WHERE'S YOUR OBEDIENCE AND SUBMISSION?

TEXT:

"And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood." (Genesis 22 verse 9, King James Version).

Most times when we read about God's call to Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac, we focus on Abraham's unflinching obedience to God and completely ignore the submission of Isaac towards Abraham, his father. In the entire transaction, I doubt if Isaac was in any way aware of God's request to Abraham to offer him as sacrifice. Had this been the case, one would have been tempted to assume that Isaac's submission to Abraham was in the fear of God whom he knew had made the request in the first place.

      The consensus amongst Bible scholars is that Isaac was about 17 years of age when Abraham, now 117 years of age, "bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood." There's no record of any struggle or contest by Isaac against his father's actions. Rather, he submissively allowed Abraham his father to bind him and lay him on the wood. Again, at age 17, Isaac was no longer ignorant of the paraphernalia or requirements of his father's sacrifices to the Lord. Earlier, while they were still some distance away from the appointed spot of sacrifice, Isaac had asked, saying, "My father: ... Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" (Genesis 22 verse 7). It was obvious therefore that Isaac sensed that something was amiss, yet he maintained an attitude of submission to Abraham, his father.

     Abraham and Isaac were Old Testament saints who were not and couldn't be born again. Yet, we see in them some splendid and beautiful examples of faith, obedience and submission to the Lord. Unlike men of our generation, they exhibited some good measure of trust and confidence in God through submission. Having our generation in contemplation, the Lord Jesus once asked, saying, "when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18 verse 8). It's a shame that Old Testament saints would outdo us in the matter of submission, moreso as the New Testament has emphatically enjoined that we submit ourselves to God (James 4 verse 7).

    Isaac's submission to Abraham, his father was a perfect picture of Jesus' submission to His Heavenly Father. We remember that when He was to be arrested prelude to his Sacrifice on the Cross, like Isaac, He showed tremendous submission. In the attempt to arrest the Lord, Peter did what could have frustrated God's plan for His Son. He pulled out a sword and cut off the ear of the High Priest's servant. Jesus' response was that of rebuke, saying further: "Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?" (Matthew 26 verses 52 to 53).

     As Isaac was a type of Jesus in submission, it's expected that we do show obedience and submission to the Lord's will for our lives. Although, we may know next to nothing about His plans for our lives, it behooves us to trust Him by exhibiting obedience coupled with submission unto His will. But through recalcitrance and disobedience, we exhibit struggle, contention and obstinacy towards God. By doing so, we short-circuit and frustrate His power and ability to do great things in our lives.

PRAYER:

Dearest Holy Spirit, teach me what it is to submit to God and do enable me to be obedient and submissive always, in Jesus name.