SACRIFICE OF THE HEART

 

“A religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation….” (Joseph Smith, “Lectures On Faith”, N.B. Lundwall, pp 57-59)

“He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and follows not after me, is not worthy of me.” (Matthew 10:37,38)

In the still of the night, God called on Abraham and asked of him a supreme sacrifice which became the crowning event of his life: “Abraham, take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of” (Genesis 22:1,2)

”God bids him sacrifice his only son, the one link which there was between himself and the promise that his posterity should be as the dust of the ground and the stars of heaven in number: He bids him sacrifice Isaac whom he loved, towards whom his heart yearned with infinite tenderness, who had made his home bright and joyous, and to lose him who would be the darkening of all the days he had yet to live.” (Goldman, “In the Beginning”, 792, quoting J.H. Blunt)

Joseph Smith has said that “if God had known any other way whereby he could have touched Abraham’s feelings more acutely and more deeply He would have done so.” (“Journal of Discourses” 14:360)

And so Abraham rose early, and without murmuring or complaining, and taking his son Isaac, began a three-day journey to the hill country of Moriah carrying a secret in the deepest recesses of his heart which demanded numerous explanations he could not provide.

But the explanation did come….after proof that Abraham would sacrifice his heart for the God he loved: “By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore….and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.” (Genesis 22:16-18)

So it was God’s design to bless Abraham through the greatest trial known to man and the greatest lesson He can teach us…..He will ask for the highest in us….our heart. The sacrifice has to equal the greatness of the reward. Abraham now sits on his throne having received that greatest reward from the God of heaven, his exaltation (D&C 132:29).

The prototype of the Saviour in this story is not to be overlooked. Genesis does not mention any struggle of Isaac against his father whom he believed impeccably that his sacrifice was God’s wish and command. This was not obedience by a young child, as some early sources claim that Isaac was well into adulthood (E. Douglas Clark, “Blessings of Abraham” p 207).

This was a reconciliation to death born out of perfect and complete love for the father. Isaac was the prototype of Him who long ago possessed such a love and promised without ever recanting: “Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever” (Moses 4:2).

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: The King by David Bowman)

THE BELOVED SON

 

(Mary and Jesus, "Swaddled by Love" by Gabriel Heaton)

“It is doubtful that ever a son was born who was more loved than Isaac. His father and mother….no doubt, rehearsed over and over again all the great promises of God that centered in him” (Morris, “The Genesis Record”, 367). And just as the angel had predicted, Abraham did teach his son to keep the way of the Lord.

“The Book of Jasher tells that Abraham taught Isaac “the way of the Lord to know the Lord, and the Lord was with him” (Jasher 22:40, in Noah, “Book of Jasher, 62).

“Or, in the words of President Spencer W. Kimball, “Abraham built a strong spiritual reservoir for his son Isaac, a reservoir that never leaked dry” (Spencer W. Kimball, “The Example of Abraham”, Ensign June 1975, 5)

“But the parental instruction of Isaac was as much a joint effort as was the mutual faith that brought about his birth in the first place; Jewish tradition remembers that Sarah “nurtured him….empowering him to become Abraham’s covenantal heir” (Tuchman and Rapoport, “Passion of the Matriarchs”, 81-82)

“In Christian tradition, the birth of Isaac is one of the clearest types of the birth of the Saviour: according to Christopher Wordsworth, Isaac’s birth is yet “another resemblance to Him….whose birth is the cause of joy to all” (Wordsworth, “Holy Bible” 1:94).

“As Isaac’s birth and name were foretold in advance; as he was conceived only by miraculous means, as his coming into the world brought great joy and rejoicing; and as it made possible the blessing of all mankind – so would the birth of Isaac’s descendant Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of the world, the Beloved Son.”

-          (E. Douglas Clark, “The Blessings of Abraham”, 195)

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

A LITTLE MATTER OF FAITH

 

I wrote recently about the exemplary Sarah and of her unfailing support of Abraham and his priesthood leadership within their marriage. I have never lived in her skin so I don’t know what it was like to be a wife of such a ‘visionary man’ but I trust the scriptural account which shows no evidence of her ever complaining or questioning her husband.

I want to highlight here Sarah’s unfailing faith for the God Jehovah by which she became the mother of nations through her beloved son Isaac.

Sarah didn’t question any of the revelations Abraham received from God, including the promise of Isaac. She moved from place to place, wherever he said God wanted them to go. And she ardently believed that the priesthood heir would come from her body even though she was past bearing children. The biggest way she proved this was when she gave Hagar to Abraham to wife.

The ancient custom dictated that if a married woman could not produce children for her husband, she was to give him another wife (D&C 132:34). This Sarah did out of obedience. She gave her young maid, Hagar, to Abraham for a second wife. It is significant that she chose Hagar.

