A COMMENTARY ON GENESIS CHAPTER 25 DEALING WITH THE FINAL DAYS OF ABRAHAM AND THE BLESSINGS ON HIS SONS.

1. Genesis 25
This chapter is loaded with many names that most never study, and much of it is
very technical. It is here just to let you know this information is available. If you
prefer to skip those verses that deal with the details about the sons, just do so, and
get the gist of the verses that are most relevant.
1 Abraham took another wife, whose name was
Keturah.
1. Commentators point out that it is not likely this choosing of another wife took
place after the death of Sarah. The Apostle Paul wrote in Rom. 4:19 that Abraham
considered his feeble body dead along with Sarah's dead womb. In other words,
they were both long past child bearing years, and so the birth of Isaac was a miracle
of God through them. This means it is not likely Abraham could take another wife
many years later and give birth to 6 more children after the death of Sarah. Many
commentators are pretty much agreed with the following statements: "...it is clear
that this marriage is related here out of its chronological order, merely to form a
proper winding up of the patriarch's history." Clarke adds, "It is therefore very
improbable that he had any child after the birth of Isaac; and therefore we may well
suppose that Moses had related this transaction out of its chronological order, which
is not infrequent in the sacred writings, when a variety of important facts relative to
the accomplishment of some grand design are thought necessary to be produced in a
connected series." A good example of things out of chronological order is the death
of Abraham is described in this chapter, but the fact is, he lived for many more
years after this chapter.
Let's do the math
* Birth of Isaac - Abraham is 100 (Gen 21.5)
* Death of Abraham - Abraham is 175 (Gen 25.7)
* Birth of Jacob and Esau - Isaac is 60 (Gen 25:26)
* Conclusion: Abraham lived for 15 years after the birth of
Jacob and Esau
An unknown author adds these comments: "Over the centuries a number of Bible
scholars have maintained that this marriage between Abraham and Keturah did not
take place after the death of Sarah. A number of reasons can be cited in support of
this conclusion:First, the verb translated “took” can as easily be rendered “had
taken,” as the margin of the NIV indicates. Second, Keturah is referred to as a
concubine in I Chronicles 1:32, which also fits nicely with the word “concubines” in
verse 6 of our passage. 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 wife. The master did
have sexual relations with the concubine. Her children held an inferior status to
those born of a wife, but they could be elevated to the position of a full heir at the

2. will of the master. Why would Keturah be called a concubine unless Sarah were still
alive and this marriage was of a lesser type?Third, the sons of this union were said
to have been “sent away” (verse 6). This could hardly be true of the children of a
full marriage, but it would be completely consistent with the children of a
concubine. These children would have been sent away in just the same fashion as
Ishmael. According to the Code of Hammurabi the sons of a concubine could be sent
away, the compensation for which was the granting of their full freedom. Finally,
Abraham was said to have been old, beyond having children at age 100 (cf. Genesis
18:11). Paul referred to Abraham as being “as good as dead” (Romans 4:19) so far
as bearing children was concerned. Those who are mentioned here would have had
to have been born to a man at least 140 years old if Abraham married Keturah after
Sarah died and Isaac was married to Rebekah. These children listed in verse 3
would have been more of a miracle than Isaac." The fact that there is no mention of
the marvelous miracle of these 6 sons makes it clear there is no such miracle, and
Abraham had to have them much earlier.
2. Calvin sounds downright disgusted with the idea that Abraham would take a
young wife in his old age. He writes, "It seems very absurd that Abraham, who is
said to have been dead in his own body thirty-eight years before the decease of
Sarah, should, after her death, marry another wife. such an act was, certainly,
unworthy of his gravity. Besides, when Paul commends his faith, (Rom. 4: 19,) he
not only asserts that the womb of Sarah was dead, when Isaac was about to be born,
but also that the body of the father himself was dead. Therefore Abraham acted
most foolishly, if, after the loss of his wife, he, in the decrepitude of old age,
contracted another marriage. Further, it is at variance with the language of Paul,
that he, who in his hundredth year was cold and impotent, should, forty years
afterwards, have many sons." Calvin accepts the theory that Abraham took
Keturah while Sarah was still alive, but he does not like it, and he writes, "Such
conduct indeed was disgraceful, or, at least, unbecoming in the holy patriarch.
Nevertheless no other, of all the conjectures which have been made, seems to me
more probable." He goes on, " Certainly, if Abraham married a wife while Sarah
was yet alive, (as I think most probable,) his adulterous connexion was unworthy of
the divine benediction. But although we know not why this addition was made to the
just measure of favour granted to Abraham, yet the wonderful providence of God
appears in this, that while many nations of considerable importance descended from
his other sons, the spiritual covenant, of which the rest also bore the sign in their
flesh, remained in the exclusive possession of Isaac." Calvin is saying that he
considers polygamy adultery, but fails to recognize that it was by this means that
Jacob gave birth to a third of the 12 tribes of Israel. It would be wiser to accept that
it was an acceptable practice in that day and not blot Abraham's reputation with a
sin. He blew it enough times without adding sins based on future sexual ethics of
Christians. Ronald Youngblood, a teacher at Bethel Seminary, when I was there,
says this is what is called a "flashback."
3. Gill wrote his opinion like this, "that Abraham took Keturah for his concubine,
about twenty years after his marriage with Sarah, she being barren, and long before
he took Hagar; though not mentioned till after the death of Sarah, that the thread of

3. the history might not be broken in upon; and there are various things which make it
probable, as that she is called his concubine, 1Ch_1:32, which one would think she
should not be, if married to him after the death of Sarah, and when he had no other
wife, and seeing before he died he had great grandchildren by her, and the children
of her are reckoned down to the third generation; whereas there are only mention of
two generations of Hagar, as in Gen_25:1; and therefore seems to have been taken
by him before Hagar, and even when he was in Haran, and the children by her are
thought to be the souls gotten there; nor does it seem very probable that he should
take a wife after the death of Sarah, when he was one hundred and forty years of
age, and was reckoned an old man forty years before this; and Dr. Lightfoot (f) is of
opinion, that Abraham married her long before Isaac's marriage, or Sarah's death;
and if this was the case, the difficulty of accounting for Abraham's fitness for
generation vanishes."
4. There are many, however, like Barnes and Henry who see no reason to not take
this in the order in which it is written. Abraham would be lonely in his old age after
Sarah's death, and a young wife could add new life to his body. She was young
enough to bear 6 children, and so it was a whole new experience for Abraham.
Modern studies prove that men in their elderly years, even in the 90's can and do
still have sex once or twice a month. There can be some problems, however. Morris
was a good example, for at 85 he married Louanne who was 25. On their wedding
night she heard a knock at her bedroom door and in walked Morris. She thought he
would be too tired, but he was ready for action. Afterwards she prepared to go to
sleep and the knock came again, and in walks Morris. He came into bed and they
enjoyed one another again. She said to him, "Morris, I cannot believe you could
come to me twice in one night!" Morris looks at her dumbfounded and says, "You
mean I've been here already."
5. Many are convinced that when God rejuvenated Abraham to give birth to Isaac
that the rejuvenation continued so he could have more children to help fulfill the
promise to having descendants in great numbers. There is no way to know which
view is correct, and it does not really matter, except this last view does keep
Abraham from being a practicing polygamist. He did not live with Hagar, but if he
had 6 sons with Keturah while Sarah was alive he would definitely be practicing
polygamy, which would not be the case if he married her after the death of Sarah.
Ken Trivette sees the humor in this picture of Abraham becoming a family man at
his age. He writes, "We see two things occurring. Abraham is becoming a husband
again and he is becoming a father again. He is around 125 or possibly older. Instead
of hearing the squeak of a rocking chair, we hear wedding bells. Instead of leaning
back and enjoying his golden years, he is surrounded by preschoolers. When it was
about time to look at Nursing Homes, he was looking for kindergartens. Instead of
wheelchairs, there were baby carriages. Sarah has been dead around 20 years and
now Abraham remarries. Her name is Keturah, which means “incense” or “she who
makes incense to burn.” She was a woman that added a fragrance to all she came in
contact with. She no doubt brought a lovely fragrance to the last years of
Abraham’s life. Someone has said that optimism is a 90 year old man marrying a 20

4. year old woman and buying a house next to an elementary school."
6. There seems to be confusion about the number of children born to Abraham. In
this text we have a listing of 6 sons added to his son Isaac born to Sarah, and his son
Ishmael born to Hagar, which brings the total to 8. But when Paul deals with the
matter in Gal. 4:22 he only has the two born before Keturah comes into the picture,
and he writes, "Abraham had two sons; one by a bonds-maid, the other by a free
woman." The book of Hebrews reduces it to just one and says, "By faith, Abraham
when he was tried offered up Isaac... his only begotten son. - Hebrews 11:17." This
sounds like a problem, but not really, for it all makes sense as we read this
explanation by Clarke. He writes, "Galatians isn't too hard to deal with, since it
isn't saying that Abe had only two kids -- it's just picking two out of the lot (the two
most important for the context) and using them as examples. Only our modern
obsession with details requires the added thought, "He had six others by another
women, but that doesn't come into this story." That leaves Hebrews (which should
not mention the other 6, which were born after the time described) -- did the writer
of Hebrews forget Ishmael? Hebrews is here making use of the LXX version of
Genesis 22:2, with one exception: where Hebrews says "only begotten" the LXX
says "beloved." On the other hand, a variant tradition of the LXX, used by Aquila
and Josephus, also says "only begotten." Why? Both words derive from the Hebrew
yahid, which can carry both meanings. This is the sense in which "only begotten"
should be understood."
7. A Rabbi Buchwald has some very interesting information from the Jewish
commentators. He writes, "Who was Keturah? Our rabbis are unclear about her
identity. Some commentators say that Keturah was a new wife who was descended
from Jafet, one of the sons of Noah. This means that each of Abraham's three wives
were descended from one of the three sons of Noah. Sarah, was a descendent of
Shem; Hagar, a descendent of Ham; and Keturah, a descendent of Jafet. Our rabbis
see in this the fulfillment of the verse (Genesis 12:3): "V'niv'r'choo v'cha kol
mish'p'chot ha'ah'da'ma," and all the nations of the world will be blessed through
you.
Other rabbis disagree, saying that Keturah was really Hagar. If that's the case, why
is she called Keturah? Keturah means "closed" or "tied shut." Even though
scripture says of Hagar (Genesis 21:14), "Va'tay'laych va'tay'ta b'midbar Be'er
Shaw'va," implying that Hagar returned to the idolatry of her father's house, our
rabbis insist that Hagar did teshuva, and that her new deeds became pleasant like
ketoret, incense. It is as if a new woman had been created, and for this reason the
Torah gives her a new name. This interpretation, however, is challenged by the
biblical text that states (Genesis 25:6): "V'liv'nay ha'pee'lag'shim," and to the
children of the concubines, implying that there was more than one concubine. The
rabbis explain that in the ancient Torah text, the word pee'lag'shim, is spelled with
only one "yud," indicating that Abraham had only one concubine, meaning Hagar."
This view was held by a few Christian commentators also, but the vast majority
reject it as unfounded speculation.

