I'm struck by the fact that God can ask people to do things that are difficult, seemingly without purpose, and, from our perspective, wrong. God asking Abraham to sacrifice Issac was all of those things. Would I be willing to do to my son what Abraham was willing to do to Issac? I certainly get choked up even thinking about it. But then I say to myself, "What choice would I have?" I cannot accept rejecting God completely. So, the only alternative is to do what He says and trust Him.
While we may not have to sacrifice our sons, there are plenty of things that God requires of us that are hard. There are plenty of unanswered question in our lives. There are plenty of things that don't make sense to me. In all these things, though, the truth remains that God is real. He loves us. He has told us what he expects through His Word. And, as long as those truths stand, we just have to press forward often into the unknown, trusting in Him. There isn't an alternative. Perhaps that a grim perspective, but it may be the only one when you're asked to do something as hard as sacrificing your son.
Not only at the moment Abraham almost sacrificed his son, but all throughout his life, Abraham's faith was tested and he was asked to do God's will, regardless of how confusing or mysterious it may have seemed at the time. Abraham spent his life pressing forward into the unknown. In Chapter 12, God told him to leave his father's land and journey to an unknown place. He was promised a great nation, and spent many years of his life living in expectation of that promise being fulfilled. In his old age, he was promised a son, which seemed impossible to him, given his old age. At times, Abraham did exactly as God asked without questioning Him (leaving his father's land; sacrificing Isaac), but at times he did have doubts (he was promised a great nation and doubted it was possible at his age; he feared that the Egyptians would kill him because of Sarah, even though the promise of a son had not yet been fulfilled through him). We are just like Abraham in this way.
ReplyDeleteGod had a plan for Abraham and his life, just like he has a plan for us and for our lives. As Todd mentioned above, there is no alternative other than to press forward and trust His plan. We may never be asked to demonstrate our faith in such a hard way as sacrificing a child, but we must daily demonstrate our faith, patience, and trust in the plans that God has for our lives, and resist doubting when God doesn't act according to our plans or our schedule.
Some Families have in a way had to "sacrifice" their children. When their children no longer follow the will of God, they are commanded to follow 1 Corinthians and no longer associate with them.
ReplyDeleteI know a few families who no longer see or speak to those fallen away members and it breaks their heart(they do it out of love for their children and for God)! We need to remember those families and sacrifices that Christians make on a daily basis that we may not even be aware of!