Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“After these things God tested Abraham. He said to him, ‘Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’”
NL Daily Devotion for Sunday, September 19, 2021
by Dr. Kimberly Leetch, Clergy Stuff
Main Idea: God and Abraham both showed they were faithful so that God’s blessings might flow through Abraham to all the world.
Truly, there are few more disturbing stories in the Bible than this one. Aside from the obvious atrocity, that God would even ask one of God’s children to sacrifice his only son; aside from the ramifications of such a request (How could he ever face Sarah after such a betrayal? How would Isaac ever trust his father again? How would Abraham ever truly trust a God that asked such a thing?) and aside from the nauseating image of a father raising a knife to a bound and frightened child, is there any redemption in this story?
In order to see beyond the horror, we need to set aside not necessarily the elements of the story, but the emotional reaction that this story invokes. Boiled down, this is a story about God’s relationship with Abraham. God has promised a great deal to him—a nation of descendants, a promised land, and a covenant with the God that created all things. Abraham has been given a huge responsibility with these promises—is he worthy of such a gift? Perhaps this was a test to see if God had chosen the right person to bear such a burden.
Truly, if God were to give so much to one person, that person would have to show he was capable of respecting such a gift. Also, if that person was to believe God’s promise—that he would bear a nation from his descendants—then he would also have to believe this would not end in the death of his only son (either the son would be saved or there would be more sons). What we see here is an enormous weight of trust and respect that must be shared between God and Abraham in both directions. Perhaps if we set aside our disdain for the barbarity, we could see that both God and Abraham had to put faith in the other. Both are about to give to the other gifts that are beyond generous, and both will be required to show their worthiness.
With a happily-ever-after, we can breathe a sigh of relief— both have shown they are ready to enter into the covenant with one another. Abraham shows he is willing and able to put God before everything else in his life. God keeps God’s promises and also saves Abraham’s son. While we would never suggest this particular mechanism for proving worthiness, we might be able to appreciate the depth of faith both needed to have for God’s blessings to be bestowed upon all nations. “With great power comes great responsibility.”
(Oh, yes I did—that’s a quote from the movie Spider-Man.) Both showed their willingness to give everything to gain everything.