The Sacrifice of Abraham  by Charles Shelton

   In chapter 22 of the book of Genesis is the story of Abraham's
offering of his son Isaac as a sacrifice to God. Many fail to look
beneath the surface of the story because they stumble over a God who
would ask for a human sacrifice. Surely, this is not the God of the New
Testament - rather, more of a primitive concept of deity, not worthy of
true enlightened worship.

   But I believe that the major point of the story is in this way
missed, and that the story is profoundly relevant for all of us. It's
not the human element of the sacrifice that's so important; rather, it
is the sacrifice of hope, of vision, the sacrifice of the most
valuable, the most cherished in this life.

   When God asked Abraham to "take your only son, Isaac, the one you
love" and offer him for a sacrifice, he was asking him to give up to
destruction the one thing, or person, that meant the most to Abraham.
The words of God's request make it clear what He meant - "your ONLY
son... the ONE you love." Isaac was possibly the strongest 'earthly' or
human love in Abraham's heart, the most important person in Abraham's
life. It was extremely important for a man in Abraham's time and
culture to have children to carry on his name when he was gone. One of
the worst curses one could place upon a man was that his 'seed' might
be destroyed, that his name no longer be remembered and known after he
was dead.

   Therefore, besides the fact that Abraham loved him so dearly, Isaac
also represented all of Abraham's hopes and dreams for his posterity,
and even more if it was felt that a man somehow lived on through his
seed. Abraham had waited for this son for years, even decades. The one
thing that had always been on Abraham's mind when he conversed with God
was, "You promised me a son - when will I have a son?" In Abraham's old
age, Isaac probably meant more to him than did his own life. There was
also the fact that God had said that He would fulfill His promises to
Abraham through Isaac's seed. Isaac himself had been a miraculous gift
of God's grace. How could God give such a miraculous gift and then turn
around and take it back?

   It wasn't Isaac with which God was concerned, but the attachments of
Abraham's heart. Did Abraham love, was he committed to, any one or any
thing more than to God? Was Abraham willing to lay his most cherished
hopes and dreams permanently aside if it were thus necessary in order
to fulfill God's will?

   I had been a Christian for quite a few years before I began to
sincerely appreciate this story. Before that, it had been quite
mysterious to me - how could God ask for such a thing? It defied my
concept of God. But when certain of my own most cherished hopes and
dreams began to be crushed and placed on the altar of sacrifice, I
began to understand a little bit of what Abraham must have gone
through, and what God was doing. Could I make the decision to
consciously put these dreams aside, to sacrifice them for God's "more
perfect" will, although I wasn't even sure what that will was?

   Material blessings are not the only things that we can come to value
more highly than our relationship with God. People, ideas, goals and
hopes can become idols, and we are often not aware how highly they are
valued until it seems that God may be asking us to give them up to Him.
"Surely, that's not GOD asking me to do this? HE's the one who GAVE me
this dream, isn't He?"

   Although the thing asked for at such a time may or may not be very
important to God, our hearts are, and sometimes He can only get to our
heart through what our heart cherishes. It's what God wants to do in
our heart - to set our priorities and commitments straight, to draw us
closer to Him - that is the important thing when circumstances similar
to Abraham's arise in our lives. I must confess: I haven't always held
up very well in trials like this. But then, I don't really think that
it was very easy for Abraham, either.

   Charles Shelton Computers for Christ - Chicago

../