“’Take your son,’ He said, ‘your only son Isaac, whom you love, go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.” (v. 2)
“Isaac said, ‘The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?’ Abraham answered, God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering my son.’” (v 7-8)
“Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught in the thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son. And Abraham named that place The Lord Will Provide…” (v 13-14)
Genesis 22
I have a hard time giving things up. More specifically, material items. Items that hold memories are valuable to me. I keep Post It notes and restaurant napkins. I have papers that were saved from a special moment and knick knacks that help me remember unique experiences. Essentially these things are unimportant to the average human being. Really they’re unimportant to anyone besides me. But I love them and I hold onto them.
So I can’t imagine letting go of them or getting rid of them. Even more, I can’t imagine burning my own son on an altar. God didn’t ask for spring cleaning. He said to sacrifice your only son whom you love.
And Abraham did it.
Without a doubt or a question or a second guess. He didn’t try to run and hide. He didn’t sit on it overnight. He just did exactly what God had asked of him.
Even when his son asked him what was happening. Even when it was time to tie up his son to the wood. Up until the very last moment, Abraham obeyed.
And how hard that must have been. The Bible makes it seem pretty straight forward that Abraham just did what he was asked by God to do, but I bet at some point throughout that process he shed a tear. I bet at some point his heart broke just a little. Because this wasn’t just a thing he kept in his house. It wasn’t a trinket. It was a person. It was his person. The one he created and waited for. Now God was asking to give it all up.
Sometimes God does that.
He makes us do absolutely painful things. He makes us give up the ones we love. He makes us sacrifice the things we’ve worked so hard to achieve. And it’s not because He’s mad at us or He wants to see us suffer. Actually, it’s the complete opposite. It’s because He has something even greater for us. It’s because when we give up that thing, He gives us an even better thing.
I’ve been deep diving into Advent the past few days, and I think that’s what it’s all about.
God wants to give us something incredible. He wants to give us Jesus. Jesus is the most wonderful thing we could ever receive.
It is the gift that truly keeps giving. Giving us hope and peace and comfort. Giving us a guide on how to live a faithful life. Giving us an opportunity for a personal relationship with God. Jesus gives us that.
And God gave us Jesus.
So this season- and all the advent seasons past and future- we remember that God provides. God provided us Jesus.