Central United Methodist Church

Abraham and Sarah (Genesis 12-22)

Rev. Reta Steck

Sunday, February 11, 2007

    This year we are working our way through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.  Very quickly, let’s review where we are:  We began with God creating the world and calling it “very good.”  Then Adam and Eve disobey God in the Garden.  Human sin ruptures the relationship between God and humanity.  Determined to give humanity another chance, God starts over with the righteous man, Noah.  From Noah’s blood line, humans inhabit the earth after the flood.  But once again, humanity takes matters into their own hands at Babel and tries to build a tower to the heavens.  God confuses the communication causing people to speak different languages and the people scatter about the earth. 

            This brings us to the ten chapters in Genesis, chapters 12-22, about Abraham and Sarah.  God speaks to Abraham for the first time when he is 75 years old.  The Lord commands Abraham to leave his country, his people, and his father’s household.  In exchange for Abraham’s obedience and trust, God promises to give Abraham land and to make Abraham into a great nation with descendants as numerous as the sand on the seashore. 

There is one major problem, however.  Abraham and Sarah are very old and childless.  God promises them a child.  The child, Isaac, is born when Abraham is 100 years old—25 years after leaving their homeland.  Abraham and Sarah’s story climaxes in chapter 22.  Listen now to the Word of God (Genesis 22:1-19, page 20):

Genesis 22 is one of the most written-about and most perplexing chapters in the Bible.  Entire books have been written about this chapter.  After waiting over 100 years for a son, God commands Abraham to sacrifice Isaac as a burnt offering.  The scene is appalling!  Why on earth would God command something so atrocious?

Focusing on God’s motive and intention in the narrative seems natural.  After all Abraham is portrayed by many as a faithful, loving, grandfatherly type—someone like, say, Norman Bisanar.  But is Abraham so innocent?  We need read only briefly into Genesis 12 (verse 10 to be exact) before we see evidence of Abraham’s humanness.  A famine strikes the land.  Abraham and Sarah head for Egypt.  Sarah is very beautiful.  Abraham surmises that the Egyptians will want Sarah for their harems and will thus kill Abraham.  What to do?  The answer seems obvious:  LIE! 

Abraham tells Sarah to “say [she is Abraham’s] sister.”  Better for Pharaoh to take Sarah as one of his wives than risk personal harm!  Abraham, the same man who earlier left his homeland and his family immediately and without question upon God’s command, now takes matters into his own hands!  (Sound familiar?)  The result (v. 17):  Pharaoh’s household becomes infected with diseases [some translations say “plagues”].  Pharaoh admonishes Abraham and sends him away. 

            Surely Abraham learns his lesson.  Right?  Well—not exactly.  In Genesis 20 Abraham and Sarah encounter an ancient king.  “Abraham said of his wife Sarah, “She is my sister” (Gen 20:2).  Then [the] king sends for Sarah and takes her.”  Like Pharaoh earlier, [the king] learns of Abraham’s lie.  The king confronts Abraham who, instead of apologizing and admitting his guilt, rationalizes that the lie wasn’t a total lie since Sarah was indeed Abraham’s “half-sister” (v.11)  [Marriage to a half-sister in ancient times was permitted (but is later forbidden—Leviticus 18:9-11ff).]  Twice Abraham lies about Sarah being his wife to protect himself.

            Let’s look at one other saga in the life of Abraham and Sarah.  When God calls Abraham, Abraham is 75 years old.  Sarah is barren.  God promises Abraham that he will be a great nation.  How can Abraham be a great nation without an heir, without descendants?  What to do?  Wait on God’s timing?  Trust God to do what God says?  No – Sarah concocts a plan to make Abraham a father.  Sarah tells Abraham to “Go, sleep” with her servant, Hagar.  “Perhaps [Sarah] can build a family through her.”  What does Abraham do?  “[Abraham sleeps] with Hagar, and [Hagar conceives].”  “Abraham is 86 years old when Hagar bore…Ishmael.”

            But indeed Sarah becomes pregnant in time.  “The Lord was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what he had promised.  Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age….  Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore….  Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born….”

            All is well.  Despite Abraham’s and Sarah’s humanness—their on-again/off-again obedience and faithfulness—their lying, conniving, manipulating, rationalizing, scheming—God remains faithful to the promise.  Isaac, the child of the promise, the child through whom all nations will be blessed, is born. 

And then we come to Genesis 22.  Abraham has amassed quite a track record.  So, God tests Abraham.  God instructs Abraham to take his son Isaac and sacrifice him as a burnt offering. 

Several weeks ago I listened to a radio talk show as a Christian, a Jew, and a Muslim discussed what it means to do God’s will.  Someone called into the show saying that the God of the Old Testament was not the same God we find in the New Testament.  The Jewish Rabbi took great offense at this comment saying, “This is a very shallow and limited reading of the Hebrew Scriptures!”  But when we read scripture like Genesis 22, we can understand the caller’s comments.  In fact, many of us may have the same reaction to parts of the Old Testament. 

