Funerals have a way of bringing families together.
It never fails that funerals also serve as family reunions. I recall a period in my extended family’s life when we would only gather together at funerals. Life was so busy, but funerals called us out from that into a closeness with each other.
As a pastor, I’ve witnessed other families saying the same thing. Funerals really have a way of bringing families together.
In this transitional section of Genesis, we read the following in Genesis 25:1-11:
1 Abraham had taken another wife, whose name was Keturah. 2 She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah. 3 Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan; the descendants of Dedan were the Ashurites, the Letushites and the Leummites. 4 The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanok, Abida and Eldaah. All these were descendants of Keturah.
Genesis 25:1-11, New International Version
5 Abraham left everything he owned to Isaac. 6 But while he was still living, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them away from his son Isaac to the land of the east.
7 Abraham lived a hundred and seventy-five years. 8 Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and full of years; and he was gathered to his people. 9 His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite, 10 the field Abraham had bought from the Hittites. There Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah. 11 After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, who then lived near Beer Lahai Roi.
It appears that after Sarah’s death, Abraham took another wife, Keturah. 1 Chronicles 1:32 refers to Keturah as a concubine. Some of us in the modern Western world view concubines as something closer to mistresses. That’s not how the ancient world viewed them.
Without spending too much time on this excursion, a concubine often served as a secondary wife in ancient cultures. These women were of lower social status and were frequently slaves. While they had some legal protections, concubines were considered the property of their husbands. The children of concubines were legitimate children of the father, but usually didn’t share the same inheritance from the father.
Keturah and Abraham had multiple children. This further demonstrates God’s blessing in giving Abraham a legacy too numerous to count.
Verse 5 directly reminds us that God’s promise to Abraham was specifically for Isaac.
Isaac was the inheritor of Abraham’s estate—everything he had. Before he died, Abraham blessed his other children by giving them part of his estate. Then he sent these sons to the land of the east. In the Bible, “the East” is typically associated with a path away from the Lord’s blessing. In time, we’ll see how this pans out.
And then at the ripe old age of 175, Abraham died. Verse 8 reminds us of the Lord’s blessing on Abraham. Indeed, he was blessed!
In a rare moment, Isaac and Ishmael come together to bury their father. This speaks of the love and respect both men shared for their father. He was laid to rest beside Sarah in a family burial site.
In verse 11, we see the Lord’s blessing resting fully on the child of the promise to Abraham, Isaac.
Have you ever experienced the reunion of family at the death of a loved one? Was it your family? While we hope Isaac and Ishmael “bury the hatchet” at the death of Abraham, that’s not how it happened. May the Lord bless us by enabling us to reconcile with each other when funerals bring our families together.
Life Meets Theology 