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Genesis 25:1-11 (HCSB)
Now Abraham had taken another wife, whose name was Keturah, and she bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. Jokshan fathered Sheba and Dedan. Dedan’s sons were the Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim. And Midian’s sons were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were sons of Keturah. Abraham gave everything he owned to Isaac. And Abraham gave gifts to the sons of his concubines, but while he was still alive he sent them eastward, away from his son Isaac, to the land of the East.
This is the length of Abraham’s life: 175 years. He took his last breath and died at a ripe old age, old and contented, and he was gathered to his people. His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite. This was the field that Abraham bought from the Hittites. Abraham was buried there with his wife Sarah. After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, who lived near Beer-lahai-roi.
Listen with Me
God had promised Abraham that He would make him the ancestor not just of the nation that would inherit the Promised Land, but of many nations (Genesis 17:4-6). And the children born to him by his second wife, Hagar, and his third wife, Keturah, became the founders of those nations.
Ishmael, whose sons are listed in the next section, is widely acknowledged to be the ancestor of all the Arab peoples. But a couple of the people groups descended from Keturah’s sons re-enter the narrative of God’s people. Notable among those are Midian, the ancestor of Moses’ wife, Zippora, and Sheba, whose descendants lived in the area from which the Queen of Sheba came to consult King Solomon (1 King’s 10).
Abraham knew that Isaac would be the one whose descendants would inherit the Promised Land, so he became Abraham’s sole heir. But near the end of his life, Abraham gave his other son’s lavish gifts from his estate and sent them to settle east of the Jordan, thus avoiding an internecine struggle for control of the land.
God had promised Abraham a good long life (Genesis 15: 15). Even though others live longer in previous ages (Shem, the son of Noah, was still alive during Abraham’s lifetime, and in fact would live on until the time that Joseph, Abraham’s great grandson, was sent to prison in Egypt (Genesis 11:10-11)), by Abrahams generation, 175 years was considered a good long life. And Moses was careful to note that Abraham’s oldest sons, Ishmael and Isaac, joined together to bury him in the family tomb at Machpelah.
Being a shepherd by trade, Isaac continued to live in the Negev, near the spring of Beer-lahai-roi (Genesis 16:7-14) where there was abundant grazing land. And he lived there as the new chief of the entire tribe.
Pray with Me
Father, it is amazing to me how many details, some of them frequently overlooked, You included in the narrative of Your chosen people. Abraham was a man who had remarkable faith. He lived in Your presence and in anticipation of Your faithful fulfillment of the promises You made to Him for a full 100 years, leading what we would call a simple life, but doing it in accordance with Your guidance. And he had a remarkably rich legacy to pass down through all his sons and daughters. Lord, help me to live simply, spending every day in Your presence, doing Your will, so that in the end, my testimony will be that You gave me a good long life that I lived to glorify You every moment of every day. Amen.
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