Text - Genesis 22:1-14
Homily by the Rev. Dr. David Smith
Abraham's Test
The story of Abraham’s
willingness to sacrifice Isaac is frightening. I still remembering hearing it in Bible School one summer and
having a panic attack. The next time my father asked if I wanted to go fishing
with him I had second thoughts. “No, you go ahead, I think I’ll stick around
the house with Mom.”
Of course if someone were to do that
sort of thing today, child services and the police would have a field
day.
But it was a different time and a
different place. Child sacrifice was not unusual, particularly among the Canaanite tribes even
as late as 800 B.C. It was a sign of ultimate religious fervor and
loyalty to one’s god, and the fact that Abraham was willing to move in that
direction indicated to all his neighbors that he was as devoted to his god as
they were to theirs.
Fortunately, God stopped Abraham in
the nick of time and from then on, one of the story’s purposes was to serve as
a polemic against child sacrifice and an announcement that Hebrew people would
have nothing to do with it.
However, the story is there
nonetheless, and indeed God did instruct Abraham to kill his favored son, and
we still think it has a touch of lunacy and weirdness that God would suggest
such a thing.
But before we jump too quickly to condemn God’s purpose and intentions, the event needs some context – God’s request for Abraham to sacrifice Isaac does not happen in a vacuum.
There is a bunch
of stuff that leads up to it.
- God’s covenant to Abraham (land, descendants,
and a blessing)
- Abraham giving his wife Sarah to the
Egyptian Pharaoh to keep from getting killed
- Dividing the land with Lot
- Willingly having a child by Hagar (Ishmael)
- Not believing Sarah would have a child in he
old age
And at every turn, God did exactly what was promised. But Abraham stayed skeptical.
Yet, when God said, “I want the
boy,” something prompted Abraham to agree.
Precisely what those reasons were
are not known, but some reasonable assumptions can be made and insights
gleaned.
I think it is safe to say, that
Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Isaac is a product of his age. Not
that he had dementia and completely lost control of his faculties, but rather
in his waning years, Abraham had finally taken the time to reflect; to look
back over his life and realize that at every turn God’s promises had been kept,
that every need for Abraham and his family had been met, that Abraham had
become a wealthy and powerful man, that God’s providence had unfolded and God’s
protection been offered. That God’s
demands on Abraham had not been unreasonable.
The ultimate nature of Abraham’s
faith had been a long time coming. He
was a very old man, and finally now he was able to submit.
Surrendering, submitting is not
natural for us. We want control,
and like Abraham, we too believe we have it, until much later in life when the
weight of the years and preponderance of the evidence indicate otherwise. If we question the veracity of our own
faith, and wonder if we truly put our trust in God, the answer is more than
likely “no”. Yet, there is still
time. Abraham was nearing 100 when
it finally occurred to him.
There is something else for us to
see too; that despite Abraham’s unwillingness to believe and have confidence in
God’s promises of land, descendants and a blessing, God’s care, love and
providence in Abraham’s life never wavered.
God’s faithfulness to us is not contingent on our faithfulness to
God.
Far too often we think that the
level of God’s involvement in our lives, the intensity of God’s love for us is
dependent on the level of our involvement and the intensity of our love for
God. Let me ask you this:
- Do you love God completely? (no)
- Do you love God enough? (no)
- Do you love God at all?
- Is there a modicum of devotion to God in your heart and soul? Yes,
otherwise you wouldn’t bother being here.
And fortunately our relationship with God is not quid pro quo…this for
that. God leads, protects and provides
with little or nothing in return.
And finally, what the story
clearly reveals is that God is far more interested in life than death. The entirety of Isaac’s involvement in this
story is about life. How life came to
Sarah in her old age. How in the middle
of her own gloom and despair, having never had a child, she was able finally to
laugh at the prospect, and be given a new lease.
The same is true for Abraham. He got a great kick out of watching his
children grow and play. And even when
God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, Abraham’s willingness to do so revealed
vitality and life in his trust and devotion to God never experienced until
then.
And in the end with a smile on
his face, God stops Abraham, who now in the waning days of his life is truly
alive.
In the name of the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Spirit,
Amen.