NUMBER
7
'Then
God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to
the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the
mountains I will tell you about"' Genesis 22:2.
Abraham and his family lived in a world and amongst a people, (the Canaanites), where the sacrifice of children was common place. It was the norm when it came to appeasing or honouring their gods. In such a world, Abraham must have been relieved that God had given him the promise, that through Isaac he would have innumerable descendants. Thank goodness, unlike the gods around me my God will never require that of me,' he may well have thought.
But then God spoke to Abraham and punctured that sense of security. With what confusion he must have climbed that hill. 'How could God fulfil his promise if my son dies?' There was only one conclusion Abraham could come to. As ridiculous as it was, if God was going to be true to his promise AND required what Abraham was about to do, then God must be capable of resurrecting the dead, (Hebrews 11:19).
What joy must have filled his heart when God stopped him as he was about to lunge the knife into the boy. Yet the walk back down the mountain may not have been as easy as we like to think. How would those who observed him returning with his son judge him? There were those who saw him return that day who will have sacrificed their child. What became clear following this, was that Abraham's God did not desire child sacrifice, (Lev 18:21), however,
1. He does require that we love him with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, and put him ahead of all others, even our dearest and best.
2. He expressed that same love towards us in his giving of Jesus, his only Son whom he loved, to die to save us.
3. Sometimes what God requires doesn't seem to make sense but God would have us believe and hope, like Abraham did, even when there is no reason for hoping.(Romans 4:18).
4. The walk we walk will open us up to the world's criticism, judgement and even ridicule. It will not comply with the culture we find ourselves in, but nevertheless, may we 'Trust the Lord with all out hearts and not lean on our own understanding,' Proverbs 3:6, and then discover, like Abraham did, the wonder of what God then does!
Abraham and his family lived in a world and amongst a people, (the Canaanites), where the sacrifice of children was common place. It was the norm when it came to appeasing or honouring their gods. In such a world, Abraham must have been relieved that God had given him the promise, that through Isaac he would have innumerable descendants. Thank goodness, unlike the gods around me my God will never require that of me,' he may well have thought.
But then God spoke to Abraham and punctured that sense of security. With what confusion he must have climbed that hill. 'How could God fulfil his promise if my son dies?' There was only one conclusion Abraham could come to. As ridiculous as it was, if God was going to be true to his promise AND required what Abraham was about to do, then God must be capable of resurrecting the dead, (Hebrews 11:19).
What joy must have filled his heart when God stopped him as he was about to lunge the knife into the boy. Yet the walk back down the mountain may not have been as easy as we like to think. How would those who observed him returning with his son judge him? There were those who saw him return that day who will have sacrificed their child. What became clear following this, was that Abraham's God did not desire child sacrifice, (Lev 18:21), however,
1. He does require that we love him with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, and put him ahead of all others, even our dearest and best.
2. He expressed that same love towards us in his giving of Jesus, his only Son whom he loved, to die to save us.
3. Sometimes what God requires doesn't seem to make sense but God would have us believe and hope, like Abraham did, even when there is no reason for hoping.(Romans 4:18).
4. The walk we walk will open us up to the world's criticism, judgement and even ridicule. It will not comply with the culture we find ourselves in, but nevertheless, may we 'Trust the Lord with all out hearts and not lean on our own understanding,' Proverbs 3:6, and then discover, like Abraham did, the wonder of what God then does!
Howard Webber
Bournemouth UK
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