An Advent Devotional from Seacoast Church
November 30

The Stars In Heaven

And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven, and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven...”
Genesis 22:15–17 (ESV)

What horror and grief Abraham must have felt when God told him to take his beloved son, Isaac, and offer him as a burnt offering on Mount Moriah. Isaac was the miracle son that Abraham had prayed for over a lifetime of being unable to have children. As someone who knows that same pain of infertility, I can’t imagine having that tremendous gift finally given, and then taken away—and in a way that required your own hand. No parent could. That ultimate test of obedience makes me squirm just thinking about it.

God didn’t take pleasure in the sacrifices and offerings. That wasn’t the point. There was nothing wrong with Abraham loving his child, rather it was a test for wanting something or loving someone more than God. When we focus our eyes on someone or something else, we turn in that direction, which means away from God, which always leads us astray.

But Abraham trusted God completely, and because of his willingness and trust, the angel intervened and stayed Abraham’s hand. That sacrifice wasn’t carried out (and we all give a collective sigh of relief and thanks). Instead, God blessed him with as many offspring as the stars in heaven.

But there would come a time when no angel would intervene, when God would allow the sacrifice of his own, one and only Son to be carried out, for us. He knew that his child who was born in a manger as both divine and human was the only one who could do this. It was the only way.

God is so far beyond our comprehension, but I imagine his heart was broken that day. Yet he still did it. If Jesus had continued to live, we would have been condemned to eternal separation from him. So, God kept his eyes focused on us. His Son made the choice to follow the will of his Father. That’s how much God wants us to return to him, to heal that rift created all the way back in the Garden. That’s how much he loves us.

At Christmas this year, let’s really think of the Son who was born and given for us.

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