Egyptians were descendants of Ham and his wife Egyptus who was a descendant of Cain. Since Hagar was an Egyptian, her offspring could not hold the priesthood (Abraham 1:21-27), therefore a son that Hagar could bear to Abraham could never become the heir of the covenant. Sarah knew this and she held onto the promise that she would be the mother of such a son. When she told Abraham to take Hagar to wife, she asked him to do so ‘that I may obtain children by her’, NOT ‘so that we might get the heir of the promise ’ (Genesis 16:2)

When the three holy men visited Abraham prior to the annihilation of Sodom, they confirmed that Sarah will have a son. Genesis records that Sarah laughed when she heard it. This was not a laugh of disbelief. It was more a joyous reaction, just as Abraham reacted when the Lord told him the same thing (Genesis 17:17; 18:12). Please see JST Genesis 21:5 which replaces ‘laugh’ with ‘rejoice’.

In Sarah’s words: “God has made me to rejoice; and also all that know me will rejoice with me” (JST Genesis 21:5). “The Hebrew word here translated as “rejoice” can also be translated as “laugh”, as most translations of Genesis do. “God has brought me laughter”, Sarah exclaims, and “everyone who hears will laugh with me.” She then adds: “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would suckle children?” (JPST Genesis 21:6-7). Why did she say “children” instead of “a child”? Because, according to Jewish interpretation, she was keenly cognizant that this was the covenant son whom God would multiply into a host of covenant people….” (E. Douglas Clark, “The Blessings of Abraham”, p 193)

When the holy men referred to Sarah’s laugh with: “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” (v 14), it was a confirmation of Sarah’s role in providing an heir that would be in the similitude of God’s own Son….that we might believe if “an aged woman who was sterile brought Isaac to birth according to God’s promise,  we may also believe that God has power to bring it about that even a virgin may give birth.” (Oden, “Ancient Christian Commentary” 2:91).  Isaac was in every way the prototype of Christ.

And here is the ultimate proof of Sarah’s faith in the God of Israel. When Paul wrote to the Hebrews, he spoke of prominent men and women who achieved miraculous things by the power of faith. Amongst those that were so valiant was Sarah, the wife of Abraham and the mother of Isaac, the heir of the covenant:

“Through faith also Sarah herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised.” (Hebrews 11:11)

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Sarah and Isaac by unknown artist)

 

 

THE GOD WHO HEARS AND SEES ALL PART 2

 

It is fair to say that Abraham is famous for the unthinkable sacrifice of his son Isaac for whom he waited for 38 years from the time of the promise. We often forget about another sacrifice that was asked of Abraham.

Yesterday I wrote about Hagar whom Sarah gave to Abraham as a second wife by whom she hoped to have children (Genesis 16:2). This was according to the law (D&C 132:34). And so began the triangle of trial for three people: Abraham, Sarah and Hagar. And herein lies a lesson. Even when we do the right thing, there is no guarantee that things will always work out…..as many people who have ended up divorced will attest.

When Abraham was ninety-nine years old and Ishmael, his son by Hagar, thirteen, the Lord appeared to Abraham and told him Sarah will bear him a son of the covenant. Abraham's first thought was Ishmael for he loved the boy. He fell on his face and asked the Lord to consider him to be the heir (Genesis 17:18). The Lord denied the request but replied, "I have heard thee" (v20). Once again, as with Hagar, he was saying: "I see you....I see the difficulties you have to live with....I will make it up to you". He said He would give Ishmael twelve sons and Ishmael would be part of the promise of endless posterity that He had made to Abraham (v20). This is mercy and this is justice of the God of Israel: 12 sons for Ishmael and 12 sons for Isaac through his son Jacob…..

And so, because we are flawed humans, this triangle of three people did not work out. When the time came for them to part ways, Genesis gives a highly abbreviated account of Hagar’s departure by stating that Abraham simply expelled Hagar and Ishmael into the desert providing them only with a little bread and a bottle of water (Genesis 21:14). Abraham has been severely criticized for this but anyone who has studied his life knows that this could not be true. Abraham was the kind of a man who sought strangers who needed help. He could not have banished the mother and the son who he loved in such a cruel way.

According to Islamic tradition, Abraham provisioned Hagar and Ishmael well and even accompanied them well into the desert of Beersheba (Knappert, “Islamic Legends”, 1:78), trusting God that He will care for them once he departed as per His promise that He will make out of Ishmael a mighty nation and acting upon God’s instruction to implement Sarah’s wish (Genesis 21:12-13). Nevertheless, having to do this would have rent his heart. This was Abraham’s first sacrifice.

Islamic tradition further states that Abraham “would return frequently for he longed for his son Ishmael” (al-Kisa’I, “Tales of the Prophets” 153). Whether the Islamic tradition is true or not, it certainly aligns well with the character of this great patriarch. The fact that Genesis claims that Ishmael and Isaac buried their father together would also be proof that the family relationships were sustained throughout the rest of their lives (Genesis 25:9).

After Sarah died, Abraham married a woman called Keturah and with her he had six more sons (Genesis 25:1-4). Before he died, he gave gifts to these sons and sent them all “unto the east country”, away from his son Isaac to whom he gave all that he had (v 5,6).

