BURY YOUR DEAD OUT OF YOUR SIGHT

WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL

JULY 09, 2023

TOPIC: BURY YOUR DEAD OUT OF YOUR SIGHT

 BY T. O. BANSO

“Then Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spoke to the sons of Heth, saying, ‘I am a foreigner and a visitor among you. Give me property for a burial place among you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight’” (Genesis 23:3-4 New King James Version).

In life, we sometimes experience some painful things whether in relationships, businesses, careers, ministries, or in other areas. Sometimes, we are at fault, and other times other people or factors are responsible.

When some of these events occur, many are heartbroken and life becomes unexciting for them. This happens particularly when it has to do with loved ones or things that are precious to us. The loss is always difficult to bear.

The Bible never forbids mourning. Jesus says in Matthew 5:4, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (New King James Version). Grieving is part of the healing process. What the Bible says about the death of believers is not to sorrow or grieve as others who have no hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13). It doesn’t forbid grieving. We must learn how to process our sorrow or grief and not allow our losses to destroy us. We must know when mourning should stop and let God heal us. We must move on with our lives.

Whether it has to do with the loss of a loved one, a job, a marriage, or any other thing, we, as children of God, must walk with the understanding that God is bigger than our losses. Whatever losses we incur or experience,  He is able to give us better things. Under no circumstance should we become hopeless, or see the losses as our end.

Sarah was the wife of Abraham for many years. Unfortunately, she died one day at 127 years. It was a great loss to Abraham. He mourned and wept. “Then Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spoke to the sons of Heth, saying, ‘I am a foreigner and a visitor among you. Give me property for a burial place among you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight’” (Genesis 23:3-4 New King James Version). Note the phrase: that I may bury my dead out of my sight. It was a painful thing for Abraham to do but he couldn’t keep the corpse of his wife forever.

It is normal to mourn the loss of someone or something precious; it is not a sin to weep. But mourning and weeping should not be forever. One must bury one’s dead out of one’s sight, no matter how painful it is. It is part of the healing process. Abraham requested to buy a parcel of land from the sons of Heth “that I may bury my dead out of my sight.” They granted His request. He paid Ephron the Hittite for the cave of Machpelah and buried Sarah there.

Who or what have you lost? After your mourning, go to bury your dead out of your sight. It is not always an easy thing to do but it must be done. You need to be healed and allow the Lord to do a new thing in your life. “Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert” (Isaiah 43:18-19 New King James Version).

Abraham would not continue to mourn forever. He bought a burial place and buried Sarah there. Life must continue; he must put Sarah’s death behind him, as painful as it must have been. They had lived together for many years. Although he loved Sarah, after some time, he married another wife, Keturah, and she bore him children (Genesis 25:1-4).

Bury your dead out of your sight. This may mean putting behind you a broken relationship by refusing to think or talk about it, avoiding going to certain places to cut off from your dead past, and so on. Let the past go with the past. Bury your dead out of your sight. As I have said, it’s not always easy. But it’s a wise thing to do.

There is a time to mourn and a time to stop mourning over your broken relationship, failed business, loss of a job, etc. You must come to terms with what you cannot change. You must let go of situations beyond your control and face your future with hope. Yes, you feel the pain, but there are things you cannot reverse. There are things only God can do. Only God can bring about the resurrection of the dead. If He hasn’t, then bury your dead out of your sight. Only He can reverse certain losses. If He hasn’t, hand over everything to Him. Trust Him to work everything together for your good.

In 1 Samuel 16:1, the LORD told Samuel he had mourned enough for Saul whom He had rejected as king. Nevertheless, he was still on the throne. The LORD told Samuel to go and anoint another person king. Apparently, Samuel was emotional about Saul, having anointed him as the first king of Israel. The LORD had to tell him to stop mourning and go and anoint a new king. In other words, he should bury his dead out of his sight. Samuel obeyed and eventually anointed David as king (verse 13).

King David also had to bury his dead out of his sight with regard to his dead child, the child Bathsheba gave birth to from the adultery they committed. David prayed and fasted for the recovery of the child when he was sick. But as soon as they confirmed the death of his son, he stopped mourning.

2 Samuel 12:20 says, “So David arose from the ground, washed and anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he went into the house of the LORD and worshiped. Then he went to his own house; and when he requested, they set food before him, and he ate” (New King James Version). His reaction baffled his servants. David buried his dead out of his sight. Don’t mind those who may think you have not mourned enough!

After Jacob was deceived that Joseph was dead, the Bible says, “Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth on his waist, and mourned for his son many days. And all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted, and he said, ‘For I shall go down into the grave to my son in mourning.’ Thus his father wept for him” (Genesis 37:34-35 New King James Version). Your children won’t die prematurely in Jesus’ name. They won’t die before you.

Whatever you’ve lost, don’t mourn forever. Hand over your loss to the Lord. He can do a new thing for you. Eventually, it turned out that Joseph was still alive. A wild animal did not kill Joseph as his brothers had made their father believe. Suppose Jacob had killed himself by his endless mourning!

Later, Jacob and the entire family reunited with Joseph who had become the Prime Minister in Egypt. Only God could have done that. Stop endless weeping, crying, lamenting, and the rest. Trust God. Worship Him. Believe Him for new and better things.

After Judas Iscariot had committed suicide, the disciples of Jesus, following His ascension, chose another person to replace Judas in the fulfilment of the Scriptures. They put his death behind them. They buried their dead out of their sight and filled the vacancy his death had created. Matthias replaced Judas Iscariot (Acts 1:15-26).

You cannot continue to mourn, weep, or lament. God is bigger than your loss or mistakes. Bury that dead job, relationship, business, and so on out of your sight and experience the new things God has for you. “I will make rivers flow on dry hills. I will make springs of water flow through the valleys. I will change the desert into a lake filled with water. There will be springs of water in that dry land. I will make trees grow in the desert. There will be cedar, acacias, olive trees, cypress, fir trees, and pines. I will do this so that people will see it and know who did it. They will notice what happened. Then they will understand that the Lord’s hand made it happen, that the Holy One of Israel created it all” (Isaiah 41:18-20 Easy-to-Read Version).

TAKE ACTION!

If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. I urge you to take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life – your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.

Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and God raised Him on the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.

I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church in your area where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like a palm tree and grow like a cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.

PRAYER POINTS: Father, I repent of my endless, destructive mourning. I shall not mourn forever; I bury my dead out of my sight. Father, I hand over my loss to You and receive from You the new thing You want to do in my life. Father, do a new thing for me in place of what I have lost. Father, maintain and guard my lot, all that is mine. This season, I shall suffer no loss of lives, property, or any other thing.

(For over 900 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).

T. O. Banso is the President of Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
WhatsApp No: +2349081295947
Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org