Be the Baton and Pass the Promises Down
Based on Genesis 25:1-18
Khen Lim
4 x 100 metres relay, Beijing Olympics 2008 (Image source: wsj.com)
The baton passing
The 4 x 400 metre track-and-field is the most punishing of all
the relay events. This is an event where each of the four runners in a team
must complete 400 metres, which is one lap around the track. In every track
meet, this is the pinnacle and final event. For the first lap and a bit,
runners run in their own lanes but thereafter, they move to the inside of the
track where the track lengths are naturally smaller.
All relays require the runners to carry a baton, which they
must pass through to their next teammate in line to continue running and that
transfer must occur within a 20-metre box demarcated by blue lines. Unlike the
shorter 4 x 100 metre event, runners in this one would look back in order to
receive the baton transfer from their incoming teammates. This is because of
fatigue build-up by the incoming runner and also the wider tolerances offered
due to the far longer race distance.
To run a 2:54.29 not only would require four runners with
flawless baton transfers but to do so by running your guts out oblivious of
what the competition around was up to. Therefore teamwork is important but for
this, a London-based Masters Athlete and Coach wrote an
article where he outlined seven things that must also be in place. They are
as follows:
1.
Find the right runners
2.
Give each (runner) a
valued role
3.
Create a unique identity
to the team
4.
Commit to
winning/excellence
5.
Give them a vision
6.
Play/work with passion
7. Get out of the way
The funny thing about these seven values is that we might as
well be referring to how God calls on us to run a good race and the pass on the
faith to the generations after us. Following the above values make some pretty
good sense when it comes to passing the faith. All the seven steps encapsulate
– if you imagine so – what is needed, how we are to be equipped and what we
must accomplish in moulding the faith and then passing it down to the next in
line.
There is some truth to how some say that the Christian faith
is always perilously one generation away from extinction. In this respect,
famous author of ‘The Prayer of Jabez,’ Bruce Wilkinson also has a book
he wrote in July 1983 that carries a very appropriate title. It says, ‘God
has no grandchildren’ and that’ll be about right. And in that sense, our
Christian faith is more like how one generation passes the baton of God’s
promises and truths to the next, making sure that in the process, everyone is
careful not to fumble and drop it.
Keeping our faith alive
For those of us who are fathers, our Christian responsibility
is to ensure that our faith is successfully passed down to our children and
from there on, to our grandchildren and beyond. Whether we’re all fortunate
enough to live that long to see the passing of generations is another matter
but all the same, we pray that even if we don’t get to witness it, we keep our
faith and hope that it does happen simply because we view this as a very
important step to fulfil in our lives.
The same thing must also happen in church where the pastor is
imbued with the same duty and responsibility to his congregation. Just as it is
in a family, his goal is to impart God’s truth to his flock or better still,
his parish so that they in turn will fan it out to others in their own
respective circles. The pastor’s role in church and the father’s role at home
strike the same semblance of importance in that we all must seek every possible
way to spread the Gospel far and wide given the opportunities we will be given
so that we may then boldly proclaim the Lord Jesus Christ.
Now, here’s the caveat. We can pass on the truth to people but
we’re not in control over what they do with it. Whether or not they do anything
positive is beyond our control. It’s the same with our own children at home or
the people in church who hear the sermons every week. However, for the
Christian faith to stay relevant through all the generations, all of us are to make sure that the
baton of truth is passed down successfully in what God sees as our
responsibility (2 Tim 2:2).
“You have heard me teach
things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these
truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others”
(2 Tim 2:2, NLT)
Moses’ tribute of Abraham
In Genesis 25:1-18, although Moses’ epitaph to Abraham reads
(deservedly) like an honorary tribute, it’s the idea that our legacy is as
memorable as the success we have in passing God’s promises down the
generations. From verse 1 to 4, we read of Abraham marrying another woman by
the name of Keturah. From the way it is told in Scripture and how the words ‘took’ and ‘another’ were used, there is strong agreement among the scholars
that Keturah likely came into the scene following Sarah’s death and not before.
