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1 After all this, God tested Abraham. God said, "Abraham!" "Yes?" answered Abraham. "I'm listening." 2 He said, "Take your dear son Isaac whom you love and go to the land of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I'll point out to you." 3 Abraham got up early in the morning and saddled his donkey. He took two of his young servants and his son Isaac. He had split wood for the burnt offering. He set out for the place God had directed him. 4 On the third day he looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 Abraham told his two young servants, "Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I are going over there to worship; then we'll come back to you." 6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and gave it to Isaac his son to carry. He carried the flint and the knife. The two of them went off together. 7 Isaac said to Abraham his father, "Father?" "Yes, my son." "We have flint and wood, but where's the sheep for the burnt offering?" 8 Abraham said, "Son, God will see to it that there's a sheep for the burnt offering." And they kept on walking together. 9 They arrived at the place to which God had directed him. Abraham built an altar. He laid out the wood. Then he tied up Isaac and laid him on the wood. 10 Abraham reached out and took the knife to kill his son. 11 Just then an angel of God called to him out of Heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!" "Yes, I'm listening." 12 "Don't lay a hand on that boy! Don't touch him! Now I know how fearlessly you fear God; you didn't hesitate to place your son, your dear son, on the altar for me." 13 Abraham looked up. He saw a ram caught by its horns in the thicket. Abraham took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 Abraham named that place God-Yireh (God-Sees-to-It). That's where we get the saying, "On the mountain of God, he sees to it." (Genesis 22:1-14 The Message)
Happy Wednesday dear Friend! I pray this finds you well, and finds you praying for one another. We continue to pray for those who have been asking for prayers because of the Covid-19 virus. Pray for one another. Pray for yourselves.
I have to be honest. There are some stories in the Bible that make me realize that maybe I'm not strong enough in my faith to be as obedient as the characters. This is one of them. The father in this story is the old man who at his advanced age had two sons. Not too long ago, we read about how the servant girl who gave birth to his first son was found to be annoying to his first wife, and so he sends both of them off. The days after his son's departure must have been really heavy and sad for him. And then this day comes. Abraham woke up as usual, fumbled around in the dark for his sandals, made his way to his wash basin, washed his face, and knelt to pray. It would not be a normal day if he did not check in with God. But today, God spoke to him, as always happens in true prayer, if we but listen. And this is what God spoke, "Abraham?" "Yes, sir, this is me!" And then the command for the old man to take his son Isaac and to travel with him to a foreign land and there on that mountain, he is to offer him as a burnt offering. Gulp. Are you still with us, readers? You read that correctly. Abraham was to take his son, tie him up, kill him, and then burn his body as an offering to the Lord. Double gulp. Let's pause for a second.
Abraham is known as the "Father of the Faith." He was the one who loved, trusted, and obeyed God when God asked him to leave his family and home and venture off into a new land. That qualified his entrance into the Faith Hall of Fame. It was a major thing for anyone to do something like that in that day. He could not go on Google to see the satellite photos of the new land. There was no YouTube in which to see the travel videos that others who had traveled there had shared online. And he could not get on his smartphone and find Zillow to find a new home. If we were able to ask our great-grandparents, we might see the last and fading generation of those who did not normally venture far from where they were born. Yes, there are still many who still don't; but let's just say it was very rare for a man to take his wife, at the ripe age of 75 and leave Poth for Philadelphia in Abraham's day. That, dear friends, impressed those who ran the Faith Hall of Fame and placed Abraham in that hallowed chamber. So, we're dealing with a man with a super strong faith. He truly could go and do what God asks, without asking questions like, "Is there a Walmart in the Promised Land? What about Whataburger? (Hey that rhymes!). Is there a place to buy cold Dr. Pepper?" These, friends, mattered not for dear old Abe. He knew enough about God to do what God asks. And, even if God asked for this, how many of us would consider the ultimate test, he was willing to comply, even with a very heavy heart. Every step the father and son took away from the tent and into the fields to find the path that led to Moriah, was a painful one. If he had had a cellphone, Abe would have checked it every few steps to see if God texted "J/K! Good one! Tnx for saying YES!" or better yet a phone call! "Abe, this is God. Turn back. I was testing you and you passed. Well done." Nope.
Abraham got to the actual place after many sighs, deep sighs, and terrible thoughts and made his way to where he would do this act of obedience. And oh, the son's questions! "Are we there yet, Daddy? Is there a McDonald's nearby? I need to find a Buc-ees quickly!" And when there, it was when the son asked the horrible question to his daddy; "Dad, I see the flint and the wood, the rope and even the knife; where is the lamb that we get to offer?" I would have lost it right there. But Abraham, notice his faith, says, "God will see to it that there's a sheep for the burnt offering." Abraham truly believed that; he didn't know how or where, but he believed it. Would I? Would you?
Abraham got as far as reaching for the knife and it was at that point, almost the point of no return, when God calls out through the angel, "Don't lay a hand on that boy! Don't touch him! Now I know how fearlessly you fear God..." The stage was set for you and me, and all of humanity to see how difficult it is for even a human of faith to offer a son for sacrifice. Imagine a God who would do that as well? This says, it is not easy for a parent to offer up a child. Most parents, especially those of faith, would step forward and say, "Take me. Let my child live." God shows that for humanity, God would not even spare His Son; for in so doing, God saved you and me." And we say, "Thanks be to God!" Now, can we go and live like that? Can we show that we are truly loved and blessed enough to say, "Praise be to God?"
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, with tears in our eyes and in our hearts, we realize the sacrifice You and Your Son suffered for our sake. Help us to live a life that truly praises and thanks You. Let us reach more; this we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Show mercy to someone today, and share how God showed us mercy.
Receive my blessings of love and joy,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
