Daily Devotion, August 31, 2022

 

Devotion:

Read Genesis 22:1-12.

This story reminds me of my childhood fears when I would read this story in a children’s Bible story book while I was waiting in the doctor’s office! Remembering the artist’s rendering of this story can still evoke fear!

In many ways I had to “un-learn” this story and with the help of the Holy Spirit, hear it with new ears and see it with new eyes to understand it in such a way as to not evoke the fear it once had created for me.

Over the years I learned that this story became one of the turning points in Abraham’s understanding of God. The other “gods” for other people during Abraham’s day did require child sacrifices. But here in this story, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob became set apart as the God who provides the sacrifice and does NOT ask for child sacrifices.

This story is part of the thread of atonement and God’s forgiveness of our sins, which is woven throughout the Bible. Atonement is one of the big words and concepts from scripture. God is the one who provides and makes the way to repair the breach of relationship that sin has brought. God offers the way to restore us to a right relationship.  The word itself, “at-one-ment” helps us begin to understand it.

Abraham and God had a relationship of trust. Abraham knew God would provide and God knew that Abraham would be faithful. This relationship was strengthened in this experience. It marks the beginning of God’s providing the way for restoration.

This thread is woven throughout the Old Testament and picked up in the New Testament. John 1:29 quotes John the Baptist. “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” 

Romans 12:1 continues this thread of thought, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” 

Personal Worship Option:

This thread is picked up again throughout all of I John 4 and particularly with the words, “God is love”, and “perfect love casts out all fear.” Has your fear of God kept you from living, and living sacrificially, to love and serve God and others?