Abraham was tested. God instructed him to take his only son, begotten by grace, and offer him as a sacrifice.
An agonized journey
It is impossible to comprehend the stunning agony and grief Abraham endured as he travelled some 50 miles to the special place God had chosen. The distance is important for two reasons: first, the isolation made him totally dependent on God, for he was far removed from his own flocks; second, Abraham had much time to think about what he had been told to do.
Trudging through the rock-strewn wilderness was a company of men who were deeply involved with the future of mankind. For most of his life, Abraham had done whatever God had asked without complaint or demurring question. He was a man of faith and this instance was no exception.
For three long, tiring days they pressed on until Abraham saw the place designated by God. He loaded a bundle of wood onto Isaac’s back. Abraham carried the fire and a knife. As they went alone to the hill, Isaac asked, “Father…the fire and wood are here but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” (Gen. 22:7) (All quotations are from the NIV.)
Abraham’s voice must have quavered as he answered: “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.’ And the two of them went on together.”
God’s love did not fail
Abraham built the altar and arranged the wood on it. Then he carefully bound Isaac as he would a lamb and lifted him onto the wood. The fire and the knife were at hand. Isaac would no doubt be confused and uncertain, yet he trusted his father and submitted to this unusual act. But how was this to fit into God’s plan of promise? He was the heir.
As Abraham reached for the knife, a voice shattered the silence of the place, “Abraham! Abraham!…do not lay a hand on the boy. ..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.” And Abraham heard the ram behind him struggling in the thicket. God had shown plainly His unfailing love.
Another time, another son
Our thoughts go to another time and another Father who, in the same place, made a supreme offering thereby demonstrating His righteousness for all time. He gave His only Son, Jesus, in order to show His unfailing love toward those who respond to His outstretched hands. This time, there was no alternate sacrifice caught in the thicket. His son was the lamb! This was the “mountaintop” of God’s purpose for mankind for “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son…”
A time of anguish
The son expressed his grief: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?. ..And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit…(The Father responded:) At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.” (Mt. 28:46-53)
Sin conquered
The darkness of sin had had its way; but at the resurrection of the Son of God, sin would be conquered once for all, and all mankind could see, if they chose, God’s unfailing love. “…the Lord Jesus Christ…gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father.” (Gal. 1:3-4)
Unfailing love continued
The early ecclesia was nurtured by God’s unfailing love so that, as it grew, Peter could write of it (and of us), “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” (I Peter 1:9-10)
Prophecy and fulfillment
The records of God’s grace with Abraham and with the cross become inseparable. One is the prophecy and the other is the fulfillment.
The symbol of death by sacrifice would not escape Abraham. In a split second, the knife which he raised in obedience– could have slain this son of promise. But the depth of his faith insisted that he must do what God had commanded. Only Isaac did not understand until later what part he had played in this unusual test of another man’s faith. Over and over, God has selected men through whom His promise would flow. Always His unfailing love was manifested.
In this allegory, Isaac represents Jesus and the sticks symbolized griefs, sorrows, transgressions and sin. As he walked the final distance, the branches on Isaac’s back would rub and irritate his flesh and probably draw blood. The burden would become heavier each painful step of the way.
Every man’s burdens
Men rarely understand the burdens of their lives; the presence of burdens is taken for granted — something about which nothing can be done. And so they go through their threescore years and ten either quietly accepting what life lays on them or else fighting it every agonizing foot of the way.
Unfortunately, even saints in Christ too often fall into this trap. Which of our sticks digs deepest? Is it the lack of trust in God? Perhaps fear and anxiety? Or is it jealousy and resentment? Maybe we still carry our sins with us — never forgiven. Could it be the confusion of who we are and where we are going?
How easily we forget that Jesus commanded us to cast our burdens upon him. He has already dragged his cross and our enormous burden of sin to Golgotha. We don’t have to let these sticks become great logs. He willingly forgives them.
Helping the other
Neither do we have to stand by and watch our friends and neighbors struggle with their load of gnarled branches. We always have the opportunity to help lift the weight from their shoulders. As a matter of fact, we’re commanded to do this. “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (Mk. 16:15-16)
Here is our commission to be log movers. And here also is the frightening realization that there will be many who will never hear the word of God because we never preached to them.
God is reasonable
God, we may say, is asking more of us than we are able to give. The cost seems too high and our energy too low. We want to do more, but how? What are we to do? Before we can help others, we need to help ourselves. Jesus knew there would be shortages of strength and resolve. He experienced weariness, frustration and disappointment, but we find him in the mountain in deep, sincere prayer before his Father. He trusted his Father in each crisis and he knew his Father would supply his every need.
Relying on God’s love
God promised Jesus the power of His help and Jesus took full advantage of it. This same privilege can be ours, but we must be prepared to give of ourselves as God asks us to. We can do it because we have the assurance that He will never ask us to go beyond our own personal limit.
Help from the word
The most obvious source of God’s help is His word, given to us to provide divine wisdom and comfort. From this word we know the mind of Christ and how he dealt with overpowering problems. He brought everything to his Father and rested in God’s unfailing love. He was always helped.
“Listen to my prayer, 0 God,” Jesus would read from the Psalms, “do not ignore my plea; hear me and answer me. My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught…But I call to God and the LORD saves me. Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress and he hears my voice.” (Psa. 55:1-2, 16-17)
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One