Faithful, But Scary, Obedience

A Sermon by David Bennett

June 29, 2008

Genesis22:1-14

        Many of you know that the scriptures I use each Sunday are those found in the lectionary.  The lectionary is a cycle of readings for each Sunday of the year used by many clergy in mainline churches.

        I preach from the lectionary for a variety of reasons – one of which is that by sticking to the lectionary I am sometimes faced with the challenge (or the opportunity) of preaching on a biblical passage I would just as soon ignore. You can imagine that one of those passages is the one read just a moment ago. 

But, early in the week I decided to see where God would lead me if I focused on this passage rather, than focusing on what seemed to be the less challenging passage, this week’s Gospel lesson.  By Friday, I wasn’t quite as excited about my journey into this ancient tale as I was when the week began.

I share with you where I journeyed, hopefully guided by God’s spirit of discernment.

        The footnote in my NRVS Bible points out that this passage “is perhaps one of the most admired and the most troubling of all the stories in Genesis.”  I say, “Yo, Biblical scholars, footnote writers, tell us something we don’t already know.” 

The story of Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his only son is a chilling tale that leaves us floundering to find its meaning.  So, what insights are offered in this story of as we join Abraham, Isaac, and God?  There is also think there is silent character in this story, a heartbroken Sarah – left back at home wondering how all this could be.  I read this week that there is even a tradition that Sarah died while Abraham and Isaac were on their way to Mount Moriah – literally scared to death that her only son was about to die; although the biblical tradition doesn’t support this story.

OK.  OK.  Let’s get to it.  We must first remember that we are seeing this story through 21^st century eyes with 21^st century understanding.  The reality is that in the ancient Near East and apparently at some point in biblical history human sacrifices were offered as acts of worship.  Some instructions are found in Exodus 22. 

We also need to remember that the God of Abraham (who is our God) is a God who rose out of the violent cultures of the ancient Near East.  So it would be natural that stories we read of this God often contain violence.  And, of course, God can sometimes be blamed for things for which God is not responsible.

All this said, in our story, in obeying God’s, Abraham is seemingly following the practices of his day and time.

Let’s begin with Isaac.  If this story terrifies us, imagine how it might affect a child.  Let’s be clear – this ancient story must not be used to support the idea that a parent would want to injure or kill their child.   

We must assure our children that they are loved by parents, guardians, friends, community; that they are surrounded by those who wish them life – not death in any form.  Any of us would offer ourselves as sacrifice in the place of our children.

And yet, we sacrifice our children in today’s world.   In Southeast Asia , in places such as Cambodian girls and boys are sold into slavery and prostitution.  In Northern Uganda children are often kidnapped to serve in the Resistance Army.  With budgets being balanced on the backs of the poor, we sacrifice our children to no health insurance and hungry stomachs.  Other examples could be given.

We also must not allow this story to suggest that the abuse of children is acceptable.  This ancient tale seems to place Isaac as a pawn in the hands of his father.  But Isaac, in what must have been incredible fear and anxiety, is given his voice as he questions his father on the way up the mountain.

None of us would ever allow this frightening story to suggest that God demands supports the abuse our children.  We are all aware that the Bible is used to justify many things – some which cause pain and death.  We must be faithful in standing up to any who use the Bible to support sacrifice or abuse or death.

If the treatment of Isaac teaches us a lesson about how we are to care for our children, what does Abraham teach us?  There is much we could learn from this story.  But, let me offer a couple of thoughts.

Abraham hears this demand by God to do the unthinkable to sacrifice his only son – the son who would give life to the promise of many nations and descendants – and still does as God demands.  Why in the world would he obey this awful demand?

How about this?  Abraham did as instructed because he trusted God.  Abraham has been listening to God for a long time.  He trusted God and went from the land of his father to an unknown land God would show him.

Remember how God and Abraham bartered (back and forth, back and forth) to save Sodom ?  In this earlier encounter Abraham discovers his God to be a God, not only of judgment, but of compassion.  He can trust God to be compassionate in this demand as well.

Abraham has experienced God making the impossible possible.  God promised a child to this old man and his well-passed-giving-birth-age wife and a child was born.  Because the impossible is made possible, Abraham has experienced God keeping God’s promise of bringing life to the lifeless. 

Whatever is going to happen on the mountain, Abraham trusts God will provide life.  And so, in trust, Abraham obeys God. Verse 8 points to this trust as Abraham responds to Isaac’s wondering about where the lamb for the burnt offering is to be found by saying, “God will provide”.  He trusts God. 

Abraham could have done as God demanded simply because God demanded it.  But Abraham is able to obey because he trusts God to be as faithful to him on this mountain just as God has been faithful to him in the past.

If Isaac reminds us about loving our children and Abraham is a model of faith and trust, what does the God of this story have to teach us?  Who is this God that is honored by the faiths of Abraham – Jews and Muslims and Christians?  What kind of God do we worship this morning?

The God we worship this morning is a God who messes up our lives, a God who makes demands of us (sometimes demanding everything).

We might confess there are times we wish God would just keep God’s self occupied with only Sunday morning and remain locked up in this sanctuary – all comfortable and dignified and proper.

We might confess there are times we wish God would just remain at a distance – not interfering with our plans, not involved in our lives.  Sunday is just fine God.  But, we’ve got it under control the other six days of the week.  We’ll give you Sunday, God.  But life would be so much easier if you just let us run our lives the other six days a week.

But God does not remain locked up in the sanctuary – all proper-like.  And, God does not remain at a distance.  God interferes in our lives.  God gets involved in our lives. This interference, this involvement can be challenging, can be painful.  To obey God’s call to follow may mean giving up everything (just ask Abraham).

But if we trust like Abraham trusted, if we obey like Abraham obeyed, we will discover as Abraham did, that God will provide.  Abraham may be a model of faith, but he is also a model of living through the tests of life, the challenges of life trusting that God will provide.

Life can be beautiful and wonderful.  Life can be a test.  Life can be a challenge.  Life can be painful.  Life can be scary.  Life can be horrific.  Many of us have lived through it all this and more.

We are not promised an easy path.  We are not promised all joy and no pain.  We are not promised all easy living and no tests or challenges.

We are promised this – let God interfere with our lives, let God get involved in our daily living, let God speak to our hearts – and when there seems no way but death and struggle and challenge, the promise is – God will provide. 

Abraham called the place where he built the sacrificial altar “The Lord will provide”.  He trusted God to provide.  We will live our lives trusting that, in every moment of our living, God will provide for us as well.  Let it be so.