Thinking in 3’s - Genesis 22:2 - Offering and Receiving

The story of the testing of Abraham is a difficult one. It is difficult in that we can instantly feel the pain, the dilemma, of being asked to so something that is so clearly self-denying and son-forsaking in order to obey the call of God. Here are God’s words to Abraham: 

“Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.” (Genesis 22:2 NAS95)

The words sound immoral, even criminal. And yet, and yet - Abraham has received the promises of God, recounted over and over in the previous chapters, and will be recounted in this chapter as well. Further, He has seen the provision of Good - miraculous provision. The birth of Isaac itself was a miraculous gift of God. Abraham and Sarah could never have conceived him on their own, in their old age. It was an act of God. Isaac was a gift of God. And even further, Isaac was the vehicle by whom all those promises of God - a family and a nation - would come. Without Isaac, there would be none of those things. 

But this story is not about logic. It is about Abraham’s heart, and your heart. It is about what you love more than anything else, and whom you will honor above anyone else. And so, the three-fold description of Isaac is telling: 1) Your son; 2) Your only son; 3) whom you love.

Father and mothers will protect their kids with their lives. They would instinctively sacrifice themselves for the sake of their children. They would never actually sacrifice their children. But that’s what God says.

It’s not like there were ten more kids in line behind Isaac. He was the only child born to Abraham and Sarah. Oh, I’m not suggesting the pain is any less in the losing of a child if there is a bunch rather than just one. But the “only” is heart-wrenching. 

Whom you love? Do you love your kids, your child? Of course. How much? As much as anything. More than God? Oh, that’s a hard one. And that was Abraham’s test. And he decided that He loved God more, for the good of his soul, and for the good of his son, his only son, whom he loved. It’s always best for our kids if they know we love God most. Abraham was compelled to demonstrate to Isaac that obedience to God is always the best way.

The point of the story is not just the faith of Abraham. It’s a huge point, but there is something more. The other point is this: God didn’t ask Abraham to do anything that He wouldn’t do Himself. And that’s exactly what God did. He took His Son, His only Son, whom He loved, and He offered Him as a sacrifice for our sins - because He loved us so much. And just as Abraham received back his son just before the sacrifice, God received back His Son just after the resurrection.

Please, Lord, please never subject me to such a test. But also, please let me grasp some measure of the depth of Your love for Your “other” children, that You would offer up You Son for us.

The Heavens and the Earth

God created the heavens and the earth. That is what the very first verse of the Bible tells us: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” That is, He created all that we know, and beyond - the heavens, the skies, the stars and planets and atmosphere; the structure of the earth, in all its geology and variety; the seas and all that is in the depth of the seas; the land with its fruitfulness, and then swarms and varieties of creatures.

The theme shows up again and again throughout Scripture. Here we have Hezekiah’s prayer. 

Hezekiah prayed before the LORD and said, “O LORD, the God of Israel, who are enthroned above the cherubim, You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 2Kings 19:15

Hezekiah was a king of the southern kingdom of Israel, Judah, toward the end of their independent existence before the Babylonian captivity. This was years, centuries after creation - but it is still a key feature of Hezekiah’s prayer.

If God created the heavens and the earth, it is a necessary fact that He is before all, above all, and under all. He is God of all, whether He is acknowledged as such or not. “You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth.” While we strive to honor religious pluralism in our nation as a feature of religious liberty, we must admit that there will be no pluralism in the kingdom of God.

But Hezekiah also describes God as the One “who are enthroned above the cherubim.” The image is of God reigning in the heavens, and “the earth is My footstool.” He is present, but above us. The location of this footstool is in the Holy of Holies, the inner sanctum of the Tabernacle, where the offering was presented for the sins of the people once a year (this year, Sat evening through Sun evening, Sept 27-28). At the time of the text, it was housed in Solomon’s Temple, which would soon be destroyed.

It is merciful of God to extend His feet in our direction. But as the story of the Bible unfolds, we find that He comes much closer. He does not merely extend His feet, but He stoops to come close, so much so that He actually sends His Son, Jesus, to take on human flesh and dwell among us, right at our level. The earth is no longer just His footstool; it is His home.

But one more step. As Jesus shares with His disciples just before His temple, His body, is destroyed, He stoops even further. He washes the disciples feet. He makes His disciples to be, not His footstool, but He becomes theirs. “Mercy seat” indeed! And acknowledging that, Hezekiah, and you, can continue your prayer.

Thinking in 3’s - Matthew 3:17; 12:18; 17:5 - Well-Pleased

 It is easier for me to spot 3’s in a space of a few verses. This collection, however, ranges over a good portion of Matthew’s Gospel. I found it while working on a Sunday message from … Proverbs 8. Wisdom, in that passage, is daily the Lord’s delight. Here, in Matthew, it is the Son, Jesus, who, 3 times, is the Father’s delight, or, is well-pleasing to the Father.

