Bible Chapter: Genesis 22

Because the Bible is practical, here are some statements to get you thinking.

1.  Write one or two key thoughts that come from today’s reading.
    Testing.  Very few people can honestly say they really enjoy testing.  Students generally hate it when a test comes along.  A tests stretches a person and challenges them to rise to a higher level.  And yet, here this chapter starts out saying that God tested Abraham.  It is a test where we can see and grasp the symbolism, but we don’t fully understand it.  Abraham went through it and passed.  His faith in God was such that he proved he would do whatever God asked and expect God to come through.  We see Abraham’s faith in God through his statements: My son and I will return - and - God will provide the ram.  God saw that Abraham loved God and trusted Him more than he loved anything on this earth.  That’s is a powerful statement and Abraham passed the test.
    We also see a trust that Isaac had in his father.  He could have resisted and probably escaped, but he submitted to his father.  I wonder what was going through his mind as things progressed.

2.  What can I apply in my life from the reading?
    It is really easy to say I trust God.  This is especially true when things are going along just fine.  And then, come the times when the testing arrives, when things are not working out and life is really hard.  That is when we find out how much we trust God.  I have done many years of ministry in a prison.  It is common, in talking with inmates who are about to go home, to hear them say all the things they are going to do.  They talk about the changes they are going to make. They are going to change their lifestyle and serve God.  It is easy to say that and expect all to go well when they are in the safety and control of the lockup.  Then, they get out and face the challenges, temptations and influence of the world with no one looking over their shoulder to guide them.  During that testing time, many of them realize the test is harder than they thought.  They don’t all pass the test.  I must apply the truths of the Bible so that when the test comes I will pass.

3.  How can I help someone?
    We don’t like tests.  I want to help people face the tests of life and pass them with God’s help.  Many have gone through a variety of tests and not done well.  An interesting observation about life: when we don’t do well on a test, we will have to take it again somewhere down the line.  I want to help people pass the tests.