在希伯仑－与神交通的地方
在二十二章的末了，亚伯拉罕、撒拉和以撒住在别是巴，毫无疑问，他们是住在立约的井和垂丝柳树附近。这是教会生活的小影，因为教会生活总是在活水井和垂丝柳树旁。忽然，二十三章的开头告诉我们，撒拉死了。虽然亚伯拉罕、撒拉和以撒住在别是巴，但撒拉死了是葬在希伯仑，就是与神交通的地方。撒拉从别是巴往前到了希伯仑。照样，主若迟延祂的回来，我也愿意活在教会生活中，而死在与神的交通里。
希伯仑在南边的别是巴和北边的耶路撒冷之间，在别是巴到摩利亚的路上，摩利亚就是耶路撒冷所在的地方。主若迟延祂的回来，我愿意葬在通往新耶路撒冷路上的一个地方。今天你住在那里？我们都必须回答，我们住在别是巴，在活水井和垂丝柳树旁的教会中。我们的教会生活就是今天的别是巴。在主回来以前，有些年长的人会离开别是巴，就是教会生活，死在希伯仑，在那里等候新耶路撒冷。希伯仑不仅是与神交通的地方，也是通往耶路撒冷的路。在希伯仑的麦比拉洞是通往新耶路撒冷的门。也许有一天我们会听见撒拉作见证：“当我进入麦比拉洞，我就进入通往新耶路撒冷的门。”撒拉不是仅仅葬在麦比拉洞；她现今睡在那里，等候有一天醒来，发现自己在新耶路撒冷。
撒拉的早死
撒拉在一百二十七岁时死了（创二三1-2）。在今天这似乎是非常老了，但在当时是早死。亚伯拉罕活了一百七十五岁（创二五7），在撒拉死后还活了三十八年。撒拉不该这么早死。她在生以撒三十七年后死去（创十七1，17，二一5），这是不正常的。
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At Hebron – the Place of Fellowship with God – Gen. 23:3-4
At Hebron — The Place of Fellowship with God
At the end of chapter 22, Abraham, Sarah and Isaac were living at Beersheba. Undoubtedly, they lived near the well of the covenant and the tamarisk tree. This is a miniature of the church life, for the church life is always by the well of living water and the tamarisk tree. Suddenly, the beginning of chapter 23 tells us that Sarah died. Although Abraham, Sarah and Isaac lived at Beersheba, Sarah died and was buried at Hebron, the place of fellowship with God. Sarah went on from Beersheba to Hebron. Likewise, if the Lord delays His coming, I would prefer to live in the church life but die in the fellowship with God.
Hebron is between Beersheba in the south and Jerusalem in the north; it is on the way from Beersheba to Moriah, the place where Jerusalem is. If the Lord delays His coming, I would like to be buried in a place on the way to the New Jerusalem. Where are you living today? We all need to answer that we are living at Beersheba, in the church by the well of living water and the tamarisk tree. Our church life is today’s Beersheba. Before the Lord comes back, some older ones will leave Beersheba, the church life, to die at Hebron, where they will wait for the New Jerusalem. Hebron is not only the place of fellowship with God but also the way to Jerusalem. The cave of Machpelah at Hebron is the gate to the New Jerusalem. Perhaps one day we will hear Sarah testify: “When I entered the cave of Machpelah, I entered the gate to the New Jerusalem.” Sarah was not merely buried in the cave of Machpelah; she is sleeping there now, waiting to wake up one day and find herself in the New Jerusalem.
Sarah’s Early Death
Sarah died at the age of one hundred twenty-seven (Gen. 23:1-2). Today this seems very old, but at that time it was an early death. Abraham lived to be one hundred seventy-five (Gen. 25:7), living thirty-eight years after Sarah’s death. Sarah should not have died so early. She died thirty-seven years after the birth of Isaac (Gen. 17:1, 17; 21:5); this was not normal.