# 27 - Abraham Sacrifices Isaac - In this episode of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein, Abraham faces the ultimate challenge of faith as he is asked by God to sacrifice his beloved son, Isaac. This episode explores the tension between obedience and love, revealing how Abraham's unwavering trust in God's plan becomes a profound lesson in faith and divine provision.
Episode 27 of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein is inspired by the Book of Genesis.
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Today's opening prayer is inspired by Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
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Show Notes:
(02:25) Intro with Yael Eckstein
(04:07) Abraham Sacrifices Isaac - Cinematic Retelling
(29:54) Reflection with Yael Eckstein
Previously on the chosen people.
Can you count the stars, Abram.
Abram shook his head uncertain.
You cannot, for there are too many. It is impossible. It is to be the same with your offspring. The great nation I shall make through your air would be as innumerable as the stars in the night sky.
And they can't help it. You're never going to believe it. It's finally happened. God's promised to us.
With child.
You're going to be a father.
Sarah has given you a son, Isaac Master. The boy's name is Isaac.
They laughed until tears streamed down their faces. Everyone in the room began to harmonize with them. Years of pent up tension from yearning for a child had finally released, ironically, just like the babies.
It is a miracle.
It is our God, It truly is, Abraham. You have walked with our God for a long time and grown accustomed to his voice. I have always wondered how you sustained your faith all these years, waiting for the impossible. But now I hear his voice too.
I hear his voice in the cries of our son here and last, and I hear it in all our laughter. God made me laugh when I first learned of his intentions for my life. But now everyone will laugh with me.
Blessed be April by God Most High, creator of heaven and earth. In Him, you and your great nation have a protector and provider.
Abram was pleased to know that he had done right by his God and that his reward would be something akin to a legacy, enduring and everlasting, just as the God Most High had promised him.
Poised in trembling hands, a father's heart aches from an impossible command, shallo, my friends from here in the Holy Land, Amya l. Eckstein with the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. Welcome to the Chosen People. Each week we'll hear dramatic stories inspired by the Bible, stories filled with timeless lessons of faith, love, and the meaning of life. Through Israel's story, we'll find this truth that we are all chosen for some thing great. If you've been listening along for a while now, first of all, thank you, as we say in Hebrew Todiraba, passion and heart has been put into this project, and we're only getting started.
If you've been.
Inspired, entertained, encouraged, and if you've been enjoying it. We would just love it if you shared your thoughts in a review. I love to read them and see what you're thinking and any feedback you have, and I can't wait to hear from you.
Now.
Let's begin in the cool desert night, under a sky spangled with stars. The story unfolds a tale of faith and fear, of pesting, and trust of obedience of the unknown Abraham, the father of nations. Here's the voice of God calling him to an unthinkable task.
What does it mean to be tested by God? Come?
Let's delve into this profound and perplexing story inspired by Genesis twenty two. Let's walk alongside Abraham up the mountain to a place where God's will and the human heart collide.
Abraham lifted the water skin with care, tilting it gently to pour its precious contents onto the base of the tamarisk tree. The seedling had been planted after the covenant between him and Abimelek had been sealed, a symbol of peace in Beersheba. Each day since Abraham had made the solemn pilgrimage to this spot, watering the young tree, the parched earth drank eagerly. The water seeping down to the tender roots below. This ritual had replaced his legendary walks along the borders of his lands, a new duty that brought him solace and reminded him of the steadfastness of his God and the covenant they had forged. As Abraham turned to leave, he felt the familiar sa stillness envelop him, the world around him falling silent. The voice of his God shattered.
The quiet Abraham.
The sound of his name spoken with such authority startled Abraham. The formal address demanded his immediate response, and he answered without hesitation. He had felt the presence of his God each day, yet this call was different, as summons with a weighty purpose.
Here I am listen.
Carefully, take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love. Go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains.