The remaining three verses reads like a roll call of the children and
grandchildren that came from this marriage. Marrying at the age of 137 is
already impressive enough but to sire another six sons within the next 38 years
of his advanced life is extremely hard to wrap the head around these days but
he surely did it. What’s more, the offspring of two of the sons are also
recorded. It appears that Keturah’s contribution under Abraham’s line has been,
relatively speaking, a very fruitful one.
Genealogical recording in the Old Testament is an evident
feature that many struggle to understand why. For many readers, it is boring
and it serves little to no purpose especially when the names are so difficult
to pronounce properly but there is method in the madness.
As the late Rev
Abraham Park highlighted in his ‘Genesis
Genealogies’ (Periplus, 2011), genealogies force open the door to
incredible insights as to not only what the patriarchs did in the culture and
history of their times but also how they interacted with one another in the
passing of God’s promise. In fact Abraham’s sons from Keturah would descend
rich lines of Far East tribes later. Genealogies appear deceptively compressed but
once we uncover them, it is bewildering to behold the amazing redemptive work
of God.
Here, with Moses as the recorder, the impact is no less for he
reveals how God is faithful through Abraham’s six sons (besides Isaac, that is)
by first blessing the patriarch (12:2-3), then promising him he would have a
son (v.4) and that he would live long (15:15). Then in 17:5-6,16, Abraham was
promised to be the “father of all nations,” meaning all nations including their
kings and rulers would come from him.
And in the following verse 7, God told
him that the covenant would pass from him to his son. Nothing in all of these
versions say any less about how faith will continue from one generation to the
next and beyond. Because Abraham chose to place his trust in God, He in turn
was faithful in fulfilling His promises in and through him. All this proves one
thing and that is, nothing brings success to our legacy more than when we pass
on God’s promises down the line.
Then in 25:5-6, Moses tells us that Abraham decided to portion
away his inheritance:
“Abraham gave everything he owned to his son Isaac. But before he died,
he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them off to a land in the
east, away from Isaac.” (NLT)
And then in 25:7-11:
“Abraham lived for 175 years and he died at a ripe old age, having lived
a long and satisfying life. He breathed his last and joined his ancestors in
death. His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, near
Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite. This was the field
Abraham had purchased from the Hittites and where he had buried his wife Sarah.
After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, who settled near
Beer-lahai-roi on the Negev.”
And 12-18:
“This is the account of the family of Ishmael, the son of Abraham
through Hagar, Sarah’s Egyptian servant. Here is a list, by their names and
clans, of Ishmael’s descendants: The oldest was Nebaioth followed by Kedar,
Adbeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish and Kedemah.
These twelve sons of Ishmael became the founders of twelve tribes named after
them, listed according to the places they settled and camped. Ishmael lived for
137 years. Then he breathed his last and joined his ancestors in death.
Ishmael’s descendants occupied the region from Havilah to Shur, which is east
of Egypt in the direction of Asshur. There they lived in open hostility toward
all their relatives.” (NLT)
Abraham’s honourable life was recorded here. Because Isaac was
his legal firstborn and the covenanted son promised by God, he received
everything his father owned but Abraham didn’t stop there. In the verse that
followed, he gave gifts to all his other sons, passing down his honour to them
before they were sent away to the east, leaving Isaac as the one anointed heir
above all the others. By bearing gifts for the others, Abraham made sure they
were owed nothing and therefore would not be making any claims on what belonged
to Isaac especially after his death. So by the time he died, Isaac already had
his full inheritance given to him and there were no disputes.
What is significant here is that Abraham passed down his
inheritance to all his children “before he died.” Unlike the convention, he
brought joy to others and he witnessed it firsthand in his life. He planned
this so that he would be safe in the knowledge that everything was done the
right way and that all his sons were looked after. He could then be ready to “join his ancestors in death” and not
be troubled for leaving his children in disarray because he made sure their
future was secured.
Abraham’s actions were important. Here he passes on his
spiritual inheritance even while he was still alive so that it will continue
after his death. Like all of us, he did not know in any great advance when he
would die and he did not want to wait till then to pass on the very things of
importance. Not knowing whether or not we would wake up the next morning is an
unavoidable morbid truth but life is always not without its surprises.
However
the crucial matter at hand that needed to be done is well recorded here by
Moses. Abraham made sure to pass down God’s promises and in doing so, he also
left behind an unimaginably successful legacy that all of us are still
experiencing today. What he did so four thousand years ago still resonate in
us. By imparting his unforgettable legacy, he left behind virtually everywhere
in the world a part of him that is in all of us.
