A Work in Progress….

Genesis 22:6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 

Commentary talks about these verses as “a remarkable picture of the work of Jesus at the cross, thousands of years before it happened…” And as much as I can understand where commentary is coming from with the association, these verses immediately bring to my mind other, much darker associations.

Genesis 22:7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

There have been many stories over the years of parents who have hurt or killed their children, claiming that God called them to do it. When I read these verses, I don’t read about obedience, I see fear from the child, even if the child is 35 years old. I see pain and anguish and hurt on all sides.

Genesis 22:8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.

Precious Savior, I know this is not where you want my mind to go. Help me rid myself of this association so I can focus on Your true lessons here–faith, obedience, putting You and Your call first, even when it is difficult, knowing that You will provide and that You keep Your promises, even when the way is so very dark. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Genesis 22:9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.

Have a blessed day.

Genesis 22:1a Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”

There is so much that makes me uncomfortable about today’s scripture, but since this test plays out over ten more verses, I’ll deal with that tomorrow. What I want to focus on today is a fun fact that I learned as I read commentary on verses 1 and 2: Genesis 22:2 is the first mention of the word love in the Bible, and it references the love between a parent and a child, a father and a son.

Genesis 22:1b “Here I am,” he replied.

To my way of thinking, the Bible is a love letter from God to man, so I find it fascinating that I am 22 chapters in and only now hearing the word love. Not only that, but the word love is in the context of this test. God is saying, essentially, prove to Me that you love Me more than you love your son, prove to Me that you fully trust Me to keep my promises by your willingness to sacrifice this promise that I have finally fulfilled in Isaac.

Genesis 22:2a Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah.

Precious Savior, I have so much difficulty with today’s scripture. Forgive me. Help me. Thank You for this first mention of love in the Bible, for the bond between parent and child, for the love that You have for each of Your children, a love that surpasses all understanding. Help me seek, learn, understand as I read Your scripture. Amen.

Genesis 22:2b Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.” 

Have a blessed day.

Genesis 21:19a Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. 

I am incredibly partial to the NLT translation of Gen 21:20, “And God was with the boy as he grew up in the wilderness.” I found this translation sometime during my hikers’ first trek on the Appalachian Trail, AT for short. They made it from Georgia to New Jersey that first trip, 1325 miles on foot. And my oldest child did some growing up as he hiked through the wilderness.

Genesis 21:19b So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.

When they hiked the AT a second time five years later, this time successfully making it from Georgia to Maine, almost 2200 miles on foot, I thought of that verse often. My oldest grew and matured even more on this hike through the wilderness, and the NLT translation of Gen 21:20 brought me a measure of peace and comfort the entire time they hiked. It reminded me that God was with them every single day.

Genesis 21:20 God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an archer.

Precious Savior, Thank You for Gen 21:20, which brought me so much comfort as my guys hiked the AT. Thank You that You can reach us as we wander in life’s wildernesses, that You are with us in what can be dark and trying times. Help us draw closer to you, especially as we traverse difficult terrain in life. Amen.

Genesis 21:21 While he was living in the Desert of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from Egypt.

Have a blessed day.

Genesis 21:15 When the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes. 

The wording of today’s verses confuses me a bit. Hagar “put the boy” under a bush. She went off because she didn’t want to watch “the boy” die. God heard “the boy crying as he lies there.” I literally had to look up the age difference between Ishmael and Isaac to be sure we were dealing with a teenager and not a child. Sources say Ishmael was 14 years older than Isaac.

Genesis 21:16 Then she went off and sat down about a bowshot away, for she thought, “I cannot watch the boy die.” And as she sat there, she began to sob.

Also, I am left with that same sense that I don’t fully understand all that’s going on here. God encourages Abraham to do whatever Sarah asks to take care of the Hagar/Ishmael situation. God waits until they are totally out of water and Hagar thinks she is preparing to watch her son die. And then He intervenes. God is not intentionally cruel. So something else must be going on here.

Genesis 21:17 God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. 

Precious Savior, I know I have a tendency to think I know what is going on, what *should* be happening, in a given situation. I also know there is so much that I don’t know, don’t understand. Help me not to be so quick to pass judgment. Help me to remember who You are and who You are to me. Help me to trust that even when life feels out of control, You are already on the other side and You are holding me securely in the palm of Your hand. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Genesis 21:18 Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.”

Have a blessed day.

Genesis 21:11 The matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son. 

I will admit that today’s scripture makes me incredibly uncomfortable. Ishmael exists because Sarah and Abraham did not trust God–trust His plan, trust His timing. Now the 13 year old Ishmael, teenaged and moody, is scoffing at his infant half brother who is being celebrated as the chosen one while he, Ishmael, has always been treated as second class. The pain Ishmael must feel hurts my heart.

Genesis 21:12 But God said to him, “Do not be so distressed about the boy and your slave woman. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. 

And for God to tell Abraham to do exactly what Sarah says tells me that there’s got to be more going on here than I can understand. My God is not mean. He isn’t cruel. He doesn’t inflict pain just because He can. So there must be more going on here than meets the eye. Jesus, Help me understand.

Genesis 21:13 I will make the son of the slave into a nation also, because he is your offspring.”

Precious Savior, You know the compassionate heart You placed within me. Thank You. And thank You for the ability to read Your word and wonder what else is going on, what I am missing, what I’m not understanding. Help me to draw closer to You every day, with every breath and every word. Amen.

Genesis 21:14 Early the next morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He set them on her shoulders and then sent her off with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the Desert of Beersheba.

Have a blessed day.

Genesis 21:6 Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.” 

Apparently, I default to blame because when I read today’s scripture, my first thought was, “Sarah, YOU are the reason Ishmael exists!” In case you are wondering, playing the blame game isn’t healthy for anyone at any time, but here Sarah and I both are, dishing out blame about situations we don’t like.

Genesis 21:7 And she added, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”

But here is the thing about assigning blame–doing so takes the focus off of something else–in this case celebrating Isaac, God’s promise fulfilled. Blaming can be toxic–so many negative emotions bubble to the surface when you play that game. Celebrating, especially by giving glory to God, is renewing, life-giving. Jesus, Help me choose celebration over blame, joy over anger.

Genesis 21:8 The child grew and was weaned, and on the day Isaac was weaned Abraham held a great feast. 

Precious Savior, Thank You for the reminder that I have a choice about what I focus on. I can focus on the negative and blame and be bitter and angry OR I can focus on You, celebrate the blessings You have placed in my life. I know what is the better path. Forgive me when I don’t choose it automatically. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Genesis 21:9-10 But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking, and she said to Abraham, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.”

Have a blessed day.