And so, we come to Genesis 22. This is one of those chapters that always stops me cold, especially now that I’m a mom. I always wonder what went through Abraham’s head when God said, “Hey, that son I promised you? Give him back. Violently, even.” It’s one of those things I don’t want to think about, to be honest, what I would have done in his shoes. But the thing that got me this week was something about Abraham… and about Isaac.
Genesis 22:3a (GW) Early the next morning Abraham saddled his donkey.
Now, I know as close to nothing about the original language of this text as you can know. That’s to say, the original verb tenses and all aren’t something I know. But it looks to me like, in verse 2, God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac… but He didn’t say when. (Now, maybe He did in the original writing. I have no idea.) Whether he did or didn’t is probably a moot point. We don’t know how much Abraham tossed and turned that night, but we do know this… he got up the very next morning and obeyed. He didn’t wait a week or so to see if God changed His mind. He didn’t pull a Jonah and run in the opposite direction. There’s not even a record of him trying to bargain with God like he did when it came to Sodom and Gomorrah. He just got up and obeyed. Immediately.
No wonder he’s a fixture in Hebrews 11. No wonder he’s called faithful. I mean, God told him to sacrifice the Child of Promise. And he didn’t hesitate. He believed what God had told him would happen from the start. God said Isaac would make him the father of a great nation, so God must know what He was doing.
Wow.
Want the other thing that gets me? Nowhere in this chapter does it indicate Isaac fought back. True, Abraham tied him, but we don’t know the why’s of that. What in the world was going through both of their minds? Because, also nowhere, do we ever see Isaac bitterly scream at his father, “Dude! You tried to kill me!” No therapy. No tell-all book. No appearance on Dr. Phil. Yeah, none of those were around back then, but you know what I mean. Clearly, there was some heavy duty God trusting happening here.
And I’m so, so far beneath them when it comes to that kind of faith and trust. I have such a long way to go. Abraham has that Job faith that I’ve talked about before. “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him” (Job 13:15a KJV).
So, what about Genesis 22 speaks to you?
-JB
Tina Hunt says
I have always wondered how Sarah felt about all of this. I think it’s why he got up so early–to avoid her confrontation, her tears. That could have seriously tested his resolve. Thank you for sparking some great pondering.
Jodie says
Hm. Good thinking there. Then again, he could have told her the same thing he told the servants who went with them. “Going to worship. Be back later.” Wonder how it played out when they came HOME though?!?
Dawn Lucowitz says
I have always had a really hard time with this section of scripture. I think part of it is how many people with mental illness in today’s society have killed children because they believed God was telling them to. I know that people who think God is telling them to kill are not really hearing God, but the enemy, because it does not line up with his teaching and his will, and I guess that is part of a sticking point for me here. I know that this was so long ago when sacrifice meant something very different, but it is so hard to wrap my brain around today.
Anyway, I have combed over this section several times trying to see something to say and I finally saw it when I grabbed a NKJ version. When I went back to my NIV I did see the same thing, although I had not noticed it. In verse 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.’”
Abraham made a point to say we will come back to you. He didn’t need to say that. He could have just said we are going over there to worship and it would be assumed they would return when they were done. Here, though, he said we will come back to you. I love that because I do think Abraham believed both he and his son would be coming back from that sacrifice.
A few years ago I heard a different take on this passage being preached. It was mostly from Isaac’s point of view. I don’t remember much of that sermon, but what I do remember has stuck with me. Basically the point that was made was how strong Abraham’s faith was and that if anyone every questioned it or wondered about it, it certainly wouldn’t have been Isaac. He could say with more certainty than anyone that his father was a faithful man of God. After this week’s reading, I may have to go back and look for that sermon on line and re-visit it 🙂