How Can You Do This To Me?
“Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.” - Genesis 22:2
When you read the book of Genesis, you will find a multitude of tests that God allows Abraham to go through. The entire journey Abraham had with God was nothing but a series of tests.
His first test was to leave his home in Ur of the Chaldees and journey in an unclear direction towards an undetermined destination. Then there was the test of having to provide for and protect the interests of his wife and nephew in a hostile territory. Then came the test of letting go of his son Ishmael and his mother Hagar in order to appease his wife.
And through it all there were the enduring tests of having to wait on God to do what He said He would do. And now, after all that, the ups and the downs, the good times and the bad, Abraham faces what many regard as the ultimate test.
The Lord tells Abraham, “…take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you,” (Genesis 22:2).
God was asking Abraham to do the unthinkable. It must have turned his world upside down to have God ask him to give up the very son he’d prayed for, waited for, and worked for.
Abraham must have been like, “God, you must be kidding me? After the sacrifices I’ve made, what I’ve gone through, and waiting all this time, you want me to give up the blessing that you promised? How can you do this to me?”
Now, we do not know whether Abraham said (or even thought) these exact words, but we can imagine it had to have been something close. Perhaps, these are the exact thoughts you have right now. Has God challenged you in a way beyond what you thought is possible? Are you asking God, “How can You do this to me?”
If God is testing you, there is always a purpose. There was a purpose for Abraham, and there is a purpose for you!
When you read the book of Genesis, you will find a multitude of tests that God allows Abraham to go through. The entire journey Abraham had with God was nothing but a series of tests.
His first test was to leave his home in Ur of the Chaldees and journey in an unclear direction towards an undetermined destination. Then there was the test of having to provide for and protect the interests of his wife and nephew in a hostile territory. Then came the test of letting go of his son Ishmael and his mother Hagar in order to appease his wife.
And through it all there were the enduring tests of having to wait on God to do what He said He would do. And now, after all that, the ups and the downs, the good times and the bad, Abraham faces what many regard as the ultimate test.
The Lord tells Abraham, “…take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you,” (Genesis 22:2).
God was asking Abraham to do the unthinkable. It must have turned his world upside down to have God ask him to give up the very son he’d prayed for, waited for, and worked for.
Abraham must have been like, “God, you must be kidding me? After the sacrifices I’ve made, what I’ve gone through, and waiting all this time, you want me to give up the blessing that you promised? How can you do this to me?”
Now, we do not know whether Abraham said (or even thought) these exact words, but we can imagine it had to have been something close. Perhaps, these are the exact thoughts you have right now. Has God challenged you in a way beyond what you thought is possible? Are you asking God, “How can You do this to me?”
If God is testing you, there is always a purpose. There was a purpose for Abraham, and there is a purpose for you!
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