Trust and Obey

DEVOTION

GENESIS

TRUST AND OBEY

Gen 22:1-5

22:1 Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied. 2 Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about." 3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 He said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you."

NIV

We have arrived at one of the well-known stories of the Old Testament. Here is what some would call the testing of Abraham, but it would seem it is not a very hard test for Abraham. On the surface we might think having to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, whom he loved as a burnt offering would be a tremendous test. It is interesting that God says the Isaac is his only son. Did God forget about Ishmael? Absolutely not, but Isaac is the promised son, whom was from his own body and his wife Sarah. Isaac was the son whom would come many nations. First when God calls out to Abraham, he responds, “Here I am”. This is our first lesson. When God calls out to us, are we too busy with life to hear him? When he calls out to us, do we respond, “Here I am”? We need to always be listening for the voice of the Lord. Sometimes he might well call out in a loud voice to get out attention. But there may be times when he speaks in a gentle whisper.

1 Kings 19:11-13

11 The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

NIV

We do not actually know just what kind of voice he spoke to Abraham with, but the point is Abraham heard him and responded. When we hear the voice of God, however he speaks to us, we need to respond. What God told him to do was indeed a great sacrifice for Abraham. This wasn’t just about leaving his home and going to a place unknown. This wasn’t just about moving, or getting a different job, or going to a different church, or witnessing to a certain person. This was about sacrificing his own son. This was about killing his own son in worship and obedience to God. Would God ever ask that big of a sacrifice of us? Is that what this whole narrative is about? Although God could ask or demand anything from us, this narrative is not about that truth. This whole situation has a far greater truth for us. But we will need to explore that fully when we get up on the mountain with Abraham, Isaac and God. Abraham responds to the voice of God, gathers enough wood for the burnt offering, packs it up on the donkey and sets out for the mountain with Isaac, and two servants. Is his intent to actually sacrifice Isaac? The answer to that question is in the command he gave his two servants when they arrived at the foot of the mountain. He told his servants to stay in this one place with the donkey. He and Isaac were going to worship the Lord and then they would return to them. Was he trying to keep his intent of sacrificing Isaac from them? Was he making a positive confession of faith? Abraham was certainly a man of faith. He had learned over the years that God was faithful to his word. He had enough encounters with God to know God always had his back. God was with him over and over again. He had been blessed in so many ways from the hand of God. Abraham knew in his heart as he set upon this command, he knew God would see him through. He knew in his heart God would not allow him to complete this sacrificing of Isaac, although he was prepared to do it, if that was what God demanded. Abraham certainly had the memory of what God had already spoken to him concerning Isaac.

Gen 17:19

19 Then God said, "Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.

NIV

Isaac was his son whom God will establish his convent with an everlasting covenant for his, Isaac’s, descendants after him. How could Isaac have any descendants if he was going to be a burnt offering to the Lord? Was God not being truthful about his covenant with the descendants of Isaac? Absolutely not, God is always truthful. So then this is not really much of a test for Abraham. He knew the fate of Isaac. He knew Isaac would have a wife, or wives and children, many children and thus he knew he and Isaac were going to worship the Lord and return to the place he left his servants with the donkey. We will see more conformation of this in the rest of the story, in his conversation with Isaac as they were setting up for the sacrifice. Our second lesson is about knowing and trusting God. Abraham trusted God completely even concerning this most important matter. We know the will of God concerning us. We have his word which spells out his will very clearly for all of us. But we also have the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, speaking perhaps in a gentle whisper at times, but then also maybe in a very clear and audible loud voice, giving us specific directions for our individual lives in specific situations. How we respond declares to God the truth of our faith. Does God test our faith?

Jer 9:7

7 Therefore this is what the LORD Almighty says: "See, I will refine and test them,

NIV

1 Peter 1:6-7

6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that your faith — of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire — may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

NIV

It would be right for us to know that God does desire to know our faith is genuine, that we do more than give him lip service. Our faith requires the action of actually trusting him to the full extent of our lives. We cannot just say we are Christians then go on living and trusting in our own abilities. Abraham trusted God completely, even for the life of his loved son. Could we do any less? The works of our faith is trusting God completely. If we love the Lord our God with our whole mind, our heart, our spirit and our body, then we must trust him with all of it as well. It is about trust and obey, for there is no other way.