Abraham stood as if turned to stone, the words reverberating through him. The stillness lifted, leaving him alone with his tumultuous thoughts. His God was asking for Isaac, the son of the Promise, the child he had waited for so long, the one for whom he had sacrificed and journeyed far from his homeland. How could he reconcile this command with the promises his God had made?
What's this terrible thing you've asked me to do? To give up the very promise I've been waiting for for for a quarter century. You're the one who has affirmed it time and time again, And now that's it. What happened to the seed, the great nation, the blessing?
What Abraham's words seemed to fall to the earth. There was no response from heaven, just a gnawing, foreboding silence.
Not even a.
Breeze graced his ears. Abraham had left everything, endured hardships, and even sent away his first son, Ishmael, all for this promise, and now his God demanded Isaac as a sacrifice. The command was clear, but the purpose was shrouded in mystery. Abraham's heart ached as he recalled the pain of parting with Ishmael, a wound that had barely begun to heal. How could he bear to lose Isaac, the son who was to fulfill God's promise.
Of a great nation.
His mind was a tangled web of anguish and faith. Yet he knew the faithfulness of his God. Every promise had been kept, every word fulfilled, even when it seemed impossible. Abraham grappled with the enormity of the command, the clash between his love for his son and his unwavering faith.
If you require this, there must be a purpose, a plan beyond my understanding.
Doubt and dread gnawed at him, but his result hardened. He had to trust to obey, even when it defied all reason. He supposed that his God could do miraculous things. He had wrought plagues and brought victory. He had even brought Sarah's barren womb back to life. Perhaps he would do the same with Isaac. In his conflicted heart, he relented his God could not be denied. The promise would be fulfilled. Somehow. There had to be a way. There had to be a plan, something he was not seeing. He couldn't lose his nerve. He had to stay the course, unlike all those other times before, those times when he had deceived, or hid or taken matters into his own hands. The land of Mariah lay a three day journey away. He would need to prepare for this horrible task. He would also need to decide what to say to us Isaac and his wife. Abraham stopped in his tracks. Sarah the child that had grown inside her very womb. He was the answer to all of her deepest and most desperate prayers. How could he possibly take that son away from her? Going through with this act would cost more than one life. Abraham would be responsible for the death of his wife's faith, perhaps the death of their marriage as well. Abraham cried out in his heart in torment and fumbled for the comforting presence in the back of his mind. This would be the ultimate test of his faith, unlike anything he had experienced before. He reached out in his groaning and longing for comfort, and was surprised to find that he felt a distant, fluttering peace there in the back of his mind, where the presence of his God was often to be found. A simple question echoed back to him for the source. Would he cling to the sun he had been given or cling to the word of his God. Abraham found his wife Sarah in their tent, and he summoned all his courage As he braced.
To speak to her.
Abraham, she could immediately see that he was troubled. He stamped down his fears and his doubts, and he held fast to his flickering faith. He steadied himself and tried to will his thoughts to the here and now.
I am here, Sarah, I.
My husband, you are beginning to scare me.
What is it?
I I was out of the sight in Beersheba, where I planted the covenantry.
What happened?
Our God came to me.
He has asked something of me, of us. He asks me to take our son Isaac to the land of Moriah and off him there. He is to be a burnt offering to our God.
What did you say?
I am to offer our son to our.
God, Our son Isaac. Yes, the one God promised to us is to be slain. Yes, slain by your hand his father?
Yes?
And you're sure you did not misinterpret? Were you drunk or no?
His beaning was plain as day, just as plain as the day he called me, Sarah. I know this is difficult to understand. I don't claim to understand it at all, either, But I sense this is a call I must answer.
Trial.
I must endure.
A trial that would end in execution, the death of the very promise upon which our entire lives, Our entire legacy stands.
I cannot believe I'm saying this aloud, but but yes, you would murder our son.
I will do what our God asks of me.
Even this, you look him in the eye and drive a blade into his throat like an animal. Abraham, listen to yourself. We loved the gods of her long ago. They were the ones who required sacrifices like this.
Perhaps there's something more to the plan we do not see. It has yet to be revealed. But I must obey. We must have faith.
