Mt. Moriah Reflections and Meditations
Periodically, God utilizes life’s circumstances to remind us of the first and second commandments. “You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, …” (Exodus 20:3-5) God insists He is the number one priority in our lives. His holy jealousy does not allow anyone or anything to displace Him in our affections and allegiances.
God’s test of Abraham in Genesis 22 vividly depicts this divine command. After proving His faithfulness through the birth of Isaac, God requires Abraham to sacrifice Isaac on Mt. Moriah. Perhaps, Abraham’s love for his son, Isaac, began to supersede Abraham’s love of God. To ascertain the depth of Abraham’s love, God instructs Abraham to travel three days and three nights to Mt. Moriah. Unequivocally, Abraham must demonstrate his love for Almighty God by sacrificing his son, Isaac, whom Abraham had waited for one hundred years. To fulfill his providential role as the “knight of faith” and “father of many nations,” Abraham unquestionably devotes himself to the Lord.
In Isaac, Abraham finally has an heir. You can only imagine his excitement! Abraham’s love for Isaac probably totally consumes his human heart. It might surpass his love for Sarah. However, if it exceeds Abraham’s love for God, it is problematic. Although Abraham lives four hundred years before the Law is written, his experience of God necessitates he abides by the spirit of the previous commandments. No one and nothing usurps the Lord.
As a consequence, Abraham travels to Mt. Moriah and demonstrates his undying love for God by offering his most prized earthly possession, Isaac. Amazingly, Abraham does not question the Lord. He incredibly renounces disobedience and recalcitrance lurking within his mind and heart. Abraham shows his unconditional love for God. Abraham prepares a sacrifice and obeys unto the point of lifting a knife to slay Isaac. Then, the Lord intervenes and blesses Abraham because he does not withhold Isaac.
Like Abraham, we occasionally journey to Mt. Moriah and offer our “Isaac” on the altar of holiness and divine love. Is there anything we desire so greatly we disregard the will of God to obtain it? Our love for others and devotion to causes cannot exceed our love for God. Each desire of our hearts belongs on the altar of Mr. Moriah. If we fall in love and discover true happiness, we put our love on the altar. All prized possessions (talents, degrees, titles, social status, etc,) also belong on the altar of God’s countenance. Every desire undergoes the test of determining whether it coheres with God’s “good, pleasing and perfect” will. When God’s will does not correlate with our desires, we accept His will is best. Often, we will not understand His will. We feel God has made a mistake. We want Him to bend His purposes to meet our wishes. Yet, we trust Almighty God without reservation.
I suspect God would have allowed Abraham’s disobedience. Had Abraham not loved God enough to pass this test, he would have an average life with his wife and son. We would never know about him. God would find someone else whose love for God is unconditional. Similarly, if we fail to love God with our whole hearts, we will miss His will for our lives. The enduring truth of Genesis 22 confirms the test of loving God with our whole beings always provides “a ram in the bush.” God’s will always yields something far greater than we imagine.
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