God comes to a guy named Abram and says he is going to be the father of a great nation. Abram asks how this is possible as he is old and has no children. God promises that it will come to pass. Abram decides to take matters into his own hands and he has a kid with his wife's maidservant Hagar. She gives birth to a boy named Ishmael. It causes marital strife and infighting. It gets rather ugly. In the end, God meets Abram again. He gives him another promise, seals it with circumcision, and gives Abram a new name, Abraham (who is 99 years old at this point). Abraham takes his wife down south into Gerar territory and ends up lying about his relationship with her because he is afraid that Abimelech, the king of those parts, will kill him in order to take his wife. Fortunately for Sarah, God steps in before she is taken into Abimelech's harem. God warns Abimelech in a dream not to touch her. Things work out. Then miracle of miracles, Abraham and Sarah have a child. They name him Isaac. They send away Hagar and Ishmael to keep the peace. Then, God instructs Abraham to take his son Isaac up to Mount Moriah to sacrifice him. As crazy as God sounds, Abraham decides to trust him. He builds an altar, binds his son, pulls out a knife, and is stopped at the last minute by an angel. Abraham discovers a ram caught in a thicket and sacrifices it instead. God reiterates the promise he made to Abraham at the beginning.
A couple things to point out in this story.
One, Abraham makes a ton of mistakes and yet God's plan for him still happens. Same is true for your story. Your mistakes are not bigger than God's plan for you. You can't get in is way. You can try. You can make it difficult. But you won't succeed.
Two, God makes a promise. It's going to happen. And yet, there still are tests along the way. We will also face tests in our life. It doesn't mean that our salvation is on the line. It doesn't mean that we'll get some special prize if we succeed. It does mean that God is going to do whatever he needs to do to shape us into the men and women he wants us to be. Pay attention to the tests in your life. How is God trying to shape you? These tests are a great way to discover God's deep desires for you.
Third, this story foreshadows another story. Another Father and another Son. Another hill. Another sacrifice. This time there was no provision. The Son dies. It's the gospel. All of God's stories reflect the One story. Your life story is a gospel story. Don't expect your life to play out differently. As you examine your life, search and reflect on the ways God is working out and working in the gospel in and through you.
No comments:
Post a Comment