Being Holy

Genesis 23:12: "Again Abraham bowed down before the people of the land and he said to Ephron in their hearing, 'Listen to me, if you will. I will pay the price of the field. Accept it from me so I can bury my dead there.' "

This is an interesting passage about the account of Sarah's death. From the story it seems that Abraham was staying in Beersheba whereas Sarah his wife was in Kiriath Arba (Hebron) in Canaan. When Abraham learned of his wife's death, he went to mourn her loss. The Hittites were the people of the land, and they repeatedly insisted that they give Abraham land there to bury Sarah. Abraham responded on several occasions that he would rather purchase the land outright and not receive the land as a gift. At first glance, it seems that Abraham was treating these people's generosity with contempt; however, we find in Scripture that the Hittites were an evil people who did not serve the Lord. Abraham knew that his taking of this land would only give these pagans license to expect favors in return. He also knew that close associations with these people only increased his chances of turning away from the Lord.

Abraham was called by God to be holy. The word for "holy" implies being "set apart" and it suggests that Abraham was not to let the rebellious people of the land entice him away from fellowship with God. Abraham knew that he needed to avoid close associations with pagans, for they would lead him to rebel against the Lord and follow false gods. This is a good word for us today. We should be wise in our interactions with others. Whereas we are called to be a part of this world, we are not called to make close associations with those who would lead us into rebellion against the Lord. Scripture tells us in I Corinthians 15:33, "Do not be misled, bad company corrupts good character." Avoid unholy alliances, for they will pull you away from intimate fellowship with God.