Tuesday, February 27, 2018
Some time
later, God tested Abraham’s faith. “Abraham!”
God called. “Yes,” he replied. “Here I am.”
“Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go
to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice
him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.” The next morning Abraham got up early. He saddled his donkey and took two of his
servants with him, along with his son, Isaac. Then he chopped wood for a fire for a burnt
offering and set out for the place God had told him about. On the third day of their journey, Abraham
looked up and saw the place in the distance.
“Stay here with the donkey,” Abraham told the servants. “The boy and I will travel a little farther. We will worship there, and then we will come
right back.” So Abraham placed the wood
for the burnt offering on Isaac’s shoulders, while he himself carried the fire
and the knife. As the two of them walked
on together, Isaac turned to Abraham and said, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “We have the fire and the wood,” the boy
said, “but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?” “God will provide a sheep for the burnt
offering, my son,” Abraham answered. And
they both walked on together. When they
arrived at the place where God had told him to go, Abraham built an altar and
arranged the wood on it. Then he tied
his son, Isaac, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. And Abraham picked up the knife to kill his
son as a sacrifice. At that moment the
angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Yes,”
Abraham replied. “Here I am!” “Don’t lay a hand on the boy!” the angel
said. “Do not hurt him in any way, for
now I know that you truly fear God. You
have not withheld from me even your son, your only son.” Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught
by its horns in a thicket. So he took
the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering in place of his son. Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which
means “the Lord will provide”). To this day, people still use that name as a
proverb: “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.” Genesis 22:1-14(NLT)
We chose to call
this series of devotions Lenten Walk because that’s
what we’re doing in real time – walking through a time of preparation
(Lent). If there is a manual for
learning how to trust God when you can’t see more than the next step in front
of you, the story of Abraham taking Isaac to the mountain must be the opening
chapter.
Consider these six
evidences of Abraham’s walk of faith:
1. God commanded a sacrifice; Abraham chopped wood for the altar and saddled-up.
2.
Abraham brought Isaac, but trusted in
God’s character and promises; he told the servants both he AND the boy would
worship, AND BOTH would be right back.
3.
In answer to Isaac’s question, where
is the sheep for the offering, Abraham answered the LORD will supply. He didn’t manufacture an answer; he simply
trusted God would supply whatever was needed.
4.
He gave his all, laying the son he
loved more than life on the altar he built with his own hands, and then, with
his own hand, raised the knife.
5.
When God called to him, with his
knife-hand raised to the sky, Abraham answered, Here I am. He was saying, I’m right here, about to kill
this child and my own heart, just like you said. I don’t like it; I don’t understand it; but I’m
still here – I’m still trusting You, LORD; what’s the next step?
6.
When God revealed that this was a
test of his faith, Abraham accepted that he was accepted and named the place as
a memorial to the LORD’s faithfulness.
From the opening bell
to the closing word of the account of Isaac’s being offered, Abraham was ready
to follow. The story barely hints at
Abraham’s feelings, only recording his actions.
But isn’t that the point? You
know the proverb: Actions speak louder than words!
For You Today
Lent calls for genuine
action – clearing-out whatever obstacles clutter the pathway of your
relationship with God. This is a season
that demands honesty and movement. It
demands the honesty of where you are with God, and the movement of your faith
in what you’re willing to do to respond to where He wants to lead you, and walk
with you.
You chew on
that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day.
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