Abraham’s Death and Legacy
Genesis 25:1-18
Today in our verse-by-verse study of Genesis we come to the end of the life of Abraham. Moses introduced Abraham as Abram the son of Terah in Genesis 11. He was born about 400 years after the Flood, a few hundred years from the Tower of Babel, in a time when it was extremely rare to find someone faithful to the Creator God. Even after the fresh start with Noah, the world was still submerged under the darkness of sin and death–but God had promised a Savior, the Seed of the woman, who would crush the serpent’s head (Gen 3:15). God called out Abraham to leave his country, his family and his father’s household to go to a land God would show him (Gen. 12:1), the land of Canaan. The Lord promised him, “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing.… And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen 12:2-3).
For fourteen chapters we have followed Abraham on his walk of faith. We witnessed his victories and his failures and saw how God shaped him to be our father of the faith so that all that God promised would be fulfilled in us through his Seed, Jesus Christ. God’s covenant promises to Abraham will span multiple generations over hundreds of years, testifying to the faithfulness and patience of God towards sinful man.
Today’s text (Genesis 25:1-18) is another one of those genealogical sections that might seem on the surface to have little fruit for our spiritual nourishment. But it is an important passage in the book of Genesis. It ties up the loose ends of the story of Abraham and prepares us to shift our focus to Isaac and his descendants, which we will do next week, beginning with Genesis 25:19.
1 Abraham again took a wife, and her name was Keturah. 2 And she bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. 3 Jokshan begot Sheba and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim. 4 And the sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abidah, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah. 5 And Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac. 6 But Abraham gave gifts to the sons of the concubines which Abraham had; and while he was still living he sent them eastward, away from Isaac his son, to the country of the east.
7 This is the sum of the years of Abraham’s life which he lived: one hundred and seventy-five years. 8 Then Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people. 9 And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, 10 the field which Abraham purchased from the sons of Heth. There Abraham was buried, and Sarah his wife. 11 And it came to pass, after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac. And Isaac dwelt at Beer Lahai Roi.
12 Now this is the genealogy of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s maidservant, bore to Abraham. 13 And these were the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: The firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam ,14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 15 Hadar, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. 16 These were the sons of Ishmael and these were their names, by their towns and their settlements, twelve princes according to their nations. 17 These were the years of the life of Ishmael: one hundred and thirty-seven years; and he breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people. 18 (They dwelt from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt as you go toward Assyria.) He died in the presence of all his brethren.
When you come to a passage like this, a helpful question to ask is, “What was Moses’ purpose in writing it?” From there we can discover how it applies to us. Remember that Moses was writing to a people about to go in and conquer the land God promised to Abraham’s descendants through Isaac. The previous generation had the opportunity to conquer that land, but they died in the wilderness because of their unbelief. Now this generation had an opportunity to obey God in His redemptive plan of giving the land of Canaan to Abraham’s descendants. God’s purpose as promised to Abraham will be fulfilled. The question is, will this generation be used of God to fulfill it, or will they, too, be set aside? (Cole).
The focus in this passage is on God’s choice and blessing of Isaac. God’s purpose according to His choice will stand. This text presents three sections: Abraham’s sons through another wife, Keturah; Abraham’s death and burial; and finally Abraham’s descendants through Ishmael.
1. Abraham’s children (Gen. 25:1-6)
What we find in Genesis 25:1 is unexpected: “Abraham again took a wife, and her name was Keturah.” Keturah is referred to as a concubine in 1 Chronicles 1:32. Genesis 25:6 also mentions “sons of the concubines which Abraham had” (probably referring to Hagar and Keturah). A concubine held a position somewhat above that of a slave, yet she was not free, nor did she have the status or rights of a full wife. Her children held an inferior status to those born of his wife, but they could be elevated to the position of a full heir at the will of the master.
