Abraham mourned for Sarah. They had been together for so long.
Why does the believer mourn for his dead? Is it right for him or her to mourn? Is it not a weakness of faith? Evidently not, for Christ himself wept in sympathy with Martha and Mary at the death of their brother. It would be unnatural and callous for us not to experience deep sorrow at the departure of our believing loved ones, in spite of the hope that we have. Death is a departure. For us who believe it may be only a temporary departure, but it is a departure and of the profoundest sort. There is no communication with those we love once they are gone from this world. But fellowship is what love thrives on, for love’s instinct is to unite together and death is the most profound form of separation. It is not wise to try to jolly up funerals and prevent those who are bereaved from truly mourning.
Two human beings grow into each other when living together as man and wife. It is the closest relationship on earth. There could not be love if there was not an expression of sorrow at departure of those we love. But how different is this sorrow for the believer. For the unbeliever, there is a hope of being reunited, which is groundless. The unbeliever may convince himself that his hope is real, but there is no foundation to it. It is just wishful thinking. Here lies a powerful motivation for false religion, for the human desire to be together again with those they love needs a belief in an afterlife to support it. But the Christian alone has solid grounds for believing that he will see those he loves again. Only the resurrection of Jesus Christ provides sufficient ground for that hope. Only his atoning death can remove the great obstacle which stands in the way of life. Only when God has been propitiated and our sins forgiven can we dare to hope in future fellowship. So for the believer, this sorrow is not without hope, true hope. This means that a limit must be set on our sorrowing as a duty of faith. To sorrow is our duty, but not to sorrow too long. We must give way to natural feeling for a time, or else we cannot fully understand the change that death brings. But our hope in the resurrection makes a world of difference. Death is a great enemy. The unbeliever has nothing he can see to indicate that death has not had its final victory over the one taken from him, but by faith he believes Christ’s promise..
The term Sons of Heth is a reference to the Hittites. As Genesis 10:15 tells these were the descendants of the second son of Cain. The word Heth in Hebrew means dread or terror. Aalders reports the objection that some have made that the Hittites should be found so far south in Canaan and simply replies that some advanced groups had already migrated into this area by this time.