Revealing Abraham’s legacy
Burial of Sarah in Machpelah (Image source: jesuswalk.com)
In Moses’ remembrance of Abraham as recorded in the Book of
Genesis, many little interesting bits and pieces revealed his character and
also his rewarding life. For instance, he wrote that he died “at a ripe old age,” which is
interesting considering that Abraham died at the age of 175. To put that into
perspective, anyone who lived till they were in their nineties is considered “a
ripe old age” to us but here is Abraham whose lifespan was more than twice what
we normally encounter today.
Another remarkable aspect of Moses’ tribute of Abraham is that
it veers from the usual genealogical accounts and narrative that appears fairly
standard in the Old Testament. When he wrote, “These are all the years of Abraham’s life that he lived,” he
likely did it for two reasons. Firstly, Abraham’s importance in God’s big
picture is second only to Jesus Christ and secondly, there is every indication
that in what he wrote, he meant to convey the fact that Abraham lived all his
years to the hilt. He didn’t just breathe every day; he really lived them.
Rather than simply exist for the sake of existing, Abraham thrived and made the
most of his life.
That certainly explains Moses’ remark that he had “lived a long and satisfying life,”
which in the NIV translation, that part is rephrased as “he was an old man and
full of years.” The Hebrew literal origin of the words ‘full of years’ is ‘full
of, satisfied with.’ Anyone can be satisfied with his life before his death if
and when he has accomplished what he has set out to do. It means he has
fulfilled his mandate and done everything he needed to in the way he wished to
and to the people he meant to. Abraham’s satisfaction came from doing the thing
that God has asked him to, obeying Him to the very letter even if it meant
going through his ups and downs and highs and lows.
Understanding Abraham’s satisfaction
Being satisfied certainly also means he had no regrets
whatsoever and in all aspects of looking back over his years, he would have had
enjoyed his walk with God. And that prompts me to wonder how many people we
know of who felt the same thing even as death approached. I don’t believe a lot
would share Abraham’s sense of contentment. In fact I believe many would have
cause for regrets and remorse – regretting the things they should have done but
didn’t and remorse for the mistakes that shouldn’t have had occurred in the
first place. Even though Abraham was very likely to have his fair share of
both, I believe that the net sum of the 175 years of his life was spent in
satisfaction.
A late maternal aunt of mine did not die happy or content. On
her deathbed in hospital, she couldn’t let go of her bitterness, resentment and
disappointments no matter how persuasive my mother was by her side. I also have
one old and surviving maternal uncle who has led a life of deceitfulness, manipulation and
corruption against his own siblings including his very own father and is
battling to fight his demons within his lonely self. I’m not sure if he would
be satisfied with his life. I am also aware of some pastors whom I have come to
know of who would have dark secrets that they may be forced to take with them
through to the end of their lives because they are too shameful to be shared
with others. Surely it must be hard for any of them to feel satisfied with
themselves when they meet their deaths.
Scripture records Abraham’s life as one that is far from easy.
He went through significant trials and tribulations that frustrated,
discouraged and deprived him. He also experienced his fair share of personal
losses as much as he saw with his own eyes, the glamour of Egyptian royalty in
the midst of suffering a famine and prior to that, he witnessed the spectacular
but devastating destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. For someone who was
supremely privileged to hear the voice of God, he also lied to save himself
instead of counting on the Lord.
Don’t forget that he was compelled by family circumstances to
surrender his firstborn son, Ishmael, and his mother, Hagar, into exile and
just as he began to see their backs disappear into the arid wilderness, it
would certainly have broken his heart. Although the two step-brothers Isaac and
Ishmael did meet up to bury their father, Scripture doesn’t tell us if they did
reconcile but we’re certain that Sarah and Hagar did not. None of this would
have comforted Abraham any more than when he had to later bury his wife.
But these alone do not provide all the necessary colours for
the 175 years of his life. What we must take into account is that through all
of this, the important element is his inspiring and undying faith. Here was a
real man of rock-solid faith for even in the worst of times, he never lost
sight of the God who set out the great plan that took him out of Ur, a hundred
years earlier.
