He
reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. (Genesis 22:10)
The
account of Abraham's near sacrifice of his son on Mount Moriah is dear to
Christians, Jews and Muslims alike… with some significant differences in the
Muslim telling. Although the Quran does not give the child’s name, most Muslim
accounts state it was Ishmael that Abraham took to the mountain, not Isaac.
Do
you notice the parallel between Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his only son
borne to him by Sarah, and God's willingness to sacrifice his only begotten
Son?
With
his hand grasping the knife, do you think Abraham breathed a sigh of relief
when he was restrained from killing Isaac and the ram was provided to take his
place? Do you think a person of Jewish tradition (if that person could put
aside his worldview long enough to imagine that Jesus might have been God's
Son), in reading the crucifixion account, would have noticed the parallel? As
the Son was readied for sacrifice, what would that reader's expectation be? Perhaps
as the hammer arced (or arcked – awkward) through the air to connect with the
nail and pierce Christ's hands and feet, would the Jewish reader expect God to
make a substitution? A perfect lamb in place of his Son?
But
no substitution was made. Christ was
the substitution.
Worthy
is the Lamb, who was slain. (Revelation 5:12)
Have
you paused lately to thank God for providing a Lamb in your place?
Do you think God asks us today to give up or sacrifice our greatest joys in life to show our allegiance towards him? I really struggle with the thought of sacrificing any aspect (literal or theoretical) of my children to please God. I am probably over thinking/analyzing this but this passage contains some of my sadness/worry over the Old Testament with people being obliterated from floods, firestorms, and war when sin is rampant.
ReplyDelete