In The Word - Genesis 21-25
Join us as we read through the book of Genesis.
Use these questions to help your weekday worship reading:
What does this passage say about God?
What does this passage say about humanity?
How does this passage fit into the bigger picture of the book so far?
What is strange, offensive, or challenging in this passage?
Based on this passage, what would God say is good or not good in my life?
Promises
We finally get to read about the promised baby born to Abraham and Sarah! For us, it seems like this little baby has been previewed for ages, but really, it has only been a few chapters that we’ve been waiting to read about little Isaac being born. Abraham and Sarah had to wait much longer. No sooner was Isaac on the scene than God chose to test Abraham’s faith - by instructing Abraham to sacrifice Isaac (Genesis 22). Our understanding of this passage (and these chapters) often hinges on our understanding of “testing”.
Tests can be physically rigorous to determine a medical diagnosis. Tests can be mentally exhausting, aiming to reveal a student’s academic progress. Tests can also be a way of testing the solidity of something. I remember building a series of wooden footstools, and we would lean on the finished product to test to see if it could hold our weight. The test (leaning) would reveal the sturdiness (or lack thereof) of the stool.
As someone who has personally had physically crippling test-taking anxiety, the word “test” itself can be an intimidating, threatening thing. But tests do not always have to seem adversarial. Tests can be opportunities. A test can be like a performance stage on which our work, character, and even faith (like Abraham) is revealed and refined for our own betterment, and for the blessing of others.
When God tested Abraham, the sort of testing that happened was of faith. The test would reveal and refine Abraham’s faith. His test showcased a faith that would trust God, even if God would take away the covenant son God had promised. Instead of a deceitful, cowardly, selfish act like we’ve seen before from Abraham (lying about Sarah, his wife), we see Abraham trusting God through great willingness to sacrifice.
God did not ultimately require the life of Isaac to be sacrificed. The test revealed and refined Abraham’s great faith. There is another Father whose Son willingly was sacrificed. And through the sacrifice of that one and only Son, we come to know the love of God. While Isaac got to walk away from the sacrifice, a sacrifice was made, pointing to the need for a sacrifice of blood to be made to restore the ruptured relationship between God and His image bearers. Genesis 22 previews for us the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross - the only Son of God slain, his blood shed, so that sinners might receive eternal life.
By the end of our reading this week, the story of Genesis will transition from Abraham, Sarah and Isaac, to the next generation God will work through - Jacob and Esau (Genesis 25). It will be Jacob, Esau, and their children who will be the subject of the rest of the book of Genesis.