5. 8. Critics point out that Keturah is called a wife here and in I Chron. 1:32 she is
called a concubine. The concubine is also a wife, but of a secondary ranking, and
not equal to the original wife. Concubines were called wives in Gen. 37:2 and Judges
19:3-5. The fact that she was called a concubine does support the view that she was
taken as a wife while Sarah was still alive. Her name means perfumed or incense,
and it was revived by the Puritans and can be found rarely in America. The Yakult
Midrash makes a not unreasonable assertion concerning all three wives of
Abraham. Abraham married three wives – Sarah, a daughter of Shem; Keturah, a
daughter of Japheth; and Hagar, a daughter of Ham.
9. Some scholar put together this interesting account about frankincense: " J.A.
Selbie in A Dictionary of the Bible (James Hastings, publ. by T & T Clark, Edin.,
1899) adds this comment on the sons of Keturah: From the meaning of the name
Keturah, ‘frankincense’, Sprenger [in Geog. Arab. 295] suggests that the ‘sons of
Keturah’ were so named because the author of Gn. 25 1ff. knew them as traders in
that commodity. According to Selbie, Arab genealogists maintain there was a tribe
called Katura living in the neighborhood of Mecca. Herodotus (ca. 490-425 BCE)
stated that: “Arabia is the last of inhabited lands towards the south, and it is the
only country which produces frankincense, myrrh, cassia, cinnamon, and ledanum”
(Histories, III, 107), and adds: “Concerning the spices of Arabia let no more be said.
The whole country is scented with them, and exhales an odour marvellously sweet”
(ibid., 113). Frankincense (lebonah: SHD 3828) was found almost exclusively in
Arabia. The prophet Jeremiah mentions incense coming from Sheba (Jer. 6:20). It
was one of the four ingredients of the specially prepared holy incense (Ex. 30:34)
used in both the Tabernacle and the Temple (cf. Lk. 1:9-10). Frankincense was also
uniquely used with the sacrifice offerings along with fine flour and oil (Lev. 2:1-2),
but its use was forbidden with sin offerings (Lev. 5:11) or jealousy offerings (Num.
5:15). It was to be burned for a memorial, an offering made by fire on the two piles of
6 loaves each of unleavened bread upon the ‘pure’ table within the Tabernacle and
the Temple (Lev. 24:5-7). Myrrh is often referred to in conjunction with
frankincense, and is associated with both the birth and death of Messiah (see Mat.
2:11; Mk. 15:23; Jn. 19:39-40). Song of Solomon 3:6 What is that coming up from
the wilderness, like a column of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense,
with all the fragrant powders of the merchant? (RSV) Psalm 45:7b-8 Therefore
God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellows; 8 your
robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia. (RSV) This refers to the
normal custom in the East of perfuming a bridegroom; in this particular case, the
Messiah has been anointed above his fellow elohim. We see also in Nehemiah 13:5
that frankincense was considered one of the Temple treasures."
10. Ken Trivette wrote, "When God does something He does it right. Here is
Abraham well over 100 and he’s having children left and right. He’s got a cane in
one hand and a high chair in the other. Not only do we see him having 6 children,
but we read of him having 7 grandsons, and 3 great-grandsons. Here’s the point I
want you to get. His most fruitful days were in the last years of his life. If the
average Christian were honest, they look back to days that were more fruitful than
the present. They can recall a time when they were doing more for God and a time

6. when God was using and blessing them more. Abraham was more fruitful at the end
than he was at the beginning. He started well but finished even better. That’s the
way we should want to die; still bearing spiritual fruit till the day God calls us
home. May it even be so that we are in the most fruitful days of our life when it is
our time to go."
"Benjamin Franklin had only 2 years of formal schooling. But at age 25 he founded
the first library in America. At age 31 he started the first fire department. At age 36
he invented the lightning rod. At age 40 he was learning how to harness electricity.
At age 43 he designed a heating stove that is still in use today. At age 45 He founded
one of the Ivy League Universities. At age 79 he invented bifocals. Conversationalist,
economist, philosopher, diplomat, printer, publisher, linguist (spoke and wrote 5
languages). All this until age 84. He never stopped producing and making
contributions."
2 She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan,
Midian, Ishbak and Shuah.
1. Someone has pointed out that the record of these sons of Abraham is very
incomplete: "For some reason the genealogist of the "book of records" (so it is
called in Genesis 5:1) names all 6 of Keturah's children, then identifies the offspring
of just 2 of those 6 (Abraham's grand children), and then, finally, tells us how just 1
of those 2 grand children gave birth to 3 clans (Abraham's great grand children).
This is a spotty record that feels patchy, random and incomplete, glaring with
significant gaps. Nor does the record-keeper comment on any of its significance, if it
had any significance. Details about Keturah's children with Abraham sputter out in
a genealogical dead end."
2. It is something we seldom think of, but it is a fact, Abraham is not only the father
of the Jews, but he is also the father of the Gentile nations that came from these sons
who became Arabs. They were not Jews, but Gentile descendants of Abraham. He
fathered many Gentile nations through these sons and Ishmael. Intermarriage with
the Gentiles was discouraged because they tended to become idolaters, but if they
became believers they were welcome. But if a non-Jew followed the true God, there
was no barrier to marriage, e.g. the Canaanite Rahab and the Moabitess Ruth in the
Messianic Line itself Matt. 1:5, the Egyptian princess Bithiah I Chron. 4:18, and the
godly Hittite Uriah, married to the Jewess Bathsheba—and God severely judged
King David for dishonouring this marriage II Sam. 11-12.
3. Most all of the information below about these sons of Abraham by Keturah comes
from the study of Wade Cox and Reg Scott. You can find their study with all the
many details at http://www.ccg.org/_scripts/english/C1a.asp. I will share here just

7. the basic facts and Bible references. Before we look at each son it is of interest to
note what these authors say about the connection of the Christian faith with that of
the Arabs and their becoming a part of Islam. The surprising statement they make
is this, "Before the coming of Islam the Arabs were crossed between paganized
Arabs and Christianized Arabs. Islam is itself a version of Unitarian Christianity
and the founders of Islam were Christians." Muhammed was a baptised Christian.
Muhammed's debate with the Christians was over the trinity. He rejected it as a
denial of the oneness of God and considered it a heresy. This meant a lower view of
Jesus as the Son of God. He was born of a virgin and a miracle child, but he was a
prophet of God and not the son of God. He is highly honored and did ascend into
heaven, but they say he is not God.
Wade Cox writes, "In the seventh century we are still dealing with Heathenism that
asserts that gods came down and fornicated with humans and begat children. That
was the assertion that the Koran was combating. The Koran must be read in the
light of the problems of the time." The Koran says that the true faith if that of
Abraham, Moses and Jesus, but they have manipulated many texts to conform to
their perspective and interpretation. The two great religions of the world are in
conflict over Biblical interpretation. This explains why there is often a prejudice
toward the Arabs by Christians in preaching and teaching. It is just the same as
with Catholic and Protestant, Calvinist and Armenian, and Baptists and Lutherans.
Religious conflict creates all kinds of prejudice, for it is a rule that you do not keep
an open mind toward the views of those who are the enemy. Each side builds the
case for their view and rejects all that is said for any other view. We tend to think of
the Jews and Arabs as the continuing battle of the sons of Abraham, but the fact is
the larger battle between Christianity and Islam is the same battle of the sons of
Abraham. All three of the great faiths of the world, Judaism, Islam and Christianity
claim to be the children of Abraham, and so the whole world is really caught up in a
form of sibling rivalry. It can be confusing because some Arabs became Jews, and
others became Christians, and most became Muslims, and so the Arabs are in all
camps.
The Koran says, "Say (O Mohammed): We believe in Allah and that which is
revealed unto us and that which was revealed unto Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac
and Jacob and the tribes, and that which was vouchsafed unto Moses and Jesus and
the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and
unto Him we have surrendered. And whoso seeketh as religion other than the
Surrender (to Allah) it will not be accepted from him, and he will be a loser in the
Hereafter." So the whole issue is over Bible interpretation, for all parties agree on
the Bible as the basis for authority. All three agree on some things. For example,
Cox writes, "The general expectation of the Judeo-Christian-Islamic tradition is of
the coming of the Messiah, the King of Righteousness, who will establish his rule for
1,000 years (Rev. 20:4) called the Millennium. The Christian tradition is that the
Millennium (or Chiliad) will be preceded by the first resurrection of the Pelekizu
(the martyrs, or the persecuted for Christ’s sake). The second or general
resurrection of the dead occurs at the end of the Millennium." The point in all this
is that we are dealing with the family of Abraham yet today in the most major

