Keturah Is She A Type Of New Covenant

Reasoniong The Scriptures KeturahKeturah- Is She a Type of the New Covenant ??? By M.S.Mariadas and Y.R.Dinakaran Bible Students, M.B.S.A

Keturah is mentioned twice in the Scriptures. Once in Genesis

the 25th chapter and

secondly in 1 Chronicles 1:32. Genesis 25:125:1-6 1 Abraham took took {Or had taken} another wife, whose name was Keturah. 2 She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah. 3 Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan; the descendants of Dedan were the Asshurites, the Letushites and the Leummites. 4 The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida and Eldaah. All these were descendants of Keturah. 5 Abraham left everything he owned to Isaac. 6 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. (NIV) 1 Chronicles 1:281:28-34 28 The sons of Abraham: Isaac and Ishmael. 29 These were their descendants: descendants Nebaioth the firstborn of Ishmael, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 30 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, 31 Jetur, Naphish and Kedemah. These were the sons of Ishmael. 32 The sons born to Keturah, Keturah Abraham's concubine: Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah. The sons of Jokshan: Sheba and Dedan. (NIV) 33 The sons of Midian: Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida and Eldaah. All these were descendants of Keturah. 34 Abraham was the father of Isaac. The sons of Isaac: Esau and Israel. (NIV)

Question no. 1: Does the fact that Keturah is first mentioned some two chapters after Sarah's death is stated give us sufficient grounds and proof to say that Keturah came into Abraham's life after Sarah's death?

Answer:

No. To do so would be an assumption. In Gen. 25:1 "Abraham took another wife" (NIV) can also be translated according to the marginal reference as "Abraham had taken another wife....". Young's Literal Translation says, "And Abraham addeth and taketh a wife.." Genesis 25:1 in the KJV says, " Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah." The word "Then" of the KJV, if it were used alone would infer that what follows in the 25th Chapter comes after the narrative of the 24th Chapter, but that is not the case in this context. "Then" is directly associated with its adjacent word "again". "Then again" is used as one thought and is not meant to connect what preceded it. KeturahKeturah- Is She a Type of the New Covenant ???

Reasoning The Scriptures The death of Sarah at the age of 127 is stated in Gen. 23:1 while Keturah is not mentioned until the 25th Chapter of Genesis. To insist that the 25th Chapter would of necessity have to follow the 23th and the 24th in sequence of time would present some problems with other incidents in the accounts of Abraham's life. For instance, in Chapter 25, verses 7 & 8 we read that Abraham died. Later in Chapter 25, verse 26 Esau and Jacob are born. The account has the death of Abraham coming before the birth of Esau and Jacob. If we were to use the same logic that because the 25th chapter follows the 24th it must therefore occur at a later time period then the 24th, 24th then we must for consistency sake also conclude that Abraham was dead when Esau and Jacob were born since his death is recorded before the birth of Esau and Jacob. To make this assumption would be to make an error, error because Abraham lived yet another 15 years after the birth of Esau and Jacob. This can be confirmed by using the ages specified in the following three scriptures: Genesis 21:5 "Abraham Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. " (NIV) Genesis 25:725:7-8 "Altogether, Abraham lived a hundred and seventyseventyfive five years. 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) Genesis 25:26 "After this, his brother came out, with his hand grasping Esau's heel; so he was named Jacob. {Jacob means he grasps the heel (figuratively, he deceives).} Isaac was sixty years old when Rebekah gave birth to them." (NIV) Calculations: 100 Abraham's age when Isaac was born. Gen. 21:5 + 60 Isaac's age when Esau and Jacob were born. Gen. 25:26 ------160 Abraham's age when Esau and Jacob were born. 175 Abraham's age when he died. Gen. 25:7 - 160 Abraham's age when Esau and Jacob were born. ------15 Number of years that Abraham lived after the birth of Esau and Jacob.