The first of these occurs at the baptism of Jesus, at the start of His earthly  ministry. 

Matt. 3:17 and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”

Jesus is identifying with His people, with His sinful people who need a Savior. Jesus is not joining an elite group. He is not “upping His game.” He is coming down to our level, to our need. And, it is well-pleasing to the Father.

The next occurrence comes after the death of John the Baptist, while opposition to Jesus from religious authorities is hardening against Him.

Matt. 12:18 “BEHOLD, MY SERVANT WHOM I HAVE CHOSEN; 

MY BELOVED IN WHOM MY SOUL is WELL-PLEASED; 

I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT UPON HIM, 

AND HE SHALL PROCLAIM JUSTICE TO THE GENTILES.

Jesus has, and will be extending His ministry beyond the existing borders of Israel, and beyond the Jewish population. He will go up to Sidon, and then across the Jordan River to Gentile territory. Matthew here quotes from Isaiah 42, where there are numerous prophecies about the mission of God extending beyond Israel. But this is by no means popular with the religious leaders who are inspecting Jesus’ ministry. Holiness, in their eyes, requires separation from the Gentiles, not ministry to them. But it is clear, both in Matthew and in Isaiah: God is well-pleased as His Son serves in this way.

And then we find God well-pleased in a setting where we would expect it: on the Mount of Transfiguration. 

Matt. 17:5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!”

But what we should note is that the voice from heaven does not speak primarily for Jesus’ benefit or reassurance, but rather for Peter’s correction. He had placed Jesus on a level alongside Moses and Elijah, probably thinking that he was elevating Jesus. But God makes clear that he is in fact demoting Jesus to the level of two who were mere men, though they be Old Testament giants of the faith and on a special mission from heaven above. But this text makes clear, then, that with Jesus, and with Jesus alone, is God well-pleased in this particular sense.

Applications abound. Are you and I well-pleased with Jesus? Is He most excellent in our sight, and in our hearts, above all other things? Are we well-pleased when the ministry of Jesus extends to people not just like us, and are we ourselves, as followers of Jesus, willing to personally involved in that kind of ministry. Are we more-pleased when ministry is restricted to our own clan? Are we well-pleased that Jesus was willing to associate with sinners? Have we truly understand that we ourselves fall into that category, that we ourselves are stained sinners in need of a stain-cleansing Savior? 

It is as we embrace Jesus and the uncomfortable contours of His ministry that we can understand that God being well-pleased with Jesus stands in relation to Jesus fulfilling the very mission of God, to which we are also called.

Thinking in 3’s - Urgent Prayer

“Hear my prayer, O LORD! And let my cry for help come to You. … In the day when I call answer me quickly.” (Psalm 102:1–2 NAS95)

In the beginning of Psalm 102 - a psalm that bears the heading “A Prayer of the Afflicted when he is faint and pours out his complaint before the Lord” - we have three words that describe the psalmist’s appeal to God. I would like to suggest that these three words should shape how we address the Lord for help as well.

“Hear my prayer, O LORD!” The first of our three words is what one would expect - generic prayer. And while this word is commonly used for prayer throughout the Old Testament, it is hardly generic. It is based on the verb for adjudication or arbitration. The pray-er is appealing to an authority to take up his/her case - to intercede for their benefit.

This idea contains an implication that we should not miss - we cannot remedy our situation by ourselves. We can’t change our condition, or the opposition. Only someone outside of ourselves can do that. Jesus mentions the woman who appeals to the judge in Luke 18. But let’s face it. For most of our concerns, we need someone much more powerful than a judge; one much more accessible than one hidden by judicial, bureaucratic processes. And it is the LORD, our covenant God, to whom we make our appeal. 

“Let my cry for help come to You.” This plea is urgent. This prayer is not the mere fulfilling of a duty. It is evocation promoted by provocation. It leaps from one’s lips instinctively, involuntarily. 

Here we need to pause and ask ourselves a question: Have we grown so self-sufficient, surrounded by such a range of helps and supports, that we have lost the instinct to “cry for help” to the Lord? There seems to be more “saying of prayers” than actual praying; more mumbling than crying out; more words with low expectation than cries of desperation. It makes us wonder if we still believe in a potent, powerful God, and if our contemporary prayers resemble much of the atmosphere of the Bible.

“In the day when I call, answer me quickly.” The third word is “call.” We are actually aroused by our helplessness and recognition of something terribly wrong to express a thought, form a word, and give voice to a call. We move from the interiority of feeling sorry for ourselves to the exteriority of calling out - even screaming? - to the Lord. No, I don’t think that our prayers should all be screaming. But then, if we find nothing wrong in us or around us worth screaming about, maybe we have no reason to pray a Biblical prayer.

