December 2
The Angel of the Lord Tested Abraham
But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” Genesis 22:11-12
Sometimes when the Bible speaks of “an angel of the Lord” or “the angel of the Lord,” it refers to “mere” angels: creatures of God who serve as God’s messengers. However, other times we understand that term “angel of the Lord” to refer not to a creature, but to the eternal Son of God himself. This is one of those times. Here the “angel” speaks as God himself: “You have not withheld from me your son.”
Ponder that for a moment. The Son of God, approximately two millennia before he took on human flesh as the Son of Man, speaks to his distant human ancestor Abraham. He stops Abraham from killing his son Isaac and sacrificing him as a burnt offering to the Lord.
The Lord had commanded this to test Abraham’s faith. Earlier God had promised to save this world of sinners through Isaac, Abraham’s son. But now he had commanded Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. It made no human sense. It went against every fatherly instinct.
But in his heart, Abraham passed the test. He was going to sacrifice his son. The Lord saw Abraham’s heart and stopped Abraham from carrying it out. “Now I know that you fear God,” he explained, “because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”
How difficult it must have been for Abraham even to consider doing this to his only son!
Doesn’t this thought become even more poignant during Advent as we meditate on the coming of Jesus at Christmas? Think about it. This very “angel of the Lord” is the Son of God. He knew full well what would happen in the future. He, God’s only Son, would be born of a woman. He would become a human being and he would be sacrificed. He would die in our place, to save us from our sins. God the Father would not withhold from us his Son, his only Son. God so loved the world.
Dear Father in heaven, whenever I am tempted to test you and demand proof of your love for me, graciously remind me that you did not spare your own Son, but gave him up for us all. I need no further proof. Amen.
Rev. Ross Stelljes serves Martin Luther College as a professor of theology.