There is debate about when Abraham took Keturah as a wife. If it was after Sarah’s death as it appears here, then God miraculously had to extend Abraham’s physical ability to produce children after the birth of Isaac. Abraham lived another 38 years after Sarah died. Because of Abraham’s advanced age and the fact that Keturah is called a concubine (Gen. 25:6; 1 Chron. 1:32), some prefer the view that Abraham took her while Sarah was alive. The problem with that view is that it doesn’t seem consistent with Abraham’s character or his commitment to Sarah.
What is the point in naming Abraham’s sons through Keturah here? One point is this: God had promised to make Abraham the father of a multitude of nations. The Lord said to Abraham in Genesis 17, “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you.” (Gen. 17:4-6). The list of Abraham’s sons through Keturah, several of whom grew into nations, shows the fulfillment of God’s promise. Even though we don’t recognize most of these names, Israel did. The existence of these nations was a demonstration to Israel that what God promises, He does.
Another reason that these descendants of Keturah are listed here is to further distinguish Isaac, the son of promise, from the other sons of Abraham, who were born merely of the flesh. That is the message of Genesis 25:5-6, “And Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac. But Abraham gave gifts to the sons of the concubines which Abraham had; and while he was still living he sent them eastward, away from Isaac his son, to the country of the east.” Many sons were born to Abraham, but only one was the son of promise. God had told Abraham that He would establish His covenant with Isaac (Gen. 17:21). It was to Isaac’s descendants that God would give the land of Canaan. And through Isaac’s seed all the nations of the earth will be blessed (Gen. 22:18). The narrative of Genesis will soon focus upon Isaac and upon his descendants. Indeed, the rest of the Old Testament will tell the story of the nation of Israel who would come in the line of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Abraham “gave gifts to the sons” of Keturah and Hagar “while he was still living” but “he sent them eastward, away from Isaac his son, to the country of the east” (Gen. 25:6). Only Isaac stayed in the land of Canaan so that it was clear that God’s promise of blessing and the land would pass to Isaac. Abraham had complete faith that the promise would continue and that it would be through Isaac alone. As Isaac’s descendants, Moses’s readers needed to see their part as God’s chosen means of fulfilling His promises to Abraham, and they needed to obey God in taking possession of the promised land.
God would fulfill all His promises and purposes for Abraham and his descendants. God’s purposes according to God’s promises will be accomplished.
In the next section we see …
2. Abraham’s death (Gen. 25:7-11)
Genesis 25:7-8 says, “This is the sum of the years of Abraham’s life which he lived: one hundred and seventy-five years. Then Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people.” Moses tells us three things about the end of Abraham’s life. First, he lived to “a good old age.” Second, he was “an old man.” Third, he was “full of years.” Literally it simply says that he died “full”.
I like the way the New American Standard Bible translates those three phrases. It says that Abraham “died in a ripe old age, an old man and satisfied with life.” It implies that he couldn’t ask for anything more from life than God had given him. Certainly Abraham lived a full life and he packed a lot into those 175 years. But through it all, even in the worst moments, he remained a man of faith. He never lost sight of the LORD God who called him out of Ur 100 years earlier. For that reason he was satisfied with life when he died.
Calvin says, “We see how many are in bondage to the desire of life; yea, nearly the whole world languishes between a weariness of the present life and an inexplicable desire for its continuance. That satisfaction of life, therefore, which shall cause us to be ready to leave it, is a singular favor from God.” In other words, it’s God who gives you that contentment that enables you simultaneously to be satisfied with life, but also to be ready to leave it when God calls. And God had given that blessing to Abraham. (Ligon Duncan). Wiersbe said, “How few people really experience joy and satisfaction when they reach old age! When they look back, it is with regret; when they look ahead, it is with fear; and when they look around it is with complaint.” That was not the case with Abraham, however. He died full.
The only way you can truly die “full” and “satisfied with life” is if you have lived to further God’s purpose. If you live for yourself, Jesus says you’ll come up empty, but if you live for Christ and the gospel’s sake, you’ll find true life, “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it,” (Mark 8:35).