It was this same God who told him and no one else that he would
be the father of all nations and through him will come the kings and rulers of
the world and from him would emerge the covenantal line that carries the
promise of salvation from one generation to the next, all the way to today. For
these reasons – and these reasons alone – Abraham was contend with the life he
had and he lived it all till his last breath.
When Abraham drew his last breath, he “joined his ancestors in death.” In the NIV translation, a
different phrase is used and is probably more significant. The expression
“gathered to his people” is used instead:
NLT: 7 Abraham lived for 175
years, 8 and he died at a ripe old age, having lived a long
and satisfying life. He breathed his last and joined his ancestors in death.
NIV: 7 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.
NIV’s version offers us an arguably better impression of
‘going to one’s forefathers,’ which we can also see in other parts of Genesis
(15:15, 25:17, 49:29,33), Deuteronomy (32:50) and 2 Kings (22:20). Here’s a
look at other examples:
Genesis 15:15 – You
(Abram), however will go to your
ancestors in peace and be buried at a good old age.
Genesis 25:17 – Ishmael
lived a hundred and thirty-seven years. He breathed his last and died, and he
was gathered to his people.
Genesis 49:29 – Then he
(Jacob) gave them these instructions: “I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave in the
field of Ephron the Hittite…
Genesis 49:33 – When Jacob
had finished giving instructions to his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed,
breathed his last and was gathered to
his people.
Deuteronomy 32:50 – There
on the mountain that you (Moses) have climbed, you will die and be gathered to your people, just as your brother
Aaron died on Mount Hor and was gathered
to his people.
2 Kings 22:20 – Therefore
I will gather you (Josiah) to your
ancestors and you will be buried in peace. Your eyes will not see all the
disaster I am going to bring on this place.
Scripture says it very clearly – when Abraham died, “he was
gathered to his people.” There is a far greater meaning to the phrase used in
the NIV translation than simply being dumped into a family grave and that’s it.
Some however think that the phrase has no connection to the concept of an
afterlife but I disagree.
In fact, maybe here is where the NLT version could
shed light on an afterlife because of the manner in which they used the phrase,
“joined his ancestors in death” but just to be absolutely sure, this more contemporary
translation does not literally mean Abraham was buried in the ground with his
relatives and ancestors for the simple reason that 25:8-9 holds the irrefutable
evidence that no kin before him – with the sole exception of his wife – was
ever buried in the cave of Machpelah.
Gathering for an afterlife
Burial of Abraham in Machpelah (Image source: alamy.com)
Another important point to bring up is that in the days of the
Old Testament, those who have died are still regarded as ‘existing.’ They have
not vanished. Their history did not become non-existent. The phrase ‘gathered
to one’s people’ is distinct from the literal physical act of burial. In fact,
both are treated separately:
Genesis 35:29 – Then he
breathed his last and died and was gathered to his people, old and full of
years. And his sons Esau and Jacob
buried him.
Genesis 49:29 – Then he
gave them these instructions: “I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave in
the field of Ephron the Hittite…
Note: For links to more
information on the phrase ‘gathered to his people,’ please refer to footnotes.
In fact, according to the author of the letter to the Hebrews
(it was arguably Paul), patriarchs who died are expected an afterlife:
“All these people died
still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was
promised but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that
they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. Obviously people who say such
things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. If they had
longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. But they were looking for a better place, a
heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God
for He has prepared a city for them.” (Heb 11:13-16, NLT; highlight on verse
16)
The above verses from the Book of Hebrews reveal something
that Old Testament patriarchs might not be fully aware of and that was, the
complete revelation of the resurrection of the body, and that was largely
because it was only unveiled in the days of the New Testament. However, there
is without question the certainty that they, being the early participants in the
divine covenant would have sniffed and understood the concept of life after
death. Being so in tune with God, they would surely have sensed and therefore
anticipated the joy of an afterlife.
The New Testament actually records proof of this when Jesus
spoke to the Sadducees, who were a powerful politico-religious party who
opposed the idea of resurrection:
“God said, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of
Jacob.’ So He is the God of the living, not the dead.” (Matthew 22:32, NLT)
The argument here is obvious. If God is the God of the living,
then those who draw their last breath enjoy life after death with Him. In other
words, patriarchs like Abraham could not be excluded from the hope of
resurrection. So in this very Christian sense, death is not the end and neither
is it a period but only a comma. In other words, the moment believers like us
close our eyes in death, we will be in the presence of Jesus.
