Genesis 22:1-8 When God’s way does not make sense

Genesis 22:1-8

Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2 He said, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.” 3 So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son; and he split wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. 

4 On the third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from a distance. 5 Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you.” 6 Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son, and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. 7 Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” And he said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” 8 Abraham said, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together.

Background

God’s incredible promises of blessings for Abraham is matched by His tremendous demands upon Abraham’s faith. Against the backdrop of Abraham’s prosperity in the land of the Philistines, God initiates a test that is sure to strain Abraham’s faith and obedience to the utmost. With no explanation, God requests for Abraham’s only son to be sacrificed on a mountain of God’s choice. Abraham is torn between his affection for his only son and his love for God, between his faith in God’s promises and the impossibility of fulfilling it. Today’s devotion showcases Abraham’s response when God’s ways does not make sense.

Observation

Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”

“After these things…” suggests that at least 10 years from the time Isaac is weaned has elapsed (see Genesis 21:8). For no child will be able to carry a load of firewood unless he is well into his teens. Here, God initiates a heart wrenching test for Abraham that will decide his destiny in the salvation plans of God. The Hebrew word “tested” means to test in order to reveal if one proves worthy. “Testing” generally involves hardship and tribulation, the purpose of which is to discover what is in one’s heart; to trust, to be loyal or not.

He said, “(Please) take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering…”

The Hebrew involves a particle of entreaty that attaches “please” to the command “take”. Here, God issues an appeal to Abraham to offer his son as a burnt offering: (Please) take now your son. The burnt offering which consist of a bird or sheep is offered to atone for the worshiper’s sins. But to offer a human being as burnt offering is quite out of question. Bearing in mind the costliness of the request, an appeal as opposed to an assertive order is most fitting. The lack of an immediate response on Abraham’s part hints at God’s intent to provide room for Abraham to consider and possibly to decline His radical request. God’s extended description of Abraham’s son (your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac) communicates deliberateness that He is well aware of what He is requesting of Abraham. God’s request is no doubt morally and theologically speaking radical and from a human perspective illogical and absurd. Nevertheless, Abraham’s response is swift: So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey. The fact that God’s entreaty holds no spoken consequence speaks profoundly of Abraham’s obedience and his unreserved faith in the all-powerful, wise and perfectly loving God. Abraham’s decision to sacrifice his son stems purely from a heart that seeks to please God under all circumstances.

Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you.”

Here is where the covenant and the promises produce their potent effect in reinforcing Abraham’s faith in God. The many questions that concern God’s righteousness: Is God just in requiring an elderly man’s only son as a burnt offering? Questions that concern God’s wisdom: How is God going to fulfil the promises of descendants and blessings to the nations if Isaac is sacrificed? Questions that concerns morality: Is it morally right to take a man’s life? For Abraham, the many enigmas find their full resolution through faith in God. In full confidence, Abraham assures his servants of their safe return: we will worship and return to you.

And he said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

Isaac’s innocent and unsuspecting question pierces Abraham’s heart like an arrow. Abraham knows for sure that Isaac will be sacrificed. But at the same time, he believes that Isaac will live through which the promise may be fulfilled (see Genesis 21:12). Thus, it is possible that Abraham has resolved in any case that Isaac will be raised alive from the ashes. According to Hebrews 11:17-19, Abraham is spoken of as possessing resurrection faith. Nevertheless, Abraham’s response to Isaac’s question (God will provide…) shows us his approach to life’s testings: no matter how challenging and impossible circumstances may be, to always walk pleasing to God in the light of His providence.

Truth

Testing is the crucible through which men become perfected as conduits of salvation.

God establishes an unchanging principle that the world can only be saved through the ministry of the righteous. Throughout biblical history, God uses an unbroken chain of godly men for this purpose: from Seth to Enoch, to Noah, to Abraham, to David, to Jesus; a total of 76 generations. Each generation dependent on previous generations to carry the seed of salvation to future generations. Therefore, it is of paramount importance that faithful men be raised and approved through the crucible of testings. Indeed, before God builds His ministry, He must first build His ministers. Before God build strong companies, He builds good managers. Therefore, we count it a blessing to be tested and moulded so that we may accomplish our calling. Jesus is effective in neutralising God’s wrath over humanity because He cares not for His own life but gives Himself up for the salvation of the world (see Hebrews 10:8-10).

