Genesis 22:6-14 “Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” 8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together. 9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. 12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” 13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”
Genesi 22:6-14 « Abraamo prese la legna per l’olocausto e la mise addosso a Isacco suo figlio, prese in mano il fuoco e il coltello, poi proseguirono tutti e due insieme. 7 Isacco parlò ad Abraamo suo padre e disse: «Padre mio!» Abraamo rispose: «Eccomi qui, figlio mio». E Isacco: «Ecco il fuoco e la legna; ma dov’è l’agnello per l’olocausto?» 8 Abraamo rispose: «Figlio mio, Dio stesso si provvederà l’agnello per l’olocausto». E proseguirono tutti e due insieme. 9 Giunsero al luogo che Dio gli aveva detto. Abraamo costruì l’altare e vi accomodò la legna; legò Isacco suo figlio e lo mise sull’altare, sopra la legna. 10 Abraamo stese la mano e prese il coltello per scannare suo figlio. 11 Ma l’angelo del Signore lo chiamò dal cielo e disse: «Abraamo, Abraamo!» Egli rispose: «Eccomi». 12 E l’angelo: «Non stendere la mano contro il ragazzo e non fargli male! Ora so che tu temi Dio, poiché non mi hai rifiutato tuo figlio, l’unico tuo». 13 Abraamo alzò gli occhi, guardò, ed ecco dietro a sé un montone, impigliato per le corna in un cespuglio. Abraamo andò, prese il montone e l’offerse in olocausto invece di suo figlio. 14 Abraamo chiamò quel luogo «Iavè-Irè». Per questo si dice oggi: «Al monte del Signore sarà provveduto».
Here is the picture of the conflict that Abraham faces in wanting to obey the Lord and also hold on to the promise that through his descendants, all nations would be blessed. If he obeys the Lord here, how will God fulfill His promise? How could he reconcile these seemingly opposite ideas? One is a command and the other is a promise but nevertheless, they are linked together.
Although God does not give him further instructions, he moves ahead to place Isaac on the altar as a sacrifice because his faith was greater than his own understanding. Notice he says in verse 8, “God himself will provide the lamb…” In Hebrews 11:17-19, it says Abraham believed that even if he sacrificed Isaac, God would raise him back from death.
So what is the point of this narrative? There are many observations that could be drawn from the text but let’s choose just one. It is a story of worship. The reason God tells Abraham to go to Mount Moriah was to worship. What is worship other than a complete surrendering of our best to God? All things we deem as sacred need to be presented to God. All our dreams and plans are wrapped up in our obedience to worship the Lord and giving our all to His purpose and plan. It may be hard for us to accept but true worship is not cheap. Although we may know and attempt to internalize all the songs of praise and worship, it doesn’t mean that we have understood worship. The shortcuts to worship are all too common. Without obedience, there is no true worship.
Pray with me: Lord, I truly want to be a worshiper who looks beyond the surface issues of my favorite praise song. Help me to go deeper into the heart of worship by surrendering my obedience to Your will.
