“But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” So he said, “Here I am.” And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”
Genesis 22: 11-12
Once again we see “the Angel of the Lord” make an appearance in the life of Abraham. As we’ve learned from the previous appearances, the Angel of the Lord is Jesus Himself. The dialogue held in this appearance gives us a little behind the scenes insight into the perspective of the God the Father and us, his children.
Let me explain.
As instructed Abraham was called to give up that which was most dear to him…literally. The son that was promised to him by God was now being demanded from him. At first glance this all seems a bit cruel, but it’s not a mind game, or a bad joke, God actually has a reason behind this whole process that He has asked Abraham to walk through.
What is this process?
It’s called, “Abiding”.
Jesus called to Abraham and said, “Stop!” “You’ve done everything I’ve asked and your obedience has proven your love for me!”
God wasn’t trying to ruin Abraham’s life, He was refining it. God didn’t desire to murder Isaac; He desired to draw him and his father into a deeper relationship of love. As Abraham took each step of obedience we see a clear demonstration of that which was most important to him, and as we watch Isaac grow up its clear that his father’s demonstration of love and integrity toward the Lord deeply impacted him to do the same.
Take note parents, with every God given instruction that you obey, your kids will take notice. As you demonstrate your love and desire for the Lord you’ll see it impact your children deeper than any sermon, book, or class could ever teach them. As Abraham abided with the Lord we see that he clearly led Isaac in the way to deeply love and know God.
It’s kind of like this, if my 8 year old nephew asked me for an ice cream cone, I could very easily explain to him how to get to the grocery store. I could draw him a map and give very concise instructions on how to find, pay, and enjoy his ice cream cone. The explanation would be spot on, but the facts are my nephew probably wouldn’t be able to do it on his own. On the other hand, if my little nephew asked me for an ice cream cone and I said, “Sure buddy, hop on my shoulders and we’ll go get it together!” As I carry him I no longer am giving directions…I’ve now become the directions. I carry him there and walk through it all with him; and he will receive exactly what was desired. So too, Jesus said, “I am the way…” As Abraham followed the Lord we see that Isaac abided in the direction and received deeply what Abraham was also experiencing as he abided with the Lord.
Not only did Abraham demonstrate direction for Isaac, he also grew in gratitude of God. With each defining step Abraham deepened in his capacity of appreciation for what God had given him. How does God help us keep blessings in perspective so that they don’t distract us from first loving Him? He calls us to lay our “Isaac” down. So that we begin to see and understand where the blessing came from and the heart of the one who gave it.
“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”
1 Peter 5:6, 7
You see as we obey the Lord and cast upon Him that which we care about, we’ll see that in due time He’ll lift us up, give us our Isaac back, and bless us with what’s best.
God not only cares about blessing us with His promises, He also cares about seeing us abide closer to Him.
