LIVING WATERS
For the proclamation of the Gospel and the edification of the Body of Christ
There Was No Voice For Him
Clearly, Isaac is a type of Christ. His privileged place in the heart of his father, his status as the sole heir … all of Isaac is Christ prefigured, anticipated.
But there is a notable exception.
Isaac was then a teenager. He walks alongside his father with two servants accompanying him. The old man has been particularly intriguing this time. He has not told his son anything about the reason for the trip. They walk one, two, three days. Finally they arrive at the place. The servants are left behind. Abraham and his son continue the trip. The face of the old patriarch shows a veiled concern.
- “Father?”
- “Yes, my son?”
- “The fire and wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
- “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.”
A brief dialogue; the father’s faith does not cover the bewildered child.
The altar is raised by four eager hands. Some trembling, others intrigued. The wood is placed on the stones. The young man is tied up. His confusion becomes stupor. The knife gleams, the blade has been sharpened. The hand is raised, the child shakes. The hand trembles, his look is a desperate cry. His father turns his eyes away…
A commanding voice is heard. The hand stops just in time…
Two thousand years later in a place nearby, the scene is repeated with astonishing similarity. The son is placed on the altar, the hand is raised, the young man shudders, the hand trembles, the look becomes a desperate cry. The father turns his eyes away…
Where is the imperious voice? It is not heard… Oh! It is not heard…