Well, I'm preaching at employee chapel Wednesday, so I thought I would flesh out some of my thoughts tonight and tomorrow. Yes, I already have the general flow of the sermon in mind so I have been working on it.
The title is misleading, because I'm not preaching on 1 Samuel 15:22, where Saul gets tired of waiting on Samuel to arrive for the pre-battle sacrifice. Like a child (or adult) impatient to get the "prayer out of the way," he offers the sacrifice and gets on with it.
Of course, in good sitcom fashion, Samuel arrives just as Saul's given up waiting. A cruel irony! Or perhaps the failure of a test on God's part. Samuel sets things straight for Saul--obedience is more important than the sacrifice.
But that's not the text I'm preaching on, even if this story in the end may have similar overtones to where I'm headed.
No, my text is Genesis 22--the binding of Isaac, the Aqedah!
What a troublesome story this is to so many! I remember learning about it as a child, but I don't remember that it bothered me in particular. Thought and reality have always been heartily separated for me, so it never seemed that strange to me, the way it no doubt would if I were to experience it. That's why I like philosophy. That's why I don't find some humor offensive while others do. Things just aren't very concrete to me, I'm afraid.
But this story has troubled countless Jews and Christians through the ages. How can this be the God that we serve? What's going on here.
Let the journey begin. The stops on our trip include Tozer, Kierkegaard, the book of Jubilees, and finally, Genesis 22.
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