Widowhood is not a pleasant experience. The feeling of loneliness and sometimes lack makes widows very vulnerable. After Sarah died, Abraham must have been quite lonely. Hagar had already been driven away and Sarah had been the lifetime companion of Abraham. Age wise, you will not expect a man of the age of Abraham to remarry after the death of His wife. However, I believe that the strength of the people in the days of Abraham and Sarah is quite different from our day. They lived longer and were very active even after 100 years. “Sarah lived to be a hundred and twenty-seven years old. She died at Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep over her” (Genesis 23:1-2). After the death of Sarah, Abraham found a wife for his son Isaac and the new wife comforted Isaac of the lost his mum. We don’t how Abraham dealt with the loss of Sarah but we are told that Abraham took another wife. Abraham had taken another wife, whose name was Keturah. (Genesis 25:1) We don’t know much about Abraham’s third wife. I am sure she would have been a young beautiful maiden who married a man who was as old as her great grandfather. Remember, Abraham was 100 years when Isaac was born and possibly almost 140 years when Sarah died. Thus, the new wife would have been 6 times or more younger than Abraham. Their culture permitted that. This is how the scripture reports it: “Abraham had taken another wife, whose name was Keturah. She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah. Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan; the descendants of Dedan were the Ashurites, the Letushites and the Leummites. The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanok, Abida and Eldaah. All these were descendants of Keturah. (Genesis 25:1-4). Keturah gave birth to 6 children and Abraham might have been quite an old man. Since God’s promise to bless Abraham was made through Isaac, the children of Keturah did not receive any special blessings from God. Ishmael had received a prophetic word for his future but Keturah’s children did not receive any prophetic word from God. “Abraham left everything he owned to Isaac. But while he was still living, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them away from his son Isaac to the land of the east” (Genesis 25:5-6). The Bible refers to Keturah and possibly Hagar as concubines and their children received gifts. Meanwhile, Isaac received all the inheritance. Abraham was very rich and Isaac must have inherited a fortune. What happened to Keturah when Abraham died? What happened to the children of Keturah? We know the descendants of Ishmael but did the children of Keturah become as great as Ishmael? Not many people would take notice of Keturah. She might be so insignificant in the history of Israel and the birth of Jesus, but she comforted Abraham at the time when he really needed someone. Keturah might not be listed as a great woman but she supplied comfort, love and warmth to Abraham. Sometimes, like Keturah, we are involved in the backstage events of the lives of prominent people. We might not feel the need to be celebrated because of the insignificant roles, but every act of kindness and service rendered will be rewarded. There are a lot of Keturahs who are behind the scenes and putting smiles on the faces of people. Don’t give up on the little things that bring joy to others. Your smile is priceless, your laughter is contagious and your service is keeping hope alive.
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