DAY 8

EBBS AND FLOWS

Genesis 20, 21 & 22 and Matthew 6:19 – 34

I expect over the next year we will talk about faith a number of times. Today is one. Today we read again of Abraham. We will see his and Sarah’s faith ebb and flow. We will see them respond well, displaying great faith. We will see them respond poorly, giving into fear. We will also see God and His response.

Genesis 20 We come to a familiar story. While I am not sure what prompted Abraham to move on, he did. Abraham repeats a prior pattern and claims Sarah is his sister. Why does Abraham do this? I imagine out of fear; fear leads us to do all sorts of things, and many times when we find ourselves in a corner we return to old patterns. Abraham returns to his old pattern, indeed his old plan. We read that long ago Abraham developed this plan and had his wife promise to portray herself as his sister.

The name Abimelech is interesting. It is associated with a number of kings from the region noted. It is thought to have two meanings. One is, “my father is king”, a name given to a crown prince. The other, “my father is Moloch”. Moloch is a pagan deity.

What might I harvest from this part of the story? Abraham is not the only one to repeat his pattern of behavior: God does as well. God intercedes for Abraham: Abraham whom God has visited, whom God has blessed, and whom God has covenanted with. If God’s love was conditional upon Abraham’s behavior I imagine that the plan would be being re-worked. Re-work is not necessary. God faithfulness is dependent upon his character, not ours. God’s plan of redemption through Abraham will not be thwarted.

Genesis 21 provides another step, a large step in God’s covenantal plan. They called him laughter because he came after, after a long wait. Isaac, Abraham and Sarah’s only son! What a joy, what an absolute joy. I was taken back when I read verse nine. You and I have been waiting for many chapters for this birth. Yet a mere nine verses into the story, after waiting, waiting over 25 years, with all the twists and turns [twice pretending to be Abraham’s sister, laughing at and then lying to God, and more] Sarah sees Ishmael laughing and it triggers deep jealously and anger. This wonderful story turns in a moment to a tragic sending away of Hagar and Ishmael. Typing this out slows me down, it makes me ponder more the reality of what is taking place, and it make me sad. Still, God is present, guiding Hagar, hearing her pleas [this is the second time], and rescuing her and her son.

Genesis 22 brings us to the “almost sacrifice of Isaac.” I meet people who do not like this story. They say to me that God seems cruel. I was always taken back by this story until I learned the cultural context. The worlds that surrounded Abraham and Sarah, the world of Abimelech and Moloch, were worlds that sacrificed children. Later we will read how much God detests this practice; for now know that these sojourners for God were surrounded by this practice as the norm.

Put yourself in Abraham’s shoes, or in Sarah’s. She is finally pregnant. They are lying down at night, sharing thoughts at the end of the day as husbands and wives do. Did she, did he, wonder out loud, “Do you think God the Most High will require this sacrifice?” Dared they even give voice to this question? Whether it was spoken or not, I believe they would have wondered. We read these texts knowing about God, about Jesus and His Love. Abraham and Sarah were just getting to know this God. This is before Moses, this is before the Ten Commandments, this is before all of what we take for granted, and therefore we need to try and take off those “glasses.” The fateful day arrives that God asks, and I imagine Abraham and Sarah thought they had the answer to their question about whether their God would be like all the other gods and require this sacrifice.

How can God communicate to Abraham and Sarah that He is not a God of child sacrifice. How can he make sure they, and all their descendants will know? The answer is a dramatic story: a story that will be told around the campfires for generations to come. A story that proclaims, “I am not a God that desires human sacrifice.” Yes to enact this story was extremely hard on Abraham; beyond words. If God had never asked, Isaac would have lived his live, but would we have known, really known, that this God, the One True Living God, is not a God of child sacrifice?

This is a pivotal story in the Old Testament. When we get to more of the history we will again come in contact with cultures that God absolutely abhors; at the root of most of those cultures we will find child sacrifice. We must remember our God is not a God of child sacrifice, for our God will provide the sacrifice.

It is also a story that will move us close to close of Abraham’s life. It isn’t over, but the center will be shifting to Isaac. We’ve walked with Abraham for almost 10 chapters. He is very human. There are some recurring themes with him, positive and negative. That is true of all of us. What is striking is that in many ways, long after God has been forgotten. Long after Noah, long after the Tower of Babel, God calls out to a 75 year old man, and the man answers. Through Abraham we know God. It is why Abraham’s faith was and is so esteemed. He was a person of faith who believed God and was therefore counted righteous.

Matthew 6:19-34 is a bit about faith; do you and I have it. Not just a little, but enough that our daily world is affected. Jesus challenges us and encourages us – do not worry about all our daily needs. In essence Jesus says have faith.

Today’s readings seem to me to be about how our behavior can have ebbs and flows, based on how we are doing with our faith. Can we hang in there and follow God, or do we allow fear and worry to consume. Today’s readings are also about God and how God’s behavior does not ebb and flow. God’s behavior is constant.