You are going to do this thing. I see the determination in your eyes, the single mindedness of your heart. You know this act would devastate you, but you agree anyway. You know it would kill me as well. But still you come to tell me you didn't hide it or sneak around me. But nor are you asking me or seeking my counsel, Knowing full well, I would beg you not to go, not to do this terrible thing. But yet there you stand, resolved, unmoved.
They do not know.
How I will live with myself or what the future holds, but I must be obedient to the call of today.
Abraham saw devastation in his wife's eyes. He could see a great war of faith and understanding raging within Abraham's sensed that this was as much a test of her faith as it was one of his.
If you commit this act, I cannot accept you. If you go to the mountain and sacrifice our son, it will cost you your wife.
Are you willing to risk the hate of your family for your God?
Abraham considered the weight of her words. He could see his own consideration mirrored in her. He could see her thoughts as if they were his own. How much was Abraham's faith worth to him? What was he willing to sacrifice to demonstrate his trust in his God? He knew that his answer to both was of great consequence, more than consequence, utterly imperative.
I am I trust that our Guard will provide and hold true to his promise to us. I would ask you to place your trust in our Guard as well. It is with a humble heart I ask at all, for I know it is you alone who can decide how to place your trust.
Sarah inclined her head in answer. When she lifted her head, he saw tears fill her eyes, and they stood like that for some time, eye to eye, heart to heart. But she did not beg him. She did not ask him to not go and complete the task that had been given to him. She turned her back to him. Abraham watched her shoulders quiver. He stepped forward to comfort her, but didn't. His embrace would only add to the confusion and sorrow. Abraham rose early the next morning and prepared for the jail. He arranged for two young servants to accompany them to set and break camp and prepare meals. He split wood for the offering and packed it on the donkeys, remembering the sparse terrain around Mariah. Isaac met him with an expectant smile at dawn, just as he had told him.
Oh, good morning, father, I'm ready for our journey.
Good morning, my son.
Come help me with the.
Last of this wood.
Abraham watched Isaac's arms load the wood. They were thin, but tight, and showing signs of growth from childhood to adolescence. Abraham's chest tightened at the thought that Isaac may not live to become a man. Abraham and the three set out for the land of Mariah. On the third day. Abraham recognized the terrain they neared the city of Salem, where he had once met the mysterious King Melchisedek. Much had changed in that meeting. As they approached a hilltop, Abraham felt a stirring, a confirmation.
This was the place Di Dan came you all. This is the place where my son and I will depart from you. I will take the boy to worship on that mount, then we'll come back to you. Stay with the donkeys and prepare the camp.
Abraham unstrapped the wood from the back of one of the donkeys.
Isaac, I will have you carry this wood for our offering. It's too heavy for me to carry up to the mount.
Of course, Father, lay it on my back.
Abraham took the leather straps from the donkey and fastened a makeshift back from the same donkey's pack. Abraham's stomach tightened as he brought out some spare rope and his hunting knife. He felt sick as he gripped the worn handle and stared at the sharp, jagged edges of the blade. His fingers remember the grip and the strength required to pierce flesh. His body remembered the violence wrought by this knife, but absent with the war cries and bloodlust of battle. His young son stood demurely before him. Waiting for him to take his lead up the mount to their destination. Hands shaking, Abraham stowed the blade in the folds of his robe. He couldn't bear to look at it and be reminded of the task slated for it a moment longer. With his other hand, he fumbled for the flint buried in the pack on the still waiting donkey. Isaac doubled back, deftly found the flint and handed it to his father. His face was the picture of patience and expectance. Abraham's heart throbbed. He knew his son loved him more than anything and would do anything he asked for them. Abraham shoved that thought aside and gave him a tight smile before taking the lead, And so they began their ascent the Killer and the Innocent. Father and son hiked intense silence, traversing the rocky goat path cut into the hill, father lost in his thoughts, and son sensing his distress. Abraham did not trust himself to speak on their climb. Instead, he focused on placing one foot before the other, each step taking him closer to a moment that would surely alter the course of his life and legacy. Forever. Isaac could see they were nearing the top and began looking around.
