...immediate obedience to God's call. In Genesis 22:2, God tells Abraham, "Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you." In a very un-Abraham-like fashion, we see that he immediately obeys God's instruction. He gets up very early the next morning, follows God's words to the letter and prepares to sacrifice his son. Where did this faith come from? This is the same Abraham who lied to two different kings, telling them Sarah was his sister, fearing they would kill him if they knew Sarah was his wife. This is the same Abraham who took God's promise of many descendants into his own hands, sleeping with Sarah's maid and having a son, Ishmael. The story of Abraham is one of incremental faith growth. This particular story of Abraham & Isaac shows the culmination of Abraham's years of walking with God. This story gives me hope. Hope that one day, my faith will be as strong as Abraham's. I do not that fear God will ever call me to such a task as sacrificing my own child. The story of Abraham and Isaac was for a specific time and specific place and specific purpose. David Guzik says, "What Abraham did was something completely unique in God's redemptive history, given for a specific purpose once for all fulfilled."* I do sense, however, that God may call me to sacrifice my comfort zone lifestyle...to what, I'm not sure. But I pray that I will have Abraham's mature faith when God's call comes.
*(Guzik, David. "Study Guide for Genesis 22." Enduring Word. Blue Letter Bible. 7 Jul 2006.)
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