When I hear someone try to reenact an event, joke or story, its hard to capture or relive the moment. This is where Genesis 22:3 falls between the cracks, often skipped over by those studying one of the most famous chapters of the Bible. In the wee hours of the morning, doing the work of a servant, Abraham blows off steam, chopping wood, trying to contemplate the task God assigns him.
As I meditated on this passage, I am picturing an old man, 100 years old to be precise. As he barely get’s the heavy axe over his head, Abraham begins to mutter to himself before splitting the logs located on the ground in two. Using sarcasm, his conversation goes something like this. “Let me get this straight God; You are telling me to sacrifice the son you promised my wife and I, the same one we waited more than 18 years to conceive, the one who is suppose to be the father of a great nation and now you want me, his father, to kill him?” Abraham takes his frustration out on each log, fuming and mumbling to himself.
Meanwhile, I see one of the 2 servants awake tries to intervene. “Master, are you sure you don’t want me to do this?” Abraham replies with a raised whisper, “just get the camels and donkeys ready for our journey. We will need enough food and water for 6 days, so do what I ask.” Shaking his head, the servant makes one more comment before going on his way, “why don’t we just tell your wife?” “Hush,” Abraham replies, “how can I tell her I am about to sacrifice her one and only son? No, we leave in one hour, before sunrise. I am almost finished here.” Abraham, bends over for a moment, stretching his back, then perseveres using a full moon as light until he has chopped up enough wood for their journey to Mount Moriah.
Jacob wrestled with God, Moses stuttered in God’s presence and Abraham blew off steam by mentally preparing himself for the hardest test man could endure. If this is bad enough, think about Genesis 22:7 as Isaac asks his father about the sacrifice. Somewhere along this journey, Abraham came to one of 2 conclusions. First, either God was going to super naturally intervene like He does in Genesis 22:13 or the concept or resurrection came to Abraham. At this point, in this weak moment, God took over, similar to Paul’s experience in 2 Corinthians 12:7-12. Therefore, don’t be afraid to blow off steam, vent your disappointment with God or challenge God’s will for your life. When you reach the point of total surrender, the Lord will unveil a miracle in your life. However, at first, you must let go, Matthew 16:25. God wouldn’t ask man to do something that He wasn’t already considering.
by Jay Mankus
