I got into a discussion with a man recently about the story of Abraham and Isaac. This story is found in Genesis 22: 1-19. If you do not know the story, I will summarize it for you here:
God tested Abraham. He sent him up on the mountain to worship and offer his only son as a burnt offering. Abraham obeyed. There were no questions. He did as God commanded. As Abraham was about to slay his son with a knife, God sent an Angel. The Angel called out; “Do not lay a hand on the boy”. As Abraham looked up, he saw a ram caught in the thicket. Abraham used the ram as the burnt offering. Because of this; To this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided”. Abraham is then rewarded for his faith with a blessing of his descendants.
The underlying primary point of this story is yet another indicator that we see countless times in the old testament of the coming of Jesus. Who else sacrificed their son as an offering? There are other references inside this reading such as the donkey and the 3 days it took Abraham to travel to his destination. Most importantly, the life that was given to Isaac. This story is the story about the resurrection and eternal life told long before it ever happened.
But some then dive deeper into this story and ask why? Why would God command such a horrible thing of Abraham? Why would God tell Abraham to kill his only son that he loved? Doesn’t this indicate that God is a wrathful, vengeful, hating God who throws red flags at us?
We are studying Romans in our Sunday school class that my wife and I teach. We have been on pause due to recent travel. Romans 10 is where we pick up. In Romans 10 Paul talks about an antinomy. An antinomy is two valid truths that appear contradictory or paradoxical. They are:
- Gods sovereign elective grace.
- Human responsibility to choose.
In Romans 10 Paul is talking about the Israelites. He is talking about the Israelites having faith through the law rather than having faith in their hearts. THIS IS KEY to understanding the story of Isaac and Abraham.
When I have faith in my heart, I do not see the story of Isaac and Abraham as God being a hateful, vengeful God throwing red flags telling me that if I do not do as commanded, I will burn in hell. Just like Abraham, I do not even question why God chose this method to deliver the message. Because I have faith in my heart, I see God as a loving God who showed a man (Abraham) who already had great faith in God:
HOW MUCH HE LOVES US.
My explanation of the story of Abraham and Isaac, in human like thinking is that God tells us the story about Jesus in thousands of ways throughout the bible. Why? Because we are all different and because we all think just a little differently. Hearing the story in many different ways gives EVERYONE the opportunity to hear the story of Jesus!
God loves us so much that he gave his only son for us to atone for our sins! My interpretation of the story on the deeper dive is that God would never ask us to do such a thing because he loves us. Instead he did it for us and sent his only son Jesus to die for us because he LOVES US!
What do we need to do? Believe (have faith) and Love God back! That’s it!
When we have faith and love God back, we; just like Abraham, will be rewarded in heaven. It’s a glorious story and it is repeated over and over and over again in the place we call the Bible.
Today I am grateful for my peace and understanding of these passages. I am grateful that God granted me grace to be able to see Him and love him back just as he wants.
I LOVE YOU JESUS!