8. religious conflicts in the world. His family line though both Jews and Gentiles are
still the big news of today. Now lets look at these sons that came through his wife
Keturah.
1. Zimran means musical or musician. He is thought to be Zimri of Jeremiah 25:25
which is one of the many nations to suffer God's wrath when the whole Middle East
came under his judgment. These people moved into the Arabian peninsula even
before Israel went into Egypt.
2. Jokshan
Cox writes, "He was the second-born son, whose name can mean snarer (BDB),
hence by implication a birdcatcher; alternatively, insidious (Strong: SHD 3370). On
Cohen’s analysis Jokshan may also be the person called Kahtan or Qahtan by the
Arabs. Jokshan produced two sons, Sheba and Dedan (Gen. 25:2-3; 1Chr. 1:32), and
the tribes from these brothers settled in northern Arabia." His two sons, the
grandsons of Abraham became large tribes who did business with the great city of
Tyre. In Ezek. 27:20-23 we see these two tribes as part of the great trading going on
in Tyre-" 20 "Dedan traded in saddle blankets with you. 21 " 'Arabia and all the
princes of Kedar were your customers; they did business with you in lambs, rams
and goats. 22 " 'The merchants of Sheba and Raamah traded with you; for your
merchandise they exchanged the finest of all kinds of spices and precious stones, and
gold. 23 " 'Haran, Canneh and Eden and merchants of Sheba, Asshur and Kilmad
traded with you. 24 In your marketplace they traded with you beautiful garments,
blue fabric, embroidered work and multicolored rugs with cords twisted and tightly
knotted." We see the princes of Kedar here also, and so the sons of Ishmael and the
sons through Keturah were all a part of the world of trade going on in the vast Arab
world. These familes that came from Abraham were big business people in the
Middle East. They were wealthy people and Ezek. 38:13 has them say this as God
threatens to come and rob them of their wealth: "13 Sheba and Dedan and the
merchants of Tarshish and all her villages [d] will say to you, "Have you come to
plunder? Have you gathered your hordes to loot, to carry off silver and gold, to take
away livestock and goods and to seize much plunder?" They had so much wealth
that they were a temptation to others to come and conquer them for the sake of their
riches.
Israel imported incense from Sheba, for it was the best, but when God was angry
with them he make it clear that they cannot escape his judgment by using the best
incense on their sacrifices. In Jer. 6:20 he says, "What do I care about incense from
Sheba or sweet calamus from a distant land?
Your burnt offerings are not acceptable; your sacrifices do not please me." But
when God wants to picture a great blessing on Israel with riches galore coming to
them, he refers primarily to the wealth that will come from the these sons and
grandsons of Abraham, and also from the sons of Ishmael. These Abab tribes were
the merchants of wealth in that ancient world, as they still are to this day selling oil
to the rest of the world. God states it clearly in Isa. 60:1-7:

9. 1 "Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.
2 See, darkness covers the earth
and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the LORD rises upon you
and his glory appears over you.
3 Nations will come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
4 "Lift up your eyes and look about you:
All assemble and come to you;
your sons come from afar,
and your daughters are carried on the arm.
5 Then you will look and be radiant,
your heart will throb and swell with joy;
the wealth on the seas will be brought to you,
to you the riches of the nations will come.
6 Herds of camels will cover your land,
young camels of Midian and Ephah.
And all from Sheba will come,
bearing gold and incense
and proclaiming the praise of the LORD.
7 All Kedar's flocks will be gathered to you,
the rams of Nebaioth will serve you;
they will be accepted as offerings on my altar,
and I will adorn my glorious temple.
In Psalm 72:10-11, and 15 we read of the gold and other wealth that came to
Solomon from Sheba. Job 6:19 refers to the caravans of merchants from Sheba: "
The caravans of Tema look for water, the traveling merchants of Sheba look in
hope." Here we see the son of Ishmael and the grandson of Keturah in the same
verse as merchants of the desert.
The greatest picture we have of their wealth is when the Queen of Sheba came to
visit Solomon and we read in I Kings 10:1-14: 1 When the queen of Sheba heard
about the fame of Solomon and his relation to the name of the LORD, she came to
test him with hard questions. 2 Arriving at Jerusalem with a very great caravan—
with camels carrying spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones—she came
to Solomon and talked with him about all that she had on her mind. 3 Solomon
answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for the king to explain to her. 4
When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon and the palace he had
built, 5 the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in
their robes, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he made at [a] the temple of the
LORD, she was overwhelmed. 6 She said to the king, "The report I heard in my own

10. country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. 7 But I did not believe
these things until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half was told
me; in wisdom and wealth you have far exceeded the report I heard. 8 How happy
your men must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and
hear your wisdom! 9 Praise be to the LORD your God, who has delighted in you
and placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the LORD's eternal love for
Israel, he has made you king, to maintain justice and righteousness." 10 And she
gave the king 120 talents [b] of gold, large quantities of spices, and precious stones.
Never again were so many spices brought in as those the queen of Sheba gave to
King Solomon. 11 (Hiram's ships brought gold from Ophir; and from there they
brought great cargoes of almugwood [c] and precious stones. 12 The king used the
almugwood to make supports for the temple of the LORD and for the royal palace,
and to make harps and lyres for the musicians. So much almugwood has never been
imported or seen since that day.) 13 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she
desired and asked for, besides what he had given her out of his royal bounty. Then
she left and returned with her retinue to her own country. Solomon's Splendor 14
The weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents, [d] 15 not
including the revenues from merchants and traders and from all the Arabian kings
and the governors of the land."
For some reason the three grandsons of Abraham which were born to this second
son of Keturah are mentioned in verse 3. Nothing is known about them except what
can be known from the meaning of their names. Cox gives us this information:
"Asshurim (SHD 805) means steps in the sense of taking steps to go somewhere. In
later Jewish literature the Asshurim are described as ‘travelling merchants’.
Letushim (SHD 3912) means hammered or oppressed (Strong), directly related to a
word (3913) meaning to sharpen, hammer, whet (BDB), that is, the Letushim were
occupied in the sharpening of cutlery and weaponry.
Leummim (SHD 3817) means peoples or communities, from a root word meaning to
gather. In later Jewish writings the Leummim are described as the ‘chief of those
who inhabit the isles’, perhaps alluding to the Greek islands."
3. Medan
Cox writes, "The third of Keturah’s six sons, Medan carries a name meaning
contention, discord or strife (SHD 4091). He apparently founded a number of
northern Arabian tribes, and his name is preserved in the town of Madan, which lay
slightly west of south of modern Taima. Madan or Medan is also mentioned in the
inscriptions from the reign of the Babylonian Tiglath-pileser III (ca. 732 BCE),
where it was referred to as Badan. The consonants b and m are often interchanged
in Arabic and its predecessors, Chaldean and Eastern Aramaic."
4. Midian

11. This forth son was more notable than the other boys because the father-in-law of
Moses came from his tribe and played a mojor role in the history of Israel. His name
means strife, brawling or contention. The story of Moses fleeing to Midian it told in
Ex. 2, and it is referred to again by Dr. Luke in Acts 7:29, "Then fled Moses at this
saying, and was a stranger in the land of Madian, where he begat two sons." Moses
took his wife from this tribe, and so Moses becomes locked into this son of
Abraham. Exodus 2:15-21 tells the story: " When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to
kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh, and stayed in the land of Mid'ian; and he
sat down by a well. 16 Now the priest of Mid'ian had seven daughters; and they came
and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father's flock. 17 The shepherds
came and drove them away; but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their
flock. 18 When they came to their father Reu'el, he said, "How is it that you have
come so soon today?" 19 They said, "An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the
shepherds, and even drew water for us and watered the flock." 20 He said to his
daughters, "And where is he? Why have you left the man? Call him, that he may eat
bread." 21 And Moses was content to dwell with the man, and he gave Moses his
daughter Zippo'rah. (RSV) Zipporah means a bird. She bore two sons to Moses:
Gershom, meaning exile, and Eliezer, meaning God is help." Jethro is called the
priest of Midian: he recognized the true God and even gave Moses good advice
which apparently pleased the Lord (Exod 18). Certainly, the Midianites had some
revelation of God through their father Abraham. Like most of these sons, Midian
also became an enemy of Israel.
The following is an outline of the history of this tribe of Midian.
1. Midianites become traders, moving between Gilead and Egypt,
outside the promised land
2. Jacob's sons will one day sell their brother Joseph to Midianite slave
traders who will take him to Egypt
3. Moses will marry a Midianite woman and be greatly helped by his
father-in-law, a Midianite.
4. But the Midianites will also lead Israel astray during the Exodus and
the Israelites will worship false gods because of the Midianites.
5. Because of this God will declare a special hatred against the
Midianites
1. He will command Moses to engage in a holy war against them
2. This war will continue for 2 centuries or more until the
Midianites are decisively defeated by Israel under Gideon in the time of the
Judges.
3. This defeat will become legendary, with the prophet Isaiah twice
referring to it centuries later
4. Isaiah 9:4 - For the yoke of their [Israel's] burden, and the bar
across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken
as on the day of Midian.
5. Isaiah 10.26 - The LORD of hosts will wield a whip against them
[the Assyrians], as when he struck Midian

12. In verse 4 the five sons of Midian are named and Cox puts together the following
information about these grandsons of Abraham. He says the Book of Jasher tells of
many greatgrandsons of Abraham born to these 5 grandsons. This book of Jasher is
quoted twice in the Bible and is, therefore, of the highest authority. We read in Josh.
10:13-14, "So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself
on [b] its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the
middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. 14 There has never been
a day like it before or since, a day when the LORD listened to a man. Surely the
LORD was fighting for Israel!" In a larger quote David ordered his men to learn a
section of this book in II Sam. 1:17-27.
17 David took up this lament concerning Saul and his son Jonathan, 18 and ordered
that the men of Judah be taught this lament of the bow (it is written in the Book of
Jashar):
19 "Your glory, O Israel, lies slain on your heights.
How the mighty have fallen!
20 "Tell it not in Gath,
proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon,
lest the daughters of the Philistines be glad,
lest the daughters of the uncircumcised rejoice.
21 "O mountains of Gilboa,
may you have neither dew nor rain,
nor fields that yield offerings of grain .
For there the shield of the mighty was defiled,
the shield of Saul—no longer rubbed with oil.
22 From the blood of the slain,
from the flesh of the mighty,
the bow of Jonathan did not turn back,
the sword of Saul did not return unsatisfied.
23 "Saul and Jonathan—
in life they were loved and gracious,
and in death they were not parted.
They were swifter than eagles,
they were stronger than lions.
24 "O daughters of Israel,
weep for Saul,
who clothed you in scarlet and finery,
who adorned your garments with ornaments of gold.
25 "How the mighty have fallen in battle!
Jonathan lies slain on your heights.
26 I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother;