Father, Here I am, my son.
Abraham could not help but recognize that he had given the same answer to his God only four days prior. Here I am. He had even uttered something similar to his wife. He found that if he thought too far ahead to the task at hand, he would become over whelmed. But he was here, he knew who he was and what he was called to do. He would not be overtaken with fear.
I'm carrying the wood, and you have what you need for the fire. But where's the lamb for the burnt offering?
Abraham swallowed. He found he could not bring himself to tell Isaac the truth about what or who would serve as the sacrifice for the burnt offering. Not yet, don't fear, Isaac. Abraham again paused, summoning his own strength, and encouraged his son with words meant for himself as well as Isaac.
Our God will provide them the lamb for the burnt offering.
Isaac accepted his father's words without question. Isaac was a simple soul, trusting and unyielding an optimism. His mind was untainted by the deep gnawing questions that plagued more intelligent men. Abraham adored his son more than life itself. He would gladly lay himself at the altar if it meant his son would live. But God had not asked for the father. He asked for the son. They approached the summit of the hill. The charcoal clouds above them were thick and unruly. Abraham secretly hoped lightning would strike him down before he had a chance to complete his task. Abraham identified the place that served as their altar. They placed stones in an oval shape, building the firewek. Isaac played the wood for the pyre, then faced his father expectantly. Abraham toyed with the rope, his other hand gripping the knife.
My son, Ay, I must ask something of you.
Whatever you ask of me, father, I'll do.
Abraham's hearts strained at the words that his son's face, so eager to please, so eager to do whatever he could to ease his father's clear discomfort.
Lay down across the wood.
Isaac blinked at the command. Abraham saw confusion flash across his face, but he quickly mastered it into determination. Isaac obeyed, Now hold your feet in the hands.
Steady, I'm going to fasten the ropes.
Again.
Confusion mixed with alarm made their appearance on Isaac's face, but he held out his arms and legs to be secured. Abraham stood back from the scene of his son held in bondage and tied to the wood that would serve as their altar. His arms were outstretched and his head slumped uncomfortably to one side. Though he was almost fully grown, he looked small and vulnerable looking up at his father. What now for Abraham was astonished at his son's submission, his willingness to trust completely in the words of his father. The boy he loved so much had come to love his God and was willing to follow the faith of his father, even unto death. Onto the wood, the wood he had unwittingly and unknowingly carried. The notion gave him the courage he needed to advance on Isaac and draw his knife. Upon seeing the knife, terror flooded Isaac's face. He gaped up at Abraham standing above him. He pulled on his restraints, fear and instinct taking over Father.
What are you doing? What? I busts?
The sound of fear and betrayal in his son's voice was visceral and gut wrenching. It unlocked a torment in Abraham's soul he had never imagined was possible, but he had come this far. Thunder rolled in the distance, and the winds began to churn violently. Abraham dug deep within himself, desperately drawing out enough grit and determination to lift the blade. There was no turning back, no faltering. Lightning struck a mere mile away, illuminating the horror on Isaac's face. Abraham squeezed his eyes shut, unable to bear the sight of his son's terror. The thunder clapp'd again, and a chilled wind bit at Abraham's face. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he slowly, painfully lifted the blade high above his head. Legacy, destiny, dreams, the future. Isaac represented all those things. With one fell swoop of his blade. He would end it all, sacrifice it all for his God. Abraham poised to strike and shouted to the head Eavans. His voice billowed against the wind. He threw his hips back, cocked his arm, and began his descent into sorrow. Abraham, Abraham, the voice clapped alongside the thunder, Abraham dropped the blade immediately it fell to the ground with a clatter on the stones. Abraham shook uncontrollably.
Here I am, here, here I am.
Do not lay a hand on the boy or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear your God, since you have not withheld your only son from me.
