ABRAHAM lll

This story of Abraham can be found also in the book of Genesis.  Some time after Isaac was barely growing into a young man, God tested Abraham again. The Lord said, "Abraham!"  "Here I am," he replied.  Then God said, "Take your son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah."  Now Mount Moriah was perhaps 50 or 60 miles from Beersheba, Abraham's home.  The Lord continued, "Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains."  Now, there is no record of what Abraham thought about this command! But we might have an idea by what we would think, ourselves!


Early the next morning, Abraham got up and saddled his donkey.  He took with him two of his servants and his son, Isaac.  He first cut wood for the burnt offering, then set out for the place God had told him about.  On the third day Abraham looked up, saw the place in the distance, and said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there.  We will worship and then come back."


Abraham took the wood and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife.  Isaac spoke up and said, "Father?"  "Yes, my son." Abraham replied.  "The fire and the wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?"  Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb, my son."  And the two of them went on together.


When they reached the intended place in the mountains, Abraham built an altar there and arranged wood upon it. He bound his son, Isaac, and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.  then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.  But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, "Abraham!  Abraham!"


"Here I am," he replied.


"Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said.  "Do not do anything to him.  Now I know that you fear God because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son."  Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns.  He took the ram and sacrificed it to the Lord--instead of his son.


And Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide.  And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided."


I love this story, don't you?  Although, I know myself and I would have been arguing with the Lord. 
"You can't mean it, Lord!  I love my son; please don't make me kill him!"  I would have been a blubbering fool!"   But it's a great lesson for the rest of us as to what faith looks like.  What Abraham had is real faith.  I hope and pray that I will not be tested to the point that Abraham was.


I pray that your faith will stand any test that God decides to give you.  Welcome to the Faith-Travelers.


God is Love!


Jo INMN