13. you were very dear to me.
Your love for me was wonderful,
more wonderful than that of women.
27 "How the mighty have fallen!
The weapons of war have perished!"
If you want to have some fun with people tell them you are going to read from the
Bible in the book of Jasher. They will think you are losing your mind, but then you
turn to this passage and read from Jasher. Most will be surprised that part of
Jasher is in the Bible. Now lets look at the information Cox has put together on
these grandsons.
Ephah, meaning darkness or gloomy (SHD 5891), was the father of the tribes which
settled in the northwest of the Arabian peninsula, roughly in modern Ghuwafa,
south-west of Tebuk. The Babylonian king Tiglath-pileser III calls this tribe the
’Ayappa, or the Khayappa Arabs, as noted above. The last known reference to them
is found in an inscription dated to ca. 715 BCE, the time of Sargon II.
Another Ephah is also mentioned twice in the genealogical records of the tribe of
Judah (1Chr. 2:46,47).
Epher, meaning a calf (SHD 6081), was the second son of Midian, and was known to
the Arabs as ’Ofr. His descendants in turn were called the Apparu as inscriptions
from the time of King Assurbani-pal of Assyria show. The Epherite city of Ghifar,
close to Medina, still carries the name of its founder. As with Ephah above, the
name Epher appears in the genealogy of Judah (1Chr. 4:17) as well as among the
half-tribe of Manasseh across the Jordan (1Chr. 5:24).
Hanoch, has the notable meaning of dedicated or [God’s] follower (SHD 2585). He
was purported to be the father of the Kenites, who were famed metalworkers or
smiths. These tribes originally settled in the south-west region beside the Gulf of
Aqaba.
Abida(h), meaning my father knows or father of knowledge (SHD 28), was the fourth
son of Midian. In Yemen, at the south-west foot of the Arabian peninsula, there are
Minean inscriptions of ca. 9th century BCE which refer to these people as the
Abiyadi’.
Eldaah, meaning God has known or called of God (SHD 420), was the progenitor of
tribes referred to as the Yada’il in ancient Sabean inscriptions. As with their brother
tribe, they apparently settled in the area of south-western Arabia, now modern
Yemen.
The Midianites were so intertwined with the Ishmaelites that their names could be
used in the same sentence as the same people. We see it in the first contact these

14. people had with Israel in Gen. 37:23-28, "23 So when Joseph came to his brothers,
they stripped him of his robe—the richly ornamented robe he was wearing- 24 and
they took him and threw him into the cistern. Now the cistern was empty; there was
no water in it. 25 As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a
caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices,
balm and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt. 26 Judah
said to his brothers, "What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his
blood? 27 Come, let's sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after
all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood." His brothers agreed. 28 So when
the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern
and sold him for twenty shekels [b] of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to
Egypt." The people of Ishmael, the son of Abraham, and the people of Midian, the
grandson of Abraham had so intermarried that they were one tribe.
At one point God used the Midianites to punish his disobedient people of Israel. We
read in Judges 6:1-2,6, "The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the
LORD; and the LORD gave them into the hand of Mid'ian seven years. 2 And the
hand of Mid'ian prevailed over Israel; and because of Mid'ian the people of Israel
made for themselves the dens which are in the mountains, and the caves and the
strongholds….6 And Israel was brought very low because of Mid'ian; (RSV)." Here
we see the Arabs in charge of Israel and forcing the chosen people to live in caves.
These people were greatly blest of God, but they became evil just like Israel and
God had to turn things around and let Israel wipe them out and take their vast
wealth. We read of it in Numbers 31:1-33:
1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 "Take vengeance on the Midianites for the Israelites.
After that, you will be gathered to your people."
3 So Moses said to the people, "Arm some of your men to go to war against the
Midianites and to carry out the LORD'S vengeance on them. 4 Send into battle a
thousand men from each of the tribes of Israel." 5 So twelve thousand men armed
for battle, a thousand from each tribe, were supplied from the clans of Israel. 6
Moses sent them into battle, a thousand from each tribe, along with Phinehas son of
Eleazar, the priest, who took with him articles from the sanctuary and the trumpets
for signaling.
7 They fought against Midian, as the LORD commanded Moses, and killed every
man. 8 Among their victims were Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur and Reba—the five kings of
Midian. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword. 9 The Israelites
captured the Midianite women and children and took all the Midianite herds, flocks
and goods as plunder. 10 They burned all the towns where the Midianites had
settled, as well as all their camps. 11 They took all the plunder and spoils, including
the people and animals, 12 and brought the captives, spoils and plunder to Moses
and Eleazar the priest and the Israelite assembly at their camp on the plains of
Moab, by the Jordan across from Jericho. [a]
13 Moses, Eleazar the priest and all the leaders of the community went to meet them
outside the camp. 14 Moses was angry with the officers of the army—the

15. commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds—who returned from the
battle.
15 "Have you allowed all the women to live?" he asked them. 16 "They were the
ones who followed Balaam's advice and were the means of turning the Israelites
away from the LORD in what happened at Peor, so that a plague struck the
LORD's people. 17 Now kill all the boys. And kill every woman who has slept with a
man, 18 but save for yourselves every girl who has never slept with a man.
19 "All of you who have killed anyone or touched anyone who was killed must stay
outside the camp seven days. On the third and seventh days you must purify
yourselves and your captives. 20 Purify every garment as well as everything made of
leather, goat hair or wood."
21 Then Eleazar the priest said to the soldiers who had gone into battle, "This is the
requirement of the law that the LORD gave Moses: 22 Gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin,
lead 23 and anything else that can withstand fire must be put through the fire, and
then it will be clean. But it must also be purified with the water of cleansing. And
whatever cannot withstand fire must be put through that water. 24 On the seventh
day wash your clothes and you will be clean. Then you may come into the camp."
Dividing the Spoils
25 The LORD said to Moses, 26 "You and Eleazar the priest and the family heads of
the community are to count all the people and animals that were captured. 27 Divide
the spoils between the soldiers who took part in the battle and the rest of the
community. 28 From the soldiers who fought in the battle, set apart as tribute for
the LORD one out of every five hundred, whether persons, cattle, donkeys, sheep or
goats. 29 Take this tribute from their half share and give it to Eleazar the priest as
the LORD'S part. 30 From the Israelites' half, select one out of every fifty, whether
persons, cattle, donkeys, sheep, goats or other animals. Give them to the Levites,
who are responsible for the care of the LORD'S tabernacle." 31 So Moses and
Eleazar the priest did as the LORD commanded Moses.
32 The plunder remaining from the spoils that the soldiers took was 675,000 sheep,
33 72,000 cattle, 34 61,000 donkeys 35 and 32,000 women who had never slept with a
man.
This text tells us of the enormous success of the Midianites, and the wealth that they
had collected by their business. It also tells us that 32 thousand of them became
wives of the soldiers of Israel. We need to keep in mind that every pagan nation that
Israel conquered had young virgins that were taken captive, and this explains why
polygamy had to be a common practice, for most men in Israel were already
married by the time they were soldiers in battle. They had the right to pick any girl
they found beautiful for a wife. The idea of Jews being a pure race is nonsense, for
they intermarried with all the Gentile nations.

16. If we go back to Numbers 25 we can see why God was so angry at the
Midianites.They seduced Israel into immorality that led God to destroy 24 thousand
of his own people. Here is Num. 25 that tells the story.
1 While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality
with Moabite women, 2 who invited them to the sacrifices to their gods. The people
ate and bowed down before these gods. 3 So Israel joined in worshiping the Baal of
Peor. And the LORD'S anger burned against them.
4 The LORD said to Moses, "Take all the leaders of these people, kill them and
expose them in broad daylight before the LORD, so that the LORD'S fierce anger
may turn away from Israel."
5 So Moses said to Israel's judges, "Each of you must put to death those of your men
who have joined in worshiping the Baal of Peor."
6 Then an Israelite man brought to his family a Midianite woman right before the
eyes of Moses and the whole assembly of Israel while they were weeping at the
entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 7 When Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron,
the priest, saw this, he left the assembly, took a spear in his hand 8 and followed the
Israelite into the tent. He drove the spear through both of them—through the
Israelite and into the woman's body. Then the plague against the Israelites was
stopped; 9 but those who died in the plague numbered 24,000.
10 The LORD said to Moses, 11 "Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the
priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites; for he was as zealous as I am
for my honor among them, so that in my zeal I did not put an end to them. 12
Therefore tell him I am making my covenant of peace with him. 13 He and his
descendants will have a covenant of a lasting priesthood, because he was zealous for
the honor of his God and made atonement for the Israelites."
14 The name of the Israelite who was killed with the Midianite woman was Zimri
son of Salu, the leader of a Simeonite family. 15 And the name of the Midianite
woman who was put to death was Cozbi daughter of Zur, a tribal chief of a
Midianite family.
16 The LORD said to Moses, 17 "Treat the Midianites as enemies and kill them, 18
because they treated you as enemies when they deceived you in the affair of Peor
and their sister Cozbi, the daughter of a Midianite leader, the woman who was
killed when the plague came as a result of Peor."
The end was not good for Midian because of departing from the faith of there father
Abraham, but the fact is, there were Midianites who were godly people who will be
a part of the eternal kingdom. Moses needed a Midianite as a guide when he led the
people into the desert. We read in Num. 10:29-33

