THE BINDING OF SARAH
After these things, God tested Avraham. He said to him, “Avraham!” and he answered, “Here I am.” 2 He said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love, Yitz’chak; and go to the land of Moriyah. There you are to offer him as a burnt offering on a mountain that I will point out to you.” (Genesis 22:1,2)
Throughout Genesis 22, and the binding of Isaac, nothing is mentioned about Sarah. Did she know of Yahveh’s command to her husband to take and sacrifice their only son? Did she object, when she learned of this command? Scripture is silent on how she reacted. Thus, it is left to the human mind to ascertain how our Matriarch did respond.
There are certain clues we may use to determine how she might have dealt with this command. First, we go to Genesis 15:4, where we read – But the word of Adonai came to him: “This man will not be your heir. No, your heir will be a child from your own body.” Thus, Sarah knew Avraham would be able to sire a child. But, she believed, Adonai had prevented her from conceiving. We learn this in Genesis 16:2 – so Sarai said to Avram, “Here now, Adonai has kept me from having children; so go in and sleep with my slave-girl. Maybe I’ll be able to have children through her.” Avram listened to what Sarai said. In Genesis 16, we are told that Avraham had sexual relations with Hagar, Sarah’s maid-servant, and she conceived a son, whom Avraham named Yishma’el, God will hear.
From this episode on Sarah’s life, we may gather that Avraham’s wife may not have full trust in Yahveh’s Word. How would she react when her husband and her son left? I think you can imagine the anguish she felt. The journey Yahveh ordered Avraham and Isaac to take required three days there and three days back, a minimum of six and possibly seven days of travel. Through all of this time, Sarah is alone, with her thoughts and fears. What was her solace?
Sarah knew of the promises Yahveh had given both Avraham and her; she knew that generations of Hebrews would emerge from her loins, through Isaac. She knew that, from Avraham, all the nations of the world would be blessed, that is, grafted into the Hebrew family, as workers and helpers of Israel. Were these promises enough for Sarah? We will never know. How do you believe you would react, if your spouse claimed to have heard the word of God calling for the sacrifice of your child? Perhaps you may have a deeper insight as to the thoughts and possibly fears that Sarah was facing.
Thus, the binding of Isaac was also the binding of Sarah.
CONSIDER: If your spouse or partner claimed to have heard the Word of God, would you believe her/him? Would you question your partner/spouse to determine more understanding of what was shared? Would you out-rightly reject what was shared with you as fantasy and nonsense?
ACT: Certainly, what we hear from outside ourselves may be our own imaginings, the words of demons or other non-righteous spirits or the direct Word of God. There are many factors which may determine the origins of the heard word. First among these is the god who is worshiped. Always check what has been shared with Yahveh’s written Word. This will help lead you to a right conclusion.
PRAY: Abba, Beloved Yahveh, I pray for your guidance and leadership, when ‘word’ comes to us. Help us to understand the origins of what was heard, so we may accurately decide what to do with it. In Your Beloved Name we pray.
May the God of Avraham, Isaac and Jacob bless you richly.
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