Tonight we took a look at Genesis 22:1-18 The Message you know, the story of Abraham and Isaac.   We discussed Abraham’s obedience and then, the youth wanted to talk about how Isaac must have felt.  He was the one to carry the wood, flint and the knife for what was to be his death, a death at his father’s hand.  Wow…I can’t imagine how that must have felt.   How can you trust your father and have faith in him after that?   Can you imagine when his father asked him to go with him on a trip again, what the answer would have been?  It doesn’t talk much about how Isaac felt.  Confused?  Upset?

What about when they got home and he told Sarah what happened?  I can hear Isaac now “Mom!” He screams, running for the house.  “Dad tried to kill me and God had to stop him!” If she was anything like my mom, boy would he be in trouble.  He would be explaining himself on the answering machine because he wouldn’t be allowed in the house.  I don’t know if my mom would have believe the “God told me to do it!” defense.

They don’t talk much about what happened afterwards.  We often look at this story and see the obedience of Abraham.  Do we ever look at the forgiveness of Isaac?  Isaac is an example of true forgiveness.  The story tells us that he was tied down so he wasn’t just laying there letting this happen to him.  Bad things happen even when we fight for them not to.  We’ve all had someone wrong us.  Okay, maybe not tie us down for a sacrifice but I am sure there are some things that rank up there on the bad scale.  Do we let go and worship God with them as quickly and easily as Isaac did with Abraham?

When bad things happen do we forgive God or blame Him?  I can honestly say, I’ve had times that I’ve been angry with God.  I imagine Isaac could have been too.   God did stop Abraham before anything happened to Isaac.  I know if I was Isaac, I would be thankful that God stopped things when he did.  Do you think he was upset that God would use him as the test sacrifice in the first place?

We don’t hear to much about sacrifices these days.  When we do, it is usually in reference to Jesus the ultimate sacrifice.  It is because of God’s love for us that He did what Abraham would have…Sacrificed His son.  Thankfully, we no longer have to sacrifice as they did in the time of Abraham.   Yet, I am reminded that we still bring some sacrifices to God today.  We may not call them that but that is what they are.   Don’t get me wrong, we don’t lay lamb at the altar but we do lay our own lives down.   Piece by piece we give God a part of us.

When we commit to following Christ, we realize that our lives have to change.  We begin to sacrifice things that are not in His will for us.  It isn’t all at once.   It’s a process that begins with accepting Him as our Lord and Savior and continues as we grow in who He teaches us to be.

I am reminded every time I take communion of God’s loving sacrifice of Christ.  What an amazing gift we receive.  Yet receiving isn’t the only thing for me.  When I take communion, I offer myself to God piece by piece.  Not only receiving but also leaving behind another piece of myself to be filled with Him.

Abraham was ready to sacrifice anything for God.  I think we all long to be as obedient as Abraham.  I can honestly say, I am not.  I want to be!  I long to be!  Yet, I’ve still got a really long way to go.  So I guess you could say I am more like Isaac confused, wondering what just happened and thankful that God intervened to save me!