“His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite” (Genesis 25:9 NLT).
Isaac and Ishmael buried their father, Abraham, in the same tomb he had bought to bury Sarah. These two sons became two great peoples. The Jewish nation came from Isaac and the Arab nations from Ishmael. They stood united at their father’s funeral, but enmity has existed between them until this day. Judaism claims Abraham as its father through Isaac. And Islam claims the same, albeit through Ishmael.
The tomb of the patriarchs is in the modern day city of Hebron, in Palestine, nineteen miles South of Jerusalem. The site has intermittently been under Jewish, Christian, or Muslim control. The current building that sits atop the tomb was originally built as a church. But later, under Muslim control, minarets were added to make it a mosque.
The descendants of Isaac, the miraculous son of the free woman and Ishmael, the human son of the slave woman, still contend over the site. The stories of the Bible are true. Its history helps us understand many of today’s events.
PRAYER: Dear Father, Your Word is true. Thank You for the Holy Scriptures which lead, guide and direct us through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. We love Your Word. It is like bread to our hungry souls. In Jesus’ name, Amen.