17. 29 Now Moses said to Hobab son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses' father-in-law, "We
are setting out for the place about which the LORD said, 'I will give it to you.' Come
with us and we will treat you well, for the LORD has promised good things to
Israel."
30 He answered, "No, I will not go; I am going back to my own land and my own
people."
31 But Moses said, "Please do not leave us. You know where we should camp in the
desert, and you can be our eyes. 32 If you come with us, we will share with you
whatever good things the LORD gives us."
33 So they set out from the mountain of the LORD and traveled for three days. The
ark of the covenant of the LORD went before them during those three days to find
them a place to rest. 34 The cloud of the LORD was over them by day when they set
out from the camp.
It appears that he did not go with Moses, for he had a ministry among his own
people, for he was a true follower of the God of Abraham, and this is made clear
later in Exodus 18:1-12 Jethro, the priest of Mid'ian, Moses' father-in-law, heard of
all that God had done for Moses and for Israel his people, how the LORD had
brought Israel out of Egypt. 2 Now Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, had taken
Zippo'rah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her away, 3 and her two sons, of whom the
name of the one was Gershom (for he said, "I have been a sojourner in a foreign
land"), 4 and the name of the other, Elie'zer (for he said, "The God of my father was
my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh"). 5 And Jethro, Moses'
father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness where he
was encamped at the mountain of God. 6 And when one told Moses, "Lo, your
father-in-law Jethro is coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her," 7
Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and did obeisance and kissed him; and
they asked each other of their welfare, and went into the tent. 8 Then Moses told his
father-in-law all that the LORD had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for
Israel's sake, all the hardship that had come upon them in the way, and how the
LORD had delivered them. 9 And Jethro rejoiced for all the good which the LORD
had done to Israel, in that he had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians. 10
And Jethro said, "Blessed be the LORD, who has delivered you out of the hand of
the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh. 11 Now I know that the LORD is
greater than all gods, because he delivered the people from under the hand of the
Egyptians, when they dealt arrogantly with them." 12 And Jethro, Moses' father-in-
law, offered a burnt offering and sacrifices to God; and Aaron came with all the
elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses' father-in-law before God. (RSV)
Jethro goes on to change the life of Moses in a dramatic way with wisdom that
Moses did not have. Ex. 18:13-27 says:
13 The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood

18. around him from morning till evening. 14 When his father-in-law saw all that Moses
was doing for the people, he said, "What is this you are doing for the people? Why
do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till
evening?"
15 Moses answered him, "Because the people come to me to seek God's will. 16
Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties
and inform them of God's decrees and laws."
17 Moses' father-in-law replied, "What you are doing is not good. 18 You and these
people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for
you; you cannot handle it alone. 19 Listen now to me and I will give you some
advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people's representative before
God and bring their disputes to him. 20 Teach them the decrees and laws, and show
them the way to live and the duties they are to perform. 21 But select capable men
from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest
gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 22
Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every
difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make
your load lighter, because they will share it with you. 23 If you do this and God so
commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home
satisfied."
24 Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said. 25 He chose
capable men from all Israel and made them leaders of the people, officials over
thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 26 They served as judges for the people at all
times. The difficult cases they brought to Moses, but the simple ones they decided
themselves.
27 Then Moses sent his father-in-law on his way, and Jethro returned to his own
country.
Here was one Midianite who was used of God, and we have no idea how many of his
people will be a part of eternity because of his faithfulness to the God of his father
Abraham. Cox points out the parallel with Jethro and Melchisedek. He writes,
"There are also some noteworthy parallels in the encounter between Moses and
Jethro (Ex. 18:1ff.) and the one between Abraham and Melchisedek recorded in
Genesis 14. Genesis 14:17-20 After his return from the defeat of Ched-or-lao'mer
and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the
Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley). 18 And Mel-chiz'edek king of Salem
brought out bread and wine; he was priest of God Most High. 19 And he blessed him
and said, "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, maker of heaven and earth; 20 and
blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand! (RSV)
Abraham had just defeated Chedorlaomer, king of Elam, while Moses had earlier
witnessed the defeat of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Melchizedek was the priest of the
Most High God; Jethro was the priest of Midian.Both Melchizedek and Jethro

19. ‘blessed’/gave praises to God for their deliverance using very similar language (cf.
verse 20 above and Ex. 18:10).Melchizedek brought bread and wine for a
ceremonial meal with Abraham; Jethro also arranged a sacrificial meal and bread
to be eaten with Moses, Aaron and all the elders of Israel. There is a general theme
of “peace” and friendship in the two encounters: the king of Salem (SHD 8004, from
7999) blessed Abraham, while Jethro and Moses are said to have exchanged
Shaloms (SHD 7965, from 7999) or Salaams in the typical Middle-eastern manner
(Ex. 18:7; cf. also 4:18).
Another tribe that descended from Midian was the Kenites, and they like Jethro
have a positive image in the Bible. They were descendants of Jethro who stayed
connected with Israel. Judges 1:16 says, "16 The descendants of Moses' father-in-
law, the Kenite, went up from the City of Palms [b] with the men of Judah to live
among the people of the Desert of Judah in the Negev near Arad." Here we see the
Arabs and the Jews living side by side in peace. In Judges 4:11 we read, "11 Now
Heber the Kenite had left the other Kenites, the descendants of Hobab, Moses'
brother-in-law, [c] and pitched his tent by the great tree in Zaanannim near
Kedesh." We read in 1Chronicles 2:55 "The families also of the scribes that dwelt at
Jabez: the Ti'rathites, the Shim'e-athites, and the Su'cathites. These are the Ken'ites
who came from Hammath, the father of the house of Rechab." (RSV) So we see
these people from Midian became intertwined with Israel.
One of the great heros in the Bible is a Kenite, and the surprising fact is this hero is
a woman. We read of her in Judges 4:17-23:
17 Sisera, however, fled on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite,
because there were friendly relations between Jabin king of Hazor and the clan of
Heber the Kenite.
18 Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, "Come, my Lord , come right in.
Don't be afraid." So he entered her tent, and she put a covering over him.
19 "I'm thirsty," he said. "Please give me some water." She opened a skin of milk,
gave him a drink, and covered him up.
20 "Stand in the doorway of the tent," he told her. "If someone comes by and asks
you, 'Is anyone here?' say 'No.' "
21 But Jael, Heber's wife, picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went quietly to
him while he lay fast asleep, exhausted. She drove the peg through his temple into
the ground, and he died.
22 Barak came by in pursuit of Sisera, and Jael went out to meet him. "Come," she
said, "I will show you the man you're looking for." So he went in with her, and
there lay Sisera with the tent peg through his temple-dead.
23 On that day God subdued Jabin, the Canaanite king, before the Israelites. 24
And the hand of the Israelites grew stronger and stronger against Jabin, the

20. Canaanite king, until they destroyed him.
In her famous song of celebration Deborah sings of Jael in Judges 5:24-26
24 "Most blessed of women be Jael,
the wife of Heber the Kenite,
most blessed of tent-dwelling women.
25 He asked for water, and she gave him milk;
in a bowl fit for nobles she brought him curdled milk.
26 Her hand reached for the tent peg,
her right hand for the workman's hammer.
She struck Sisera, she crushed his head,
she shattered and pierced his temple.
This descendant of Keturah is helping the descendants of Sarah win a major battle
that led to 40 years of peace.
I Sam. 15:4-6 tells us that the Kenites helped Israel before, and Saul gave them
warning because of their help in the past. It says, " So Saul summoned the men and
mustered them at Telaim—two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand
men from Judah. 5 Saul went to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the ravine.
6 Then he said to the Kenites, "Go away, leave the Amalekites so that I do not
destroy you along with them; for you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they
came up out of Egypt." So the Kenites moved away from the Amalekites."
Cox speculates that the three wise men who came to worship Jesus were likely
descendants of Midian. He writes, "As recorded in Matthew 2:1-11, the “wise men”
or magos of the East (to which vague area Keturah’s sons had been sent centuries
earlier) arrived after Christ’s birth to present him with gold, frankincense and
myrrh. These two most important spices were traded in early times by Arabians
including Jokshan and Midianite merchants, and gold itself was found in
abundance in the ancient Land of Midian. We saw also in Judges 8:27 that the
captured gold of Midian was used by Gideon to make an ephod; hence an altogether
strong Midianite connection"
Cox also goes on to deal with the Spartans as possible descendants of Midian. It is
too complex to deal with here, but the gist of it is this:
"Josephus gave credence to the claimed descent of the Spartans from Abraham
when he wrote the following in his Antiquities of the Jews:
10. At this time Seleucus, who was called Soter, reigned over Asia, being the son of
Antiochus the Great. And [now] Hyrcanus's father, Joseph, died. … His uncle also,
Onias, died, and left the high priesthood to his son Simeon. And when he was dead,
Onias his son succeeded him in that dignity. To him it was that Areus, king of the
Lacedemonians, sent an embassage, with an epistle; the copy whereof here follows:
"AREUS, KING OF THE LACEDEMONIANS, TO ONIAS, SENDETH

21. GREETING.
"We have met with a certain writing, whereby we have discovered that both the
Jews and the Lacedemonians are of one stock, and are derived from the kindred of
Abraham (14) It is but just therefore that you, who are our brethren, should send to
us about any of your concerns as you please. We will also do the same thing, and
esteem your concerns as our own, and will look upon our concerns as in common
with yours. Demoteles, who brings you this letter, will bring your answer back to us.
This letter is four-square; and the seal is an eagle, with a dragon in his claws." (Bk.
12. chp. 4)
Other references to the Spartans or Lacedaemonians being of the same stock as the
Jews are found in Antiquities Book 13: 5, 8 and in the apocryphal 1Maccabees
12:6." You can go to his site and get all the details.
Another branck of the Kenite tribe was the Rechabites, and they were one of the
most godly tribes ever, and God greatly honored them and used them as an example
of people who know how to be commited to obey and do what is right. The entire
chapter of Jeremiah 35 deals with them, and it is a wonderful chapter to read. The
father of this tribe was Jehonadab, and he assisted Jehu the king of Judah in
destroying the Baal system in Judah and getting rid of this idolatry in the land in II
Kings 10.
5. Ishbak
Cox writes, ""Ishbak was the fifth son of Abraham by Keturah. His name means he
releases (BDB) or he will leave (Strong: SHD 3435). Apparently he and his
descendants settled in the lands to the east of Canaan, however, very little else is
known about this tribe from either the Bible or secular sources."
6. Shuah
Clarke in his commentary writes, "Or Shuach. From this man the Sacceans, near to
Batanla, at the extremity of Arabia Deserta, towards Syria, are supposed to have
sprung. Bildad the Shuhite, one of Job's friends, is supposed to have descended from
this son of Abraham. Cox writes, "Also called Shuach, this sixth and last of
Keturah’s sons has a name meaning variously wealth (BDB) or dell, sink, incline
(Strong: SHD 7744). He was the progenitor of the Shuhites, the most notable of
whom was Bildad, son of Shuach, and one of Job’s ‘comforters’ (Job 2:11). Matthew
Poole makes some interesting comments on this verse in Job. They were persons

