Reading in Genesis for the Bible in a Year Chronologically Plan with Deliberate Women is eye-opening. I've {Mandy} read these passages many times, but the Lord never fails to reveal something new and profound to me each time. For example, reading about Abraham and his son Isaac is heart-wrenching and convicting all at once. If you're not familiar with the story, read Genesis 22:1-19. I am a very feeling, emotional person and that includes when I read. Especially when I read scripture, the words leap off the page and it's as if I can sense the emotions of those in the selection. The section about Abraham and his son Isaac brings me to tears. Abraham longed for children. In fact, he was 100 when Isaac was born! His wife Sarah was barren and they had resigned themselves to being a childless couple. Then, the Lord promised Abraham to make his descendants as many as the sand of the ocean and the stars in the sky. Imagine his joy when Sarah does indeed give birth to Isaac! Now, imagine his horror when the Lord asks of him the very thing Abraham treasured and longed for. To our sensibilities, God's request is unthinkable. In fact, even to those in Abraham's day, it was unthinkable. Even though God's warnings against child sacrifice had not yet been written (Lev 20:1-5; 2 Kings 23:10; Jer 32:35) God had molded Abraham's sense of values and this request would clearly have been inconsistent with those values. Add in the heart strings attached and the length of time Abraham believed in and waited for this promised son and we can begin to get a clear picture of how devastating and unfathomable this sacrifice was. I find myself holding my breath as I read verses 7-8: Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, 'Father?' Oh, how I wish the Bible included more of the emotion involved in these settings at times! Did Abraham have to clear his throat and hold back tears as he answered his sweet son? Did his chin quiver or his voice shake as he looked upon his promised son with sorrow? Did he even consider for a moment turning back? Chapter 22 goes on to describe how Abraham binds Isaac and places him on the altar. There is no mention made of whether or not Isaac struggled or whether he panicked (I read an interesting piece at She Reads Truth saying that, like Jesus, the perfect sacrifice presented by God, Isaac didn't struggle). Perhaps he didn't because he trusted his father and knew Abraham was a Godly man of the Lord. Perhaps he didn't because he recognized Abraham trusted his Father, the Lord. What we are told from scripture is that Abraham was ready to follow through with what was arguably the hardest act of obedience he'd ever be asked to fulfill. His actions were such that the angel of the Lord called out to him from Heaven with exclamation: But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, 'Abraham! Abraham!' What amazing faith. And, I got to thinking...maybe God doesn't have the emotion included in scripture for many accounts because emotion isn't what He wants us focusing on in acts of obedience. Emotion is not a reliable factor when determining a course of action. Jeremiah 17:9 says, "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" Obedience, by definition, is: compliance with an order, request, or law or submission to another's authority. Submission requires yielding our will to another. I don't know that I could do it. I hope and pray for faith like that, but in so doing, I must realize that praying for something typically requires that I'm put in a position to flex and strengthen that particular muscle. Praying for patience doesn't mean God zaps us with patience. No, instead, we are placed in situations and seasons that grow and cultivate our patience. Likewise, praying for faith will undoubtedly put us in situations where we must act and live in faith. God tested Abraham's faith by asking of him the very thing God had promised him. God doesn't always make sense to us. Actually, He usually doesn't (Isaiah 55:8). We must learn to trust Him, even in those situations in life that don't make sense to our limited, human understanding. A section of commentary in my Quest Study Bible wrapped up this section nicely: Our God does not require human sacrifice, but heart sacrifice. God desires in us an obedient heart willing to do what he asks. Are you willing to do what He asks, even when it's hard and doesn't make sense?
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Bible in a YearJoin us as we read through scripture in the order in which it happened. Meet God here and get to know Him in a way you never have before. Archives
December 2016
Categories |