Day 11 Not This One
12 He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” Genesis 22:12 English Standard Version
In a story full of strange stories, Abraham offering Isaac stands as one of the strangest. God speaks to Abraham, directing him to travel to a mountain where he must offer his son Isaac as a burnt offering. And Abraham obeys. It is only as he stands with knife upraised ready to plunge it into his son’s chest that God steps in, halting the action. He provides a ram as a replacement for Isaac. We recognize the allegorical nature of the story, the ram representing Jesus. But we often miss another lesson.
Isaac could not serve as a sacrifice for anyone. As a sinful human, he deserved death. How death occurs is immaterial, his sins separated him from God…as do ours. God makes a strong statement through this story. A sinful human cannot serve as a sacrifice. Only a perfect human could serve as a replacement for the sinful. Yes, this event sealed Abraham’s reputation as a man of faith. It also reminds us that our own sinful nature required a perfect sacrifice. Christmas is the perfect time to ruminate on our own desperate need and God’s own lavish love that would make such a journey.
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