Years and years of waiting for the son God had promised. Years and years and years of prayers and kneeling and frustrations and questions and learning and just trying to make sense of something. Abraham waited for his promised son. And when Isaac arrived, there was finally completion and joy and a boy that was a true gift of the Lord.
And then. The ultimate test.
Abraham. Take your beloved son. The one that I promised you and you waited for and you dreamed about and you’re proud of and you love so deeply. Yes. Take him. And slay him. Offer him as a burnt sacrifice to me.
Gulp.
The scripture reads as though Abraham was calm, cool, and collected. But I think any father in his right mind may be racing through questions and emotions and perhaps a few expletives in this situation. But faithfully, just as he had waited for his son, he led him up the mountain – dead set that God was going to provide the sacrifice. It wasn’t adding up – surely God wouldn’t have him sacrifice this son. This promised son. Right God?
Hey Dad? We don’t have a sacrifice.
Our God will provide one, son. He is our Provider.
9 When they finally arrived at the place God had shown him, Abraham took some stones and built an altar there and arranged the wood carefully on top of it. Then he bound up his son Isaac with rope and laid him on the altar on top of the stack of wood. 10 Just as Abraham reached over to grab the knife that would kill his son, 11 the special messenger of the Eternal One called his name from heaven[…]12 Don’t lay your hand on the boy or do anything to harm him. I know now that you respect the one True God and will be loyal to Him and follow His commands, because you were willing to give up your son, your only son, to Me. (Gen 22:9-12)
YES! Yesyesyesyes. God tested Abraham again. And God provided again. And once again God promises Abraham descendants that outnumber the stars. And they will be blessed.
Do we trust God enough to bring us through the toughest of situations, to teach us in the impossibles, and love us through the most difficult of decisions? Do we believe in His goodness to give up everything? Do we know his character and his words and allow them to guide us and set our minds straight?
.JPG)
I'm struck by the line in verse 16 where God says to Abraham 'because you have done this and have not witheld your son, your only son..' WHAT was going through God's mind when he said this knowing full well that HE would see this through and offer up HIS one and only son? No ram provided. No angel intervention. God's son sacrificed. For us.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree!! The imagery and foreshadowing in this story are always so humbling to me.
Delete