About every three months, I find I have to give God back HIS church. The church I serve is the place where I serve, but it is not MY church. The house I live in is really not MINE. Oh, I know the majority of it belongs to the mortgage company, but it is not THEIRS either. God has provided it and I am but a temporary steward of it. MY family is not related to anybody else. Tina is married only to me and OUR boys only call us mom and dad, but she is not MY possession, nor are OUR children. She is the gift of God with whom I have the privilege of sharing in a committed life. The boys are gifts of God with which we are given the special, awesome and daunting privilege and challenge of being parents. Occassionally, I find that I have to loosen my grasp of Tina and the boys a little, so they are free to be the creations of God they were intended to be. The story of Abraham and Issac and the trip to Mt. Moriah is as much about that issue as anything else. Abraham must learn that Isaac is first of all God's child, the fulfillment of God's promise.
We are offended by the graphic nature of God's test of Abraham -
"Take your son, you only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of hte mountains I will tell you about."Later on, Jewish law, in contrast to some of the surrounding religions, would forbid child sacrifice. In fact, it seems impish at best that God, after the entire 25 year dramatic journey of promise and fulfillment, would choose at a whim to undo the whole thing. This seems more like the self-serving, power-hungry gods of the ancient Babylonians than the God of the Hebrews. So we have to be reminded that in the plan of God "this is a test, only a test" of the Abraham loyalty to God system.
But this test is not just about making sure Abraham knows whose child this really is. It is also a test of Abraham's devotion to God. Is he only following God for the blessings? If the blessings are taken away, would he still follow? In the ministry of Jesus, when he started to become more controversial than popular, with many followers deserting him, Jesus asked his disciples in John 6:67, "You do not what to leave too, do you?" Their response is interesting, "Lord, whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." No doubt, Abraham, was thinking something similar. Going back is not really an option. It's worthy remembering that we are not primarily blessing receivers, but rather cross-bearers.
The tension in the story is raised as Isaac asks why there is no lamb for the sacrifice. It is further raised as he binds his son to the altar and draws the knife to kill him. The story is told well and we are hooked. Suddenly, an angel of the LORD calls out for Abraham not to kill the child and God provides a substitute sacrifice for his son. We all, not to mention Abraham and Isaac, are breathing easier. Yes, I am stuck on the trauma to Isaac with all this, but I must be reminded again that "this is a test, only a test." Life really does test us as to whether Jesus Christ is really LORD of our lives, whether God is really #1 over all. Abraham passes the test.
A Christian can hardly read this story without thinking about how God himself went through the same experience with Jesus. In this case, others would carry out the sacrifice, but there was no subsitute ram provided. Jesus became the lamb.
Genesis 23 - Sarah's death.
Here we have the hospitality of the Hittites in providing a burial spot for Sarah's body. The rest of Jewish history will not find the Hittites so hospitable!
I will add to this column later, but at least here is a good start.
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