#33 - Looking Back

Genesis 25:8-16

Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and full of years; and he was gathered to his people. His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite, the field Abraham had bought from the Hittites. There Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah. After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, who then lived near Beer Lahai Roi.

This is the account of the family line of Abraham’s son Ishmael, whom Sarah’s slave, Hagar the Egyptian, bore to Abraham.

These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, listed in the order of their birth: Nebaioth the firstborn of Ishmael, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish and Kedemah. These were the sons of Ishmael, and these are the names of the twelve tribal rulers according to their settlements and camps.

Comments

Because Sarah had wanted Isaac to inherit all of Abraham’s wealth, she had insisted Abraham send Ishmael and his mother into the desert where they soon came to the point of death.

God heard the cries of Ishmael and Hagar. He rescued them by showing them a source of water and promising them a future.

God’s promise to Ishmael was clearly fulfilled. Not only did he survive in the desert; he became the father of twelve sons who in turn each became leaders of their own tribes. This was also a fulfilled promise for Abraham whom God had told would be the father of nations.

Reflections

Ishmael owed both his birth and his banishment to Sarah. This is another story of God bringing good out of people’s bad choices. Have you experienced anything like that in your life?

Prayer

Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who fulfills your promises in ways we eventually understand.

#32 - A Servant's Prayer

Genesis 24:10-14

Then the servant left, taking with him ten of his master’s camels loaded with all kinds of good things from his master. He set out for Aram Naharaim and made his way to the town of Nahor. He had the camels kneel down near the well outside the town; it was toward evening, the time the women go out to draw water.

Then he prayed, “Lord, God of my master Abraham, make me successful today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. May it be that when I say to a young woman, ‘Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too’—let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.”

Comments

Here was a servant on his master’s errand, praying to his master’s God for kindness to be shown to his master. Even though the servant prayed for success, it was not the self-serving prayer of personal ambition, but one that sought only the welfare of his master. 

It was also a very practical prayer. The sign from God for which the servant prayed was not something impractical like the color of her hair or the beauty of her features; the servant was asking that Isaac’s wife be someone who was hard-working and gracious. Giving a drink of water to a thirsty man was not all that special, but drawing enough water for ten camels was hospitality in the extreme.

Reflections

The servant prayed for the welfare of his master. Do you more often pray for yourself or for others?

God answered the servant’s prayer, but it would not have happened had not Rebekah been willing to play her part. Has God ever used you to answer someone’s prayer? Has God ever used someone else to answer your prayer?

Prayer

Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who still answers the prayers of humble servants.

#31 Nothing Withheld

Genesis 22:12-18

“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 went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So 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.”

The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”

Comments

Abraham’s story shows us “the fear of God” is something of a misnomer. Abraham and Isaac teach us about trust, not fear.

We can easily imagine Isaac fearing for his life and fighting against his father, but there is no evidence of this in the story. At an earlier point Isaac asks what is being sacrificed, but he accepts Abraham’s answer, “The Lord will provide.” Nothing is said about Isaac fighting against the ropes that bound him; the clear implication is that Isaac trusted his father in spite of what was happening to him.

Likewise, we can easily imagine Abraham agonizing about what was happening and moving ahead only because he was too afraid of God to disobey, but there is no evidence of this in the story either. Abraham gives every evidence of being at peace, trusting God in spite of what was being asked of him.

Isaac trusted Abraham and Abraham trusted God. Everything was given; nothing was withheld. Such faith blesses all of us.

Reflections

When something goes wrong in your life, do you jump to the conclusion that God is punishing you for something?

When you put yourself in God’s hands, are you able to trust that whatever happens to you will turn out okay?

Prayer

Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who has been proven loving, good and trustworthy from generation to generation.

#30 God Knows

Genesis 22:9-12

When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on 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.”

Comments

The drama of this story grips us powerfully if we give free rein to our imagination. We can so easily picture the terror of an innocent child, the anguish of a loving father and the cruelty of an uncaring deity.

We must be careful, though, not to let our imagination blind us to what the story reveals about God, who ultimately made it very clear that Abraham was not to harm Isaac in any way.

Abraham’s ordeal reveals the extent of the free will God has given us. It is hard to imagine “Now I know” meaning something other than God not knowing beforehand how Abraham would respond in this situation. Our view of God’s sovereignty must take into account stories such as this.

Genesis gives no insight into why God needed to know the depth of Abraham’s faith and trust. What we know, however, as we read this story in light of Jesus’ crucifixion is this: God sacrificed his only son in a way that Abraham never actually had to do.

Reflections

How do you react to this story? Do you rage against God for what he asked of Abraham and Isaac, or do you trust as they did in God’s love and provision even when the situation argues against it?

Prayer

Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who calls us to live by faith in your goodness and love.

#29: God Will Provide

Genesis 22:4-8

On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”

Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”

“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.

“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.