22. then eminent for birth and quality, for wisdom and knowledge, and for the
profession of the true religion, being probably of the posterity of Abraham, and
akin to Job, and living in the same country with him. (A Commentary on the Holy
Bible, 1685, reprint by Banner of Truth Trust, London, 1962; emphasis added).
Shuah’s descendants were also well known to the Assyrians, who referred to them
as Suhu, and described their land as being on the right bank of the Euphrates River,
south of Carchemish and between the Balikh and Khabur rivers (cf. Dillmann,
Holzinger, et al). Ptolemy calls the latter Chaboras, which is probably one of the two
Chebar rivers referred to by Ezekiel (Ezek. 1:1ff.). The name Shuhite is Sauchaioon
in Greek."
3 Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan;
the descendants of Dedan were the Asshurites, the
Letushites and the Leummites.
1. Sheba
Gill writes, " Bochart {o} is of opinion, that the posterity of this Sheba are the same
with the Sabeans who inhabited at the entrance of Arabia Felix, not far from the
Nabathaeans; and who, by Strabo {p}, are mentioned together as near to Syria, and
used to make excursions on their neighbors; and not without some color of reason
thought to be the same that plundered Job of his cattle, Job 1:15.
2. Dedan
Gill in his commentary writes, "From Dedan came the Dedanim or Dedanites,
spoken of with the Arabians in Isa 21:13; Junius thinks Adada in Palmyrene of
Syria had its name from this man, and in which country is the mountain Aladan or
Alladadan. Bochart {q} more probably takes Dedan, a city in Idumea, to derive its
name from him. There is a village called Adedi in the country of the Cassanites, a
people of Arabia Felix, which Ptolemy {r} makes mention of, and seems to have
some appearance of this man's name:
3. The sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim. Gill writes, "
these names being plural are thought not to be proper names of men, but
appellatives, descriptive of their places of abode, or of their business: hence the
Targum of Onkelos represents them as such that dwelt in camps, in tents, and in
islands; and the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem call them merchants, artificers
and heads of the people: however, Cleodemus {s} the Heathen historian is wrong in

23. deriving Assyria from Asshurim, whom he calls Ashur; since Assyria and Assyrians
are so called from Ashur, the son of Shem, Ge 10:22."
4 The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher,
Hanoch, Abida and Eldaah. All these were
descendants of Keturah.
Most everything that can be said about these grandchildren of Abraham is
guesswork and speculation. All we know is that this whole family became a part of
the Arab nations and dwelt in some part of Arabia. "There are here six sons of
Abraham, seven grandsons, and three great-grandsons, making sixteen descendants by
Keturah. If there were any daughters, they are not noticed. It is not customary to mention
females, unless they are connected with leading historical characters."
5 Abraham left everything he owned to Isaac.
1. Abraham did this because God made it clear that the promises would be fulfilled
though Isaac, and so he sent all of his other sons away from his home and all of his
land and animals. His great wealth was to go to the one chosen to be the line to the
Messiah. He needed the support of Abraham's riches in order to assure that his
family would continue. If the line from some of his other sons were to fade away and
even come to a dead end, it would not matter, but it mattered plenty that the chosen
line have all that was needed to continue to the goal. Abraham was wise in this
choice. The others were given gifts and were able to go and survive on their own.
2. "Isaac stands before us as a type both of Christ and the believer. "Abraham gave
all that he had unto Isaac." Without question, this text speaks of Abraham's greater
Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, "whom God hath appointed heir of all things" (Heb.
1:2). "The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand" (John
3:35). Everything the triune God is is in Christ. And everything the triune God
possesses is in the hands of Christ, the God-man, our Mediator, to give to whom he
will. But this text also speaks of you and me, who are the sons of God by electing
love, adopting grace, and saving faith. Like Isaac, we are the possessors of all the
wealth and privileges of the Father's house, "heirs of God and joint-heirs with
Christ" (Rom. 8:17). All that Christ possesses in his mediatorial offices, as the God-
man, we possess in him (Eph. 1:3). How rich we are if the unsearchable riches of
Christ are ours (Eph. 3:8). And they are! God, who gave us his Son, has with his son

24. freely given us all things (Rom. 8:32). God will not withhold any good thing from his
people. All the universe is ours! Spiritual things, eternal things, carnal things, and
temporal things, all are ours in Christ, and shall be given to us as we need them."
3. Isaac was a type of Christ in other ways also, for he was a child of miracle as was
Jesus, and he yielded himself as a voluntary sacrifice as did Jesus. He is also the
bridegroom who waited for his bride to be brought to him just as Jesus waits for his
bride, the church, to be completed so they can begin the eternal honeymoon called
heaven with the wedding supper of the Lamb.
4. HENRY writes, "He gave portions to the rest of his children, both to Ishmael,
though at first he was sent empty away, and to his sons by Keturah. It was justice to
provide for them; parents that do not imitate him in this are worse than infidels. It
was prudence to settle them in places distant from Isaac, that they might not
pretend to divide the inheritance with him, nor be in any way a care or expense to
him. Observe, He did this while he yet lived, lest it should not be done, or not so well
done, afterwards. Note, In many cases it is wisdom for men to make their own hands
their executors, and what they find to do to do it while they live, as far as they can.
These sons of the concubines were sent into the country that lay east from Canaan,
and their posterity were called the children of the east, famous for their numbers,
Jdg_6:5, Jdg_6:33. Their great increase was the fruit of the promise made to
Abraham, that God would multiply his seed."
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.
1. Here we have a surprising plural in concubines, for we only know of Keturah as
his concubine. It could be Hagar that makes it plural, but we have no record of
Abraham giving him gifts before she was sent away with Ishmael. But since there is
no record of any other concubine it must be Hagar. These two women are called
both wives and concubines. A concubine is a wife, but a secondary wife or second
wife, sometimes called concubine wives. Ishmael was not that far away, and so it
appears that later Abraham saw to it that he received a portion of his inheritance
along with the other sons.
2. If you know anything about the transfer of power in the ancient world you know
that family members will kill to become the head of things, and so all had to leave
the area so Isaac was safe to carry on the legacy of Abraham. So many brothers
killed their brothers in order to have power later in the history of God's people, and
Abraham wanted nothing of that for Isaac, and so all competition was sent away to
the land of the east. After he was dead there would be no one with the authority to
send them away, and so while he was living he did what was necessary for peace. He

25. was wise to give gifts before he died so he could help each of his sons get a good
start. These gifts were equivalent to paying for a college education today. They
helped each to go off and be independent leaders and providers for their family.
These gifts would likely include livestock to begin their own herds, and even seed to
sow their land with implements to farm the land. Henry wrote, "It was prudence to
settle them in places distant from Isaac, that they might not pretend to divide the
inheritance with him, nor be in any way a care or expense to him. Observe, He did
this while he yet lived, lest it should not be done, or not so well done, afterwards.
Note, In many cases it is wisdom for men to make their own hands their executors,
and what they find to do to do it while they live, as far as they can. These sons of the
concubines were sent into the country that lay east from Canaan, and their posterity
were called the children of the east, famous for their numbers, Judges 6:5,33. Their
great increase was the fruit of the promise made to Abraham, that God would
multiply his seed."
3. Wesley wrote, "He gave gifts - Or portions to the rest of his children, both to
Ishmael, though at first he was sent empty away, and to his sons by Keturah. It was
justice to provide for them; parents that do not that, are worse than infidels. It was
prudence to settle them in places distant from Isaac, that they might not pretend to
divide the inheritance with him. He did this while he yet lived, lest it should not have
been done, or not so well done afterwards. In many cases it is wisdom for men to
make their own hands their executors, and what they find to do, to do it while they
live. These sons of the concubines were sent into the country that lay east from
Canaan, and their posterity were called the children of the east, famous for their
numbers. Their great increase was the fruit of the promise made to Abraham, that
God would multiply his seed."
7 Altogether, Abraham lived a hundred and
seventy-five years.
1. Abraham was 75 when he was called to come to Canaan, and now a hundred
years later he is buried in Canaan, but owning only a tomb of this land that he was
promised would be possessed by his seed. This promise would take centuries to be
fulfilled, but one that was fulfilled in his lifetime was that of Gen. 15:15 which says,
“And as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good
old age." He had one brief war in his life, but all the rest was peaceful, and it was a
long and fruitful life. It was not as long as the life of his son and grandson, however,
and so he was the youngest of the patriarchs.
2. Calvin wrote, "Moses now brings us down to the death of Abraham; and the first
thing to be noticed concerning his age is the number of years during which he lived
as a pilgrim; for he deserves the praise of wonderful and incomparable patience, for
having wandered through the space of a hundred years, while God led him about in

26. various directions, contented, both in life and death, with the bare promise of God.
Let those be ashamed who find it difficult to bear the disquietude of one, or of a few
years, since Abraham, the father of the faithful, was not merely a stranger during a
hundred years, but was also often cast forth into exile."
3. Meyer wrote, "No human name can vie with Abraham's for the wide-spread
reverence which it has evoked amongst all races and throughout all time. The pious
Jew looked forward to reposing, after death, in the bosom of Father Abraham. The
fact of descent from him was counted by thousands sufficient to secure them a
passport into heaven. Apostles so opposite as Paul and James united in commending
his example to the imitation of primitive Christians, in an age which had seen the
Lord Jesus Himself. The medieval Church canonized Abraham alone among Old
Testament worthies, by no decree, but by popular consent. Devout Moslems
reverence his name as second only to that of their prophet. What was the secret of
this widespread renown? It is not because he headed one of the greatest movements
of the human family; nor yet because he evinced manly and intellectual vigor; nor
because he possessed vast wealth. It was rather the remarkable nobility and
grandeur of his religious life that has made him the object of veneration to all
generations of mankind."
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.
1. Dr. Ray Pritchard writes, "I particularly 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.” What a wonderful way to put it. He was
satisfied with life. How many people can say that on their deathbeds? Not too many.
Most folks come to the end and look back with regret and remorse—regret for lost
opportunities and remorse over foolish mistakes they have made. No doubt
Abraham had his share of both, yet as he looked back over 175 he was satisfied with
the life he had lived." The Greek Philosopher Epicurus is quoted as saying, "The
art of living well and the art of dying well are one. " Abraham lived the truth of the
statement that dying well means living well. Living well means living faithfully not
perfectly. Another wrote, "What a way to die - faithful at the end. Abraham had not
lived a perfect life; his foibles are recorded in God’s eternal word for us to see and
take heart in our own misery. But he does show us that it is possible to die well and
faithfully.... with a little Christian license we can surely put into [Abraham’s] mouth
the words which John Bunyan put into the mouth of Mr. Valiant-for-Truth in his
Pilgrim’s Progress, as that intrepid soul received his summons to enter the Celestial
City. I can think of no better epitaph. "Though with great difficulty I am got hither,
yet now I do not repent me of all the trouble I have been at to arrive where I am. My

