God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son. Genesis 22:8 (NIV)

The Bigger Test of Faith – The Sacrifice and Sons Series – Part 4

Go to PART 1  |  PART 2  |  PART 3  |  PART 4  |  PART 5  |   PART 6

The story of Abraham and Isaac has always troubled me.

I was preacher's daughter and spent most of my spare time at Church, or church events, or church-related events at my parent's house or another pastor's house. Our whole life centered around Church. It was beautiful. I have many happy memories of that time. But it had a shadow side, too.

We sacrificed everything for the Church. And when we used to read this passage in Genesis 22 about Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son, I would shudder in my seat. At times, I often felt like Isaac walking to his death with someone he trusted. Would I be sacrificed? Would God provide a ram, a sacrifice replacement for me?

For the longest time, I thought that if I really trusted God, and if I really had faith in the Divine, I would walk willingly toward the altar. “Though he slay me, yet will I trust him” type stuff. (Job 13:15.) I thought Church was more important than me. It was more important than my health, academic pursuits, my birthday. The individual gives way to the community. Collateral damage part of the story. And like Isaac seemed to give himself willingly, I did, too. It was what you did, right? That’s what trust is, right? That’s how you prove to God that you’d follow him anywhere, right?

No.

Trust is not blindly following someone. Trust is not walking toward an altar while your companion holds the knife. Some may actually call that abuse.

The promise God gave to Abraham about decedents and blessing belonged to Isaac, too. He would have heard the stories, perhaps around the campfire at night while staring into the starry heavens wondering how many children he would have, and what things he would do to bless the earth, rather than curse it. What was he going through on that day when his father was willing to kill him because of how much he loved God?

The story doesn’t add up.

All through the Old Testament, the Divine condemned child sacrifice.
He told Abraham that he was going to do something NEW, different, revolutionary, through him. Something that would bring blessing to EVERYONE. A child sacrifice was not new, and it didn’t prove to bless anyone or anything.

So when God created a scene that would be told again and again and again, about a man with a promise of newness and blessing, who was asked to sacrifice that promise in line with age-old traditions, who was then saved from sacrificing that promise – rescued from repeating the same pattern of sacrifice of all the other tribes – we have to ask ourselves, what’s the message in the drama?

Because that’s a function of ancient Hebrew literature. The drama is part of the story. The more dramatic, the bigger the point. And the message is in the contrast not necessarily in the details.

“Isaac spoke up and said, “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. “ (Genesis 22:7-8 NIV.)

God will provide.

Was Abraham submitting to God’s command, or was he participating in an unfolding drama of what blessing looks like?

We are so used to the idea of “either, or” of “you can’t have both” it's “all or nothing,” that we fail to see the subtle language and nuance of this revolutionary story. I grew up believing that this story was my death sentence. God would one day ask me, perhaps always ask me, to give up what I love to achieve what I was born for. OR, that I would be the something given up.

I have done the former and experienced the latter, and neither was a holy occurrence.

Life is not a zero-sum game. And yes, while sacrifices happen, and they must, sometimes the bigger test of faith and trust lies in what you don’t willingly offer on an altar.

Go to Part 5 – At Work Within Me »

Written by Lizzy Milani

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