Testing and Providing
Genesis 22:1-14
June 26, 2005
“After these things God tested Abraham…
So Abraham called that place, ‘The Lord will provide…’”
Genesis 22:1a,14a
Noted Old Testament Professor Walter Brueggemann said that the church faces twin temptations in the practice of faith. On the one hand, there is the temptation to cling to the biblical narrative in such a way as to overly spiritualize it to the neglect of the concreteness of human life. On the other hand, there is the inclination to cling to the reality of human life as primarily important and regard the biblical narrative as of little importance at all.
This morning’s Genesis text confronts us with that twin
temptation. We read that Abraham’s faith is tested by God. God says to Abraham, “Take your son, your
only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the
What? What kind of God commands a father to sacrifice his son? What kind of father obeys? We could stop right there and dismiss this text as ancient irrationality, but if we do that then our enlightened reason will eventually lead us to dismissing the Gospel core of the crucified and risen Son of God. On the other hand, if we spiritualize the text and glibly accept its meaning, then we could also be responsible for glibly accepting other sacrifices in the name of God’s will. What in the world do we do with a text like this?
Let’s explore the context.
In nine biblical verses we find the denunciation of the practice of
human sacrifice in early Palestinian religions.
From the Book of Leviticus (20:2):
“The Lord spoke to Moses saying, ‘Say further to the people of
The other part of the context is the biblical narrative of
the journey of faith of Sarah and Abraham. It is the shared human journey of
faith where we discover ultimately whom we trust – trust in God or trust in the
powers of our own knowledge, reason, cunning, and strength. At 75 years old, Abraham
left his homeland, his kin, and his roots trusting God who promised him a new
land, descendents, and blessing so that Abraham would be a blessing. Now, Abraham did not travel light. With him and his wife Sarah went his nephew
Lot, all the possessions they had acquired, and all the persons they had
acquired in
We also know the story of Isaac’s birth fulfilling God’s promise of descendents. Abraham and Sarah were both beyond the age of conception and bearing a child; nevertheless, in their old age a son was born and they named him Isaac because God brought laughter and all who hear would laugh about this birth to these two. What seemed impossible, was now reality; the promise of God was kept.
Abraham trusted God, and trust is a vital component of faith. But, the other component of faith in whom or what does one trust?
There are also stories of Abraham trusting biology more than God’s promise by having a son Ishmael by Sarah’s servant Hagar in order to insure descendents. When Isaac, the child of promise, was born, rather than trusting God, Abraham banished Ishmael and Hagar to insure Isaac’s inheritance. We live with the consequences of Abraham’s lack of faith for from Ishmael came the Muslim religion and from Isaac the Jewish religion. Abraham, trusting his own wit and cunning more than God, lied to King Abimelech, calling Sarah his sister to save his own life. It was God who intervened.
Abraham’s journey of faith was like ours – a journey where at every step and turn, in the face of every challenge or illness, we decide in whom we will trust. So, the story of Abraham comes to this ultimate test of faith – in whom will he trust? Will God provide?
Abraham took his only son Isaac and started walking, stopping to worship on the way. When they came to the mountain, Isaac carried the wood and Abraham the fire. Isaac, getting nervous because he saw no lamb for the offering, inquired of his father. Abraham responded, “God himself will provide the lamb.” Abraham laid his only son on the altar, and here is the redeeming point to the whole story, God told him to stop. Abraham trusted God enough that he did not withhold his beloved and only son. God provided the lamb, the way out.
Life tests us in many ways. In whom do we trust ultimately? Before we trust our modern selves so much that we would say, “I would never sacrifice my son or daughter no matter what God called me to do,” let’s consider the many altars upon which the children of this world are sacrificed. The altar of ambition…the altar of fame…the altar of profit…the altar of national security…the altar of limited healthcare…the altar of indifference; and none of these altars are God’s!