HALL OF FAITH—ABRAHAM (AGAIN)

The summit of faith is, when God tests us, to surrender to Him that which is most precious to us, counting on Him to keep His promises.—Steven J. Cole

And our Father of Faith merits another mention in this crammed Hall of Faith.

What we didn't learn was the elaborate celebrations, feasting, dancing, and perhaps a shindig that followed in the wake of the arrival of a new son; a son received through extraordinary means—when Abraham and Sarah were well past the age of child birth. What an unbelievably awesome day it must have been for the family!

What the ecstatically jubilant family didn't know was that their party will be crashed.

God shows up, silhouetted by the celebration to ask the recipient to sacrifice his only son. There was no reprieve for Abraham after such a giant leap to receive Isaac. But Abraham was willing to let go of what he had to get what God wanted him to have. What he didn't realise at the time is that he was expressing the future that was to come through Jesus Christ (God giving up his only son).

Through his faith, humanity received a vivid picture of God’s love. And Isaac is in many ways like Jesus Christ.

I wonder what Abraham was thinking. Why did he give his son after waiting for so long a time? Perhaps he was fully aware of how the son came in the first place. He could not refuse to give to the giver.

“By faith, Abraham, at the time of testing, offered Isaac back to God. Acting in faith, he was as ready to return the promised son, his only son, as he had been to receive him—and this after he had already been told, “Your descendants shall come from Isaac”. (Hebrews 11:17 MSG)

 Our Lord occasionally makes some “bizarre” demands. And we wonder what on earth he could possibly achieve from such a demand. We must look and find hope in the credentials of this man of faith to see what our Lord is doing.

If our Lord asks a thing, he surely or certainly does have a plan.