A few weeks ago I spent the afternoon in an indoor rock climbing excursion. Being my third time, I knew what I was getting myself into. Although it may look quite simple, rock climbing is actually physically taxing and a somewhat intricate process to make everything run smoothly. If you find yourself with enough strength and finesse to pull your full body weight from knob to knob and ledge to ledge, you can take a few moments to catch your breath and revel in glory at the summit. But then of course, there is the whole business of getting back down. Looking below, you find that you are much higher up than you'd realized, and it sinks in that your descent rests in the hands of your climbing partner. Giving him or her the signal, you simply let go and drop away from the wall trusting that the equipment and instruction from the employees will work as planned. Bit by bit, your climbing partner works the cables to return you to the ground below. It's really not all that difficult, but it's a great deal easier talking about it than actually letting go and trusting when you're yards above held safely by only a few ropes, pulleys, and cables. You have to let loose, have faith, and let them take care of the rest.
This act of faithfully letting go even when it's ridiculously scary and difficult reminds me of a passage of Scripture that has repeatedly come before me in the past few months. I'm a firm believer that God brings certain verses before us for a reason, so when the story of Abraham and Isaac repeated in my life, I had to stop and ponder what He was revealing to me through it. In particular, I've been very impacted by the story of Abraham's willingness to offer his only son Isaac as a sacrifice when instructed to do so by God. At first glance, I have to admit that it seems a bit bizarre. Child sacrifice is something I connect to pagan cultures, not a story of great faith. Nonetheless, we must look deeper to see what is really happening in this story. In Timothy Keller's book Counterfeit Gods, he addresses this story in regards to idols of our hearts. For many years, Abraham and his wife Sarah had longed for a child. In their old age when they were convinced that it would be impossible to conceive, God provided them with a baby boy who they named Isaac. Keller posits, then, that after all of these years of yearning, Isaac would have held a place of dearest importance in the heart of his servant Abraham. This is important to note, because we then can truly appreciate Abraham's response.
Let's take a look at Genesis 22. Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied. Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about. (Genesis 22: 1-2) Can you imagine? I have trouble truly wrapping my head around that one. God wasn't asking him to inconvenience himself just a little bit. He was asking him to have faith and let loose of his child. And not just his child, the son for whom he and his wife Sarah had waited decades! So what does Abraham do? He and Isaac load up and obey. Following what God has directed, Abraham takes Isaac and upon arrival he binds him to the alter to sacrifice him. I seriously commend Abraham because this is the moment where, if I hadn't yet, I'd be struggling. Maybe a really long pause, a prayer offered up asking for clarification. But no, Abraham, our man of great faith obeys. Just as Isaac was about to be sacrificed in obedience, an "angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied. "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." (Genesis 22: 11-12)
There is so much that we can learn from this story. First, I see that God will ask us to have faith and let loose of those things which are dearest in our hearts. Not just the things we sort of like, but those which perhaps we've longed for and cherish. And like Abraham, He wants us to move forward and obey unswervingly and without question, having faith that God knows best. But an even more incredible insight and takeaway from this story is the connection to the Gospel. I absolutely love how God, the most creative and beautiful author, wove such intricacies and connections from the very first book of the Bible to the last. In reflecting upon the story of Abraham and Isaac in her book The Names of God, Marilyn Hickey notes that when God sent an angel to keep him from killing Isaac, God also provided an animal stuck in the thicket to be used as the sacrifice.....and this is just a foreshadowing of what He would do in sending Jesus to die on the cross in our stead! Isn't that beautiful? Here is what I'm seeing: God asked something really huge and quite painful of Abraham, to have faith and to offer up his beloved son. While we can say this seems harsh, this is exactly what God did in sending Jesus. For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16) Although Isaac was spared, Christ was not. God loved you and I so incredible much that He had a plan ready, even all the way back in Genesis, to redeem His children. Christ was able to live a sinless life that was impossible for every human, He died upon the cross taking the full wrath and judgment upon Himself that our sins rightfully deserved, and He defeated death and rose again. Because of His great sacrifice, we are offered forgiveness, grace, and His righteousness. Wow!
This story of Abraham's faith is really quite incredible and spurs me on to have greater faith and obedience in trusting God and letting go when He commands. But it's not the story of Abraham that gives me the power to do so. Looking down from the top when only a few cables, pulleys, and ropes keep me safe, I see Christ standing at the bottom with His hands firmly on the ropes. "Cassie, just push off and let go. I've got you, and I'll bring you safely to me." That is exactly what gives me unending confidence and hope as over and over again I strive to let loose, have faith, and let Him do the rest.
No comments:
Post a Comment