2 Then He said, “Take now 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.” ~ Genesis 22:2
God told Abraham to take his only son Isaac. I want you to think about that. Does that not sound a little contradictory? “… Your son, your only son Isaac …” Remember, Abraham has another son, Ishmael. But God doesn’t count that son because it’s the son of the promise and not the son of bondage that Abraham’s descendants are counted.
You see, Sarah caught Ishmael mocking Isaac at his weaning party, and so she sent Ishmael, Abraham’s firstborn son, and Hagar, Ishmael’s mother, out of their home. But Abraham was very distressed over the matter because he loved his son Ishmael as well, probably not as much as Isaac, but he loved him all the same. After all, Ishmael was his son too.
But God brings Abraham’s focus back to the promise of Christmas. He said, “Look, Abraham, this is what it’s really all about. It’s through Isaac that the promise of Christmas will come. Therefore, it’s Isaac who God recognizes as Abraham’s only son because the promise of Christmas wouldn’t, couldn’t, and didn’t come through Ishmael but through Isaac.
Sometimes, we get caught up in the details, and we miss out on the bigger picture that God has planned for us. We want to include people, places, or things that aren’t intended to forge the way to our promise. But don’t worry, God doesn’t forget people because even though the promise didn’t come through Ishmael, God still made a way for Ishmael’s descendants to be blessed through the promise. How? Because Christ came to redeem all people from every nation that would call on His name.
Peace. Love. Go Forth and Don’t Miss The Big Picture.
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