God's Proof

Years ago I was visiting a university chapel with a large stained glass window above the chancel.  As I stopped to stare at that window, the clouds racing across the sky played tricks on me.  At first, all I could see was my own reflection.  The sky outside had darkened, turning the window into a mirror.  Suddenly the clouds moved and the mirror dissolved. Then the light shifted, and I could see through the glass to the outside world.  Turning to leave, I glanced back at the window once more.  This time I saw something I had missed earlier, the full stunning stained glass portrait.  That afternoon I had looked at the same stained glass window in three different ways:  as a mirror, as a window, and as a picture.

In much the same way the Holy Spirit leads those who study the Old Testament stories to see the text in three different ways, a mirror, a window, and a picture.  First, to see the text as a mirror one employs what’s called thematic analysis.  Here we treat Old Testament stories as mirrors that reflect our own interest and concerns.  This is the kind of examination for which Charles Spurgeon was famous.  He would read I Samuel 12:17, for instance, “Is it not wheat harvest today?” and use that question as a jumping off point for a sermon on evangelism.  Thematic analysis is arguably the most common lens through which most “application-driven” preachers view the Scriptures.  However, thematic analysis offers but one glimpse of the full portrait and meaning of the text.

Another kind of analysis is historic analysis where we see the text as a window to historical events and cultural mores.  Historic analysis is a synonym for examining the historical context of the text to better understand the culture of the times.  The third type of analysis is literary analysis where we look at an Old Testament story as a picture, appreciating the forms and content that we find there.  As we seek to understand all that God is saying in a text, we must employ each one of these interpretive approaches influences.  Rather than operating independently, each type of analysis depends on the other.

Now, I can say all of this because on Sunday we will be examining one of the high watermark stories in Old Testament history.  It’s the story of Abraham and Isaac at Mount Moriah.  The events recorded in Genesis 22:1-19 are as prominent in Old Testament history as they are in New Testament history.  For what happens in Genesis 22 is nothing short of the proof of God’s plan of victory over the world, the flesh, and the devil.

However, as is the case in so many biblical accounts, the story of Abraham and Isaac is often viewed through only one lens, the thematic lens where God’s testing of Abraham is all that is in focus.  By using thematic analysis alone, many preachers focus solely on the obedience angle and thus promulgate messages such as: “Abraham’s Surrender”, “Passing the Test”, and “Raising the Knife.”  But to look at this incident from only one vantage yields only a glimpse into its meaning.  While the text starts out by saying, “God tested Abraham” as a kind of theme sentence, there’s another more compelling way to look upon the story that yields far greater insight into what God is doing here.  This is the approach we will be taking this Sunday.  Rather than focusing on father Abraham’s perspective, we will be focusing on another Father’s perspective; a Father who is called to do even more than Abraham.  In preparation for Sunday’s message you may wish to consider the following:

1.      Where is Abraham when he gets this order?

2.      Where is this land of Moriah?  What does Moriah mean?

3.      How is Isaac Abraham’s only son?

4.      How long does Abraham have to think about what he’s going to do?

5.      What are the ages of Abraham and Isaac?

6.      What is the nature of a burnt offering?  How does it differ from other offerings?

7.      What is behind Abraham’s answer in verse 8?

8.      How do you compare Isaac’s question in verse 7 to the discovery in verse 13?

9.      What parallels exist between Isaac and Jesus?

10.  How does what happens at Moriah foreshadow Jesus’ total victory in the Spiritual War?