In September 2011, Stacie Crimm held her newborn baby and “laughed and cried all at once.” Surely most mothers are overcome with emotion as they see and touch the new life freshly emerged from the womb. But Stacie’s emotions were particularly poignant, for just 3 days later she died of cancer. During the pregnancy, she had refused medical treatments that might have saved her life—treatments that she feared would harm the baby she carried within her. And so, there was laughter . . . and tears.
Much like Stacie, Abraham experienced emotions from both ends of the spectrum in the life of a child God had given Him. When he was 99 years old, the Lord revealed to old Abe that he would have a son and that he should name the boy Isaac (Genesis 17:5,19). At his advanced age, Abraham couldn’t help but laugh that a child would be born to him and his equally well-aged wife Sarah (Genesis 17:17). Sarah also giggled when she considered the news (Genesis 18:12). And when Isaac was born, she said, “All who hear about this will laugh with me” (Genesis 21:6).
Scripture tells us that “some time later, God tested Abraham’s faith” (Genesis 22:1). He told the old man to take his young son and sacrifice him (Genesis 22:2). As a father of three sons that I deeply love, I can only imagine the searing pain Abraham must have felt at that moment. But in obedience and faith, he trusted God and did as he was told. As he raised the knife to end his precious flesh-and-blood’s life (Genesis 22:10), tears must have wet his cheeks and soaked his beard.
Laughter and tears. Abraham knew them both. But he passed the test (Genesis 22:1). He withheld nothing—not even his only son—from God (Genesis 22:12). May we follow his example . . . even amid laughter and tears.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Matthew 27:1-10
More:
God spared Isaac’s life and Abraham “named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means ‘the Lord will provide’)” (Genesis 22:14). Read John 3:16-17 to see why God chose not to spare His Son from death.
Next:
What is God asking you to sacrifice for Him? What’s holding you back?
gjacob2710 on September 23, 2012 at 4:29 am
Stacie sacrificed her own life so that her child would live. Abraham was on the point of killing his 9 year old son (capable of knowing what was going on) so that Abraham could continue. He did not even pray to God to take him and spare his son. Crocodile tears must have flowed down his beard!!!
Wiggy on September 23, 2012 at 10:00 pm
While the account of Genesis mentions only Abraham’s obedience to God, and that Isaac was the son, who was loved by Abraham, it would be indeed most unlikely that God’s puzzling request caused Abraham no anguish at all. Certainly, human sacrifice (mostly involving infanticide) was a fact of life in ancient Middle Eastern, Carthaginian and Mycenaean cultures.
Abraham’s reply to Isaac that God Himself would supply the sacrificial lamb was a statement of faith in the only God he knew who had a track record for doing the humanly impossible… a track record for keeping incredible promises! Isaac’s very existence was proof enough for Abraham that the outcome of the sacrifice would be something other than a dead, incinerated young man.
The resolution of the story demonstrates that Abraham’s God is different to the gods of the Amorites and Canaanites. The pagan practice of human sacrifice is not affirmed. The LORD tells Abraham to put the knife down.
What is more confronting and soul-searching than those words identifying Jesus of Nazareth as the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world? What you and I have done in revolt against Heaven caused the only valid human sacrifice in human history… the crucufixion of the Author of life Himself!
tom felten on September 24, 2012 at 10:10 am
Thanks for your insights, Wiggy. Yes, God showed His compassionate ways in this biblical account, just as He has done throughout the ages: Psalm 103:8
Terrence Simon on September 27, 2012 at 6:22 am
Awesome message
winn collier on October 1, 2012 at 9:40 am
There are times in these pieces where you can’t hardly get past the story. This is one of those.