Abraham's eyes snapped open at that, and his eyes met Isaac's. He reached for his boy's face with trembling hands and kissed him. Isaac recoiled at first to his father's touch, but then relaxed himself. Relief flooded Abraham, and he quickly picked up his blade and cut his son's bonds. Isaac sat up slowly, without saying a word, and rubbed his wrists. His eyes were wide with shock. Isaac had heard the voice as well. Abraham sank to his knees, utterly spent, and sobbed. The voice of his God had faded, and Abraham began to hear the noises of the sparse wilderness begin to return. His senses narrowed in on a faint rustling that was coming over the ridge. He gathered his remaining strength, stood and took up his knife as he approached. The still bewildered Isaac stayed where he was on the locks and watched his father. Abraham palmed the handle of the knife. As he neared the edge of the hilltop, a ram was struggling to free itself from the dense thicket of shrubs. Its great horns were tangled in the gnarled branches, fixing it in place. Abraham nearly cried out in jubilation. This was not quite the lamb his son had inquired about, but this substitution would do. Abraham swiftly made the kill, grabbing the ram by the back of the foot to steady it to slit its throat. He called Isaac down to where the ram now lay dead, and the two of them carried it to the altar, lit a fire, and offered it to their God. Abraham ran a sooty and bloodied hand over his face as he could no longer contain the tears of relief that now freely flowed from his eyes. He pulled an equally relieved Isaac into his arms and embraced him, crying all the harder. The scene around them still for a second time, and again they heard the word of their God in their midst.
By myself I have sworn, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your only sun, I would indeed bless you and make your offspring essence numerous as the stars of the sky and the sand on the sea shore.
Abraham drew Isaac close again as he listened to the familiar words of his calling. His God was satisfied with him. He had passed this harrowing test, and now the promise was again being confirmed. But then the voice of God added to the familiar proclamation.
Your offspring will possess the city gates of their enemies.
Abraham wondered at that they were no conquerors, and they were not city dwellers.
And all the nations of the earth will be blessed by your offspring, because you have obeyed my command.
With that, the voice again fell silent, and the world around them resumed. Abraham and Isaac exchanged very few words as they watched the flames around the charred body of the ram begin to dwindle and die out. When the fire had at last consumed the sacrifice and had no more fuel to sustain it, they turned from the place and headed down the mound to the camp below. Abraham knew his son would have questions about this strange and mighty legacy he was to inherit, but that would come later. They enjoyed one another's company in amiable, if not exhausted silence. The topic remained untouched until days later, when they returned to camp and found an overjoyed and wildly relieved Sarah. She cried at the sight of them, bloodied and covered in soot and dust from the travel and the ordeal. Abraham held his family close, faith confirmed, tested and approved, and began to teach his precious son, Isaac, all the ways of his God.
Wow.
What an incredible story, one of the most heart wrenching stories that we've studied so far. Abraham, that ancient patriarch heres God's voice and what God asks of him is well, let's just say it makes you sit up in question everything you thought.
You knew about God.
To sacrifice his son, Isaac, the son that he prayed for, the son that he waited for, the son of Promise, the son through whom God had said all nations would be blessed. He tells him to go and sacrifice him.
One minute.
God is promising abraham descendants as numerous as the stars, and the next he's asking for the life of the promised child. You might find yourself asking what kind of God would make such a request. Is this the God of love and compassion? Or is this a test, a cruel test to see just how far Abraham's faith will go. It's easy to read these ancient texts and to miss the raw human emotion in them. Can you imagine Abraham's turmoil, the sleepless nights, the heavy heart, the pleading eyes of his son, And what about Isaac? How did he recover from this experience? What was his relationship like with Abraham and God after almost being killed. It's a Bible story that brings Abraham and Isaac and us as we read it, right to the brink, asking all of us to trust God with everything, even the unthinkable. That's what this story seems to push us towards. And then there's resolution. God stops Abraham at the very last minute. Aram is provided instead, Isaac lives.
So what was it all for?