The Bible also says that he “was gathered to his people” (Gen. 25:8). Who were his people? This does not refer to the pagan ancestry he left behind in Ur. He was not buried with them, but in the cave of Machpelah in Hebron. Sarah’s was the only body in that family tomb. This phrase is used when Abraham died, and Ishmael, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, David, and once it is used of a whole generation that served God. So to me, it seems that “his people,” are people of faith – his ancestors, Adam, Seth, Enoch, Noah, Shem, Eber, among many others. To be “gathered to his people” is more than just a euphemism for death and burial. This is an indication that there is life beyond the grave. We have this hope, that one day too, we will be gathered up to people like Abraham after we die.
One thing to notice about Abraham’s death and burial is that, though Abraham was very significant in the outworking of God’s purposes, he was a just a man. He died, but God’s purposes were not hindered in the least by his passing. In fact, immediately after the announcement of Abraham’s burial we read, “And it came to pass, after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac. And Isaac dwelt at Beer Lahai Roi” (Gen. 25:11). God’s covenant blessings continue with Isaac. Isaac was the immediate fulfillment of God’s promises to Abraham, and a sign of the ultimate their fulfillment in our Lord Jesus Christ. God’s purposes will stand according to God’s will even when godly men die.
Finally we have a section about …
3. Ishmael’s descendants (Gen. 25:12-18)
This section begins with the familiar “toledoth” formula that distinguishes the major division of the book of Genesis. This is now the seventh set of “generations” listed in the Bible. In order, they are: the generations of the heavens and the earth (Gen. 2:4); the generations of Adam (Gen. 5:1); the generations of Noah (Gen. 6:9); the generations of the sons of Noah (Gen. 10:1); the generations of Shem (Gen. 11:10), and the generations of Terah (Gen. 11:27) which began the story of Abraham. This is the shortest “toledoth” section in Genesis. Only seven verses are devoted to Ishmael. The generations of Isaac which begins in Genesis 25:19 will take up more than ten chapters as it tells the story of Isaac’s descendants. Can you see, therefore, that a contrast is being made between the son of promise, and the son born of the flesh?
This section also points out the fulfillment of God’s promises. Abraham had asked God that Ishmael might live before Him (Gen. 17:18). God denied that request because He had chosen Isaac, but He did promise Abraham that Ishmael would become the father of twelve princes, and that He would make him into a great nation (Gen. 17:20). Also, the Lord had promised Hagar that her son would live “to the east of” (Gen. 16:12 NASB) or “over against” all his brothers (ESV). Moses records the fulfillment of that in Genesis 25:18. The point is, God’s purpose according to His sovereign choice was accomplished.
Not all who descend from Abraham are elect of the LORD. This is exactly what Paul the Apostle highlights in Romans 9:6-9, where he writes,
… For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, “In Isaac your seed shall be called.” That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed. For this is the word of promise: “At this time I will come and Sarah shall have a son.”
What we are seeing in the Genesis narrative is the outworking of God’s purposes to bring salvation through the seed of Abraham, Jesus Christ. Though it may not be immediately obvious, the gospel is present in Genesis 25. Though the son of Hagar and the sons of Keturah were sent away from Isaac, the elect son of promise. It was for their good and the good their descendants. Isaac was set apart from them, not for his sake alone, but so that through him would come Israel, a nation set apart for God. And therefore through that nation the promises of God concerning a Savior for all nations might be fulfilled. God fulfilled that promise in sending His Son Jesus Christ as the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. And it is only through faith in Him that all of the nations of the earth will be reconciled to God. This is the legacy of Abraham.
One final verse and I am done. When Jesus was debating the religious leaders of his day, He commented about Abraham: “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad” (John 8:56). By faith Abraham saw Jesus and the sight transformed his life. Have you ever seen the Lord Jesus Christ with the eyes of faith? Behold the Son of God. Fix your eyes upon Him. Look to Him who died on the cross for your sins. As the song says, “Look full in His wonderful face and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.” Turn from the passing things of this world. Turn from your selfishness and sin. Turn to Jesus. Call on His name. He will save you. Those who look to Him will never be disappointed and like Abraham of old, they will rejoice and be glad forever.
