25 February 2024 2nd Sunday in Lent
After these things God tested Abraham. He said to him, ‘Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ He said, ‘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.’
Genesis 22:1-19, NRSV
From our standpoint, the story of Isaac’s sacrifice may seem cruel, even inhuman. The sacrifice of children was not unheard of at this time as a pagan practice, but we may wonder how a loving God would ask Abraham to sacrifice his only son and how Abraham could contemplate obedience to this instruction. God had previously promised Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars and yet God now seems to be commanding Abraham to kill the one person through whom the covenant could be fulfilled. Despite his bewilderment and lack of understanding at what he was being told to do, Abraham trusted and obeyed. It was only as Abraham lifted the knife to kill Isaac that God made it clear that this type of sacrifice was not wanted. Abraham’s faith in God was such that he was able to believe in the goodness of God despite all evidence to the contrary. In this time of Lent, this story foreshadows God’s offering of his only beloved Son.
- What do you think enabled Abraham to keep faith in God when commanded to carry out the sacrifice of his son?
- When has your faith been “tested” and what has helped you at such times?
Pray today for those experiencing trauma of any kind and especially for those who feel that they face this alone.
Image – Abraham and Isaac before the Sacrifice – Jan Victors 1642