            Genesis 22 is challenging!  For years I have read scholarly opinions on this text trying to make sense of it.  How can God command Abraham to sacrifice his only son?  What on earth does all this mean?  Here are a few expert explanations to ponder. 

One explanation:  Child sacrifice was common in the ancient world in response to the commands of various deities.  Some scholars believe that God’s final command to “not lay a hand on the boy” was a profound and explanatory statement that the God of Israel did not condone child sacrifice.    

            Another possibility:  Some say that God’s command to Abraham to sacrifice Isaac was a test of Abraham’s faithfulness.  After all that Abraham had done (lying and so forth), could God trust Abraham?  Folks in this camp argue that God really did not know what Abraham would do.  God was poised to bless the entire world through Abraham’s seed. God had to know whether Abraham would trust and obey.  The test had to be extreme because it was the only way for God to know for sure whether Abraham would remain faithful. 

            There are no easy answers.  This passage of scripture has bothered me ever since the first time I read it many years ago in Disciple Bible Study.  Here’s the question I have asked myself over the years:  What timeless TRUTH can we glean from this story?  How can we take this story and apply it in our lives in 2007? 

            I have really struggled with this text!  I asked one of my close clergy friends if he could think of any practical illustrations, something that we (all of us) could identify with.  I mentioned to Andy that I was having trouble coming up with any practical application for the text.  Where or how can I bring the story into real life? 

            To illustrate how I understand the story of Abraham and Isaac, I want to share a personal story.  But before I do so I want to qualify a few things.  Telling personal stories in sermons is risky business.  If I did the right thing, I risk looking like a hero and a braggart.  If I did the wrong thing, I risk looking like a heathen.  Please listen to this story and know that I want to look like neither—hero nor heathen.  I tell you this story only as a witness to God’s grace. 

            I grew up, like many of you, with a clear vision of what it meant to be successful in this world.  I set my sights on working hard, moving up the corporate ladder, and making a good salary.  I can remember thinking to myself:  “If only I can make a six-figure salary, then I will have arrived!”  Monetary and career success meant for me freedom, security, independence.  Sure I went to church.  I believed in God.  I prayed.  I even went to Sunday school. 

In 2000 I felt that I had finally arrived.  I was the Director of Human Resources for a successful healthcare company.  I had a good salary.  I managed a department of 25 people.  Things were going well.  My husband was anticipating early retirement. 

I suspect that Abraham too thought he had finally arrived.  Success in the ancient world was closely tied to having children, heirs.  Abraham lived over 100 years with no heir.  Then Isaac was born.  But at the height of success, God commands Abraham to take Isaac, his only son, his love, his priority, up to the mountain and sacrifice him as a burnt offering.  Could Abraham give up that which he treasured most to follow God’s command?  Could God be trusted?

Like Abraham, just when I thought I had it all, I sensed a call from God to change my direction; I sensed God calling me into ordained ministry.  Over the next two years I underwent a metamorphosis of the soul.  My every notion of success was challenged.  If I was to answer God’s call to the ministry I would have to give up my job, my salary, my corner office, my independence—everything I equated with success—everything I held near and dear.  The moment came, as it did for Abraham, when I had to decide once and for all whether I could walk the talk—whether I really trusted God—or not.

I remember the day vividly.  My husband, Todd, and I sat down with our budget to see if we could afford for me to quit my job and go to seminary.  Before we even began the discussion, I said to Todd:  “You need to know that I am willing to do anything to make this happen.  If we need to sell the house, we’ll sell the house.  If we need to sell the cars, I’m willing to sell the cars.  I’ll eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the next three years while I am in seminary if I need to.  God is calling me and this is going to happen!  I will do anything!” 

In all the years that I had thought about Abraham’s binding Isaac, like so many, I focused on God:  How could a good God, a trustworthy God, ever ask a father to sacrifice his son?  But I don’t think the crux of the story is about God; the story is about us.  Before we can do what God is calling us to do (to share the good news of Christ with the whole world—to be Christ’s disciples), we have to completely trust God.

But what does trust in God look like in our modern world?  I think it is safe to say that most of us don’t expect an angel to take corporal form and give us step by step instructions.  No - for us, trust will be manifested in our turning over control of our future to God; our consciously deciding that following God’s call requires us to relinquish knowing where our future leads.

  Before we can do this, however, we must trust that God will not let us down. Trust is our prerequisite to being a servant of God!  In Abraham’s case, how could Abraham be God’s messenger to the world without trusting God?  In my own case, if I could not trust God to get me through seminary then what kind of pastor would I ever be?  You can fill in the blank for yourself:  If I cannot trust God to ________ then what kind of Christian will I ever be?  Trusting God…this is our challenge and our privilege!