Isaac
Genesis 22.1-14, Hebrews 11.1-3, 8-12, 17-19
Cirencester Parish Church, Sunday 19th July 2015, 6pm
Reverend Gary Grady
May I speak in the name of the Father...
Our summer sermon series on ‘Children of the OT begins with Isaac’.
It has been said that Christians are like tea bags...they always do best when they get in hot water.In our first lesson we find Abraham in the hottest water of ‘his life’ as God tries his faith.God has asked him to do the unthinkable, he said:“Go, sacrifice your son, Isaac.” (Gen 22.2)
You can almost hear him thinking: Are you serious, God?Don’t you remember your ‘unconditional’ promise, which you made to me?You said: “I will bless you and make you the father of a great nation, and will multiply your seed” (Gen 12)
In essence, God has promising to send HIS son through Abraham's seed to be the saviour of the world. But if Abraham's son [Isaac] dies without bearing a son...these promises are ‘history’.It’s pretty serious stuff:Why would God dare to ask such a faithful man to give up his only son, who was the only hope for a coming Messiah?
Isaac is the long awaited son of the elderly Abraham and Sarah, and is chosen over his half-brother [Ishmael] to bear the Hebrew lineage...we’ll hear more about Ishmael next week from Fr. Howard.
By way of a short biography, Isaac lived between the 19th and 18th centuries B.C.In later life, a wife is ‘chosen’ for him (her name was Rebekah), and Isaac dutifully leads a generation as a nomadic chieftain in what is now southern Israel, Gaza and the West Bank...quarrelling at times with the native Philistines over wells dug in a dry land.
He had two sons, Esau and Jacob, and we hear of Isaac again when he is nearly blind and close to death. Jacob, wearing goat skins and pretending to be his hairy brother, swindles him out of a blessing intended for his elder son, Esau.
Besides being a patriarch in Judaism, Isaac is also an honoured as biblical figure in Christianity ‘and’ asa prophet in Islam.
In our reading this evening, we hear about the pivotal moment in his young life though.God asked his father, Abraham, to sacrifice him!
“Take your son, your only son, whom you love [Isaac]and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you” (Gen 22.1-2).
Abraham and Sarah named their son Isaac, or Yitzchak, which means ‘laughter’. Both were old and Sarah couldn’t have children, so when God told them they would have a son, Sarah laughed.But that laughter would have turned to tears as God asks the most difficult thing ever.
Time stood still.
This doesn’t sound like God; he doesn’t sacrifice children (Deut 12.31-32).You’re kidding, right?Not only do we need to have faith, we also have to trust in God’s purpose. So...
“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, 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?’ Abraham answered, ‘God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.’ And the two of them went on together.” (Gen 22.6-8)
You can almost hear that ‘little voice’ on one of Abraham’s shoulders saying:
-How can you serve God when he treats you like this?
-Why don’t you just quit this God-thing, where has it got you?
-This is Isaac, your beloved son.
-God has lied to you all along, he doesn’t love you...and now, he’s going to destroy your family.
Our reading from Hebrews gives us an insight into how Abraham overcame this spiritual battle; and it was through FAITH.It tells us that Abraham believed that, if God took his son [Isaac], then he would raise him right back from the dead
Notice the powerful parallels between Isaac and Christ.In fact, there is no clearer picture of the Cross in the OT, and the sacrifice made by God [for us] in Christ, than here in Genesis chapter 22.
-Isaac was the long promised son to Abraham (Gen 12.3); Jesus was the long promised Messiah (Gen 13.3).
-Both were beloved and the ‘only’ sons of their father.
-Each carried their own wood.
-Both had a 3 day experience; Isaac a 3 day walk to Mt. Moriah, Jesus 3 days from grave to resurrection.
-Both asked questions of their Father, but willingly submitted to their Father’s will.
-Each were accompanied on their journey by two others; Isaac by the 2 servants, Jesus by the 2 thieves.
-And, both were brought back from the dead; Isaac figuratively (Gen 22.12) and Jesus through the resurrection (Matt 28.6-7).
In this evening’s reading though, we recognise the pivotal role that children play in God’s plan for humanity...how they are loved beyond measure, and used for even greater things in the Kingdom.We know that Isaac went on to become the father of Jacob and Esau, but as a child, he was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for his father.
Over the coming weeks we’ll hear more about the children of the OT and their part in ‘our’ great story.But for tonight, we remember the great challenges of faith and trust, that God asks of us: So as you go from here, ponder the following questions:
- What is the most precious thing you have in the world?
- evdAre you willing to lay it down at the foot of the cross?
- Are you willing to lay down your ‘Isaac’ and trust in God?
May God’s peace and blessing be upon your hearts, this night and always.
Amen.
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