Advent Journey: December 11th
© Michael Livesay-Wright
Questions and Reflections
QUESTION: What does Abraham see right after God tells him not to harm his son, and why do you think this is important?
This moment is absolutely fantastic. If you've read the Biblical account you may remember that on their way up the mountain to make the sacrifice, Isaac asks his father where the lamb is. A lamb was a pretty common sacrifice and Isaac is wondering what in the world they are doing if they have the wood and the fire but no animal to sacrifice. And Abraham says the most wonderful thing. He says, "God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son" (Genesis 22:8, ESV). I don't think Abraham knew how literal this would be, but he had faith. So there they were, on top of a mountain all ready for a sacrifice and then "Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns" (Genesis 22:13, ESV). Now we haven't gotten to this part of the story yet, but just know that this is an incredibly important story. All of it is one huge symbolic foreshadowing of what God is going to die. Like we saw yesterday, some perfect sacrifice has to be made in order to make up for all of the suffering of sin and death. This ram isn't that perfect sacrifice. It's a temporary measure. But God is gradually and yet relentlessly rolling out His plan to give us a way out. Human beings got ourselves into this mess of sin and pain and death, and therefore we deserve the consequences. But God is going to provide another way! Like He did for Abraham, but bigger!
QUESTION: Why do you think things go from good to bad so often?
Perhaps you've seen it in your own life. Something starts out good but ends up somehow being disappointing or even painful. It's certainly true in the stories of the Bible. We see here this amazing promise God makes to Abraham and we get to watch it coming true! God gives Abraham all of the children and grandchildren and great grandchildren He promised! But the truth is, things often go bad because human beings and this whole Earth has been impacted by sin. It's difficult to watch. We will see Abrahams grandkids and great great grandkids make some bad decisions. And sometimes bad things happen to them when they haven't made bad decisions. Has this happened to you? Have you experienced the consequences of making bad decisions? Or have you even made good decisions and had things go wrong? This is part of living in this broken world. The good news is, God has a plan and He's not finished. My son usually doesn't like any scary parts in movies. Inevitably there is going to be a scary part. There is a bad guy or the hero almost fails at getting what she needs or wants. But right at that point where everything seems at its worst, my son always asks me to turn off the show and I tell him gently no. I say, "Wait for the twist. There is always a twist." And it's true. In that show or movie he turns and grins at me when he realized it's true. Even though you and I may not see that twist -- the story of this world is much longer than a 30 minute show or a 90 minute Pixar movie -- it's still true. God is working out the most marvelous twist. The hardest part is to wait and to trust.
QUESTION: Can you think of a time when God has provided for you in a pretty amazing way?
God providing the ram as a substitute for Isaac is a pretty specific foreshadowing of a future sacrifice that is going to change everything! But God still provides for His people -- for us -- in all kinds of ways, big and small. And just like this ram, those moments of provision aren't just about God making you happy or giving you what you want (although I think He loves to see are genuine happiness in Him). Instead they are about seeing something bigger. So if you have seen God provide in a small or big way, what does that gift say about who God is and about what He is doing?