years old: these were the years of the life of Sarah. And Sarah died in Kirjatharba; the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan: and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her."
Abraham and Isaac had returned from their worship of God on Mount Moriah. We can only imagine the joy and wonder that must have been in their hearts. God had delivered Abraham from having to sacrifice Isaac, and instead provided a ram that they could sacrifice unto the LORD. The LORD further gave Abraham an amazing assurance that He would provide Himself (in the person of Jesus) to be the ultimate sacrifice for His children.
The scriptures then tell us of two significant events that took place “after these things.” Word came to Abraham that his brother, Nahor, had been blessed with eight offspring by his wife, Milcah. The youngest son, Bethuel, had a daughter named Rebekah. It was this Rebekah that would eventually become the wife of Isaac (Genesis 24:12-16).
The twenty-third chapter begins with the death of Sarah. Sarah is the only woman in the scripture whose age (127 years old) is given at her death. She was highly favored of God and had been a loving companion to Abraham for many years. Although there is some speculation that Sarah’s death was the result of anguish over Abraham taking Isaac to offer him as a sacrifice to God, the scripture does not say this. There is no evidence to indicate that her death was immediately after this event, nor does the scripture indicate that Abraham told Sarah what God had commanded him to do.
Abraham was seventy-five years old when God called him out of Haran to begin his sojourn. It was sixty-two years later that Sarah died. The scripture does not tell us how long they had been married before that, but it had to have been some time. They had been together long enough for Sarah to be convinced that she would not be able to give Abraham an heir. After all they had been through together, it is no wonder that Abraham wept for her.
What we see in these scriptures is that God was continually at work according to his purpose. While Abraham and Sarah were growing old together, God had given Abraham’s nephew, Bethuel, a daughter whom he name Rebekah. The LORD had blessed Abraham and Sarah with a promised son in Isaac. As we will see later on in our studies, God had plans for Isaac and Rebekah.
Dear ones, know that you will have both joys and sorrows in this life. We will face times when our faith may grow weak, but God is always faithful. There may be times when the Holy Spirit calls on us to do things that may test our faith. But always, God is at work, doing His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth (Daniel 4:35). May we find comfort in the steadfastness of God.