Conclusion: Since it would have been a bad assumption, assumption, as shown above, to insist that Abraham died before the birth of Esau and Jacob because the account tells us of Abraham's death first, it would likewise not make it a safe assumption to conclude that Keturah came into Abraham's life after Sarah's death just because Sarah's death is mentioned first. Since the book of Genesis is not a "chronicle" 2

Reasoning The Scriptures history but a history of the events and lives of certain individuals, a particular feature or story is sometimes brought to its completion without regard to the chronology of other concurrent events.

Question no. 2: Is there any significance in the sequence of the listings of Abraham's descendants in 1 Chronicles 1:281:28-34? Answer:

Let us note that the Chronicles is a historical record from Adam to Abraham. This being so, then the sequence of recorded information is of prime importance. Since Chronicles is a historical record, let us note the sequence in which the descendants of Abraham's wife and concubines are listed: Hagar's descendants was listed first in verses 2929-31. Keturah's descendants were listed second in verses 32 and 33. Sarah's descendants were listed last in Verse 34.

It should be noted in 1 Chronicles, Chapter 1, that verse 28 says that the sons of Abraham were Isaac and Ishmael. Keturah's sons are not even mentioned. This is a very interesting point and may have some significance that is unknown to the writer of this paper at this time. Conclusion: Since the sequence of chronological sequence is important in Chronicles and since we know that Ishmael was born first, the fact that Keturah's sons are listed second could very well infer that Abraham had taken Keturah, another concubine (Gen. 25:6 & 1 Chron. 1:32), who bore him six sons prior to the birth of Isaac. Some commentators have concluded that Keturah was another concubine of Abraham, having replaced Hagar, and who lived with them while Sarah was still alive.

Question no. 3: Would not the births of Keturah's sons likewise have had to been miraculous if they were born after Sarah died and Isaac was married since Isaac was born miraculously in Abraham and Sarah's old age and since Abraham would be at least 140 years of age when Keturah's firstborn came came upon the scene? Answer: Abraham and Sarah were already aged at the time they were told by the angel that they would have a son and even doubted their ability to have children at that time. Genesis 18:11 "Abraha Abraham Abraham and Sarah were already old and well advanced in years, years and Sarah was past the age of childbearing." (NIV) Genesis 17:17 "Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, "Will "Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? old Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?" ninety (NIV)

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Reasoning The Scriptures Genesis 21:5 "Abraham Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to t him." (NIV) Genesis 23:1 "Sarah lived to be a hundred and twentytwenty-seven years old." old (NIV) Since Abraham was ten years older than Sarah, he would have been 137 years old when she died. Genesis 25:20 "Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram..." (NIV) 90 Age of Sarah when Isaac was born. (Gen. 17:17) +4 0 Age of Isaac when he married Rebekah. (Gen. 25:20) ------130 Age of Sarah if she had been alive when Isaac married Rebekah. - 127 Age of Sarah when she died. (Gen. 23:1) -----3 Number of years Sarah was dead when Isaac married Rebekah. + 137 Age of Abraham when Sarah died. (Abraham was 10 yrs. older than Sarah(Gen.17:17) ------140 Age of Abraham when Isaac married Rebekah.

Conclusion: Isaac's birth was miraculous because he was born after their child bearing age. If Keturah became Abraham's wife after Sarah died and after Isaac was married, Abraham would have been at least 40 years older when Isaac was born.. Even at 100 years of age he questioned his ability to produce children. Since so much was written about the miraculous birth of Isaac, would not it seem reasonable that the Scriptures would also at least make some mention that the birth of Keturah's sons were also miraculous?

Question no. 4: Are we on safe ground to use a type to prove a New testament doctrine when the type is not mentioned even once in the New Testament?

Answer:

If Keturah was to be a type that pictured the New Covenant, it would definitely have been mentioned or at least inferred somewhere in the writings of the New Testament. Conclusion: Since there is no mention or even any inference by any of the writers of the New Testament Scriptures, it is mere speculation and an assumption that is totally void of any "thus saith the Lord" to teach that Keturah is a type of the New Covenant.

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