Thinking in 3’s - Matthew 7:13-14 - Two Ways

Thinking in 3’s - Matthew 7:13-14 - Two Ways

Matt. 7:13   “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. ¹⁴ For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

These words of Jesus found in the Sermon on the Mount are easy to remember. We have two sets of three, and each entry in the first list is matched by its opposite in the second list: wide/narrow; easy/hard; leading to destruction/life. Jesus is drawing on a Biblical theme called “the two ways.” One is right. The other is wrong.

An Old Testament example of the doctrine of the two ways is found in Psalm 1: 1,2: 

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.”

These two descriptions are not parallel, but they are two different paths, or, two different sets of influences. We could look to Proverbs as well for the many contrasts between the wise and the foolish - people or individuals on two very different paths.

Again, for context and importance, Jesus identifies Himself as “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). The Gospel teaches us that believing in and following Jesus is one way; the other is to reject Jesus and go our own way. Again, two very different ways.

In our passage, Jesus is marking the contrast between the two ways. One is widely (get it, wide?) accepted by great numbers of people. It is intuitive to them and their mindsets. Most all religions in the world other than Christianity are “works” oriented - “How can I climb my way into heaven?” - and that makes sense to all sorts of people. It would denote the wide way, or gate. Many go down that path.

On the other hand, while the Gospel message itself is simple, it is narrow. “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). Christianity is exclusive to faith in Jesus. The way is narrow, and it rubs against our sensibilities until we have been introduced to the wonder of who Jesus is and what He has done for us.

It makes sense that a wide entrance leads to an easy way. It leads naturally, according to one’s natural sensibilities. It almost would make sense that the easy way leads on a downhill slope. On the other hand, Jesus’ way is hard, because it leads upward. No, we don’t climb our way to heaven, and, as Jesus says, “the burden is light” (Matthew 11:30). But the way is hard because it goes against the current of the world. We must constantly work against our own intuitions and the world’s opinions.

The third contrast has to do with the two paths’ destinations. And since they are two very different paths, they have two very different destinations. One “leads to destruction;” the other “leads to life.” All the people on both paths seems to be alive, and they are, physically. But the destination refers to an eternity of spiritual death, or spiritual life; of eternal distance from God, or eternal fellowship with Him. The first will be stripped of every grace that God has ever given, both to “the just and the unjust” (Matthew 5:45). The second will live in the favor of God forever. The difference can hardly be exaggerated.

You could argue that this passage is not really a case of “thinking in 3’s.” There are actually four descriptions and contrasts. And so maybe this passage will show up again in the collection on “4’s.” But these first three contrasts speak about the path. The last speaks about those who travel on the path: the many, and the few.

The majority does not get to determine the truth. Truth belongs to God, and whether there be many who take Him at His Word, or few, the truth does not change. You can read the story of the Bible and be consistently impressed at how the righteous are greatly outnumbered by the ungodly: Noah building the ark; Elijah vs. the prophets of Baal; the apostles against both Jewish and Gentile unbelievers. We should not be surprised if it is true in our day as well.

The Cookie on the Counter

I’m not sure why Jane makes cookies. It’s clear I don’t need them. I think she does it just to test me.

It usually starts out well. “I’m not touching a single one of those things,” as she mixes the batter and puts them in the oven. It’s not long before the smell of warm cookies wafts through the house. Time to leave. Take a walk. Clear my head.

I come home again and there they are, heaped on a plate. It doesn’t look like she has touched a single one. I won’t either. It smells good. And so I resist. But later, they are still there. Can cookies talk? Because I think they are calling my name.

Resisting is fine, as long as it lasts. Sometimes it’s longer. Sometimes it’s a laugher. And the thing is, once you take one, well, the game is already lost. So you might as well eat … ten?

We don’t get points for resisting temptation, temporarily. Points, by the way, is not the point. The point would rather be that I pick a direction and stick with it. If I deviate from the path, whether after a mile, or a foot, I’m still in the ditch.

Now it’s not a sin to eat a cookie. I don’t think it is. Unless I promised God that I wouldn’t. Which I didn’t. I just promised myself, and I’m not God. Is that ok? I don’t know. I just feel a little sick from eating, you know, ten cookies.

But the point that I would like to make is this: none of us who give in to temptation know the difficulty of truly resisting so long as we give in, whenever it is that we give in. If we resist a particular temptation, and then give in, and then resume resisting again, we still don’t really know what it’s like to resist temptation. And so we cannot fully appreciate Jesus. How so? Because of this verse:

“For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15 NAS95)

How long did Jesus resist temptation? For the whole course. He never once gave in. He always resisted. And it didn’t have to do with just one area, or some silly thing, like cookies. It had to do with every area of life - every single temptation. And the significance of this? He understands all our dilemmas, since his temptations were more difficult than ours, because He never gave in. Not once.