The book had me hooked in the first chapter because it was about a Bible story which I love. If you ask me who my favorite person in the Bible is, there is a good chance I would say Abraham because the story of him, and his son Isaac, just blows me away.
The book I have started reading this past week is, “The God of the Way”, by Rabbi Jason Sobel, a Jewish follower of Jesus. He is wonderful at giving great insight into the lives of those from Biblical days. It’s not surprising then that he began the book by looking at Abraham. What an amazing man he was. I’ve always been in awe of his dedication and obedience to God…and Rabbi Sobel’s writings gave me even more of which to be impressed. Did you know that God tested Abraham ten times through his life and each time, Abraham chose to trust and obey. Every time, his faith didn’t waver because he trusted and rested in God’s faithfulness and timing.
Even when God told Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac…his resolve to be obedient held strong. It has always amazed me that scripture tells us that after he was given these instructions…it was the next morning when Abraham set out with Isaac to fulfill God’s directives. He didn’t whine or complain or try to barter with God for a different outcome. God spoke and Abraham obeyed.
But Rabbi Sobel shared another aspect of this story that I hadn’t considered. He said that according to another highly respected Jewish scholar, Rabbi Kook, scripture alludes to the fact that Abraham “awoke” and rose up the next morning. He said that evidently, Abraham slept soundly the night before he was to sacrifice Isaac. He didn’t spend the wee hours pacing back and forth trying to bargain with God. Knowing that he was called to sacrifice his son didn’t disturb his sleep. It was this kind of calmness in faith which set Abraham apart from others. Amazing.
And then there was Isaac. He also had to be an obedient follower by what we read and learn from scripture. Many of us think of Isaac as being a young boy at this time…but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Sobel shared that according to Jewish tradition, Isaac was a man in his thirties and could have easily resisted his father who was well into his second century of life by then. Instead, Isaac had the faith to trust both his earthly father and his heavenly Father. Doubly amazing.
Oh, how I want to have faith like Abraham and Isaac. I want their kind of obedience…one that hears God speak and then immediately obeys, even when I have no idea where it will lead me. While I believe I’ve grown in this area over the years, I know I still have a long way to go to be like these patriarchs of the Bible.
It comes down to the fact that we all have a choice to make. As Rabbi Sobel shared, we can choose to follow God like Abraham did, to trust Him completely, believing His promises, or we can turn back. God won’t make us obey…it is our decision as to whether or not we will be faithful followers. Even amid unthinkable trials, we can still choose to be people of incredible faith and obedience, led by God the Father as Abraham was.
I can hardly wait to see what I learn as I read the rest of this book. If I use my highlighter as much in the other chapters as I have so far…I just may need another highlighter. I’m praying that my eyes will be opened and my heart will be softened as the Holy Spirit continues to speak to my soul :-)
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