Child Sacrifice

PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:
Genesis 22 (click the link)


KEY VERSES:
7 But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!”

And he said, “Here I am, my son.”

Then he said, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”

8 And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went together. (Genesis 22:7-8, NKJV)


REFLECTIONS:
Please read the whole passage listed above, as it is one of the most moving passages in the entire Bible—especially, when you consider that this story really took place. 

What kind of a God would ask an old man to sacrifice his only son?  If you read about Abraham in Genesis you can see that he spent most of his life being given direction by God and then choosing to do things his own way.  You will find that most of the time God worked things out for Abraham in spite of his own effort, rather than because of it.  You’ve heard people say “God helps those that help themselves.” Well, Abraham is proof positive that that’s not how God intends things to work.  

As a father, I truly can’t imagine going through what Abraham and Isaac went through.  For the average person, what kind of emotional agony would a son have knowing his father was willing to kill him?  If you are Isaac, what are your feelings towards the God who requested your life?  

I think all these things would be a problem for the average person but by this time in his life Abraham was far from average. God had already done many miracles in Abraham’s life—including the birth of Isaac—and by this time I think Abraham knew God fairly well.  I believe that Abraham was not worried because he understood God’s nature and character.  

In Matthew 12:7 Jesus said to the Pharisees, "But if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless.”  Abraham knew that he had nothing of value to give to God… except his obedience.  I think that he had faith in God’s promises about Isaac’s future—including future generations—and he had faith in his limited understanding of his friend and God.  

You could almost look at this passage as the fifth gospel.  Abraham and Isaac are a clear picture of the coming life and sacrifice of Jesus.  What Abraham was prepared to do, God did not require; instead, He offered His own perfect Son as the final perfect demonstration of the Father and Son’s love for all of mankind.  

When you feel like God or maybe just this world is poised to take every thing of value from your life, remember Jesus said: "He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 10:39). In completely surrendering ourselves to the Lord, he is able to draw near to us and shape our life to be capable of accepting the treasures of His kingdom. Abraham had faith that God would provide for the salvation of his son and himself.  We can take faith in the completed work of Jesus on the cross for our own salvation.  It is finished and the kingdom is at hand!  We should live like it and take the good news to our neighbors just as Jesus commanded.


PRAYER:
Father, thank You that You and Jesus were willing to do what You did not require of Abraham and Isaac. Help us to have the faith of Abraham and continue to reveal Your face to us through Your word and Spirit.  In the eternal name of Your Son, Jesus.


WHO AM I?
My name is Paul Babb, and after reading and thinking about this story I realize I’ve got a long way to go in the faith department. God is able.