Abraham

 SCENE 3

TRANSCRIPTION

ABRAHAM: I rose early in the morning, saddled my donkey, took two of my young men with me and, of course, my son Isaac; I split wood for the burnt offering and headed toward the mountain, to the place where God directed me to go. 

I have to be honest, I was overwhelmed with anxiety and confusion; Sarah and I waited decades for God to fulfill his promise to give us a son, my Isaac. True, I loved Ishmael very much, but he was not the son God had promised. God saw Isaac as my one and only son; and now, (spoken almost through tears) God was asking me to give him back? I trust Him.  How could I disobey His request? God can do all things, and He could bring him back from the dead if He wanted to. 

I built up my courage, took the wood for the burnt offering and gave it to Isaac to carry. So the two of us walked on together to the mount God said to go. Isaac then started to question me, wondering... 

ISAAC: “Where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” 

ABRAHAM: He was aware that his life fulfilled God’s promise to us, but was confused about the offering. We had the wood, the knife and the fire, but there was no lamb. In blind faith, I simply told him, “God will provide Himself the lamb.”

In trust, we continued forward and came to the place where I built the altar.  While I arranged the wood pieces for the fire, fear grew heavy within me; I bound my only promised son Isaac and laid him on the altar with such anguish and pain. I looked into his big eyes, which were welled with tears, silently questioning the purpose, and wondering if there was any other way we could please God.

I knew that after all those times I chose not to listen to God, I had to obey this time. I chose just to believe. I took a deep breath and raised the knife to sacrifice my son.

ANGEL OF THE LORD:  “Abraham, Abraham! Do nothing to Isaac; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” 

ABRAHAM: A feeling of joy and gratitude rushed through my heart all at once.  I raised my head to look behind me, and there was a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; I hurriedly released the ram from the thicket and placed him on the altar offering him up as a burnt offering in the place of my son, Isaac.

I called the name of that place The Lord Will Provide. That day, I received a greater blessing than my son.

ANGEL OF THE LORD: Through your descendant, the Messiah, all the people of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” 

ABRAHAM: Obedience. After all of the times I failed Him, this test counted the most for God, and He eventually blessed me with a nation. 

NARRATOR: Do you have something in your life that God is calling you to lay down at the altar? It could be something sinful, but it could also be something good. It may perhaps be even something that God has blessed you with; but now, He is asking you to sacrifice. Will you trust Him as Abraham did?