Reflection for February 9, 2017

" and said, “By myself I have sworn, says the Lord: Because you have done this, and have not withheld your son, your only son,"(Genesis 22:16)

There are times in life when I feel I'm being tested, often by others, but perhaps by God as well.  I'm not certain why I need to be tested. Frankly I hate tests. But in this part of Genesis we read of a "test of faith."  Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac, or potential sacrifice of Isaac.  It is viewed as a tremendous show of faith on Abraham's part, though I don't see it that way.

I've always found it fascinating that Abraham who had no problem dickering with God over the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah, is eerily silent when God makes this request of him.  And of course Sarah isn't even consulted as to what she thinks of this idea.  We are told that God shows up at the last moment and basically says "you pass! Here's a ram to sacrifice instead."  

I've pondered whether it is possible that maybe God isn't the one doing the test. Is it possible that something else asked this of Abraham and God puts a stop to it before it was too late.  The problem is that except for a continuing story of Isaac, who by the way isn't a strong leader as a patriarch, this passage says that Abraham returned but doesn't mention Isaac returning.  Even the letter to the Hebrews we read " By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac. He who had received the promises was ready to offer up his only son,  of whom he had been told, “It is through Isaac that descendants shall be named for you.”  He considered the fact that God is able even to raise someone from the dead—and figuratively speaking, he did receive him back."(Hebrews 11:17-19) What does it mean to figuratively receive him back?

I know that today if we heard that someone had endangered the life of their child, and claimed God told them to, we'd call the authorities and look for drug paraphenalia. We wouldn't applaud it.  

Do we get tested in life? Absolutely! When things go wrong, when we struggle it feels like a test.  But my rule of deciding whether it is God speaking or testing me is this, if I'm being asked to hurt myself or someone else to prove my faithfulness, I might want to ask is that really God talking?

Blessings,
Ed