What God was asking of Abraham in Genesis 22 was (humanly speaking) completely nuts, because it meant Abraham having to give up everything God had promised him. So what was God’s point in promising incredible blessings to Abraham in Genesis chapters 12, 15, 17 and 18, when a few chapters later it would all go up in smoke (literally) with the death of Isaac in a burnt offering?
It does say in Genesis 22:1, though, that God was “testing Abraham.” But what a strange test, and with no explanation as to the purpose of it either. So what made Abraham obey God so willingly, or at least humbly and without question?
It wasn’t because of any benefit to him personally, because there was no pre-promise from God that “If you obey me there’ll be a reward waiting.” Quite the opposite: if Abraham obeyed God he’d not only lose his much loved son, but all that God had promised to his son too.
For the first time in Abraham’s relationship with God, therefore, there was nothing to be gained from trusting him. Up to this point it had been nothing but huge and extremely positive blessings for Abraham – reason enough for him to obey; but not this time.
Which was much the same situation Job found himself in, and at roughly the same time Abraham was faced with his situation in Genesis 22. The question asked of Job in his case was: “Does Job fear God for nothing?” (Job 1:9). If there’s no personal gain, in other words, why obey?
There was no personal gain for Jesus either, in giving up everything to become a human and be “overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death” in Mark 14:34 – much like Abraham must have felt at the thought of killing his son. So what enabled Jesus to obey in a similarly excruciatingly painful test?
Two words in verse 36: “Abba, Father.” His Father was the reason Jesus obeyed, because he knew his Father (John 10:15). Which was the same point God brought Job to, where Job could at last say, “now my eyes have seen you” (Job 42:5). And God made sure Abraham came to know him over many decades as well, so that when tested beyond his human ability to cope, Abraham had a clear reason for obeying, and that was the God he’d come to know so well. It was God himself, therefore – above all the promises and blessings God had given him – that made Abraham obey him so willingly.
Next blog, then: “How did Abraham come to know God so well?”
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