Genesis 22 is one of the hardest passages in the Bible. God says to Abraham, ‘Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt-offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you.’ What kind of command is that? After all that time and God’s promise of a son for Abraham and Sarah, what is God up to? There is no easy answer. First, we must say that God very specifically prohibits child sacrifice in the Bible. As far as I know, this is the only time God has asked anyone to do this. Second, God is testing Abraham, and does not let him go through with it. Instead, God provides a substitute – a ram. Third, remember that later God offered his own Son as a willing sacrifice for us and our salvation. This story may be a preview of things to come in God’s plan. In any case, when Abraham passes the test of fear of God – honor, respect, and obedience – God blesses him and his descendents again.
When Sarah dies, Abraham purchases land to bury her near Hebron. Then, Abraham sends a trusted servant to find a wife for his son Isaac from among his relatives back in Haran (modern day Harran in southeast Turkey), and with God’s guidance the servant finds Rebekah.
Jesus tells the truth that you know a good tree by its fruits, not its roots. Though we are saved by God’s grace, and not by anything we do, yet how we live is important. Jesus calls us to be ‘fruitful’ as we live obediently to God; that is how we build a life on a strong foundation. You’ll find this emphasis of Jesus’ especially in the Gospel of Matthew.
The Sermon on the Mount done, Jesus gets to work in chapter 8, healing a leper and a servant of a centurion. Jesus is amazed at the faith of the centurion, who is a Gentile (a non-Jew).
0 comments:
Post a Comment