The world looks to men with influence and abilities but God looks for those who trust and obey. Today, God is actively calling and raising up righteous men and women through the crucible of testings. When a man passes the test, God exalts him to a higher level of blessing and authority. As for Abraham, God confers upon him the quintessential model of blessedness and faith for all believers.

Testings come in a form of a divine command that seeks to uncover the posture of a man’s heart and where his desires lie. Here, God tests and strains Abraham’s faith and obedience to the utmost so as to reveal his deepest emotional attachments and affections. Does one trust and obey because it benefits him? Does one love the gift more than the God who gives? Job is tested of his convictions concerning God’s righteousness when his family and all that he possesses are summarily wiped out in a single day.

What does God seek to uncover in the process of testing?

• God uncovers the motives of our service by withholding men’s approval and reward that are normally associated with it.
• God uncovers our addiction to fame and popularity by the approval of the masses whose hearts are far from Him.
• God uncovers the strength of our love through betrayals by those whom we cherish and serve.
• God uncovers the depth of our loyalty by creating tension between God’s commands and our desires.
• God uncovers the depth of our compassion through the needs of people who can never repay us.
• God uncovers the depth of our faith in God’s righteousness by allowing the wicked to prosper and the righteous to suffer unjustly.
• God uncovers our insecurities through rejection from our own disciples and children.
• God uncovers our state of humility by the rebukes of godly people.
• God uncovers our hidden ambitions by muting our success.
• God uncovers our own selfishness and deceit by subjecting us to the treatment of selfish and deceitful people.

Testings uncover our true nature, by which God humbles and sanctifies. The goal of testing is to create in believers divine wisdom, compassion and power to do His work.

What should our attitude be in times of testings? To always walk pleasing to God in the light of His promises no matter how challenging and impossible circumstances may be. Hence, believers must constantly meditate on God’s unchanging attributes and His promises. In so doing, we may find strength to persevere and gain God’s approval in the crucible of testings.

When God’s way does not make sense.

God’s request to sacrifice Isaac does not seem to make moral or theological sense. And in human perspectives, completely illogical and absurd. Yet it is still the very word of God, perfect and righteous in every way. God, in attesting to the soundness of His instructions to Abraham sacrifices His only Son for the salvation of the world. What is considered as absurd is celebrated today as the unsearchable wisdom of God in action. You may be in a dead end situation with no solution in sight. Yet, God has asked you to place your trust in Him by doing something totally unrelated to the problem at hand. God is in fact testing your faith by His seemingly foolish instructions. The prophet Isaiah says concerning God’s unconventional methods in saving Israel and the world,

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways
And My thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9

When God sees your trust and obedience, He will then proceed to solve your problems. Man’s basic instinct at the face of challenges is to look for solutions. Problems are not meant to be solved, they are meant to hone our character towards perfection. Therefore, we need to divert our attention from devising solutions but to listen to God’s instructions. Abraham, in the face of unanswered questions proceeds to carry out God’s request. Jesus, in great distress drinks the cup while wondering if there is another way besides the way of the cross (see Matthew 26:39,42). These men though not having fully understood allow God’s will to be fully executed through their lives. The outcome is one of exaltation and joy, having fully trusted and obeyed the word of God.

One brother admits that the unusual problems at the work place actually point to his neglect for his family and for God. He recommits his life to God by spending more time with his family and to the ministry of the word. To his surprise, the problems at work begin to go away and his career takes a turn for good.

Application

Are you currently being tested in your family, career and ministry? Be assured that God has in mind to exalt you, not to destroy you. Life’s testings serve to point you to God’s time table of sanctification so that you may accomplish your calling. Come to God and commune with Him. You will come away wiser, more forgiving, and less worrisome, less impetuous and more focused.

Are you frequently plagued by enigmas of why God allows injustice to continue in this world? Or do you tend towards being skeptical, headstrong, and unaccustomed to taking directives from God? As a result, you often feel lost and insecure of the future. Humble yourself by acknowledging the superiority of God’s wisdom, sovereignty and power over you. Exercise faith by entrusting to Him the things that you do not understand nor have control over. By reading the word daily, God will give you insights into things that even geniuses have no clue.

Dear Lord, I acknowledge your wisdom through the many testings of life. I thank you for moulding me so that I may be equipped to bring salvation to my community and nation. Give me a Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that I may know your ways. Even though I do not yet fully understand your workings, I will put my complete trust in you. I ask that you bless me like you have blessed Abraham. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.