Tag: Isaac

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

An unusual classroom

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Sam Balye on Unsplash

Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.” (Genesis 22:1-2)

No matter how many times I read this passage of scripture, I come away with questions. How could God ask Abraham to do something like this? How could Abraham even consider going through with it? What did Isaac think about this moment?

From our point of view, little about this makes sense. But I could look at it from a different perspective. What does God reveal about himself in Genesis 22? What do I learn about God?

God does not want human sacrifice. Other Canaanite religions sacrificed their children as a way of appeasing their gods. God is not like those gods. His love does not come in response to anything we do or not do. His love is who he is.

God does provide the substitute sacrifice, just as Abraham knew he would (22:8). A ram is the substitute for Isaac. Ultimately, God provided his own son as a substitute, atoning sacrifice for us. How could he do that? We are that important, that valuable to him.

God had promised Abraham that Isaac would be his heir, the beginnings of a great nation. God keeps his promises. He is faithful. I can trust him.

It takes a long time to learn obedience. It took Abraham twenty-five years to get to this point, where he knows, trusts, and obeys God. It’s a process. It takes time.

We’ll never understand everything about God. He is far beyond our comprehension. But he has revealed a lot about himself in creation and in the bible. That I can understand.

Posted in Advent devotions

Instead of

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Sixth, seventh, or eighth on the bench? You’re not a starter. You can wait to sub in to show what you can do on the court.

A substitute teacher? That’s got to be one of the toughest jobs ever. It takes a special person to take on students you don’t know for little pay.

“Playing the part of…” The audience is disappointed that an understudy will be performing. The understudy is thrilled.

When the menu states, “No substitutions,” will you still ask for fruit instead of fries?

“Alexa, what can I substitute for buttermilk?” Answer: milk with vinegar; or sour cream.) Since we’re in the kitchen, you can also substitute granulated sugar and some molasses if you don’t have brown sugar for a recipe.

When God tells Abraham to sacrifice his only son Isaac, Abraham is confident that “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering” (Genesis 22:8). When “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” (Genesis 22:13). Just as promised, God provided a substitute for his son.

That is faith. Abraham has confidence. His obedience demonstrates absolute trust. In this story, God paints a picture of who his son Jesus will be. He’ll be a substitute for us, suffering and dying in our place on the cross, suffering the punishment for sin.

Advent is about the coming of a substitute. You could shoot spitballs at him in an unruly classroom. You can cheer him on when he step onto the court. You can applaud when he finally has a chance to take the stage. You can thank God that there are substitutions in his kingdom. You can worship him as the one who stood in for you and took the wrath of God for your sin.

Two words to sum up the gospel? “Instead of.” Forgiveness instead of punishment. Life instead of death. Joy instead of sadness. Hope instead of despair. Light instead of darkness.

And a ram instead of Isaac. Another image of Jesus. Here’s one for the Jesse Tree:

Posted in Devotions, Through the Bible Devotions

Dressing up for a blessing

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Jessica Rockowitz on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from Genesis 27.

On any given day, one of my granddaughters will be dressed as Cinderella or another Disney princess. Another will have her legs wrapped in a mermaid tail. With an apron around his or her waist, another will be my waiter at a pretend food diner or ice cream shop.

Who doesn’t like to dress up?

I chuckle when the bible tells us of the time Jacob pretended to be his brother Esau. Esau was a hairy guy who smelled like a field. So Jacob puts on his older brother’s clothes and ties goat skins to his hands and neck so that his father, Isaac, whose eyes are failing, will think he is Esau. Amazingly, it works! Isaac blesses Jacob with the words Esau should have received. (Genesis 27:15-29)

How many of us pretend to be someone else to get approval or recognition? Social media makes this very easy to do. If you post pictures of the happy, fun, and adventurous moments of your life, everyone will like and envy your adventurous, fun, and happy life.

How’s that working out for you? Are you feeling blessed? Are you happier? Is your life an amazing adventure? Maybe for a moment or two. Then it’s back to reality. Back to real life.

Why don’t we want to be ourselves? That’s easy. Someone else is happier, having more fun, and is better liked. I want to be like them.

We’ve just learned that artificial sweeteners are actually much worse for us than sugar. The real thing, sugar, in moderation, is OK after all.

What if the real you is better than anything you could pretend to be? After all, no one can be you better than you.

Posted in Devotions, Through the Bible Devotions

Deja vu all over again

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Emmalee Couturier on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from Genesis 26.

Well, it’s a classic “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree” episode in the life of Isaac (Genesis 26:6-11). Isaac lies and tells the residents of Gerar that Rebekah is his sister so they won’t kill him. Abraham did the exact same thing in chapters 12 and 20. In fact, Abraham did this very same thing when he was living in Gerar before Isaac was born. Does anyone sense a pattern here?

One day we’ll all pause and realize we sound or act just like our parents. Is that such a bad thing? It depends. Unfortunately, things like addiction or mental illness can be handed down from generation to generation. But so can a good work ethic, honesty, and an active faith life. Our parents are our primary teachers during the most impressionable years of our lives. For better or worse, we are going to be a lot like them.

I am thankful that my wife and I grew up in families where the Christianity was part of the fabric of our lives. We raised our family in the same kind of environment, and watch as our grandchildren grow up in the faith, too.

I’m glad we could pass along our cooking and baking skills to our children and grandchildren. We are beginning to enjoy their culinary efforts. Passing along the gift of music has been a joy, too. I’ll bet a lot of the grandchildren’s silliness can be traced back to me. Caring hearts? That comes from my wife, who has always been generous with her gifts of compassion and mercy.

Adopted by grace into God’s family, don’t be surprised if you’re a lot like him. I doubt we’d be merciful, forgiving, generous, hopeful, and joy-filled on our own. We learn all that from our heavenly father.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

“So how did you two meet?”

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Jonathan Cooper on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from Genesis 24.

When I’m getting to know new neighbors or folks I meet at church, I’ll often ask, “So how did you two meet?” More and more the answer is, “Actually, we met online.” Not surprising, since we live a lot of our lives in a virtual, digital world.

Imagine asking Isaac, “How did you meet your wife?” He would answer, “Well, my dad’s servant brought Rebekah home from my Uncle Laban’s home.” It was a very different world. No dating. No courtship. No engagement. Isaac and Rebekah met on their wedding day. (Genesis 24:62-67)

God is the primary matchmaker in Genesis 24. Abraham assigns his servant the task of finding the right wife for his son. Talk about pressure! The servant prays for help in finding the right woman to bring home for Isaac, and God answers in a big way.

I like the idea that God has a hand in bringing couples together. He does so in some very creative ways, too. That’s why it’s always fun to ask, “How did you two meet?”

I met my wife when I was studying for pastoral ministry at the seminary. Her older brother was a classmate of mine, and we met when she came to visit him. It was pretty much the last place I expected to meet my spouse. Forty years, three children, and nine grandchildren later, I’m grateful God brought us together.