Text: Genesis 22:1-19
(Chatham Corps – August 20th, 1999 AM)
"In Kentucky, there is a huge rivalry in college basketball between the University of Louisville and the University of Kentucky. At one of the 'Dream Games' between the two schools, an elderly woman sat alone with an empty seat next to her. Someone approached her and said, 'Ma'am, I have rarely seen an empty seat in Rupp Arena, let alone at the Dream Game. Whose seat is this?'
"The woman responded that she and her late husband had been season ticket holders for twenty-eight years, and the seat had belonged to him. 'Well, couldn't you find a friend or relative to come to the game with you?' the person asked.
"'Are you kidding?' she replied. 'They're all at my husband's funeral.'"[1]
Commitment… not a popular word these days. Whether it be as small a thing as visiting your mother at least once a month, or as big a thing as waiting until you are married to have sex, it seems that the world does not want us to make any kind of commitment.
Commitment requires faith. Commitment requires trust. And Commitment requires discipline. Of course discipline, trust and faith are three more things the world is not eager to support.
George Barna is credited as having said “Commitment is viewed negatively because it limits our ability to feel independent and free, to experience new things, to change our minds on the spur of the moment and to focus on self-gratification rather than helping others. People willingly make commitments only when the expected outcome exceeds what they must sacrifice as a result of that commitment.”[2]
It is a sad statement to make that our society has come to the point where self-gratification has become more important than a commitment to basic principles of goodness.
Think of your heroes. They are committed to their goals. They are some of those who are honestly committed to doing something without counting the personal cost. They are not looking for personal gain from the results of their commitment. Instead they look at the affect for good in the outcome of the their actions.
If Jesus had looked at his crucifixion in terms of what he would get out of it, I am sure he would have left us in the garden of Gethsemane, or maybe become the triumphant king the Pharisees had expected him to be. Instead he sacrificed everything to die on a Roman cross so that we might have eternal life.
How many men and women have sacrificed themselves in times of war, for the greater good of those who remained at home? How many brave men and women sacrificed themselves to save others when the twin towers fell in New York? If their commitment had been less strong and they had wished to gratify only themselves, where would we be?
“Ah,” you might say, “but those were extreme circumstances.” And perhaps they were. But is commitment only required in extreme circumstances? Shouldn’t it be even easier then to make a small commitment when the circumstances are not so grave? Have a look at yourself and ask; “Would I be willing to make even a modest commitment no matter what the circumstances?”
THE COMMAND IS GIVEN
As we look at chapter 22 of Genesis, the first thing we see is that God was testing Abraham. Those of you who are fans of the King James Version will read “God did tempt Abraham.” I am afraid this is one of those times when we need a new translation of the original Hebrew. In the original, the word “nissah” is translated in the KJV as “tempt” and in the NIV as “tested.” Both are somewhat correct, but the implication of tempt is that God was trying to get Abraham to do what is evil, which was not the case. Rather, God was trying Abraham by fire to see what he was made off. He was testing him.
James 1:2-4 tells us to “consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” So we understand that God’s intention with Abraham was not to have him do evil, but to mature him and make him complete.
But what was God was testing in Abraham?
Abraham must have been very confused by the command. Pagan tribes in Abraham’s day believed that a human sacrifice – often ones own child – would strengthen the gods they worshiped, and that doing so in times of trouble would often bring relief. But for God this was unimaginable. Abraham himself, though he obeyed God to the letter, is credited as having trusted that somehow God would not let this pass without bringing Isaac back.
In vs. 8, he prophesies without even being aware of it that God himself will provide the lamb for the sacrifice. In Hebrews 11:19, Paul credits Abraham as having believed God would raise Isaac from the dead.
Whatever the case, Abraham had faith to believe that though it seemed God was asking him to do something extremely difficult, and maybe even downright wrong, that God would not allow evil to happen. God was testing many things in Abraham’s life; his trust in God, his faith and his commitment to carry out what God wished.
And so, when the command was given, the command was obeyed.
