Lectio Divina from the Jesse Tree
ABRAHAM’S SACRIFICE – Day 5 🐏
Genesis 22:1-18
“Here I am”
What God desires most from us is that we withhold nothing from Him. The true test of obedience is not in our ability to hear and obey but rather to surrender and trust.
Three times this passage uses the same response, “Here I am”, to emphasize how we ought to respond during times of testing. The first is when Abraham replies to the call of the Father. The second, when Isaac accompanies his father Abraham to worship, carrying the bundle of wood that was needed to make the offering although the offering itself was not yet revealed to the boy. So trusting of their fathers are both men that their response to their call is a simple one. Neither man responded with questions or even comments or suggestions. The third time comes after the angel calls out to Abraham not to sacrifice Isaac. And still, Abraham does not grumble against the Father even though it has caused a great deal of hardship on both he and his son. How might our relationship with God be different if we were to give him the same response? Instead of worrying about the things we need or second guessing his guidance, what if we simply respond like Abraham and Isaac in total trust that the Lord knows what he is doing. It’s every parents dream to have a child like that!
“I know that you fear God, since you did not withhold from me.”
Abraham’s biggest sacrifice was not his son. It was his total surrender of himself and all his fears. The test was to see how much he was willing to give. And he gave it all.
“On the mountain the LORD will provide.”
Total surrender does not come easily. It’s either gifted in faith or learned through the testing of our obedience. For many, it’s through the testing of our faith that we come to the realization that everything we have already belongs to God and so there is actually nothing to withhold from him in obedience. This awareness is met by His blessings, which often come to us in the heat of our trials, “on the mountain”, at the apex of our decision point, only when we pass the test do we see He has already met our need.
He withholds nothing from those who love him. And He invites us to test him through our response of faith. He too responds, “Here I Am.” He too, gave it all.
“Your descendants will take possession of the gates of their enemies, and in your descendants ALL nations of the earth will find blessing, because you obeyed.”
The enminty established between our ancestor Eve and the snake in the garden is overtaken by the descendants of Abraham. Through perserverance and endurance, those who pass the test of surrender inherit not only the kingdom of Heaven but possess the power to overcome the enemy in this world and also to become its blessing.
This year’s Advent Meditations are brought to you through the use of the Jesse Tree Journal by the Disciple of Christ – Education in Virtue at OpenLightMedia.com. Visit their site for a copy of the Jesse Tree Advent Journal and begin your own journey to #EncounterHim
