Hold Nothing Back

“Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, ‘Abraham!’”

“’Here I am,’ he replied.”

“Then God said, ‘Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.’” Genesis 22:1-2

There are those who do not believe in God or believe that the Bible is his inspired word simply based on these verses. What kind of God would ask a man to sacrifice his son? This was the son that was the promise of a nation of people more numerous than the sand or the stars. The problem is that they do not read on to see what God is doing. God is working out his plan for salvation over many generations. When we try to put the entirety of God into our lifetime, well, it simply doesn’t fit.

Two words keep coming to mind – trust and sovereignty. I found these in Abraham, Job, David and the Apostles this morning.

Abraham set out the very next morning and he took Isaac, some wood, fire and a knife. God led the way and he went on a 3-day journey. (Some believe that where he ended up was near where Jesus was crucified.) As he left his servants and continued on with just Isaac, Abraham said, “We will worship and then we will come back to you.” Genesis 22:5 I wonder what Abraham was thinking. God had promised him a nation through Isaac. Now he was asking Abraham to sacrifice Isaac.

We know that Abraham was not afraid to ask God to reconsider. Just read his conversation regarding the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18:23-33). But this time he didn’t argue. It seems that he trusted that God in his sovereignty knew what he was doing and he just kept doing what God told him to do. As he was placing the wood on the altar, he answered Isaac’s question about the sacrifice by saying, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” He must have had tears streaming down his face as he bound Isaac and placed him on the altar.

As he raised his knife, God spoke the words Abraham had been waiting and hoping for. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.’ Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.” Genesis 22:12-13 What joy he must have experienced in releasing his son and putting the ram God provided in his place!

It seems like a faint reflection of what was to come many generations later as Jesus was hung on the cross instead of me. God did sacrifice his son. I was the ram caught in the thicket of sin – unable to live a holy life on my own. Through Jesus, God reached down and untangled me from the thicket and set me free, leading me to fresh green grass and a stream of clean water. And my Good Shepherd watches over me and when I get too close to the thicket, he gently prods me with his rod to move away from the danger and back to the good things he has for me.

Job, in his suffering, was also learning trust in God and the sovereignty of God. As he answers his friends, he looks at what nature teaches us and says, “Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind… To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his.” Job 12:10; 13 Job doesn’t understand why he has lost everything and is suffering, but he understands God is sovereign.

David wrestles with difficult things in life, and then says, “But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord for he has been good to me.” Psalm 13:5-6 “Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure.” Psalm 16:5 David is trusting in the sovereignty of God.

The Apostles continue preaching and teaching and find themselves in jail. “But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. ‘Go and stand in the temple courts,’ he said, ‘and tell the people the full message of this new life.’” Acts 5:19-20 And they did. They were flogged and then released because Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, assured the council of God’s sovereignty. “For if their purpose or activity is of human hands, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” Acts 5:38-39 The Apostles trusted God with their lives. They would do what they were told by God and it was up to God if they lived or died.

I wonder if I was tested to the extent that Abraham, Job, David and the Apostles were, would I be able to put everything I have on the line including my life and hold nothing back. God did big things through all of these people because they held nothing back from God. Do I trust God and his sovereignty to work out his good plan through the generations even if I can’t see what he is doing right now?

Oh Lord, examine my heart and my ways and show me if there is anything I am holding back from you. Help me to take every blessing you have poured out on me and give back to you with an open hand, trusting you completely to work out your sovereign will in my life.