An Old Man and Full of Years

Genesis 25:7-9. Abraham lived a hundred and seventy-five years. He breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people. His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, beside Sarah.

Full of years is a lovely phrase. It does not just mean old. It means satisfied, sated, having had enough. Abraham died with almost none of the promise fulfilled. He owned one field. He had one son of the covenant, two grandsons not yet born to that son. Nations and kings were still a long way off. And yet the text calls him full.

Then there is the detail of the burial. Isaac and Ishmael, the chosen and the sent-away, stand together at the cave. Whatever passed between them, they buried their father side by side. Some reconciliations only happen at graves, but they happen. As the week closes, ask what would make you full of years, and whom you need to stand beside.