Genesis 25:1-18
The Death of Abraham
1 Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah. 2 She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah. 3 Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan; the descendants of Dedan were the Asshurites, the Letushites and the Leummites. 4 The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida and Eldaah. All these were descendants of Keturah.
5 Abraham left everything he owned to Isaac. 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.
7 Altogether, Abraham lived a hundred and seventy-five years. 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. 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, 10 the field Abraham had bought from the Hittites. There Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah. 11 After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, who then lived near Beer Lahai Roi.
Ishmael’s Sons
12 This is the account of Abraham’s son Ishmael, whom Sarah’s maidservant, Hagar the Egyptian, bore to Abraham.
13 These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, listed in the order of their birth: Nebaioth the firstborn of Ishmael, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 14Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish and Kedemah. 16 These were the sons of Ishmael, and these are the names of the twelve tribal rulers according to their settlements and camps. 17 Altogether, Ishmael lived a hundred and thirty-seven years. He breathed his last and died, and he was gathered to his people. 18 His descendants settled in the area from Havilah to Shur, near the border of Egypt, as you go toward Asshur. And they lived in hostility toward all their brothers.
2 Corinthians 5:1-10
Our Heavenly Dwelling
1 Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2 Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, 3 because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4 For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
6 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 We live by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
Hebrews 11:8-12
The Faith of Abraham
8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
11 By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
Abraham died when he was 175 years old...He breathed his last breath at a good old age; and he was gathered to his people...His sons were Isaac with his wife Sarah, and his son Ishmael with his maid-servant Hagar were the ones who buried him...He was buried in the cave of Machpelah next to his wife Sarah near Mamre, in a field which Abraham had bought years ago from the Hittites...He was buried in the Promised Land, that was promised to him in a covenant by God...
When I first read the Bible and saw the words "gathered to his people" I thought this was like the first funerals were (being) described...The family and friends would be there like today's funeral, and they would all be gathered together, to talk, think, and to remember the life of Abraham...In the very next verses, Moses writes about Ishmael dying and also being gathered to his people (Genesis 25:17)...It is a phrase that is used several times throughout the Old Testament.. Isaac died and was gathered to his people (Genesis 35:29)...Jacob died and was gathered to his people (Genesis 49:33)...Moses' brother Aaron died and was gathered to his people (Numbers 20:24)...God is the One who tells Moses that he would die on the mountain that you have climbed (Mount Nebo) -and you will die and be gathered to your people, just as your brother Aaron died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people (Deuteronomy 32:50)...And later in the Book of Judges we are told that we would be gathered not only to our people as it was in Genesis, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, but that we have after the Book of Joshua, and the death of Moses' follower Joshua -the people passing on -would be gathered to their fathers...We read about King Josiah...He was told by the prophetess Huldah that when he (King Josiah) died, he would be gathered to his fathers (2 Kings 22:20)...So the term "gathered to his people" (or fathers) was used many, many years ago by different people and authors to designate that the families and friends got together when someone breathed their last breath, and we one to another family...These are all, in my layman opinion, a funeral for each of these men, and a hint of our afterlife, when the author of Judges mentions "gathered to his fathers"...And of all these men who died, God actually told Moses when he would die, which shows us God is in control of things, including our very lives and very day we will pass on and get to meet Him...Moses at his old age of 120 years, still had eyes that were not weak, nor was his strength gone (Deuteronomy 34:7)...God had told Moses, that it was time to pass into the next world...
Inn most cases of the passing on in Genesis, it seems we have a funeral or a ceremony for the one who has just breathed their last breath, with family and friends...There is something in us that makes us want to say or listen to some words over the ones we have just lost...There is something about man and his Spirit that we see the need in taking care of the dead...There is something in us that makes us grieve and weep...
In Judges 2:10, it reads and says a whole generation of people were resurrecting and would meet with their fathers or ancestors...If you believe this literally, then when we die, we are not alone...First our families watch over us (after our last breath)...The Bible gives us clues that we will meet in a prepared place for only us (John 14:2-4), where we will meet us with old friends, an old family, once our flesh dies....When the tent of our bodies can no longer function, or is destroyed, or is aged and just wears out we will meet our His Son and our Maker...
Our first Patriarch was Abraham...We are told that his two sons, Isaac and Ishmael bury him...This is fitting...Abraham was the first we read about being gathered to his people...He breathed his last breath and then his Spirit had moved on...Abraham was a great servant to God, and God made important covenants to him...Whether we live 175 or have a much shorter time on earth, life is about our faithfulness to God and us knowing the LORD and His goodness, LOVE, and grace...By faith Abraham followed God to a place where he did not know where he was going, but made his home in a foreign land like a stranger...Because Abraham had faith in God, his descendants now are as numerous ans the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore...