Reflection: Friday, Day 6 of Advent

Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.  

But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called the name of that place, “The LORD will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the LORD it shall be provided.”  

And the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.” 

Genesis is a book of roots. Each story shows us something about the nature of humankind and the nature of God’s chosen people, Israel. Each story, therefore, shows us something about Christ, the flower and fruit of humanity as a whole and of Israel specifically. Each story in Genesis is, in its own way, a foretelling of Christ. The same DNA—the same story—is expressed through the entire tree, its fruits, its flowers. 

This is one of the dark roots (and one might even call it the seed) of the story of Israel, for the child Abraham is about to destroy is Isaac—but it is also every Israelite hearing the story, for God’s chosen people are descended from Abraham’s miracle child. The narration slows down in this part of Genesis, as though happening all over again each time it is read. In each past telling, the angel has stayed Abraham’s hand in time—but what if this time around, the knife slips, or God changes his mind? It is not just the life of one child that is being threatened here, but the future existence of every Israelite, Abraham’s promised descendants, numerous as stars or sand. This time around, the root could be cut, or the seed lost. Thank God that it is not. 

For Gentile Christians, too, this is a potentially fatal moment. We believe that the offspring the angel refers to is Christ, and through Christ, “all the nations of the earth,” including ourselves. The enemy gate Christ possesses is the very gate of Death. It is our salvation, too, that is on the line here. And yet, each time, God provides.  

Think about people in your life (or out of it) who might need help, comfort, or provision. Perhaps they have a chronic or terminal illness or are simply in a difficult place and in need of encouragement. Make them a meal, organize a meal train, or find some other way to meet their needs.