God Maintains History - Genesis 20-23

Genesis 23:17-20 (ESV)

So the field of Ephron in Machpelah, which was to the east of Mamre, the field with the cave that was in it and all the trees that were in the field, throughout its whole area, was made over to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the Hittites, before all who went in at the gate of his city. After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah east of Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. The field and the cave that is in it were made over to Abraham as property for a burying place by the Hittites.

In the above verses we have the final consummation of the purchase of a field by Abraham from the Hittites.   To bury Sarah, his deceased wife, Abraham purchased this cave for an agreed upon price with the owner of the cave.   This was all sealed in front of the leaders of the land, at the city gate:

Genesis 23:16 (ESV)

Abraham listened to Ephron, and Abraham weighed out for Ephron the silver that he had named in the hearing of the Hittites, four hundred shekels of silver, according to the weights current among the merchants.

This became a binding contract and the cave now was owned by Abraham.   In this cave Sarah would be buried.  But through the years, not just Sarah, but others.   Note:

Genesis 25:9-10 (ESV)

Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, east of Mamre, the field that Abraham purchased from the Hittites. There Abraham was buried, with Sarah his wife.

Genesis 35:27 (ESV)

And Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre, or Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had sojourned.

Genesis 49:29-30 (ESV)

Then he commanded them and said to them, “I am to be gathered to my people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, in the cave that is in the field at Machpelah, to the east of Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite to possess as a burying place.

Today Jews, Muslims and Christians all wish to visit this cave.    This has become a significant historical location for the credibility of the Bible and the story of Abraham and his descendants.   All recorded here, in Genesis.  God watches over the scared places His deems important to His story of the ages.