Who is our God? What is He like?
He is an equitable God.
We have come to a very interesting chapter in the Bible. It is the first chapter where there is no direct mention of God. That however does not mean that God doesn’t show Himself strong in the chapter. Just the opposite is true. God shows up through the character of His chosen servant, Abraham. Sarah has died, and Abraham is looking for a place to bury her. As we consider what happens next, notice the contrast between the way Abraham views himself and the way the people of the land view him:
I am a stranger and a sojourner with you: give me a possession of a buryingplace with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight. And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying unto him, Hear us, my lord: thou art a mighty prince among us: in the choice of our sepulchres bury thy dead; none of us shall withhold from thee his sepulchre, but that thou mayest bury thy dead.
Genesis 23:4-6
Abraham sees himself as a stranger in a land that God gave him. The people of the land however, recognize him as much more. To them he is a man exalted to honor by his God. He is a “mighty prince” that dwells among them. They express the sentiment of ones who are blessed to merely dwell with him. What a powerful testimony Abraham had! Why do you suppose that his testimony was such among the people of the land? I submit to you that it was because Abraham’s character was a reflection of the character of God. Consider this dialogue between him and Ephron the Hittite concerning a burying place for Sarah’s body:
And he spake unto Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying, But if thou wilt give it, I pray thee, hear me: I will give thee money for the field; take it of me, and I will bury my dead there. And Ephron answered Abraham, saying unto him, My lord, hearken unto me: the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver; what is that betwixt me and thee? bury therefore thy dead. And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant.
Genesis 23:13-16
Abraham was an equitable man. He was just in his dealings with his fellow man. This character trait was a reflection of the character of the God that he served. God is equitable. He is always just in His doings. He is a debtor to no man. We would do well to reflect such an honorable trait in our life.
Behold our God!