Abraham: Death of a Promise?

God and I have this kind of ongoing dialogue about promises, which is a long story on its own but suffice it to say that Bible stories, songs, etc. that have to do with promises always catch my eye and my heart and we chat about it.

So, it was no different when I got a book at a yard sale that was all about the covenants and promises in the Bible, and I started reading. Of course, it began with Abraham. Then during my prayer times, God kept directing me to somewhere in Genesis that always happened to be about Abraham. So I read through the story of Abram-turned-Abraham in the context of his promise from God and what he did in the midst of it.

Most of it was pretty much what I had already seen and known about that, but then I came to a familiar passage and saw it in a new light.

"And he said, take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of" (Genesis 22:2).

Ok, so God had given Abraham (which means father of a great multitude) a promise that he would be a father of many nations. In Genesis 17, God promises that he will make Abraham "exceedingly fruitful" and that "kings shall come out of thee" (vs. 6). He tells him that Sarah will bear him a son named Isaac, "and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him" (vs. 19).

Imagine Abraham's perspective on God's command in Genesis 22 after this promise in Genesis 17. How could the promise, the covenant, be fulfilled through his son if he kills him? I've always heard this story spoken of through the lens of obedience, and how even though Abraham loved his son, he was willing to sacrifice him because God told him to. And yes, that's still true, but there is so much more to it!

"And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son" (Genesis 22:10).

Although Abraham loved Isaac dearly, he was also the beginning of the fulfilling of God's promise to him, and yet Abraham still trusted in the Lord and was going to do as He told him even when it looked like the death of his promise! If Isaac would lead to the fulfilling of the covenant and he was dead, how could the promise still come to fruition?

Yet, as we read in Hebrews 11, Abraham believed that God could raise Isaac from the dead. Verses 17-19 say, "By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, that in Isaac shall thy seed be called: accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead..."  Wow.

And then, in the midst of the questions and the pain, God reveals and fixes it all.

"And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, in the mount of the Lord it shall be seen" (Genesis 22:12-14).

God wanted to test Abraham, and he passed the test. Would I pass the test? Would you? In the context of promises, would we be willing to do what God says even if it seems like the death of a promise He gave to us? Would you believe that He could bring that promise back to life?

To tie everything so nicely together, and create a beautiful illustration of this, I want to share with you a song that really spoke to my heart in the past couple of days since I first heard it. Josh Baldwin of Bethel Music recently put out a solo album, of which the song Abraham is a part. I saw it on YouTube as I was listening to another song and thought, huh, I wonder what that song is about? So I listened to it and a couple days later I had it completely memorized from singing it so much.

So here is a link to that wonderful song: Abraham lyric video

But still, that question remains: Are we as willing as Abraham to do as God tells us even when it seems like the death of our promise?

I pray so - because then we get to watch as God steps in and provides a way for that promise to stay alive, because He who promised is faithful (Hebrews 10:23)!