Tag: obedience

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All on the Altar

The Lord told Abraham to take Isaac and present him as a burnt offering. This son, the son of promise, the son of Abraham’s old age born when wife Sarah was in her 90s, was to become a sacrifice at Mount Moriah.

What an outrageous request this seems to be. And it is, but it is one that God did ask of His friend. How did Abraham respond? He rose early, saddled his donkey and got moving with two young servants and Isaac. The traveling party reached its destination and, there, Abraham and Isaac walked off with the wood, the fire, and the knife.

“Where’s the Lamb?’ Isaac wondered aloud at one point.

“God will provide for himself the Lamb,” Abraham answered.

Eventually, the wood was stacked, Isaac tied down, and the knife raised in the hand of Abraham. Then, and only then, did the voice of the angel of the Lord speak out — “Do not lay your hand on the boy!”

A Test of Friendship

The Bible describes this as a test for Abraham, and he is commended for his response of faith. “I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is one the seashore. … in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.” (See Genesis 22:17-18.)

That’s how the story ends.

To some, I am sure that this conclusion is unsatisfying. We want explanations and answers, and we want them on our terms.

Why would God test a man in such a way? Sure, Abraham passed the test, it seems, and so the Lord then spoke of the great things to come. But, really, is this what it means to be the “Friend of God?”

Actually, real friends do bring out the biggest things in each other. God’s challenge to Abraham revealed a depth of trust that earned the man this title: “the Father of our Faith.”

What did the Lord say would come from Abraham? A remarkable line of descendants, that’s what. Some offspring would be stars, others would be sand.

On one level, these word pictures point to the multitude of children who would come from him. Yes, Father Abraham had many sons; many sons had Father Abraham, as the old Sunday school song goes. There are, naturally speaking, millions who trace their genetic roots to this man. These ones are the sand, and like sand they’re everywhere, in every corner of this world.

However, the Lord also declared that some of Abraham’s descendants would shine. These stars of heaven are those who have believed God as Abraham believed God. And, just like Abraham, they’ve had righteousness reckoned to them.

What if Abraham’s response had been different? Suppose he scampered away with Isaac in an attempt to hide from the Lord and His test? Jonah ran from the Lord. He was given a mission and a message and, at first, he refused to do as God asked him. This prophet was guided back into the will of God, but it was not a smooth ride.

Abraham reacted in another way. He heard and obeyed; he promptly set out to prepare an altar — upon which he would put his son.

Places of Sacrifice

Abraham’s life was a life defined by altars for he had built three others before this one at Mount Moriah. Altars mean sacrifice. Abraham believed God; he’d offered before and he would offer now — he would offer what God asked him to offer. Isaac, the one for whom he had waited so long, would be placed before the Lord.

When we read forward into the prophets and the New Testament, we discover that God was not asking Abraham to do something He would not do Himself. Jesus is the revelation of this. The Son of God would be offered for us all on the altar of Calvary. Isaiah 53 describes Him as “smitten by God … pierced for our transgressions … crushed for our iniquities … a Lamb that is led to the slaughter. …”  The gospel of Matthew opens with this statement: “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” Christ came to be the King, a descendant from the line of Abraham through David, the bright Morning Star from Heaven.

God says that there are things that “are not for us to know.” Job wrestled and complained and protested as he went through his trials. The end of the story shows Job with twice as much as he had before the tragedies that befell him. Still, nowhere do we read of God explaining Himself and His ways. Job held fast to his integrity; he clung to the reality of the relationship he knew that he had with the Lord.

Friends know each other well enough that they do not need to know all things. Abraham followed the leading of God through his years. It was not a perfect walk. Twice, he lied about Sarah being his wife when he feared for his life. He also went along with his wife’s suggestion and slept with Hagar, a union that gave the world Ishmael and the wild “sand” of offspring that came from him.

But when God said “offer up Isaac,” Abraham’s faith in the Lord was sure. He knew God as the God of the living. Abraham believed God, and he put all on the altar.

What would the Lord have us put before Him? Are there things we’ve determined are off limits to Him? Our great Friend may ask something big of us. He may ask us to stretch, to reach, to move, to stand. The good news is that He will not require us to perform in our own strength.  His Spirit lives in our hearts. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.