Was it just a How could God ask this of someone, specifically Abraham, the holy patriarch of his chosen people. A possible answer to this can be found in the original Hebrew of the very verse in which God uses to issue his command. Chapter twenty two. Verse two reads like this in English. And then God said, take your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the region of Moria. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain. I will show you. This is what that important and scary verse sounds.
Like in Hebrew.
The yomer hahna et binra et yidra ashera hata et izrak, the lel ertamoria, the alusham leola alhad herim esarev amarlacha. So what is it that God is asking Abraham to do?
Well. To answer that, we have to look at.
A very important word in that verse, and that word is ollah.
Let's say it again. The word is oh lah. Say it with me, oh Lah.
Most translations interpret that word as a burnt offering, a sacrifice, and it's true that is the word that's often used for sacrifice. But ollah needs something else. Oh Lah also means that which goes up. That's the literal translation oh lah, which is translated in English and the Bible for Christians very often is burnt offering. Literally translates into that which goes up. One of our great Bible commentators says that when the moment came for Abraham to sacrifice his son, God stopped him as if to say, no, I don't want you to kill your son for me.
I want you to dedicate him to me.
As in ollah, as someone who rises high in his spiritual life.
Right that word ollah that.
We always think that God is saying, I want you to dedicate him to me as a sacrifice. No, no, no, God is saying, I want you to dedicate him to me as someone who rises high in his spiritual life. You know, in ancient world there were many pagan cults, and some of them believed that the greatest thing a parent could do would be to kill their child in the name of their God. That would prove their dedication to this God.
Of theirs.
Child sacrifices back then was mainstream. But in this Bible story, God is saying, no, I do not want that. I don't want your son to die for me. I want him to live for me.
This was the epiphany of Abraham.
This was a.
Proclamation from God to the Jewish people and to the entire world a new concept. Yes, there have been many times in our history that we have sacrificed our lives for God, for who we are as His chosen people. But that isn't the main lesson here. We're not supposed to die for God. That's not the ideal. The story of Abraham and Isaac teaches us that the ideal is.
To always be living for God.
One area of the Fellowship's work that resonates deeply with me is the support that we provide to Israeli soldiers and veterans and their families. Among these brave souls are remarkable lone soldiers. These are young men and women from across the globe who arrive in Israel with no family. They're all alone, and they come to Israel driven by a sacred call to serve in the israel Defense forces protecting this holy land. I stand in awe of their courage, their readiness to step forward and declare. Sometimes at eighteen years old, here I am to the call to defend Israel. And I thought about the soldiers of the idea. While listening to today's Bible story, you might ask, why is that. Well, after stopping Abraham from sacrificing Isaac, the Angel pronounced three blessings over Abraham, but only one of those blessings was actually new. The other two had already been revealed to Abraham in earlier passages in Genesis that we've already looked at, we've already seen. The Angel promised Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars and the sand, and that they would conquer their enemies, and that all nations would be blessed through them. The message here strikes a very poignant chord, familiar to all Israelis who have served in the idef familiar to all parents with children of military age be included, and familiar especially to the families of every fallen soldier. May we never know with this blessing the Angel of God conveyed to Abraham that triumph over our enemies sometimes necessitates the willingness to offer up our sons and daughters, even at the cost of the ultimate sacrifice. Sometimes we have to pay with our lives in order to protect what's most sacred, God's values, God's land. It's something here in Israel every single person faces every single day, and that's why at the Fellow, thanks to our faithful supporters like you, we are able to work around the clock to comfort not only the orphans and the widows, but to comfort the brave.
Young men and women of the.
Israeli defense forces, as well as the families of the fallen soldiers who gave their lives defending our freedom. We're able to be there for these heroes to say you're not alone. Millions of Christians stand with you in your plight for freedom and recognize that you are not only living for God, but you're willing to die for Him as well. May their memories and their sacrifices never be forgotten, and may their courage inspire us all to stand firm and stand in faith in the face of adversity. And that's what the story of Abraham and Isaac and Mount Moriat is really about.
It's about faith.
