I wonder what I would have done in the same situation as Abraham. Convinced myself that I hadn't heard from God, or that I must have heard Him incorrectly? "God would NEVER ask me to do something like that!" Talked about it with a friend who would only confirm my disobedience? Just flat-out ignored what I didn't want to hear? I know each scenario is a possibility because I've responded like this in the past when asked to do something outside my comfort zone.
In recent chapters, we've watched Abraham succeed and fail. But in this chapter, he held nothing back from God, not even his beloved son. Abraham didn't allow his precious child (and blessing from God) to become his idol, more important to him than God.
When God provided a substitute offering for Isaac at the last moment, Abraham named the place God-Yireh (God-Sees-to-It.) (22:14) He had trusted his God, and God proved faithful. Because of Abraham's obedience, God poured out his blessings on Abraham and the generations to come. All nations on Earth will find themselves blessed through your descendants because you obeyed me. (22:18)
It makes me think - what am I missing out on with God because of my preference for idols? What ARE the idols I'm holding onto today? My comfort, my good reputation, my demand to be in control, my husband, my desire for financial security, my children, my demand to be treated well by others, my demand that life goes my way? Honestly, it could be any (or all!) of these, and more.
What will it take for me to sacrifice my idols to the Lord?
To hold them with open hands before my loving Father?
To believe God-Sees-to-It?
What will it take for me to sacrifice my idols to the Lord?
To hold them with open hands before my loving Father?
To believe God-Sees-to-It?
Lord, every blessing you've given competes with You for my affections. I want to love others well, but there's the daily risk of any one of them stealing my affection and becoming my idol. I know my heart is prone to wander away from You and to crave created things more than You. I pray You'd give me the heart to seek You first and to respond to You by faith, as Abraham did. May I have the courage to trust and obey You regardless of the cost. May I truly lay down my idols before You and not pick them up again.
6 comments:
Gen. 22:1 "God tested Abraham", like He tests all of us to show His provision for us and to expose our hearts. As you said Cici, I then make those provisions idols rather than letting them point me to the One who should be my true object of worship.
In a recent sermon on this passage, Jeff Mangum said something that really got me. "Our default lens is that God asks us to give something up just for the sake of giving it up, instead of the lens of God's goodness and His character....Have I obeyed God for what I can get or because I love him? God is constantly testing our hearts in this." Habakkuk 3:17-19.
Today, He is asking me to give up my plans, my schedule, my children, my husband, our finances, our home, my reputation, my demand for alone time, and it's only 7:30am! He's not asking to take these things away from me, but to reveal my heart and to show me what's even better: HIM
This passage reminds me of the control I gave up when God finally convicted me enough. I returned to work after my first child and ran into hurdle after hurdle. I finally stopped to listen and did not want to hear stay home, but finally obeyed. I thought could I really do it, can God really provide, I will lose my control, etc...
God poured out his blessings and then some. It couldn't be better.
Problem is this is a time when I did stop to listen. How many times throughout the day now do I take the time to
Make sure that I really am on His plan, His road.
So far these readings make me stop thru the day to stop and pray for someone rather than judge, or give a little extra in a senario. After all, isn't that what it is really about?
I find it amazing that Abraham didn't re-evaluate what God said or try to negotiate with Him, or even beg Him to require differently. I want THAT kind of faith and obedience, rather than the kind you were talking about, Cici - running it by another friend to confirm my own thoughts/reactions to it or convincing myself that I must have heard wrong. No more "anything-but-that, Lord" mentality.
This story used to disturb me...it made me sick to think about God asking Abraham to do such a revolting thing, and Abraham's faith both humbled and unsettled me. Later on, it encouraged me- the same Spirit that moved Abraham to have such faith, actually LIVES in me. God Himself enables me to have the faith I need to place my all on the altar.
This time I read it, I was struck by the irony of what God was asking of Abraham, and it caused me to worship....
This idea of sacrificing your son to your god is not unusual for this time period, and part of why Abraham didn't question God's command may be that he was living in the land of the Philistines and this practice was common. If you think about it...it does make sense in a weird, twisted way. There is nothing more precious to us than our own children. There is no higher picture of our devotion or worship than to give up what we value most...you can kind of see how sinful, human creatures possibly under the influence of Satan himself, would see sacrificing their children as a reasonable act of devotion.
But God, our God, is the One True God. He is altogether different from any other god we may worship. This story is a glimpse into the glory and character of our God...His beauty, His Holiness, His gracious, sacrificial love for us that is in direct opposition to any other form of religion ever known, or any we could imagine. Instead of requiring the sacrifice of Isaac, God provides the means by which Abraham could have a relationship with Him. He paints a picture here of how He will "See To It" for all of mankind...He will provide the way. And He will do it by offering His own Son for us while we were yet sinners. How completely upside-down is that? While the world and lesser gods and religions require us to prove our worthiness, God is completely the opposite. He does not ask us to throw our children on the altar. He shows His deep love and character by placing His own Son there instead. In our stead.
This causes me to worship Him, the beautiful God of this upside down spiritual economy...may it cause me to place my ALL on the altar once again...today.
As a new mom, reading this passage was SO much more difficult this time around. Could I really have a faith like Abraham, and put my precious little 1 year old on the altar, believing that God is faithful and will provide and is worth all glory, honor and worship?
Cici, I loved your words about idols. I have a whole new slew of them as a mom: sleep, down time, exercise time, reading time, social time, and date nights. These are all good things, but I often demand them, thinking I DESERVE them. So when I come across a day that doesn't go like I wanted it to go and I don't get some of those things, I turn into a B#*$(. Yikes. I think that's a sign those are idols in my life!
And in response to the previous post, YES, thank goodness Jesus has taken our place on that altar and paid the price we could never pay!
God knew Gen 22:13 - There was a ram caught in the thicket---God's provision. We follow a God-Who-Sees-To-It walking up that mountain to do the unthinkable. How did conniving Abraham get to this place where he would so trust God to be good even in this? It's a new Abraham. Am I walking in new life or old ways? What do I want this day more than the Love of my Christ?
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