Jesus, what a Friend we have in Him. We never shall know all things, but we do know the One who does. Let us rest in His power and provision. Let’s rise, saddle up, and move forward in Him.

 

 

 

 

 

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Be it Unto Me

Mary was a simple teen-ager. Devout and sweet, betrothed to the town carpenter, she was ready to lead an unspectacular life and a gritty existence in Nazareth. She and Joseph would raise a Jewish family. They would celebrate the feasts together with travels to Jerusalem.

Hope for the Messiah lingered in her heart and in the hearts of many of her relatives who lived among the hills of Judea. Zacharias and Elizabeth, Mary’s uncle and aunt, were particularly faithful to the ways taught by Moses. And, yet, they were childless. It was a mystery and a sorrow to them and to all who knew their righteous lives. They had been such good Jews. Like most barren women of her day, Elizabeth wrestled with the emptiness. Her insecurities often got the better of her as she fought back the feeling that she might somehow be under a curse.

And then the angel came. Gabriel shined before Zacharias as he took his turn to make offering at the incense altar. The prayers he prayed over the decades had been heard. Now, those prayers were answered, according to this bright being, the messenger sent from the throne room of the Lord.

A Prayer Answered

Elizabeth’s womb was about to come alive, Zacharias was told. All that he and his wife had hoped for was about to come true. She would bear a son, an Elijah, a man with a call to make the people ready for the King, the Messiah, the Savior.

Zacharias, however, was doubtful. These words were just too good to be true. “How shall this happen?” he said to Gabriel. “We are old people.” Those would be the last words Zacharias would speak for almost a year. His unbelief prompted the Lord to mute him. He would have to keep his doubts to himself.

Please let’s cut Zacharias some slack. He had lived through a troubled and torturous age with his family and nation. Israel’s glory days of David and Solomon were long, long past. How heavy life must have been for a people so favored and so informed. The oracles of God were theirs to read and to study and to share. The people lost sight of that last part. Rather than allowing their nation to grow into a powerful witness for God, they selfishly guarded their privilege and grew prejudiced against other peoples, whom they came to see as inferior.

Age creeps up on us just as it did on Zacharias. He was faithful to the Lord and His commandments, but his sense of wonder and expectation waned. It is all too common among believers. The flame of faith doesn’t always burn brightly. We live in a brutal world. Aches, pains, heartaches, disappointments, disasters, and death do a number on us as they have done on believers in all generations.

Gabriel’s visit jump-started Zacharias’ faith, I am sure – especially since all that the angel said came to pass. Still, he could only smile, chuckle, and nod when his wife miraculously became pregnant a short while after this Temple visitation.

A Virgin Conceives

Mary, remember, was young and engaged. Excitement likely surrounded her preparations for the day when Joseph would take her as his bride. Wedding plans can get wild and contentious at times, but for the most part, they are joyful anticipations of a great celebration.

In the midst of all this, Gabriel appeared before Mary and announced this:  “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” (See Luke 1:29). Stunned, this young bride-to-be struggled to comprehend the meaning of this sentence.

The next words were even more astounding:  “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:30-33).

Mary had been chosen to give birth to the Son of the Most High. God would enter humanity through her.

Like Zacharias, she had her questions: “How will this happen? I am a virgin.” Gabriel explained that her conception would be a work of the Holy Spirit, the same Spirit who made Elizabeth’s womb alive, the same Spirit who hovered over the face of the waters at a time when the earth was without form and void. The Spirit would “overshadow” Mary – the substance of His presence would generate the incarnation, the activity of the Word taking on flesh and bone.

“For with God, nothing is impossible,” said Gabriel.

This was enough for Mary. She questioned no more and offered herself as a living sacrifice: “Be it unto me according to your word.” In so many words, this virgin girl said, “l am yours, Lord – do as You will.”

Soon Mary would sing with Elizabeth. Two women,  great with child, rejoiced at the miracle of God with us.

“My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

For He has looked on the humble estate of His servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

For He who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is His name.

And His mercy is for those who fear Him
from generation to generation” (Luke 1:46-50).

May these thoughts ring in our hearts as we see the Christmas season approach fast and furiously. Let us think upon the miracle of Mary and her choice to allow God’s purpose to be manifest in her. Hers was a simple and strong faith in the mighty God who does great things.