Digging Deeper: When Obedience Trumps Feelings
1 After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2 He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” 3 So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. 4 On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. 5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.” 6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. 7 And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” 8 Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.
Genesis 22:1-8 (ESV)
WHEN GOD COMES KNOCKING
When I was younger, I was not one to take punishments well. The Hickman household is full of funny stories about my escape attempts when the wooden spanking spoon came out. We always laugh at the time I bolted outside and ran laps around the house trying to avoid my dad (well, most of us laugh). I could be pretty stubborn, and I remember one time my dad had asked me to take out the trash or clean my room, and when he came to check I still hadn’t done it. He checked again thirty minutes later, and it still wasn’t done so he asked me why I hadn’t done it yet. I told him “I didn’t feel like it.” Not a great idea! He responded as calmly as he could, saying, “I didn’t ask if you felt like doing it. I told you to do it, now get up or I’ll get the spoon.”
In our family obedience was a big deal! I hope that it was in yours as well. Today, we’ll look at the obedience of Abraham and how God values obedience from us.
If you read verse two out loud, it doesn’t seem to roll off the tongue. This verse is written as it is spoken. It’s slow and repeats itself to draw emphasis to what is happening for Abraham. God is asking him to sacrifice his son. But not just his son, his only son. But not just his only son, the son whom he loves.
Abraham responds immediately, “Here I am.” This is one of the qualities that I love most about Abraham (and truly one of my favorite themes that is highlighted throughout the Old Testament). He followed God’s devastating command with immediate obedience in verse three. The very next morning he woke up early and headed for the mountain. This wasn’t a mountain that was just around the corner either. It was a three-day journey!
I wonder how sleepless he was the night before leaving. I wonder how much of the journey was filled with tears about what was ahead. I wonder how Abraham felt when Isaac asked where the lamb was. Based on verse two, and all that we have walked through in our Abraham series, we know that Isaac was the greatest love of his life. In the Bible it took 22 chapters for the word “love” to be used, and it was to describe the love this father had for his son. And here he is looking to sacrifice the son before a holy God.
We know that Abraham loved Isaac, but his obedience to God trumped any feelings that he had.
This is hard to do. We live in a world where feelings drive a lot of our decisions. Whether it is stress eating, road rage, or isolating yourself from others, we can see the effects of our feelings pretty quickly. And feelings are not bad! God created us to have these feelings, but they never get the final say.
Maybe your feelings have driven a lot of your decisions lately when it comes to your walk with the Lord. I want to challenge you. Will you walk in obedience to what God’s Word says this week and fight the feelings that have been driving you to choose your plans or your own way of living?
Sellers Hickman serves as College Pastor at NorthStar Church and loves cheering on his Ole Miss Rebels. He and his wife, Hannah, live in Dallas, Ga. with their one year old, Emery. He also serves as the chaplain for the KSU Men’s Basketball team.