27. sword I give to him that shall succeed me in my pilgrimage, and my courage to him
that can get it. My marks and scars I carry with me, to be a witness for me, that I
have fought his battles, who will now be my rewarder...."So he passed over, and all
the trumpets sounded for him on the other side." How could it be otherwise for a
man who alone was called the friend of God. Someone put it this way: "The story of
Abraham is the story of a man who was, as it were, the friend of God. In fact, three
times in the holy Scriptures after the book of Genesis, Abraham is explicitly called
the friend of God. In II Chronicles, chapter 20, verse 7 he is called the friend of God.
In Isaiah 41, verse 8, he is called God’s friend. In James 2, verse 23, he is again
called the friend of God. The fullness of his life was based upon that redemptive
friendship which he had with the living God."
2. All people are gathered to their people when they die, but the people they are
gathered to are the people they have developed relationships with in this life. If your
relationships in life are with the ungodly, that is the people you will be gathered to,
and if godly they will be your people in the life after death. In other words, your are
choosing now the type of people you will be with in the afterlife. And unknown
author writes about this being gathered to his people: "What happened after
Abraham died? Moses writes, “…he was gathered to his people.” Does this phrase
simply mean that he took a “dirt nap” in the family grave, end of story? Is it true
that there was no thought of an afterlife? Unfortunately, too many carelessly
conclude that this is precisely the case. Actually, the expression “he was gathered to
his people” cannot mean he was buried with his relatives and ancestors. In 25:8-9
such an analysis is impossible, because we know that none of Abraham’s kin, except
his wife, was buried at the cave of Machpelah. In the Old Testament those who have
already died are regarded as still existing. The event of being “gathered to one’s
people” is always distinguished from the act of burial, which is described separately
(35:29; 49:29, 31, 33). In many cases only one ancestor was in the tomb (1 Kgs 11:43;
22:40), or none at all (Deut 31:16; 1 Kgs 2:10; 16:28; 2 Kgs 21:18), so being
“gathered to one’s people” could not mean being laid in the family sepulcher.10
Undoubtedly, Old Testament saints didn’t have the full revelation of the
resurrection of the body. This awaited a later unveiling, in the New Testament.
However, it seems certain that these early participants in the promises of God were
fully expecting to enjoy life after death. In the New Testament when Jesus was
speaking to the Sadducees (i.e., a political/religious party who did not believe in the
resurrection), He used the argument that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
was not the God of the dead but of the living (Matt 22:32). Thus the patriarchs were
not to be counted out of the hope of resurrection.11
All of this to say, death is not a period — it’s only a comma. The moment a believer
closes his eyes in death he is in the presence of Jesus. This is why Jesus told the thief
on the cross, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise” (Luke
23:43). Jesus promises that there is life beyond the grave. He not only promised…He
demonstrated that truth with his own resurrection. Paul said, “For to me, to live is
Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil 1:21).

28. 3. He went to his people and then became the father that all the rest of his people
went to in death, and it was called the bosom of Abraham. "a synonym for the life
hereafter. According to the Old Testament, when a person died he went to "be with
his fathers" (Gen 15:15; 47:30; Deut. 31:16; Judg. 2:10). The patriarch Abraham
was regarded as the "father" of the Jews (Luke 3:8; John 8:37-40). At death,
therefore, the Jewish believer went to his forefathers or, to "father Abraham. "The
only Bible use of "Abraham’s Bosom" is in Jesus’ parable of the rich man and
Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31)." Maclaren wrote, "That phrase is only used in the earlier
Old Testament books, and there only in reference to a few persons. It is used of
Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and Aaron, and once (Judges ii. 10) of a
whole generation. If you will weigh the words, I think you will see that there is in
them a dim intimation of something beyond this present life........Dimly, vaguely,
veiledly, but unmistakably, as it seems to me, is here expressed at least a
premonition and feeling after the thought of an immortal self in Abraham that was
not there in what ‘his sons Isaac and Ishmael laid in the cave at Machpelah,’ but
was somewhere else and was for ever. That is the first thing hinted at here—the
continuance of the personal being after death."
4. In the apocryphal book The Testament of Abraham we read this account, "The
Lord consents, and orders Michael to take a cloud of light, and angels of the chariot
(merkabah), and to place Abraham in the chariot of the cherubim and to carry him
to heaven, whence he would be able to survey the whole universe. His ride begins
with the Great Sea. While surveying all the world with its joys and woes, its
beautiful and evil things, he is filled with indignation at the sight of the awful crimes
committed; and he asks the archangel to smite all malefactors with instant death—
which he did. But a voice resounds from heaven, crying: "O Arch-angel Michael,
order the chariot to stop, and turn Abraham away, lest, seeing that all live in
wickedness, he destroy all creation. For behold Abraham, not having sinned himself,
has no pity for sinners; but I, who made the world, take no delight in destroying
any, but await the death of the sinner, that he may be converted and live." The story
makes Abraham to be without compassion, but it is pure fiction, and not to be taken
seriously, for Abraham was a sinner and he did have compassion on other sinner,
including his first two wives, and especially Lot whom he had to save from Sodom
twice.
5. The following song by Steve Green called "Find Us Faithful" is appropriate for
the life of Abraham.
We’re pilgrims on the journey Of the narrow road
And those who’ve gone before us line the way
Cheering on the faithful, encouraging the weary
Their lives a stirring testament to God’s sustaining grace
Surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses
Let us run the race not only for the prize
But as those who’ve gone before us
Let us leave to those behind us

29. The heritage of faithfulness passed on through godly lives
Chorus
Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful
May the fire of our devotion light their way
May the footprints that we leave
Lead them to believe
And the lives we live inspire them to obey
Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful
After all our hopes and dreams have come and gone
And our children sift though all we’ve left behind
May the clues that they discover and the memories they uncover
Become the light that leads them to the road we each must find
6. Life had been full of battles for Abraham. He had to battle with doubt as he
headed for Canaan without certainty to where he was going. He had to take it a step
at a time and move ahead in blind faith that God would guide. He had to battle with
his own fears that made him lie about his wife being his sister to save his life from
the Egyptians. He had to battle with his wife Sarah over the issue of Hagar and her
baby. He had to fight the battle of being forced to send his son Ishmael away. He
had to fight the battle to bring about peace with his shepherds and those of Lot. He
had to literally fight a battle to save Lot and others from captivity. He had to fight a
verbal battle with God to try and save Sodom. He had to fight his emotions as he
took his son Isaac to be sacrificed. He had to fight the battle to purchase a piece of
land from the Canaanites, who were tough negotiators, and it cost him a small
fortune. He had to fight the battle to leave all his property to just one son when he
had 7 others that he loved, and possibly loved even more than Isaac. Life is a battle
for all believers, and that is why Paul writes, "For our struggle is not against flesh
and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this
darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil
day, and having done everything, to stand firm." (Eph 6:12-13).
7. The commentator writes, "Clarke gives a good eulogy of Abraham: "above all as
a man of God, he stands unrivaled; so that under the most exalted and perfect of all
dispensations, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, he is proposed and recommended as the
model and pattern according to which the faith, obedience, and perseverance of the
followers of the Messiah are to be formed. Reader, while you admire the man, do not
forget the God that made him so great, so good, and so useful. Even Abraham had
nothing but what he had received; from the free unmerited mercy of God proceeded
all his excellences; but he was a worker together with God, and therefore did not
receive the grace of God in vain. Go thou, believe, love, obey, and persevere in like
manner." Guzik adds, "Abraham passes from the scene, being one of the most
important men of the Bible. He is mentioned 70 times in the New Testament alone
(only Moses is mentioned more times in the New Testament [80 times])."

30. 8. It was the opinion of Aristotle that a man should depart from life as he should rise
from a banquet. Thus Abraham died FULL of days, and SATISFIED with life.
"Lucretius, lib. iii., ver. 947, ridiculing those who were unreasonably attached to
life, and grievously afflicted at the prospect of death, addresses them in the
following manner:- Fond mortal, what's the matter, thou dost sigh? Why all these
fears because thou once must die? For if the race thou hast already run Was
pleasant, if with joy thou saw'st the sun, If all thy pleasures did not pass thy mind
As through a sieve, but left some sweets behind, Why dost thou not then, like a
THANKFUL GUEST, Rise cheerfully from life's ABUNDANT FEAST? CREECH."
Horace makes use of the same figure: "From hence how few, like SATED GUESTS,
depart From life's FULL BANQUET with a cheerful heart?" All these ancient
authors portray the ideal death, and that is the kind of death that Abraham
experienced as he was fully satisfied like a man rising from a feast of God's
blessings. Bruce Goettsche put it, " When Abraham pushed back from the "table
of life" at the end of his days, he was satisfied. He had no regrets. He and enjoyed
the journey." Maclaren put it, " I have drunk a full draught; I have had enough; I
bless the Giver of the feast, and push my chair back; and get up and go away.’ He
died an old man, and satisfied with his life."
9. Meyer wrote, "This cannot refer to his body; for that did not sleep beside his
ancestors, but side by side with Sarah's. Surely then it must refer to his spirit. The
world's grey fathers knew little of the future; but they felt that there was somewhere
a mustering place of their clan, whither devout and holy souls were being gathered,
one by one, so that each spirit, as it passed from this world, went to rejoin its people;
the people from which it had sprung: the people whose name it bore; the people to
which by its tastes and sympathies it was akin.
What a lovely synonym for death! To DIE is to rejoin our people; to pass into a
world where the great clan is gathering, welcoming with shouts each new-comer
through the shadows. Where are your people? I trust they are God's people; and if
so, those that bear your name, standing on the other shore, are more numerous than
the handful gathered around you here; many whom you have never known, but who
know you; many whom you have loved and lost awhile; many who without you
cannot be made perfect in their happiness. There they are, rank on rank, company
on company, regiment on regiment, watching for your coming. Be sure you do not
disappoint them! But remember, if your people are God's people, you cannot be
gathered to them unless first in faith and love you are gathered to Him."
10. Goettsche then went on to give us some tips on how to live so we can die with this

