"Why Would God Do This?"

This Sunday (June 23rd), I will be preaching from Genesis 22: 1-14, which is frequently called, “The Binding of Isaac.”  In this story, God commands Abraham to take his only child, Isaac, to a mountain in the land of Moriah.  After climbing to the top of the mountain, Abraham is to offer Isaac as a burnt sacrifice on an altar.  This is a frightening and perplexing command from God.  Earlier in Abraham’s life, three angels had promised him and Sarah, his wife, that they would have a child.  When Isaac was born, it was as though God had kept his promise to the couple.  Now, after Isaac has grown into a young teenager, God commands Abraham to sacrifice his only child to God.  Why would God do this?

            So, Abraham and Isaac start out to Moriah to make this terrible sacrifice.  As they make their way up the mountain, Isaac asks his father what they will sacrifice to God, once they have finished building an altar at the top.  Abraham replies that God will provide.  When they reach the top of the mountain, after Abraham has tied up Isaac and placed him on the altar, an angel of God intercedes.  The angel tells Abraham that God is pleased with Abraham because he has passed God’s test.  Now, God knows that Abraham truly loves God more than anything else.  God can see that Abraham has a strong, unwavering faith.

            Then, Abraham spies a ram caught in a nearby thicket.  He realizes that God has provided this ram for the sacrifice in place of Isaac.  So, Abraham re-names the place, “The Lord will provide.”  Abraham and Isaac complete the ritual sacrifice, using the ram.  Then, they journey down the mountain and back to their home, together.

            This is such a rich story; it is like a prism.  It can be viewed from many different perspectives and it raises many important questions.  In my sermon this Sunday, I will focus on just three areas:

            1. Why Would God Do This?  If God is truly the loving, compassionate God which the Christian faith proclaims, then why would God subject Abraham—and Isaac—to such a cruel, awful test?  The technical term for this type of question is theodicy, which is the theological problem of whether God is responsible for evil in the world.  There are no fully satisfying answers to the problem of evil in the world.  However, I believe that we should not read the story of Isaac’s binding as a separate stand-alone story.  Rather, I believe that we should read this story—and, indeed, all biblical passages—in the context of the entire Bible.  When we do that, then the story of Isaac’s binding points forward to the life, ministry, and crucifixion of Jesus.  Although God tests Abraham’s faith by demanding that he sacrifice Isaac, it is God who sacrifices His own son, Jesus Christ, for each of us.

            2.  The Faith of Abraham and Isaac.  When we pause in this story and put ourselves in Abraham’s place, we quickly begin to imagine how difficult it must have been for Abraham, as he climbed the mountain towards the sacrificial site.  We can imagine the anguish and confusion in his heart, as he climbed the mountain, step-by-step.  We can imagine Abraham thinking, “Have I heard God correctly?  Does he really want me to sacrifice Isaac?  I love Isaac so much.  If only I could take Isaac’s place on that altar.  It would be better for me to die, than to have to watch my beloved son die up there.”

            Yet, a careful analysis of the text does not indicate that Abraham was filled with dread and anguish as he climbed the mountain.  When Abraham and Isaac leave their two servants at the bottom of the mountain, Abraham says, “we will be back after the sacrifice.”  And, when Isaac asks about the animal for the sacrifice, Abraham replies that God will provide.  A faith that strong must be built upon a deep and abiding conviction that God truly loves us and seeks our ultimate well-being.

            3.  What can Christians living in the Twenty-first Century learn from this story?  I will suggest that all of us face three different kinds of tests—or obstacles—in our lives:

a.       Tests or obstacles that the world puts in our way.

b.      Tests or obstacles that we put in our own way.

c.       Tests or obstacles that God puts in our way.

While God may sometimes give us tests and obstacles, I believe that most of the tests and obstacles that we face come from ourselves and others.  We live in an age and culture permeated by stress.  It doesn’t matter how old we are; whether we are rich or poor; whether we are in school or out-of-school; whether we are working or unemployed or retired; whether we own a business or work for a gigantic corporation; it doesn’t matter—we all must cope with stress. 

And, here’s the good news.  While we cannot fully escape from the stresses of life, we can manage our stress, if we like Abraham, we simply have faith that “God will provide.” 

If you live in the Meriden-area and do not have a regular church home, please consider attending Meriden United Methodist Church this Sunday.  Meriden UMC is located at the corner of Dawson and Main.  Our worship service starts on Sundays at 10 am.  Everyone is welcome and accepted because God loves us all.

My weekly blog will take a brief one-week hiatus next week.  My brother and I always try to go backpacking on the Appalachian Trail in the summer.  This year, my son, Justice, will be hiking with us in Pennsylvania and Maryland.  The next post will be uploaded, when I return,  at the first of July.