THE COMMAND IS OBEYED
There is no record of Abraham ever questioning the command, or even a reflection of inner doubt. God simply makes the command, and Abraham the next morning wakes and obeys. He does not grumble or complain. He does not question God or argue with him. He doesn’t boast to others of his unprecedented commitment to God. He simply trusts that whatever God has in mind, He will work it out.
We can only speculate what must have gone on in Abraham’s heart. When his son asked him in vs. 7, “…where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” We can only imagine the conflict that must have arisen within him. Here was his favorite son – his only son by Sarah his wife – born in their old age and as a promise from God. Here was the son that Abraham loved so dearly, and God was asking Abraham to make a sacrifice of him? Surely Abraham must have been more than curious how God was going to work this one out – and how his heart must have been heavy as he knew there was the possibility that God would require him to go through with it.
Abraham followed the command to the letter. I suspect that there were tears in his eyes as he picked up the knife and raised it preparing himself for a deed that he would not even have thought of doing had it been his own will.
When God asks us to commit to him, he doesn’t expect us to be perfect. Nor does he expect us to go down a path that is impossible for us, but he does not guarantee that it will be an easy path. Abraham was capable of doing the task that God had asked him to do, but it was neither an easy path, nor one that Abraham would have chosen to go down of his own free will.
When Dr. David Livingstone was working in Africa, a group of friends wrote him: "We would like to send other men to you. Have you found a good road into your area yet?" According to a member of his family, Dr. Livingstone sent this message in reply: "If you have men who will only come if they know there is a good road, I don't want them. I want men who will come if there is no road at all."
Would Joshua have chosen to march around the walls of Jericho once for six days, then seven times on the seventh day, blowing rams horns? I doubt he would have even considered that as a tactical plan to destroy the city, yet God in what seems foolishness to us, sometimes requires us to trust him.
And so, Abraham obeyed.
He steeled himself and went forward to do the task, which on the surface seemed to contradict his better judgement. In the end, however, that obedience was honoured.
THE OBEDIENCE IS HONOURED
Abraham did not have to sacrifice his son. God provided the sacrificial lamb. The results of the test: Abraham was credited for his commitment to follow God’s will. And Abraham’s faith and trust in God was increased immeasurably. It is one of those situations where at the beginning, it seems everything will be lost, and in the end everyone wins. You can’t ask for better.
Jesus commitment to us was like that. As we read in Philippians 2, He gave up all the glory of heaven to become a man. As if that were not enough, he gave up even that little which he still had to die on a cross for our sins – not his own sins because he did not have any sin within him – but all of our sins. He was committed to that task. He gave up all to do it for us and received only the love of those who accept his gift in return.
So, remember that question I asked earlier? “Would I be willing to make even a modest commitment no matter what the circumstances?”
What does God require of us? Commitment to a relationship with Him? Commitment to follow his commands? Commitment to preach the gospel to those who have not heard it? Commitment to a life of holiness?
There may be a cost involved in a commitment to Jesus. There may be sacrifices to be made. Today’s world is full of deception, greed, malice and a thousand other sinful vices. Are these not extreme circumstances? If you think about it, does it not require an extreme commitment to a cause of righteousness to make a change? Perhaps even a commitment on the order of Abraham, or Jesus?
So, what is your level of commitment to him?
CONCLUSION
Dr. Herbert Schaefer, a Canadian missionary who worked in India and Hong Kong once told the story of a debate, which broke out on a farm. The debate was raised between a hen and a pig. The topic of the debate was "Involvement and Commitment are equal". The hen argued, "if someone is willing to get involved, that means they are committed."
The pig said, "No, I don’t think so. Getting involved is far from ready to commit." But neither could convince the other of their point of view. Then they heard the voice of the farmer’s wife. "Honey, what would you like for breakfast? Ham or Egg?" The farmer replied, "I prefer ham."
Then the pig told the hen, "You see, when you lay an egg, you are involved in the breakfast. But we are committed to the breakfast when we are eaten as ham."
Do you see the difference? Are we just involved Christianity, or are you committed? Are you ready to commit and sacrifice yourself for the service of the Lord?
What to hear more?
[1] “May All Who Come Behind Us Find Us Faithful”, Robert Russell
[2] George Barna, The Frog in the Kettle, (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1990), 35
