UNIMAGINABLE
Kimberly Lawrence
Today's Scripture: “When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. " Genesis 22:9, ESV
Theme: The scene of Isaac on the alter is a foreshadowing of the very real sacrifice of Jesus.
UNSETTLING
Blood sacrifice isn’t a concept with which we can easily relate today. For me, it conjures up thoughts of unhealthy rituals, witchcraft and misguided cults. Throughout the Old Testament, however, sacrifice was used to recognize God’s sovereignty, demonstrate thanksgiving, and atone for sin. Humans, separated from God by sin, used sacrifice to access, worship, and interact with our perfect God. God later, when He gave the Law to Moses on Mount Sinai, gave specific laws about how and what to sacrifice. Child/human sacrifice was then expressly forbidden by Him.
As I consider the story of Isaac, my defensive, parental nature immediately jumps to questions such as: “How could God ask that of him?” and, ”How could Abraham even contemplate doing that?”
Remember that this story started with Abraham and Sarah, who were unable to bear children for many years and were well into their old age. I suspect, like many couples, that they grew frustrated as the years passed and they were unable to conceive. Despite God’s promise to give them many descendants and create a nation through their lineage, they doubted. Yet our perfect God always provides, and He did fulfill His promise to the couple. Abraham and Sarah celebrated the birth of their son, Isaac, whom they loved dearly.
IMAGINE THE PAIN AND FAITH
While we don’t know Isaac’s age when God asked Abraham to take him to Mt. Moriah, we see from scripture that he was conversational and thoughtful, asking about the absence of the sheep for the burnt offering. Try for a moment to empathize with the details of this father’s journey. Like any parent, he loved and protected his son whom he waited for long into his old age. Not only was he facing the loss of Isaac, but it would be by his own hand.
What depth of faith must Abraham have had to build an altar, bind his precious son, arrange the wood, and draw his knife? How could he have been prepared to accomplish what God asked of him? It could have only been by unwavering faith. Abraham told Isaac, and believed with what I imagine was an aching heart, that God would provide. We know the end of the story. An angel stops Abraham, supplying a ram caught in the thicket for the sacrifice and, for his obedience, God promises Abraham abundant blessings.
THE ONLY WAY
Sin irreparably separated us from God. Yet in His perfect measure, He not only had a plan for Abraham and Isaac, but He always had a plan for us. It wasn’t without pain or loss because this reconciliation would be a sacrifice so great that only God could fulfill it. Just as He created a substitute for Isaac, God also prepared a substitute for you and for me. And, with the heartbreak of a Father, He sent His one and only Son to the cross to be the perfect living sacrifice, once and for all eternity.
Make It personal: God knows the plan, down to the minute details. Why, then, if we trust Him, do we feel so entitled to know the conclusion before we obey? Maybe the details aren’t meant for us because the development of trust is in the unknown. Though we may not fully understand, He asks us to have a willing heart. But it's hard to have faith during hardship, isn’t it? It would be much more comfortable to know the end of the story. Yet our faith is evidenced and strengthened in NOT knowing. We must find faith in conviction, not in convenience. He is the beginning and the end, and what He calls us to do or endure is not without perfect purpose. He will use our obedience for good.
Pray: God, thank You for Your sacrifice for me. As a parent, I find the anguish and hurt You endured hard to even imagine. I sometimes feel so inferior when I doubt You. Help me, please, to remember Your promise to love, protect, and provide for me as part of Your plan, not mine. You so loved me that You gave up your one and only Son. I love You and pray You will help me overcome my hesitancy. I want to be obedient in every way You’ve asked of me. Amen
Read: Genesis 22:1-18; James 2:21-24; Hebrews 10:10-14, John 3:16-17
Weekly Memory Verse: “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 1:6-7, ESV