The Heart of God Genesis 22
Abrahams Faith is Refined
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The friend of God. What a great name. I would love to be remembered that way!
There are few who have this distinction in the Bible; Moses and Enoch jump to the front of the list for sure, and then there is Abraham. This man left his home, his land, and a life of status in Ur and chooses to live a nomadic life for over 20 years. Why, because God told him to. God made a covenant promise to Abraham and called him friend.
All the time he travels to a land that God has promised him Abraham waits for one amazing miracle. A miracle that God promised. A lot happens between the promise and it's fulfillment.
When baby Isaac is born and the first part of God's promise breaths and cries, Abraham's strong faith takes flight.
Now Abraham is must make a choice. The long awaited blessing has been requested of God. He must sacrifice his miracle son to God.
He has already said goodbye to one son, sending him off to the desert with his mother. Now must he lose Isaac too?
Abraham's belief in God is so strong that he states emphatically; My God will raise Isaac from the dead if that was what He needed to do to keep His promise (Hebrews 11:17-19). Abraham held nothing back from God, he put all his weight into this relationship.
In what areas of my own life am I not willing to sacrifice? I claim to love God, I say that I have put my faith in Him. Am I living what I claim to believe? What habits, relationships, possessions, or behaviors has He asked me to let go? Have I shown the faith of Abraham? This is where I need to start. I must sit and listen to what He is asking me to do and obey without question.
Passages for your Consideration:
Genesis 22:12
12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”
James 1:2-8 says
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.
Hebrews 11:17-19
17 By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18 even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”[a] 19 Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.
Matthew 26:39-42
39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. 41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
42 He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”
Romans 8:31-39
More Than Conquerors
31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:
“For your sake we face death all day long;
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[b] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:31-39
DIG DEEPER
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This is probably the toughest place that we have reached so far for me. I reflected on this passage since I received it.. who has been and will be my isaac? More then that what choice would I make? I concluded at this. God loved us enough to give us choice, and is knocking at our hearts watching how long before we fully let him in, and what life lessons will we endure to finally get us to the point of letting go and trusting in his plan for each of our lives? The end of our roads lead to him, but how hard will we make our own journey to get there?
ReplyDeleteI am thinking about Isaac. What did he learn from this experience that would serve him the rest of his life? It is not what we say but what we do everyday that changes children's lives.
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