Proper 8 / Pentecost 6 / OT 13
Devotional
Water From the Well
Lectionary Devotional For Cycle A
Object:
Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to kill his son.
-- Genesis 22:10
This story is one of the most horrifying and troublesome stories in the Bible. It confronts us not only with the literal horror of a father willing to slay his own son but also with the fearful image of the cruelty possible in religious fanaticism. Here we have a man determined to be obedient to God. Just prior to this story, this same Abraham was willing to let his other son, Ishmael, be driven out into the wilderness to die. God had to intervene in that story, also, to save the life of the child. It is helpful to remember the meaning of the two names. Ishmael means "God hears" and Isaac means "laughter." When we forget that "God hears" the suffering of the oppressed, religion becomes a faith of the powerful. When we are willing to sacrifice "laughter" in our faith, we are easily seduced by the fanatical in religion. One of the decisions of faith has always been whether we will serve God or the powers of our age. In making the choice for God, too often the attempt has been seen as also requiring the sacrifice of laughter. This story suggested that laughter (Isaac) was a special gift of God and critical to the development of the family of faith. Without laughter, we misunderstand the true sacrifice God asks of us. Laughter allows us to step back from our own pretentiousness and hear what God hears. We can become overly serious in our determination to be "perfect" in our faith and sacrifice the very future that God invites us to pursue.
-- Genesis 22:10
This story is one of the most horrifying and troublesome stories in the Bible. It confronts us not only with the literal horror of a father willing to slay his own son but also with the fearful image of the cruelty possible in religious fanaticism. Here we have a man determined to be obedient to God. Just prior to this story, this same Abraham was willing to let his other son, Ishmael, be driven out into the wilderness to die. God had to intervene in that story, also, to save the life of the child. It is helpful to remember the meaning of the two names. Ishmael means "God hears" and Isaac means "laughter." When we forget that "God hears" the suffering of the oppressed, religion becomes a faith of the powerful. When we are willing to sacrifice "laughter" in our faith, we are easily seduced by the fanatical in religion. One of the decisions of faith has always been whether we will serve God or the powers of our age. In making the choice for God, too often the attempt has been seen as also requiring the sacrifice of laughter. This story suggested that laughter (Isaac) was a special gift of God and critical to the development of the family of faith. Without laughter, we misunderstand the true sacrifice God asks of us. Laughter allows us to step back from our own pretentiousness and hear what God hears. We can become overly serious in our determination to be "perfect" in our faith and sacrifice the very future that God invites us to pursue.
