SACRIFICES
Abraham said, God Himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my
son. So the two of
them walked on together. When
they came to the place that God had shown him, Abraham built an altar there and
laid the wood in order. He bound his
son, Isaac, and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took
the knife to kill his son.
Genesis
22:8-10
Just reading this
verse is difficult. Think of a person in
your family that you hold dear and placing he or she
in Isaac’s place. Mentally, can you do
it? I get tears in my eyes just thinking
of it. To sacrifice someone I love,
someone you love, in this manner—or any manner—is excruciating. To our ancestor, Abraham, perhaps to not
sacrifice to the God he loved and trusted, would have been more
excruciating. Love obeys. Faith obeys.
Abraham obeyed.
The story of
Abraham, a faithful man who feared God, is told to us early in the Bible, in
Genesis. No story and explanation in the
Bible is random. The early telling of
this sacrifice, in the early life of a boy, and in the active faith of a man,
is meant to capture our attention right away.
It is as though the telling of Abraham’s act reveals that throughout the
Bible—and throughout life—there will be acts of sacrifice for God. Of course, that is precisely what the Bible
and our lives reveal.
We read the
gripping verse above and know that Abraham’s allegiance to God was his
priority. In a few days, we will read
the upcoming verses of scripture that tell of Christ’s preparation to
God is never ever far from
sacrifice. He is in the center of
it. Whoever and whatever we must let go,
for whatever reason, God is with us. He
is present in our pain. God gave His
only Son in death so that all who believe in Him might live. This Lenten Season, and throughout the course
of the year, Jesus’ sacrifice is to be remembered. That sacrifice reveals and reflects the love
of God. In our personal sacrifices and
suffering, we commune with God in a deeper way.
A way that brings His Spirit closer and His promises
nearer. May the power of God’s
perfect love—love that acts and gives for the sake of others—be love we embrace
and allow ourselves to be embraced by. Sacrifices and all.
Lord God, in Thy perfect wisdom and timing, You revealed in Abraham an act of human faith, and in Jesus
The Act of divine faith. You sent Jesus
so that through His perfection we could give and give up in the interest of
love. Thank You, for revealing in Jesus
that Your love will go to all depths and heights for
those You love, even when it hurts.
Please bless our remembrance of this truth. In Jesus Christ, Thy Son,
Amen.
Chris Ann Waters