Abraham and Isaac

Genesis 22:2 - Then He said, "Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you."

There's a short and intense story in the Book of Genesis. It's about Abraham and his son Isaac. God has promised Abraham much...a covenant between He and Abraham, to make him the father of many nations, to bless him and his family (including all descendants) and Abraham had so much faith it was counted to him as righteousness.

God tested Abraham several times. Abraham didn't always past the test but he still held favor with God. He will do that with us too.

The biggest test was when God wanted Abraham to sacrifice his son. Let's look at the similarity between what God asked Abraham to do and what God did and what He asked Jesus to do. Sacrifice is big in God's eyes. It's not about us but about Him. It's sacrificing our ways for His. It's pressing on in faith and letting go of the past, which can be a sacrifice if we want to cling to what we are holding on to. 

Back to Abraham and Isaac. God had promised Abraham that through his son Isaac he would become the father of many nations. So why is it he is asked to sacrifice him? Had he done something wrong? Had God reneged on His promise? He was told to take Isaac into the mountains. He, Isaac and a couple servants, took wood for the sacrifice and proceeded on their trek. Isaac had no clue. Here's where it gets eerily familiar. On the third day they saw the spot God had pointed out. Abraham told his servants to wait while they went up the mountain to build an altar and worship. He told them, "We will come back to you." This takes a lot of faith to believe...we will come back.

Abraham put the wood on Isaac's back and they walked to the place where they were to make their sacrifice. Normally a lamb would be used for the offering. There was none to be seen and Isaac questioned his father about it. Abraham told him God would provide. By faith he was making this statement. Maybe he knew the words "nothing is impossible with God." What happens when God asks us to do something so seemingly impossible? Do we  have that kind of faith?

When they had reached their spot, Abraham built the altar. He bound his son and put him upon the wood. He took out a knife and raised it to make the offering of his only son for God. Before I finish, note that Isaac did not say a word, did not cry out, did not object. What could have been going through his mind? What could he have been thinking about what his father was doing? He never said a word. He might also have realized the statement "nothing is impossible with God," and that there was a very good reason for all this even if he didn't know what that could be and if it meant his death, so be it. 

Does any of this sound familiar? What about Jesus? Didn't God sacrifice His only Son? Didn't Jesus silently carry the wooden cross up to the place of His crucifixion and placed upon that cross? Did Jesus trust His Father, not knowing what would transpire after His death, that it might be for a very good reason? You know, it was for a very good reason...it was for you and for me, that we might be reconciled to the Father through His Son, Jesus, and that we would put our trust and faith in Him. Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. 

As Abraham's hand was lifted, the Angel of the Lord called out to him: "Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me." (Genesis 22:12) With that a ram appeared, caught in a bush, which was then used to present the necessary sacrifice.

I'm seeing similarities I've not noticed before. They are meanings to some numbers. I see "third day" and think of the three years Jesus ministered before His death. And on the third day He arose from the dead. It was a three days' journey to the place of sacrifice and also the third day when the sacrifice of Abraham's son was aborted...and Jesus (as we are) was born, died and resurrected to a new life. The number three can also be seen in numerous other instances, like the Trinity or Peter denying Jesus three times. 

We are asked to sacrifice ourselves when we follow the Lord. We are to die daily that we might do the will of God. We are asked to take up our cross daily. We are told that if we lose our life (sacrifice) we will be saved. 

Abraham and Isaac, God and Jesus...they all were willing to sacrifice. But the greatest sacrifice was the true Sacrifice. He carried His cross and was placed upon it for all of us. It makes sense that we would want to sacrifice for the love of our God, who provided a Way for us to live. That's where God desires followers to be in their walk. Have I achieved this? I know I'm not there. We don't ever achieve perfection. Perfection is when we see Jesus face to face in heaven because we have run the race and never lost our faith in the Son. 

Nothing in this world is nearly as important as Jesus. No job, no spouse, no hobby, no home. If Jesus is in our hearts and He plays an important role in our lives, that's what's important. That's the first step toward sacrifice. Climbing to the altar to offer up your self, your life, in the name of Jesus.

2Corinthians 5:15 - and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again. ‭

Longing and Belonging

Corinthians 3:23 - And you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s. 

Our God not only desires we belong to Him but He longs that we belong. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. (‭2Peter‬ ‭3‬:‭9‬)

Just as Christ is God's Son, when we receive Jesus we become adopted heirs in the inheritance, children of God. We are Christ's and because He is God's, so are we. It comes through Christ alone. His Son loved Him so much He gave His life for the forgiveness of our sins. When we come to repentance and receive Christ, we are forgiven. 

The story of Abraham has intrigued me for years since I realized the importance of his two sons. God covenanted with Abraham that his descendants would be too numerous to count, greater than the number of stars he could see. One problem, Sarah was beyond child bearing years. But God promised...!

They took the situation into their own hands, however, figuring they had missed something somewhere. They went ahead of God's timing and devised their own plan, that Sarah's handmaid would bear Abraham a son. But this son, Ishmael, was not to be the rightful heir in this proposed and covenanted line of descendants. Years later, after Sarah was over 100 years old, she conceived and bore Abraham another son, Isaac.

Isaac would be the rightful heir and in the line of the descendant of Christ, who would play such an important role in later history. Not Ishmael, although he was the descendant of another great nation. Sarah's hand maid was not of their heritage; she was Egyptian, a foreigner. There began a contention between the two brothers, perhaps more from Ishmael than Isaac. The descendants of Ishmael have held this contention toward Isaac's descendants ever since...as we see in the news today between Islam and the Jews and Christians, nearly everyone. A description of Ishmael: He shall be a wild man; his hand shall be against every man, and every man’s hand against him...(‭Genesis‬ ‭16‬:‭12‬).

But we, Jew or Gentile, any race or color, who have received Jesus, who call themselves Christ followers, are part of that very covenant and promise of God to Abraham. We are grafted into the lineage through our faith in Jesus Christ. We receive Him, we are co-heirs. What a privilege. It still brings some contention with those who do not agree with our beliefs, but we can know and trust in God's covenant. And when we are Christ's, we are God's. That's good news. 

Galatians 3:27-29 - For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.