Faith is a word that we often use, but do we really understand it. True true faith is more than just a belief. True faith is shown through obedience and trust in God's ultimate goodness even when his commands seem to defy our understanding, and true faith is often forged in the furnace of God's tests. In those moments of being tested, our trust in God's goodness is truly challenged, and it's in those moments, those most difficult moments, that our true faith is revealed. Do we have faith that God is good, that His ways are always for the best, even when we don't see it.
To speak more on God's.
Goodness through the Christian lens is our good friend, Bishop Lanier.
Thank you ya elle Well. You've heard me use the word consequential a lot in our conversations, and I have really got to use it now because I'm telling you this is indeed one of the most consequential conversations events of our holy faith. You're more than familiar with. When God called Abraham and said to him, I want you to leave who you've been, with, whom you've been, where you've lived, all of that. I want you to follow me. Listen to my voice. And in the Christian Scriptures again in the Book of Hebrews chapter eleven, it says by faith, Abraham pursued a city whose builder and maker is Goden. But now at a situation where the Lord is basically saying to Abraham, I know that in your youth, in your seventy five year age, you were willing to leave everything and to follow me. Now I'm asking you now that you have your son, your only son of covenant, the one you love more than anything in the world, will you sacrifice him? Will you give me your entire future?
Wow?
Well, for Christians we see a remarkable typology here. What is a typeology, It's a theme, it's a sign, it is a motif, something in the Hebrew scriptures that's pointing something for us, even we would say greater in the Christian scripts. And this is a profound one here where God loved his only son. We're told the Book of John, chapter three, verse sixteen, for God so loved the world that he's sacrificist, or gave his only begotten son, And that Jesus baptism at the Jordan River by John, the voice of the Father spoke. And I don't believe everyone heard it, or there would have been a different reaction, but Jesus surely heard it, and he would need to hear it because in a matter of moments he would step into the wilderness. And the first temptation was if you are the son of God. Well, Jesus needed to hear that voice from the Father saying, this is my beloved son. And so we recognize This is indeed a powerful typeology for Christians. God said to him, I want you to take your son, your only son, the one whom you love most, and I wanted to go to Mount Moriah, and there you are to sacrifice him. To me, this could not make any sense, but Abraham had learned not to live by his senses. He had learned this won't be logical, it won't be rational or reasonable. But this is the kind of conversations I have with my God. So Abraham got up early. They packed up everything they were going to need for a three day trek. And you know, I've read that this is actually the moment when Abraham's wife, Sarah died. I don't know, but what I've read that says that when she got up and she looked, and she saw what they had packed, and maybe Abraham had even spoken some of his plans to her. I can't be sure, but somehow or another, she knew what was coming and it was too much, and it was there she died. And when he returned, he took her to Hebron and buried her in that cave at Makpilar. And it was after he buried Sarah that he surely began thinking more about his generations, didn't he We'll talk about that later. But again, it took Abraham and his entourage three days to make the journey to mak Pillar to Hebron. A thousand years later, David bought that threshing floor and built an altar there, and Solomon built a temper there. Isn't it remarkable that in all of Israel, the most contested spaces, most embattled are those not simply that God promised to Israel, but a you actually purchased it with money. Abraham bought Shachem, Abraham bought Mahpilai in Hebron. David bought the threshing floor in Jerusalem. And again those are the most some of the most contested areas in all of Israel. And it's then and there that Abraham makes one of the most profound statements of faith you're ever going to find in your Bible. He says to the men gathered, I'm taking my son up this mountain, and we're going.
To worship there what.