Comments

Abraham was once again on a journey in response to God’s call. His first journey had begun more than 30 years earlier when God had called him to leave his homeland and everything he had known to travel to a new land where he would become a great nation.

Abraham had followed God in faith to that new land and had waited 25 years for Isaac to be born. Now God had called him to travel to another land for another purpose: to sacrifice his son and his future along with it.

Reflections

Abraham followed in faith, accepting that his son and the future God had promised were not under his control. Have you experienced times when events beyond your control threatened your life or the well-being of those you loved? How did you respond?

As Abraham journeyed to the mountain, his focus was on God’s provision rather than on his own loss. In times of crisis, have you found yourself drawing closer to God or moving further away?

Prayer

Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who calls us to trust in your provision even in the face of great loss. 

#28: Abraham's Test

Genesis 22:1-3

Sometime later God tested Abraham. He said, “Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”

Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about.

Comments

Modern readers may recoil in horror as they read this story, seeing in it clear evidence of God’s cruelty in asking Abraham to sacrifice his son.

Ancient readers would have seen it quite differently. Human sacrifice as a means of appeasing God’s wrath or of gaining God’s favor was a typical element in many ancient religions.

The story of how God tested Abraham has many twists and turns as the story unfolds. It starts with God being painfully clear about who is to be sacrificed: “your son, your only son, whom you love – Isaac.”

God realized the difficulty of what he was asking. Abraham had already lost his first son, Ishmael, because Sarah had insisted that Abraham get rid of him. Now God told him to give up his only remaining son.

God also realized this was a son whom Abraham loved. God referred to him by name, Isaac, a painful irony given its Hebrew meaning: “laughter.”

Reflections

Abraham was asked to sacrifice his future; Jesus was asked to sacrifice his life; both endured an incredible test. What are some of the similarities and differences between these stories?

What God asked Abraham to do made no sense to him, and yet he obeyed. Is your willingness to obey God contingent on the sensibility of what God asks you to do?

Prayer

Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who feels the pain of the tests we face.

#27: God Hears

Genesis 21:14-19

Early the next morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He set them on her shoulders and then sent her off with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the Desert of Beersheba.

When the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes. Then she went off and sat down about a bowshot away, for she thought, “I cannot watch the boy die.” And as she sat there, she began to sob.

God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.”

Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.

Comments

Hagar’s life had been full of trouble and now it seemed to be coming to an end. She had been a foreigner and a slave, given by her mistress to bear the child of her master, and ultimately cast out with her son into the desert with none of Abraham’s wealth to support her, but only as much bread and water as she could carry.

To Sarah she had been nameless, referred to only as “that slave woman” when Sarah told Abraham to get rid of her. By contrast, God heard her cries, knew her name, and gave her a new life.

Reflections

Phyllis Trible says of Hagar that “…all sorts of rejected women find their stories in her. She is the faithful maid exploited, the black woman used by the male and abused by the female of the ruling class, the surrogate mother, the resident alien without legal recourse, the other woman, the runaway youth, the religious fleeing from affliction, the pregnant young woman alone, the expelled wife, the divorced mother with child, the shopping bag lady carrying bread and water, the homeless woman, the indigent relying upon handouts from the power structures, the welfare mother, and the self-effacing female whose own identity shrinks in service to others.” How do God's people respond to these Hagars of our own day?

God opened Hagar’s eyes to see a well of water that would save the life of Hagar and her son. Has God ever helped you see hope where you thought there was none?

Prayer

Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who hears our cries and shows us hope.

#26: Abraham's Distress

Genesis 21:8-13

The child grew and was weaned, and on the day Isaac was weaned Abraham held a great feast. But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking, and she said to Abraham, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.”

The matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son. But God said to him, “Do not be so distressed about the boy and your slave woman. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. I will make the son of the slave into a nation also, because he is your offspring.”

Comments

The birth of Isaac brought laughter into Sarah’s life, but it was not long before the joy she felt gave way to her hatred for Ishmael. Sarah was particularly upset by the custom of giving the older son the largest share of the father’s estate. Even though the birth of Ishmael had been Sarah’s idea, she was incensed that he would receive any of Abraham’s great wealth. When she complained to Abraham, Sarah could not even refer to Hagar and Ishmael by name.

Not surprisingly, such animosity within his family brought great distress to Abraham. God came to him with words of comfort, saying that the son of the slave who held no value in Sarah’s eyes was of great importance to God: Ishmael would not inherit Abraham’s wealth, but he would become the father of a nation.

Reflections

Abraham’s wealth was more than enough for his sons to share, and yet Sarah wanted it all for her son. Do you find it easy or hard to be gracious and generous?

In the midst of Abraham’s distress over conflict in his family, God brought words of hope and comfort. Have you experienced something like that? Have you told anyone about it?

Prayer

Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who comforts us in our distress over the mess we have made of our lives and our families.