Legacy
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6 Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. And the two of them walked on together. 7 Isaac said to his father Abraham, "Father!" And he said, "Here I am, my son." He said, "The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" 8 Abraham said, "God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son." And the two of them walked on together. 9 When they came to the place that God had shown him, Abraham built an altar there and laid the wood in order. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. 10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to kill his son. 11 But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." 12 He said, "Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me." (Genesis 22:6-12)
God asked Abraham to do the unthinkable. After blessing him and Sarah with their long-awaited son, Isaac, God tested Abraham's faith by commanding that he sacrifice Isaac. As heartbreakingly cruel - perhaps too cruel to share with Sarah - as this request must have felt, Abraham prepared to obey without question. Yet, as he and Isaac travelled with 2 servants to the location for the sacrifice, Abraham directed the servants to wait at a designated place so that he and Isaac could continue alone. Abraham said they would both return after completing the sacrifice. When God had promised to make a great nation through an elderly Abraham and his barren wife, Sarah, each of them laughed. But now Abraham trusted that somehow, someway, God would keep God's promise
despite this impossible request.
We can not forget about Isaac. He was old enough to be fully aware of what was happening - so aware, in fact, that he asked his father where the offering was. There is no mention of Isaac struggling as his father tied him down, laid him on the pile of wood, and took the knife in his hand. Perhaps the sheer terror of that moment caused him to freeze up in silent horror. Also, while Sarah had been a full partner with Abraham at the outset of their journey, through the years of waiting, and in their eventual celebration, she was notably absent from this portion of the narrative. Did Abraham fear that Sarah would not share his faith, that she would try to stop him? Given that at the end of this chapter we're told that Abraham returned to Beersheba but, at the start of the next chapter, Abraham had to travel to Hebron to get to Sarah when she died, it seems likely that our founding faith family struggled to remain in tact after this traumatic experience.
Although God frequently spoke only to Abraham, God had blessed him with family and community to share his walk with God. By choosing to shoulder the weight of this experience alone, Abraham may have fractured the trust he had spent a lifetime building. Isaac would go on to have his own favored son, creating fertile ground for continued division and turmoil. Our families and communities are gifts from God, and we do them - and ourselves - no favors when we withhold the ways God is calling us, especially if they will be impacted. God had already proven that God could handle misunderstandings and lack of trust. How much healthier might this family have been if they had worked through this together - each being given the opportunity to trust God for themselves? With God's help, may we leave a legacy of faith that is open and honest with those closest to us - those most directly impacted by our journey.
1 How good and pleasant it is
when God’s people live together in unity!
2 It is like precious oil poured on the head,
running down on the beard,
running down on Aaron’s beard,
down on the collar of his robe.
3 It is as if the dew of Hermon
were falling on Mount Zion.
For there the Lord bestows his blessing,
even life forevermore.
(Psalm 133)
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