The triumph of faith

Tuesday February 1, 2022

The triumph of faith

Abram said to Lot : … Separate yourself from me. If you go left, I'll go right, and if you go right, I'll go left. Genesis 13:9

God said (to Abraham) : Take your only son... Go to the land of Moriah and there offer him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I will show you. And Abraham... took with him... Isaac his son... and went to the place that God had told him. Genesis 22:2,3

Abraham received two promises that are particularly dear to him : that of a land that he would possess, Canaan, and that of a son, Isaac, who would be born to him from Sarah. Despite the time that elapses before the fulfillment of these promises begins, his behavior is marked by patience and faith.

Returning to the land of Canaan after a sad experience in Egypt, he showed himself to be understanding and benevolent in the face of the problems caused by the conflicts between his shepherds and those of Lot. It was, however, the perfect opportunity to assert his rights, claiming his age and status, and to lay the first groundwork for obtaining the promised country. He shows no authoritarian attitude. He lets his nephew Lot choose, taking a real risk, but in fact he leaves the real choice to God. It was after the separation that God invited him to see the country of which he had spoken to him : Raise your eyes and, from where you are, look north and south, east and west. Indeed, all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever (Genesis 13:14,15). This promise thus takes on a more precise aspect.

After the long-awaited birth of Isaac, life seems to take a more leisurely course for Abraham. He then settled in Beersheba. A new trial, or rather a “test” for his faith, will reach him : the request of God to offer in holocaust his son, his only, the one he loves, Isaac, on whom rest all the promises. He accepts such a sacrifice, undoubtedly with pain, but in the confidence that God will maintain in his own way what he has said. He believes that even though he sacrifices Isaac, God will raise him up to fulfill the promises (Hebrews 11:18,19).

During his life, Abraham learned several lessons about the importance of obeying and trusting God. His faith triumphs when he is ready to give up everything except God. For him the giver is more important than the gift. And for us ?

Source (Pleasing the Lord)