Living in the Spirit

June 26, 2023

Scripture Reading: Genesis 22:1-14

When they came to the place that God had shown him, Abraham built an altar there and laid the wood in order. He bound his son Isaac, and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to kill his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, and said, ‘Abraham, Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ He said, ‘Do not lay your hand on the boy 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.’ And Abraham looked up and saw a ram, caught in a thicket by its horns. Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt-offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place ‘The Lord will provide’; as it is said to this day, ‘On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.’ Genesis 22:9-14

For me, this is one of the most perplexing stories in the Bible. Was God testing Abraham’s commitment? Does God test our commitment? Was Issac damaged emotionally by this event? The only thing we really know about Isaac is that he fathered Esau and Jacob. It is sometimes hard to be the son of a great man like Abraham.

How do we relate to God? Through prayer and meditation, we can commune with God. Finding our faith avocation and fulfilling it to the best of our abilities may be the best way we let God know of our commitment to building God’s beloved community.

I do not know why Isaac had to experience the events on that mountaintop, but I am sure that God loved him and held him in God’s care forever.

Prayer: Lord, we may not know why bad things happen to innocent people, but we do rely on the power of your love to make those who experience bad things to make them whole. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.