31. same satisfaction.
* Instead of starting the day with "Oh no" start it with "THIS is the day which
the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it"
* Make time for God and savor those moments. Read His Word and share your
heart with Him every day.
* Talk about yourself and your life in the positive rather than the negative. Focus
on the blessings rather than the struggles. Make it a point to look for the silver
lining.
* Give yourself fully and enthusiastically to everything you have to whatever your
current project is.
* Whistle while you work (unless you are in a library).
* Think and speak well of your health. Focus on what you can do rather than
what you can't.
* Look for new things to try and learn and then try them and learn them (a new
language, a new skill, a new place to visit, try reading something different or listen
to some music outside of your normal tastes, learn to play an instrument) Don't
focus on the things you used to be able to do that you can't anymore . . .focus on the
things you wanted to do but didn't have time to do before! Have some fun!
* Take time to notice beautiful things
* Plan flexibility into your schedule so you have time to talk with someone about
more than the weather.
* Resolve that the next time things don't go as you planned you won't pout but
will view it as an unexpected adventure.
Begin today to live so that when your life is over people will be able to say that you
lived a life that was "full of years".
11. Abraham died, but his legacy lives on in all three of the great monotheistic
religions of the world today. One author wrote, "The five repetitions of daily
Muslim prayer begin and end with reference to Abraham. Several rituals during the
hajj--the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca--throw back to Abraham's life. The Jews
feature the story of Abraham nearly sacrificing Isaac during their New Year
celebrations. Christian children around the world sing "Father Abraham had many
sons.... And I am one of them and so are you." Pope John Paul II spent a lifetime
dreaming of walking the steps of Abraham's journey and has a special place in his
heart for the Biblical Abraham. There has been a trend in the 1990s and 2000s to
use Abraham as a figure and tool for reconciliation. Interfaith activists have
scheduled Abraham lectures, Abraham speeches, and Abraham "salons"
worldwide. Bruce Feiler's Abraham: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths was
published to a welcome reception. David Van Biema in Time notes, "It is a staple
premise of the interfaith movement, which has been picking at the problem since the
late 1800s, that if Muslims, Christians, and Jews are ever to respect and understand
one another, a key road leads through Abraham."

32. 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,
1. Ishmael was not so far removed in distance or in relationship to the family that he
could not come back to be a part of his father's funeral. He maintained contact with
his brother Isaac, and there was a positive relationship with him. There is no reason
to believe that Ishmael was anything other than a godly man who stayed loyal to the
God of his father Abraham. Calvin writes, "Hence it appears, that although Ishmael
had long ago been dismissed, he was not utterly alienated from his father, because
he performed the office of a son in celebrating the obsequies of his deceased parent.
Ishmael, rather than the other sons did this, as being nearer." Abraham had other
sons beside these two, but they are hardly known. These are the two that became
great nations. There could have been tension between these two, but they seem to
have been able to do this task in peace, even though Abraham left all his worldly
goods to Isaac and nothing to Ishmael. But we note that Abraham sent all of his sons
away, and not just Ishmael, for no other was to be the blood line of the covenant but
Isaac." Calvin lets the 6 sons of Abraham by Keturah off the hook by implying that
they had too far to travel, but we do not know that. The fact that not one of them
came back for the funeral is a hint that they hated the fact that Isaac got all of
Abraham's inheritance. Abraham had to give up a large part of his family in order
to make sure that Isaac was guaranteed a prosperous future so the could carry on
the promised line to the Messiah who would bless the whole world. The fact that
Ishmael came back, even though he was sent away with great anger by Sarah,
indicates that he loved his father and was an honorable man. He knew Abraham
loved him dearly, but had to go along with Sarah in sending him away. He did not
let the negatives of the past keep him from joining Isaac at this time of loss. He knew
how to forgive and move on.
2. Clarke writes, "..considering the rejection of Ishmael from the inheritance, this
transaction shows his character in an amiable point of view; for though he was a
wild man, yet this appellation appears to be more characteristic of his habits of life
than of his disposition." Someone else wrote, "Death often puts an end to strife,
reconciles those who have been alienated, and brings rival relations, as in this
instance, to mingle tears over a father's grave." Strahan in his Hebrew Ideals writes,
"The heroic huntsman from the steppes of Arabia and the gentle shepherd from the
pasture-lands of the South vie with each other in paying the last honors to the
beloved dead. They are both dutiful sons. Neither of them can ever forget how much
their father loved them ; neither of them ever cease to revere his name and memory.
Death brings estranged brothers together to drink the cup of a common sorrow ;
they look at each other with tear-dimmed eyes ; they see, in the light of eternity, how
paltry are all causes of earthly strife ; and they cannot return to their homes with
hard hearts. When all other means of reconciliation fail, death makes kindred and
brethren kind. The last enemy is a friend ; the great divider is a mighty reconciler."

33. 3. Henry wrote, "Here is nothing recorded of the pomp or ceremony of his funeral;
only we are told, 1. Who buried him: His sons Isaac and Ishmael. It was the last
office of respect they had to pay to their good father. Some distance there had
formerly been between Isaac and Ishmael; but it seems either that Abraham had
himself brought them together while he lived, or at least that his death reconciled
them. 2. Where they buried him: in his own burying-place, which he had purchased,
and in which he had buried Sarah. Note, Those that in life have been very dear to
each other may not only innocently, but laudably, desire to be buried together, that
in their deaths they may not be divided, and in token of their hopes of rising
together."
4. Meyer wrote, "There were great differences between these two. Ishmael, the child
of his slave: Isaac, of the wedded wife. Ishmael, the offspring of expediency: Isaac,
of promise. Ishmael, wild and masterful, "the wild ass"; strongly marked in his
individuality; proud, independent, swift to take an insult, swift to avenge it: Isaac,
quiet and retiring, submissive and meek, willing to carry wood, to be kept in the
dark, to be bound, to yield up his wells, and to let his wife govern his house. And yet
all differences were wiped out in that moment of supreme sorrow; and coming from
his desert fastnesses, surrounded by his wild and ruffian freebooters, Ishmael united
with the other son of their common father, who had displaced him in his
inheritance, and who was so great a contrast to himself; but all differences were
smoothed out in that hour.
5. Rabbi Arthur Waskow develops this text into quite a story to show that the
reconciliation of these two brothers had a more long range effect than just planning
the funeral of their father. I quote it in full because of the spirit of it that is a vital
issue in our world today, and especially as peace talks are underway between the
descendants of these two brothers. The Jewish spelling of names is different, but it is
still easy to see who it is about. Some of his interpretation is questionable, but I
share it because it is of interest that Isaac settles by that very well named by Hagar
because of God's saving her and Ishmael by means of it.
"Avraham died . . . and Yitzchak and Yishmael his sons buried him." "Isaac and
Ishmael his sons"? This is the only time in the great saga of our founding families
that the Torah speaks of them together, calling them both Abraham’s sons (Gen. 25:
9). Until this moment the Torah has never allowed us to see them together, in a
direct relationship. Always before they have been described separately:
And now they reconnect, at long last "his sons." Have they come together only in a
formal public way, just to bury the Old Man and get back to their separate lives? It
seems not: the story continues, "Now it was after Avraham’s death, that God
blessed Yitzchak his son. And Yitzchak settled by Be’er Lachai Ro’i, the Well of the
Living -One Who-sees-me."
What is this well? It is Yishmael’s well, the well that God gave Hagar and Yishmael

34. not once but twice when they were suffering in exile.
For Yitzchak to be blessed with a peaceful life at Yishmael’s well, something must
have happened at Avraham’s graveside. Let us listen:
"All these years, I’ve missed you. I only came to the Old Man’s funeral because I
knew you would be here. As for the Old Man, I’ve feared and hated him. He would
have let me die. And the way he treated my mother! — ‘the Egyptian stranger,’ he
called her. For that contempt, God tells me, his offspring — your offspring, brother!
— must serve as strangers in the land of Egypt. May it be that from that service you
will learn to know the heart of the stranger, as the Old Man never knew my
mother’s heart!"
"And I’ve missed you. I could never understand why you were ripped out of my life.
I too, feared the Old Man — he would have literally killed me. I missed you — and I
blamed you. I always thought he took me to that mountain because he was filled
with guilt over exiling you. He thought he had to treat us equally."
"You blamed me! — How amazing! For to tell the truth, I blamed you too. For your
sake, your mother said, she had us exiled. All these years, we’ve turned our fear of
the Old Man into distrust of each other. — But now, thank God, we’ve reconnected!
I would be honored if you would come to live with me a while."
"That would be a blessing in my life."
And so at last there was fulfilled the last stage of the prophecy that Hagar had heard
(Gen. 16: 12) when she was pregnant with the child she named "God listens":
He will be a wild man; His hand in all and the hand of all in him; And facing all his
brothers he shall dwell.
For the story of Yishmael ends (Gen. 25: 18): "Facing all his brothers did he live."
For millennia, on Rosh Hashanah the Jewish people has read the twin stories of how
Avraham brought each of his sons to the brink of death. Perhaps we need to read on
Yom Kippur the story of their reunion and reconciliation, elevate that story in our
consciousness, see the death of their dangerous father as the opportunity to
reconceive our lives.
Perhaps on Yom Kippur we can invite the children of Yishmael to visit in our tents,
to tell their version of that ancient story and of their suffering so that we listen —
really listen, as God listened to their outcry long ago. And to name for us a time
when they will listen to our story, to our suffering.
Perhaps together we can bring forth Be’er Lachai Ro’i, the Well of the Living -One
Who-sees-me. At that wellspring we might not only hear but see each other — not in
a cloudy mirror but with clarity, how much we have in common and where we
differ. And laugh out loud at the harsh joke that God has played upon us: blessing
each of us with a sense of covenant-connection with this troubled land so filled with