I was recently listening to a podcast by Fr Mike Schmitz where he gave an explanation about the sacrifice of Isaac that I had never heard before. Abraham is about one hundred years old at this stage. He had spent nearly one hundred years walking in faith. He is after all the father of faith. God asks him to go up to Mt Moriah, to take his son, his only son and sacrifice him to God.

Abraham is fully aware of the promise that God had made him to make his descendants into a nation. And God had promised that this would be done through Isaac. It seems like a strange and almost needless request from God.
Although never explicitly taught, I always assumed that Isaac was just a little boy when this happened. But Fr Mike explained that Isaac was about 30 years old – perhaps even 33 years old. It was highly likely that Abraham has told Isaac many times about the promise of God concerning Isaac. That through him God would make the descendants of Abraham into a nation. So Isaac the young and very capable man, for indeed he was in charge of carrying all the firewood up the hill, and his father walk up the mountain in faith all the while walking in the tension that what God is apparently requesting of them right now is not compatible with the plan of God that they thought they knew. Isaac could have easily overpowered his father but instead he lets himself be bound to the firewood that he carried up the hill. In faith the son watches the father, likely with great personal struggle, lift up the knife to sacrifice the son. None of this makes sense. But the father and son work in faith and God does not disappoint. Right at the perfect moment, the angel of God intervenes and the father and son get to offer to God a sacrifice and climb down the hill together. Indeed Abraham was so confident in the promise of God, that earlier on as he started climbing Mt Moriah with his son whom he was to sacrifice, he tells his servants that ‘we’ will come back to you.

This all seems so pointless until God reveals that this is a preshadowing of the greatest sacrifice to come. Isaac the son, faithfully and obediently walks up Mt Moriah to be a sacrifice, pre-shadowing the Great Messiah, the faithful and obedient Son of God, Who came willingly and laid His life down on a similar mountain. In the Gospel proclamation today we find Jesus, going to Mt Tabor with his closest friends and there on the mountain Jesus is visited by Moses and Elijah, the law and the prophets, explaining that it wouldn’t work that way. Lalith Thaththa always says that perhaps it is here on this mountain that it was fully revealed to Jesus the extent of what would be needed for the salvation of all humankind. And the acceptance of Jesus, His unwavering obedience to the Father and His eternal love for us, transfigures Him that He shines in dazzling brightness.

Life becomes a lot easier when we simply accept that God does not work in ways that we can easily understand. His ways seem illogical up until the moment you realise how far-reaching, perfect and all-inclusive they are. God promises us that as the heavens are above the earth so are His ways and thoughts above our ways and thoughts. Sometimes it is just easier to accept this and move on.

There are promises that God have given me but He does not seem to be working in the ways that I think He needs to work for those promises to be realised. Indeed, just like with Isaac, the very promise He has given me seems to be at risk of being destroyed by what He is asking me to do. I desire to serve Him and worship Him constantly but He seems to be asking me to be present to my children. He has promised me wealth and prosperity but right now He just seems to be asking me to give and to keep giving. Perhaps you are promised a happy marriage but right now He is asking you to be faithful to your unfaithful spouse. Perhaps you are promised a rewarding career but right now you are being asked to be faithful in your mundane and thankless job. It doesn’t make sense but it doesn’t need to.

Just like Abraham, the choice is mine. Either I focus my energy on the promise and its achievement or I focus on obeying God, trusting that He Who promised is faithful. Because if God is for me – and He is very clear that He is – then who on earth or in all of creation could ever stand against me? How could defeat or failure ever be my final portion when it is Christ Himself Who constantly intercedes for me?

God is not wasteful. He is not vengeful. He is not careless. He is the most perfect and most loving Father. So when He asks something of me, I am to freely obey Him because my heart can safely trust in Him. So in this season, as I try to work through what God has asked of me and what He has promised to achieve through me, even when they seem so contradictory, my response is only to keep trusting in Him and to continue to walk with Him. Because He Who Promised can be trusted to keep all His promises concerning me.

Prayer: Abba Father, I surrender my will to you today. Lord, give me a willing spirit that is so quick to obey You. I trust in You. Amen.