Borrowing a Favor

I'm reading the two year bible. That's the One Year Bible read over two years. Last year I read each day's New Testament and Psalm & Proverb. This year I'm focusing on each day's Old Testament reading. I've read the bible through several times now, and I wanted to spend more time in each passage. Thus, I adopted this slower reading method. It also allows me more time in bible commentary.

Yesterday, Jan 10th, was Genesis 23:1-24:51. Right at the beginning, we hear that Abraham's wife Sarah died at age 127. Abraham, living in basically a land foreign to him, needs a place to bury her. The leaders of the land offer him any tomb he wants and he chooses one from Ephron. Ephron hands it over free of charge but Abraham says he wants to pay. It almost turned into one of those "who pays the check" situations when you are at dinner with someone, but after a couple rounds Ephron agrees to a bro deal and Abraham gets the tomb.

As I read this, I wondered why Abraham didn't just accept the land and say thanks. The Hittites, leaders of this land, told him he was a prince among them and they would be honored to give him the "finest of our tombs." I believe there was a good reason, and one we can all learn from.

I think Abraham didn't want to "owe" anyone. Once he accepts that land for free, he's indebted to that person. It's implied, if not explicit. Perhaps later Ephron might have come back and said, "remember when I gave you that tomb?" and asked for a favor of his own. Someone asking a favor is fine, maybe even good. You should help if you can, that's biblical ("Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act." - Proverbs 3:27, NIV) But if you "owe him one" you are more likely to fulfill a favor that you shouldn't, a favor they do not deserve. Maybe you do something risky, or illegal, or loan him money. This is a good lesson for all of us. If you are able to pay for it or obtain it yourself, often it's in your best interest to do so. Don't be a borrow or a lender; don't even borrow favors.