#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.