15 And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven 16 and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 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[d] enemies, 18 and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”
Genesis 22: 15-18
Reflection
In this bible passage, we read that God was pleased with Abraham for not holding back his son.
Holding back from what?
Abraham did not hold back his son and was willing to sacrifice him at the altar to God.
Whether it was a test from God or something Abraham misunderstood, he was clearly willing to give up everything he loved for his God.
This is something most, if not all of us, are not willing to even think of: that is to give up our sons and daughters.
As a father, I am pretty sure that it was really hard and painful for Abraham to do so; yet he did it anyway for his love to God.
I believe God was pleased with Abraham, not because he was willing to sacrifice his son; but God was pleased with him because of his heart.
I hope the following Bible passages will explain what I meant:
9 The heart is deceitful above all things,
Jeremiah 17:9-10 English Standard Version (ESV)
and desperately sick;
who can understand it?
10 “I the Lord search the heart
and test the mind,[a]
to give every man according to his ways,
according to the fruit of his deeds.”
7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
1 Samuel 16:7 English Standard Version (ESV)
37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
Matthew 22:37 English Standard Version (ESV)
Because of that, God blessed Abraham with prosperity and posterity:
17 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[d] enemies, 18 and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”
Genesis 22: 17-18
This is what our friend, Merriam-Webster, has to tell us about prosperity and posterity.
Prosperity
: the condition of being successful or thriving
especially : economic well-being
Posterity
1: the offspring of one progenitor to the furthest generation
2: all future generations
I know that this is a lot to take for those who lost a love one. I, for one, lost my grandfather 3 days ago on March 31, 2020 at around 3:39 PM.
He did not die of the Covid-19; yet our family can feel the pain and the inconvenience of not being able to give him the burial we think he deserves because of this pandemic and its effects like quarantines or lockdowns.
For those who lost a love one during this time, I am very sorry and my prayers for your love one and for those whom he left behind.
There is so much we could not understand; and there is so much that is beyond our control.
Yet I believe that in the midst of this, is HOPE.
And at the end of this tunnel, is WISDOM.
And as long as we hold on to what we think it should be, we will neither find HOPE and WISDOM.
It is in our SURRENDER, that we can begin to accept the light of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and our Master.
Prayer
Father in Heaven, our hearts are aching for our loss. Our mind is confused with what is happening in the world.
It is hard for us to see the light ahead; and we find ourselves caught up by the snares of this unseen enemy: this virus and the forces behind it.
I believe though that you have searched our hearts and tested our minds long before we ever tried to reach for you.
Father in Heaven, forgive us our sins and our mistakes.
We surrender ourselves to you now.
We surrender all our plans.
We surrender to you our future.
We surrender to you the here-and-now: ourselves. Me.
Take this corrupted offering oh Father: myself.
Though corrupted and broken, I heartily give it all to you – in the name of Jesus, that I be accepted by you.
Bless my loves ones. I surrender them all to you.
Bless my friends, I surrender them all to you.
Bless me oh Father, that in my brokenness, I may be a beacon of your light and love to others.
Amen.