After these things God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you.” So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac; he cut the wood for the burnt offering, and set out and went to the place in the distance that God had shown him. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place far away. Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the boy and I will go over there; we will worship, and then we will come back to you.” Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. Isaac said to his father Abraham, “Father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Abraham said, “God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together.
When they came to the place that God had shown him, Abraham built an altar there and laid the wood in order. He bound his son Isaac, and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to kill his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” And Abraham looked up and saw a ram, caught in a thicket by its horns. Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.” Genesis 22
While the last post talked about the passage of Hagar and Ishmael which has been tragically forgotten, this passage is all too frequently remembered. It is remembered as an example of, "What kind of God would ever even let this story be told...not even saying that it might actually have happened??" We see this as an illustration of the stereotype of God as violent or vengeful in the Hebrew Scriptures. So, we keep coming around this passage like we do at a car accident. We are at once repealed and yet we cannot help ourselves for gawking at this train-wreck.
I have yet to find a real great commentary to help me get my heart around this narrative. Some scholars say that it is "evidence that God does NOT want child sacrifice!" I think God has a lot better ways of communicated that. Other scholars say this is a passage that points out how difficult it is to hear our still speaking God, that Abraham just thought he heard God say this. But that would also throw into question how reliable any of Abraham and God's conversations were. Was Abraham supposed to leave his family? Or change his name? Or have a son with Sarah? Like dominoes, sometimes our efforts in once place, set off a chain reaction in unintended ways.
So where does that leave us? Does God want us to hurt or neglect our families? I think there are far too many stories in Scripture that testify otherwise (the Prodigal Son comes to mind first). Perhaps the best way I can hold this story right now is brokenness done in God's name that causes too much pain. I know families who have essentially cut off their son or daughter for his/her sexual orientation. I know families who shun each other with heavy grudges. I know brokenness between siblings that is passed on to the next generation. And I don't believe God asks for this, nor should church dogma and books of order.
To be sure, when we were dealing with Noah, we talk about how God changes God's mind. God initially thought the flood was a great way to solve a problem, only to realize the means led to another end. Humans are beautiful and broken. Maybe this is another moment of God changing God's mind.
Most of all, this reminds me that I don't have God figured out. God's ways are not my ways. And I think we should be careful reducing stories down to moral nuggets. We like to do this, treating Scripture as fairy tale. For example, the message of the Three Little Pigs is choose your building and housing wisely. Or maybe the message is that there are wolves in our midst. Or maybe the message is that pigs are not the best contractors. You see, even when you think you have found the message, there is always something more if you probe longer.
We need stories like this to keep that truth front and center. I need a story like this to make me uncomfortable...lest I get so complacent thinking that every story in Scripture has one, and only one, ethical application. Scripture stories are vast and varied, they are deep and wide, and cover ground sometimes that is best left un-explored. But there are moments of family brokenness. Just as womanist theologians have re-claimed and re-interpreted Hagar, perhaps we need to hear from our sons and daughters who have felt sacrificed in the name of religion. It is painful. It will make us wince, but it is also a way for our still speaking God to get a word in edgewise.
May there be a trace of grace...even the smallest smidgen of grace...as we ponder this narrative for us today.
Blessings ~
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