Abolitionist John Brown was obsessed with the evils of slavery. His drive to free the oppressed so possessed him, he virtually abandoned his family. Nine of his thirteen children died, mostly from malnutrition. Two sons were killed in his wild crusades and reportedly, even then, he showed no sympathy for them. Brown's attitude toward his offspring is in sharp contrast to that of Abraham. The ancient patriarch's greatest test came when God told him to sacrifice his long-awaited son on Mount Moriah.
There on Mount Moriah, we see the closeness of father and son when God tried Abraham's faith. Isaac, young and strong, could have run or struggled with his old father. However, there was no indication of fight or flight. Isaac was willing to be bound and placed on the altar. He knew how deeply his earthly father loved him, and that assurance caused Isaac to trust Abraham. He believed strongly in his father and, therefore, in his father's God. That day on Mount Moriah, the Bible says: Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, "In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided" (Genesis 22:14).
Parents and children today can have this same relationship. Children who know the great love of their earthly parents have a distinct advantage. They can learn to trust in a good and loving God because they know the love of their earthly parents and trust them. And parents learn to love their offspring more deeply because of the deep respect the children show in their words and actions.
“And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah–jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen. And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beer–sheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beer–sheba. And it came to pass after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying, Behold, Milcah, she hath also born children unto thy brother Nahor; Huz his firstborn, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram,”
Genesis 22:14-21 KJV
No comments:
Post a Comment