Genesis 22:8 Abraham
answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt
offering, my son." And the two of them went on together.
Is
it truly an act of unconditional faith or a monstrous lie?
When
the wee lad Isaac asked Abraham about the missing sacrifice, his father’s reply
has always bothered me. Did Abraham avoid telling the truth about the situation
because it would terrify Isaac, or did he actually believe that God would
provide a last minute alternative to His original demand? It’s puzzling to me
because there’s no easy answer to that question. If Abraham was doing the
first, then he was fully prepared to make a monstrous sacrifice which involved
a religious lie; if it was the second, then he only conditionally accepted God’s
command outwardly because he inwardly believed that God would not let him go
through with it – in other words, Abraham was being double-minded and not truly
faithful.
It’s
a great story because it has a ‘happy ending,’ but what if Isaac had been
slain? Would we still be celebrating Abraham as the Father of three great
faiths today? It makes me wonder if faith is meant to be taken to the brink of
an abyss in order to strengthen our dependability on God. When Abraham eventually
saw the wild ram in the thorns, he must have felt total relief. Did he break
down and cry? Did he ask Isaac for forgiveness? Did he feel closer to God
because heartbreak had been avoided?
When
I look back over my life, I realize that there have been several critical life-or-death
moments that I have safely passed through only because God provided the means
of grace to endure, overcome, and carry on. In some of those moments, my faith
was stretched to its limit; at other times, I was relatively unaware of God’s
provision for mercy and healing.
I
guess I won’t be able to find the true answers to my questions about God,
Abraham, and Isaac on this side of Life. In the end, God provided a miracle
which changed the course of history and kept His plan of salvation through the
sacrifice of His Only Son Jesus intact. When all is said and done, God’s Will
prevails even through the most perplexing and mysterious of events.
Questions for personal reflection
When has my
faith been sorely tested? What did such an event do to my relationship with
God?
Prayer: Lord God, sometimes Your
ways disturb us and Your demands lay heavy obligations upon us. We feel
burdened by Your words and unsettled by Your works. Help us to remain with Your
keeping and prevent us from failing You faithfully. In Christ’s Name, we pray.
Amen.
John
Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If
you would like to comment on today’s message, please send me an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.
1 comment:
A thoughtful posting...I've always noted that when Moses parted the Red Sea the people had to stand still and wait for it even as their pursuers were gaining on them; and when Joshua crossed the Jordan the waters didn't part until the feet of the priests touched the water's edge. Nothing like waiting till the last minute...one of my friends pointed out that he thought that Abraham's most faithful act came not when he picked up the knife, but when he laid it down...extraordinary stories all...
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