How’s that for a title?

The following is something I have wanted to post for a while, and realized I did a sermon on it for my Preaching Lab at FIRE. So why reinvent the wheel when I can touch up those notes and update them?

Of course I preach pretty extemporaneously as it is, so these notes don’t even cover whatever came out of me that day, but I had to hand in notes to be graded properly, so I have kept both of my sermons from that class. Anyway, this blog is a total re-working of it, and things I’ve learned from reading this passage of Scripture recently.

It is based on Genesis 22:1-18, and if you have not read my other entries on Abraham in recent weeks, don’t worry it won’t be necessary as far as following this entry is concerned.

As I’ve begun reading the Bible from Genesis onward to coincide with the new year, I came to this story and have some fresh insight, but some things are still ‘old’ to me from those sermon notes. There are subjects and doctrines we know theologically, but not necessarily when it comes to obedience on those subjects.

Obedience comes when we do what God says no matter the requirement of us. The only thing most dear to Abraham was exactly the thing God was asking for; God wasn’t testing Abraham with killing his wife Sarah, or his other son Ishmael or any other family member dear to him, though he loved them very much—those weren’t the test of obedience. God required Isaac—the very promise Abraham had waited quite some time for.

God knows in each and every one of our hearts what issue or priority or “Isaac” He can put His finger on, and watch us resist with all our might—but I think that is the most significant act of worship we can offer Him—what we want and don’t want to let go of in our hearts, but be willing to do it for Him anyway.

The thing God requires of us may not even be something sinful we even need to let go of in the first place. There may not even be something wrong with it—but it’s a heart issue where God’s desire for your detachment from it is rooted in His desire for you to obey Him above anything else.

Think also of how it was the next day that Abraham left and took his servants and son; this is still plenty of time to think and assess the situation; do you think he might have slept soundly the night before–if he’s like us?

Based on our understanding of Romans 4 that says “he wavered not in unbelief”, he slept soundly because of His faith in God’s ability to keep His promise to bless him and make of him many nations. Keep in mind, it took two more days of traveling before Abraham and his small company got to their destination, which is still plenty of time to contemplate and consider what he was doing!

Obedience to God is how He will bless you.

Verse 5 indicates Abraham knew either his son wasn’t going to die, or that his son was going to be raised from the dead. So, he proceeded to do what the Lord told him, with no indication from the text that he necessarily expected to get rewarded for it—he just obeyed, and packed up and went on this journey the next morning. He didn’t go get counsel from his board of elders as to if he really heard God or not. He didn’t go pray and pray for months before “getting to that place where he could go through with it” (like we do—those of us who are honest with ourselves anyway).

When God gives us an unusual challenge, requiring nothing but our obedience, how many times do we hesitate?

Verse 12 indicates the angel of the Lord stopped Abraham because he saw Abraham lifting that knife up to kill his son. I don’t believe Abraham had any hesitation. I don’t believe his hands were trembling and he thought “what if this is a joke of some kind”. I believe he was surrendered enough to God, Who had given him such a promise in the first place.

Keep in mind, if you have read my previous entry about Abraham’s ‘track record’ described in Romans 4:13-25, that Abraham:

  • Knew that God gives life to the dead (Rom 4:17)
  • Knew that God calls into existence the things that do not exist (v.17)
  • Did not weaken in faith (v. 19)
  • Didn’t count his own body as good as dead with regard to being able to have conceived Isaac in the first place. (v. 19)
  • Didn’t let any distrust make him waver (v.20)
  • Grew strong in his faith (v.21)
  • And was FULLY CONVINCED God was able to do what he promised (v.21)

That being understood, I don’t believe it was accredited to him as righteousness because he was merely willing to kill Isaac–his promise–when asked to, but because he actually went ahead to do it. There’s a big difference between merely being willing to do something, and actually doing it, and it’s necessary to put Abraham into the second category.

Notice, in verses 13-14, a provision was made for Abraham, but he would not have seen it had he not stepped out and gone where he was told in the first place. The ram mentioned was caught in a thicket by its horns on a mountain where God had told Abraham to go. If anything, the act was not rewarded until the obedience was acted out.

What if Abraham hadn’t obeyed? I’ll give you a hint to that answer, in Gen 22:16-18 “By myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”

Figure it out. It is necessary to obey God.

Sometimes we only obey God because we think if we do He will reward us (which I can and have taken this passage to mean). I’ve been counseled “give it to God and He will give it back to you.” But that doesn’t always come true, and is not necessarily what this passage shows. God just says “give it to me and I don’t know “owe” you anything!”

So seriously, kill your Isaac, and not expect it back.