We're going to worship. That's how Abraham viewed this most consequential sacrifice he would ever make. I'm going to walk up this mountain build an altar, tie down my son, light the fire, take his life. And I consider all of it worship unto my God because it is surrender unto him. And what moves me supremely is that Abraham says, after we've worshiped together, my son and I are going to return to you at the bottom of this mountain. Now he had just said, I'm going to the top of the mountain. I'm going to do what my God said to do, which was to take his life. But then together, how do you reconcile that, Abraham? Well, it goes like this. My God called me many years ago and told me that my wife and I were going to conceive and bring forth the Son, and that through him was coming a nation of people. And I've lived by that promise since that moment. And I don't know how God's going to do what God's going to do, but I know he's God and He's going to do what God does. So if I indeed sacrifice the life of my Isaac and his body is consumed in these flames, this I know. If God has to take the ashes like he took the dust at creation and molded in his own image and exhaled his divine essence into my boy and bring forth a living soul all over again. I don't know how God's going to do it, but He's going to do whatever's required for himself to fulfill his promises to me. So I'm telling you we'll be back. I don't know how I got to the point. Maybe you did as well. Where we heard that Isaac was twelve or thirteen years of age when all of this went down. But I've studied this thing, and there are many Jewish writers who will say that, no, no, Isaac was actually thirty nine years of age, and that really makes sense after the fact when we find out he was forty and unmarried, and again we'll talk about that later. What moves me is Isaac, if he's indeed thirty nine years of age, he's fully strong, grown enough to resist this whole situation. He doesn't have to pack anything, or travel three miles or trek up the mountain, or lie down on an altar, or allow his father to tie him. He doesn't have to do any of this. He could have probably successfully resisted. And there's no record that God ever spoke to and told him what was coming, So why did you do it? Isaac because my father asked me to, because my father told me about his God, and I trust him.
Again.
Reminds me of Noah, doesn't it. There's no record God spoke to Noah's sons. But if my father says we need to build a boat, well hand me a hammer. And you know that in that climactic moment when Abraham reached back with the knife, and when he did it, all of a sudden an angel stopped him and said, Abraham, no, No. It was at that moment that Abraham heard the ram in the thicket and he knew where it was going.
Now.
I don't know about you, but I sure would have liked to have heard that ram the thicket when I was at the bottom of the mountain. I could have walked a little quicker up Mariah and wouldn't have taken me as long to build that altar. And if I just could have heard that ram before, That's not.
The way faith works.
We don't get to hear the ram cry until we're willing to lay down everything that matters to us upon that burning altar and take back only what God raises up himself. And I believe that from that sacrifice in those ashes. The only thing left from that ram was his horns, and that interesting we call them horns, and perhaps it was Abraham himself who cleaned them up and made a show far out of those things. And that's what God is asking from us. We would be willing to lay it all upon the altar and trust that no matter what the fire does, we might have nothing in the ashes but a praise.
And it is enough.
This chapter is included in the prayer books that Jews around the world read during the high holidays during the sacred season. We pray that just as God had compassion on Isaac and did not allow him to lose his life, that God might have compassion on us, constantly renewing our lives every minute. I think that this prayer is meaningful for us all as His chosen people, all of the time, that instead of death we embrace life, which God has blessed us with through His Holy Spirit. Here's a final blessing for you. Ivarre hashem vie schmercher Yeah, Heir hashempanave ileha virocher ye, Sir hashempanave lechra.
Salon.
May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his face shine upon you. May he be gracious to you. Made the Lord turn his face towards you and give you peace.
Amen. You can listen to the Chosen People with Isle Eckstein add free by downloading and subscribing to the Prey dot Com app today. This Prey dog comproduction is only made possible by our dedicated team of creative talents. Steve Katina, Max Bard, Zach Shellabarger and Ben Gammon are the executive producers of the Chosen People with Yaile Eckstein, edited by Alberto Avilla, narrated by Paul Coltefianu. Characters are voiced by Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvato, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan, Stephen Ringwold, Sylvia Zaradoc and the opening prayer is voiced by John Moore. Music by Andrew Morgan Smith, written by Bree Rosalie and Aaron Salvato. Special thanks to Bishop Paulinier, Robin van Ettin, kayleb Burrows, Jocelyn Fuller, and the team at International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. You can hear more Prey dot Com productions on the Prey dot Com app, available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. If you enjoyed The Chosen People with Yeile Eckstein, please rate and leave a review.