THE UNTHINKABLE SACRIFICE
The time came when God put Abraham to the test. "Abraham," he called, and Abraham replied, "Here I am." God said, "Take your son Isaac, your only son, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. There you shall offer him as a sacrifice on one of the hills which I will show you." Gen. 22:1, 2, N.E.B.
What Christian has not been thrilled by the story of Abraham? He loved God as we long to love Him; trusted Him in the face of unfathomable personal agony. With each new insight, we gain an increasingly vivid picture of a marvelous patriarch. But this incredible story is not primarily about Abraham!
The express purpose of Scripture is to reveal to us the character of the Father. What does the story of Abraham's journey up Mount Moriah teach us? Is it possible that we have allowed our preconception about God to color the message presented in this most moving sage? Have we seen Him as sovereign of the universe, playing "faith games" with hapless mankind? We empathize with Abraham; but candidly, do we find God's motivation less than delightful?
How do you feel about God asking Abraham to perform child-sacrifice--especially when He had made it very plain what He thought about the surrounding heathen nations who commonly practiced such abominations? How could God ask such a thing, even for the sake of testing Abraham's faith? Is there any other way to understand this story without portraying God as in conflict with Himself?
God wants to touch the central nerve of our fear of Him in order to bring relief and healing. Paint it any way you like, obedience is often the product of fear. "Faith" can end up as window dressing for a very unhealthy God-view. Could It be that God decided to give full body to our fears--in the person of Abraham? What if it were your child? Do you feel your stomach wrench as you hear this very request being made to an old man of the desert? Surely his agony was the epitome of the dread of God that the whole human race has borne since Eden.
This story reveals that God is not like that! God used that dramatic setting to give Abraham a precious lesson about Himself. Abraham did not lose his son on Mount Moriah. But in the symbol of the ram caught in the thicket, God freely gave His!
The time came when God put Abraham to the test. "Abraham," he called, and Abraham replied, "Here I am." God said, "Take your son Isaac, your only son, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. There you shall offer him as a sacrifice on one of the hills which I will show you." Gen. 22:1, 2, N.E.B.
What Christian has not been thrilled by the story of Abraham? He loved God as we long to love Him; trusted Him in the face of unfathomable personal agony. With each new insight, we gain an increasingly vivid picture of a marvelous patriarch. But this incredible story is not primarily about Abraham!
The express purpose of Scripture is to reveal to us the character of the Father. What does the story of Abraham's journey up Mount Moriah teach us? Is it possible that we have allowed our preconception about God to color the message presented in this most moving sage? Have we seen Him as sovereign of the universe, playing "faith games" with hapless mankind? We empathize with Abraham; but candidly, do we find God's motivation less than delightful?
How do you feel about God asking Abraham to perform child-sacrifice--especially when He had made it very plain what He thought about the surrounding heathen nations who commonly practiced such abominations? How could God ask such a thing, even for the sake of testing Abraham's faith? Is there any other way to understand this story without portraying God as in conflict with Himself?
God wants to touch the central nerve of our fear of Him in order to bring relief and healing. Paint it any way you like, obedience is often the product of fear. "Faith" can end up as window dressing for a very unhealthy God-view. Could It be that God decided to give full body to our fears--in the person of Abraham? What if it were your child? Do you feel your stomach wrench as you hear this very request being made to an old man of the desert? Surely his agony was the epitome of the dread of God that the whole human race has borne since Eden.
This story reveals that God is not like that! God used that dramatic setting to give Abraham a precious lesson about Himself. Abraham did not lose his son on Mount Moriah. But in the symbol of the ram caught in the thicket, God freely gave His!
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