This fact was reinforced when pinned to the cross, He assured
the thief (often referred to as the Penitent Thief although Nicodemus named him
as Dismas) to His right (see footnote) saying, “Truly I say to you, today, you
shall be with Me in Paradise” (Lk 23:43, NIV) and by this gesture alone, He has
made the promise that there is life beyond mortal death. And it is in this
promise alone that we have evidence of a wonderful afterlife, an eternity that
is simply unimaginable in any human terms. Of course, what better than to top
it all off by His very own resurrection as well!
Living and dying in faith
Genesis 25:9-10 tells us that Abraham was buried by his first
two sons – Isaac and Ishmael – in the cave of Machpelah. Moses provides greater
detail here, adding that the cave was in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar
the Hittite and that it faced Mamre (also called Hebron), the field of which
Abraham had acquired from the sons of Heth. It was hence there that Abraham was
finally put to rest with his wife, Sarah.
Now all of these details might be meaningless beyond some
historical interests but it isn’t. Take careful note that where Abraham (and
Sarah) were buried was already in a part of the Promised Land called Canaan
that God had spoken to him about. This was indeed a piece of the Promised Land
that he rightfully owned as he bought it from the Hittites for use as a
permanent burial place (23:17-20). Being just a mere toehold, the insignificant
size is not the issue here.
By anyone’s measure, it is certainly a small title deed
compared to the whole land called Canaan but here was where Abraham and his
wife Sarah were buried. Here was the claim he staked based on the promise that
one day, all this land would belong to them. Abraham believed every word that
God said to him before he died. He not only lived by that faith in God’s truth
but he died still believing in them wholeheartedly.
The act of being buried
where he owned that sliver of land is a powerful anticipation that someday his
people would claim it as their own. The torch of truth began with Abraham. He
passed it down to the next generation with the hope that it will keep on
passing down. Abraham’s legacy was successful because his descendants had
passed down God’s promise all the way to today.
How we fall short
The 4 x 400 metre track-and-field event is not for the fainthearted.
Unlike the shorter relay variants, this one requires each runner in the team to
cover one full lap before passing the baton. Every runner has to plan the
distance he needs to cover but many of us are prone to sprint initially but end
up a spent force by the time we enter our final stretch where it counts the most.
What we invariably end up doing is using up most of our lives wishing we didn’t.
Consider if you fit into this pattern:
-
When we’re young, we’re so
eager to get older so we can do adult things like setting our own rules and
controlling our own lives
-
When we become a little
older, we then yearn for the years to keep piling on fast so we can earn more
and acquire more
-
By the time we get to
middle age where we’re arguably at our most productive years, we discover how
we dread the work and wish it all to go away so we can enjoy ourselves more
-
When we find the going
getting tougher and the kids fly the coop, we suddenly can’t understand where
all the time had gone by
-
This is when retirement
starts knocking on our door and we suddenly look forward to being free to enjoy
the activities we couldn’t before
-
But then in our retirement,
we discover that we lack the impetuousness to have real fun and the energy to
last the whole distance
-
As we begin to grow old,
some of us feel they have nothing more to give while others realise that their
whole lives have become slower and more challenging
-
Once old age becomes more
than just a contemplation, we then take on the whole scary idea that our bodies
ache, our forgetfulness reigns and some of our disappointments don’t go away
-
At this point, many of us
become so undermined by old age that all we think about is, “Can I just sleep
and not wake up”!
You might not fully agree with all the above steps but let me just say this – somewhere inside all of us, we share an understanding of at
least some of these and the scary part is that these are the kinds of issues
that reveal our sense of dissatisfaction with life.
We keep ourselves in a
state of discontentment over the things we don’t have or failed to achieve
mainly because we seem incapable of knowing how to enjoy the successes in life
we are blessed with. A good friend of mine repeatedly encourage my family to ‘count
our blessings’ and not to view life as a half-empty glass of water and I think
she is correct.
