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Hello! This post is set to publish the day after Memorial Day in the United States. On that day, we honor war fighters who gave their lives to advance freedom and democracy throughout the world. As the wife of a combat veteran, this holiday represents more than picnics and parades. God bless all the men and women who have served our country in any capacity where their lives have been on the line. And God bless the families who’ve lost loved ones on any battlefield, foreign, domestic, or internal. May their souls rest in peace.
Speaking of battles, let’s look at my work from this past week on what surely had to be a monumental internal conflict for Abraham in Genesis 22:1-19.
Last Week’s Work
MY PRAYER
Thank You, Father God, for Your Word and what I’m learning about Your character in this series! As I focus on Genesis 22:1-19, help me see, hear, and understand the lessons You have for me. Teach me what I need to know and do to faithfully represent You to everyone I meet. I ask this in Jesus’s name. Amen.
HUH? and WOW! MOMENTS
Here are my reactions as I read Genesis 22:1-19 this week:
WOW!s
- We find out right away the purpose of this scenario: God is testing Abraham.
- And Abraham responds, Here I am. Seems he says that more than once.
- Moriah was more than a three-day journey for Abraham; it seems like giving up his only child wasn’t the only sacrifice Abraham made that week.
- Pretty astute of Abraham to not be completely candid about the original planned sacrifice; see also my HUH? about this response, below.
- Abraham certainly seems committed to killing his son.
- Interesting how the ram was caught behind Abraham (unlike the carving above, huh?!).
- Really drawn to this language: on the mount of the LORD it shall be provided.
HUH?s
- Why the distinction, your only son Isaac?
- What’s the significance of the location: Moriah?
- Whoa! Give up your child as a burnt offering? Wasn’t that what the pagans did?
- What a response to Isaac’s question, God will provide for himself the lamb. How did Abraham know that?
- At the beginning, God speaks directly to Abraham; but later, an angel speaks to him. Any significance to this change?
- What does the angel mean, I know that you fear God?
- What does your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies mean?
Dig-In Challenges
If you’re working on your own study, listen to the Spirit’s guidance this week and choose one of your Huh?s or Wow!s to be your personal treasure, the topic on which you’ll focus your attention as we dig deeper into Genesis 22:1-19. This can be anything you noticed in your survey of the text that raises a question or resonates with you, or you can use one of my responses above if you like.
- PRAY for the Spirit to direct your focus for the remainder of this study. Then, in your journal, record the personal treasure He identifies, along with any verse(s) relating to it from the study text.
- MINE: Read Genesis 22:1-19, focusing on three factors setting the stage in this text: note anything the Spirit emphasizes about the characters involved, any locations mentioned, and any timeframes discussed.
I’m looking forward to sharing my notes with you next week!!