TheoTrek — A Journey with God in Discipleship
Obedience of Faith
Genesis 22:1-18
Rev. Chrístopher Harbin, First Baptist Church—Huntersville, NC
11 April 2010
We have a tendency to define faith as accepting a list of historical or spiritual truths. On reading the Bible with such a definition, we encounter certain difficulties. We read the stories of our heroes of faith and they have many failures in their understanding of God. They often have many failures in their behavior, as well. Defining faith as an always correct manner of living just as often does not correspond to what we read in these narratives of these same Biblical heroes. Faith does not ignore an understanding of God, but neither does it limit itself to a legalistic behavior. What is that quality of faith on which we should focus?
We encounter Abraham already ancient in today's passage. At this point in his story, his age is well advanced and his son, Isaac, already an adolescent, and is able to help his father to carry firewood. In some respect, Abraham is already a different person from the one we encountered in previous texts. He has been tested in his pilgrimage with God. He has already had a series of failures along the journey with God. He had laughed at the divine promise. He had failed to trust in divine protection. He had underestimated God's grace and mercy toward others in contrast to his own. Yet with all this he had also learned something of God's identity and his need before the Almighty. God had utilized him as a prophet, had chosen to make of him a great nation and bless all the nations of the world through him. With all his spiritual weaknesses, God had not abandoned him. Now in his old age, God called him to demonstrate the vitality of his faith. God put him to the test.
We can't define precisely the form by which God's word came to Abraham. Some had speculated that maybe it was not even God who had instigated the test, but God used Abraham's misunderstanding to teach him that God did not seek human sacrifice. For sure, Abraham saw the actions of the people all around him. He recognized that the nations made great sacrifices to gain the positive attention of their supposed gods. He compared his life with the lives of others, his relationship with God before the disposition of others to sacrifice their very children in obedience to their gods. In some manner, he came to understand that he also should make a real sacrifice, offering his own son to God upon an altar.
He began making his plans and preparations for the sacrifice. He had firewood gathered for the sacrifice. He had the animals prepared for the trip. He prepared his equipment and began his journey to a high place where he would offer God this his son Isaac whom he so loved. At a certain point along the journey to sacrifice Isaac, he had his servants stay behind with the animals while he and Isaac continued on foot toward the place for the sacrifice.
He had said nothing to his son about the purpose of the sacrifice. He had told no one what he had proposed in his heart. He had not spoken of the need he felt to offer his very best to God without the least reservation. He took Isaac, carrying the firewood for the bonfire and they made their way to the place to which God was directing him.
Along the way, Isaac began to ask questions. "Where is the animal for the sacrifice? We have everything else we need, but what will we sacrifice to God?" Abraham answered him as he could; likely without even understanding the implications of what he was actually telling his son. God himself with provide the sacrifice."
Father and son made their way. One followed along simply out of the habit of trusting and obeying his father. The other followed along thinking of what was to come. He reflected on how much he had begged God for a son. He thought of Isaac as God's special blessing. He was the son in whom all his hope found substance. He was all Abraham had asked, just as he was everything to Abraham's wife, Sarah. God had intervened in their lives to give him to Sarah and Abraham in their old age. He did not understand the rationale behind the sacrifice. He simply recognized his need to be faithful to God and offer this gift that meant the most to him among all he counted his.
They were not easy steps that he took. He was not even ready to tell his son what was coming, or to give the reasons for striking out on this journey. He followed with a heavy heart, with pain, with internal conflict such as he had never before experienced. He followed as well with a new confidence and disposition to obey God as a worthy servant. It is not for a servant to understand the instructions that he receives. It is for him to obey. So Abraham followed his path according to God's directions.
Finally arriving at the place, they began the preparations to make the sacrifice. They built an altar of stones. They arranged the wood to light the fire. They lit the fire, feeding it with firewood in an appropriate manner so as to light a good and efficient fire. Abraham turned and took Isaac, tying him for the sacrifice. He took his knife to follow what he understood to be God's commandment. Raising his knife, he heard a voice that interrupted him and impeded him from following through with the sacrifice. Just in time, God intervened to instruct Abraham in another aspect of His will. He traced a distinction between what the peoples around him believed and God's true identity.
"Abraham! Do not harm the boy!" With this, God showed him a ram trapped by its horns in a nearby bush. God showed him much more, however. God taught his that he was not interested in human sacrifice, but that he was very much interested in obedience, dedication, and the disposition to give one's all in service to the Almighty. It is in this moment that we understand Abraham's faith more clearly. He was a fallible man. He still had difficulties in understanding who God was. He still did not understand all the character and will of God. He was still a weak ma, but he had come to bow himself before God in full recognition of his need to serve God with his all. He had placed his life completely in God's hands.
When Israel looked to the story of Isaac's sacrifice, it was itself upon the altar. It saw its own life in peril, for the nation was descended from Isaac. It saw here that God had preserved this life of its forefathers, consequently giving them back their own lives. They found as well that they owed their lives to God's intervention and mercy in rescuing Isaac, accepting the sacrifice of a ram to take their place.
At no point did God want Abraham to kill Isaac. God does not revel in such sacrifices. At the same time, God wanted Abraham to come to this critical moment in his life in which he might analyze his priorities and give his very best into God's hands. God wanted Abraham to understand that all he owned belonged to God. God gave and God had the right to take back what is his own. Upon offering Isaac, we see his faith: a complete surrendering of his trust, dedication, and obedience. Abraham was still not perfect, but he had placed his life in obedience to God. Are we ready to surrender our all to God's disposition? It is in this that faith has its vitality and true character. It is a trust that is worthy of surrendering all in complete obedience to God.
—©2010 Chrístopher B. Harbin