Abraham’s approach to life does not mean he had no regrets or
that he was never once disappointed with any part of his life. Sure he did. If
he didn’t, he wouldn’t be human. But the key issue is that he was able to look
back at his life knowing that even in his darkest moments, God was there for
him. He was never left alone to deal with his pains, hurt and sorrow. He never
considered simply existing like a vegetable and not living his life to the max.
Learning from Abraham
Drawing from Moses’ tribute to Abraham and what we can learn
from his amazing life, here are some ideas from which we can develop a
healthier approach to the joy of life:
-
Be positive in our outlook about life. Don’t start our day by being negative. Instead, say, “This is
the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it” (Ps 118:24).
-
Save some attention for God.
When we read His Word and share our life intimately with Him, we will experience
a part of life worth savouring than any other.
-
View life with a sense of excitement and not trepidation. Look to God’s blessings as evidence that life’s better than
we think. Don’t let our struggles pull the carpet underneath us.
-
Enjoy the things we can do and don’t think of those we can’t. Life’s far too precious to be gloomy every hour of the day and
every day of the week.
-
Don’t bash our health and speak ill of it. Instead thank God for all we have that is still worth
enjoying.
-
Whistle while we do our things. And while we’re at it, let’s all think happy thoughts.
-
Take up our responsibilities gleefully. Avoid shedding them but instead, give ourselves fully to exercising
them in our lives.
-
We don’t need a reason to smile. We only need the rarest of opportunities to be happy with
anyone we’re privileged to meet.
-
Be a blessing to the other people around us. Show people what it means to live in the moment armed to the
hilt with God’s blessings.
-
Never ever stop learning.
There are always new stuff to try and learn; so why not go try them and learn
them as well? Not too good with the new smartphone? Get busy!
-
Stop to smell the roses. Every
now and then, sit back and enjoy the breathtaking views. Take a trip to the beach
or an outlook point. Let the beautiful things in life overwhelm our senses again.
-
Know that life doesn’t always go how we want it to. The sooner we learn this, the easier our lives become and the
better we’re able to move on to a greater adventure.
-
Never take half measures at a full life. Don’t just tell ourselves we’re not here to die but make sure
that we’re here to live our lives to the fullest.
-
Live like we’ve never lived before. That way, when we draw our last breath, there will be people
who will say that we’ve lived our lives satisfied with all we’ve done. And that
would be our legacy to the next
generation.
It’s not how fast we run
Relay races like the 4 x 400 metre event are deceptive. Most
people think it’s all about speed. It might help that the runner is quick off
his feet but none of this matters in the end if he is not particularly good at
passing the baton to the next runner.
We may have a Usain
Bolt in our midst and that would, on paper, be very impressive but if he can’t pass the baton for nuts, that race is history. If all we
have done in our lives bear no meaning to others, do not inspire others and do not
drive others to follow our lead, then our next generation will cease to
continue. We will then have come to the end of the road because somewhere along
the way, we fumbled and failed to pass on God’s promises. In other words, we’ve lost the plot.
Our church is slowly drawing
to a close. We are all runners now coming to the home stretch and we’re
poised to pass the baton of promises along. As we continue down the straight,
we see the next runners poised to receive from us. Now isn’t the time to mess
up because our next generation of runners are all counting on us to keep the
light burning brightly and purposefully for them.
From Abraham to Isaac
and then to Jacob and to Joseph and across all the generations of history, the
baton was successfully passed. It came all the way from Machpelah 4,000 years
ago and that baton is now at our church in 2016. Let us have a great legacy.
Let us pass God’s truths and promises on to others beyond our church.
Let us be a great blessing to everybody else.
Let us be a great blessing to everybody else.
Footnotes
* Tradition does suggest that the Penitent Thief was on Jesus’
right side while the other was to his left and for this reason, suggestions are
made that depictions of the crucifixion of Jesus hence show His head inclined
to his right in an act of acceptance of the Penitent Thief.
** The following two web links offer very useful and
interesting details concerning the phrase ‘gathered to his people’: (1) https://pastorrobbm.wordpress.com/2013/08/14/what-does-gathered-unto-his-people-mean-in-genesis-258/
and (2) http://hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/questions/17027/what-is-the-meaning-of-the-gathered-to-his-people-idiom
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