American "Idol" (Part Five)

Genesis 22: 6-8 says, "Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”
   “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.
   “The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together."

If you've been following the American "Idol" posts all week, Abraham's trust in God has been a central theme. Over time, Abraham's faith grew. He learned to trust God with all his heart. When God decided to "test" him (Gen. 22:1), Abraham was ready.

These verses take it a step further. They show us Isaac's trust. No doubt, Isaac had witnessed many burnt offerings sacrificed before God during his young life. He knew they needed a sacrificial lamb. Can you see it? They're climbing a mountain, carrying all the wood they need for the sacrifice. They're carrying the fire. Up the mountain. Without the sacrificial lamb.

Isaac had a choice. He could have asked sarcastically, "Dude, ummmm.... I think you forgot a little something. No big deal or anything, but when we offer sacrifices to God we use a lamb. And... well.... I think your old age is catching up with you, cuz you forgot!" He could have done that, but he didn't.

He could have rebelled. "Dad, seriously? You want me to climb that mountain without a lamb. And you want me to carry all that wood. Forget it. I'm. Not. Going." Maybe he could have added that famous kid line, "And you can't make me." But he didn't.

Isaac took the wood. He climbed alongside his dad. He asked about the lamb. Then he was done. Obeying, trusting. Why?

Look back at Abraham's life. Abraham trusted and obeyed God. Sure, he made mistakes along the way, but he learned from them. By the time Isaac was born, trusting God was natural for Abraham -- just a part of the way he does life. And his son had the front row seat! Isaac could trust his dad, because his dad trusted God.

This is the hard part: We want our kids to trust God -- even though we don't. We worry about disease, accidents, and kidnapping. We stress out over finances and the house we live in. We fight with our spouse, both struggling for control. We want our kids to trust God -- but we don't. Hypocrites!

Abraham trusted God -- with everything. Even his son's life! In turn, Isaac trusted his dad. When he grew up, it's clear he trusted God too.

What will you do? Trust God, so your kids will trust him too? Or hold on for dear life -- and keep them from learning to trust? It's up to you.

Genesis 22:9-12: "When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
   “Here I am,” he replied.
“Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “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.”


Dear God, Help us trust you with our kids. Help us trust you with our finances, our marriage, our jobs... everything. Help us learn from Abraham -- and live like he did, walking closely with you. Reading your Word. Praying. Fellowshipping. When the fear creeps up, help us turn to you and let go of the fear. We love you, God. Help us show it more. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen

To read these posts from the beginning, go to American "Idol" (Part One).