I don’t really understand the custom of the day that the first son inherits everything but in my limited female way, I can see the importance of preserving the priesthood line “after the order of the Son of God” for He too was the firstborn and He too inherited everything. It is through His priesthood that He bestows His inheritance upon all the nations of this earth and all of humanity. 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: Jesus by Joseph Brickey)

THE GOD WHO HEARS AND SEES ALL PART 1

 

There is a woman spoken of in the Old Testament that is not highly considered or regarded. Her name is Hagar and her life story rends my heart.  The Genesis account of the Old Testament simply states that she was Egyptian and that she was Sarah's maid but one other source gives more insight into her life. It claims that Hagar was one of the daughters of Pharaoh and that she was given to Sarah when she and Abraham left Egypt to continue their journey to Canaan (Ginzberg, “Legends of the Jews”, 1:223). Considering the riches that Pharaoh showered Abraham and Sarah with as they left Egypt (Genesis 12:16), this claim seems very plausible. In this context, Hagar's life of hardship begins at this point in history as does the triangle of trial for these three extraordinary people.

Under Sarah's tutelage, Hagar grew into spiritual maturity as she forsook the religious idols of her home and came to know the God of Israel (Ginzberg, Legends of the Jews, 1:23). Imagine, however, a young girl of royal birth, sent away from her home to be the property of total strangers, therefore a slave.

But there was more. According to Bible scholars and modern-day revelation, it was the law for a woman who could not provide children for her husband, to give him another wife to ensure continuation of his family line (D&C 132:34). Sarah decided that Abraham's next wife would be Hagar. I doubt if Hagar had much choice in the matter, being in the situation she was in. I imagine Hagar was fairly young since she fell pregnant straight away, whereas Abraham was 86 years old (Genesis 16:16).

The Old Testament records that Hagar became insolent towards Sarah once she knew she was pregnant (Genesis 16:4). Inexcusable I know, but maybe for once she felt she was worth something more than being a maid. She was now a wife of a rich man and she was going to be a mother, but not really....she was only a second wife with no rights and her child would by law belong to Sarah. She was a concubine. Imagine being of such lowly station for one of royal birth.  When she couldn't take Sarah's correction of her behaviour Sarah fled in search of freedom (Genesis 16:6). Insolent but understandable.

When the angel of the Lord found her by a fountain ‘in the way to Shur’, he told Hagar "the Lord hath heard thy affliction" (Genesis 16:11); that she will not be overlooked by Him, that she will have a son and that her posterity will not be able to be numbered for multitude (Genesis 16:10). In other words, "I will make it up to you Hagar for the life you are required to live".

And then the angel asked her a crucial question: “Knowest thou that God sees thee???” (JST Genesis 16:15) and Hagar answered she knew that He sees her and that she came here looking for Him (v 16). That confirms to me Hagar’s faith. If nobody else can see her life, she knew that God does.  

This confirmation from the angel must have been what enabled her return to Sarah bearable for “God has heard” that watched over the deeds of men and assists them in their suffering (E. Couglas Clark, “The Blessings of Abraham”, p 163)

One thing I do believe: Hagar was a good woman. Ishmael and Isaac remained close as Genesis records that they buried their father together (Genesis 25:9). This is how I know Hagar was a good woman: there was no hatred or animosity between Ishmael and Isaac. The credit for that goes to two mothers who didn't teach their sons to hate but to love and who had explicit faith in the God who hears and sees all…..

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Artist Unknown)

 

THE NATURE OF OUR GOD

 

“There is no inconsistency in the nature of God. He is always perfectly merciful and loving, but He is also perfectly just and will not “look upon sin with the least degree of allowance” (D&C 1:31). As he said to Joseph Smith: “God doth not walk in crooked paths, neither doth he turn to the right hand nor to the left,….his paths are straight, and his course is one eternal round” (D&C 3:2).

“In the Old Testament is the same perfectly consistent God found in all scripture. In the Old Testament great richness is added to the understanding of God and how He deals with His children, blessing them according to their obedience and receptivity, or punishing them for rebellion and wickedness.

“If one would get to know Christ better, one must study the Old Testament, for in His role as Jehovah He permeates the whole record. Jesus Christ is the God of the Old Testament just as He is the God of the earth today. Keeping this important fact constantly in mind is one of the keys to understanding both the Old Testament and the nature of God.”

-          Old Testament Student Manual Book 1, p 48

 

The mighty power of His creation,

The tenderness that never parts,

The perfect balance of His glory,

The God of heaven in our hearts.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Jesus of Nazareth by Greg Olsen)

NOT YET

 

The promises that we receive through the Gospel are legitimate but many come with a caveat of “not yet”.

I reflected on Abraham again yesterday and how rich he was in cattle, gold, silver and servants yet he lived in tents his whole life never owning a piece of land. And when death came knocking on the door, he purchased a cave for his and Sarah’s burial from the sons of Heth (Genesis 25:9,10).

The land of Canaan was promised to Abraham even though he never possessed it personally (Genesis 17:7; 13:15; 17:8). This was a classic example of “not yet”:

“The Lord gave the promise to Abraham that he should have Palestine, or the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession. Yet…Abraham never received as much as a foot of it as a possession while he lived. Then what did the Lord mean in making a promise to Abraham of that kind?....

“Simply this, that the time would eventually come, after the resurrection from the dead, when Abraham and his children who have been faithful in the keeping of the commandments of the Lord, should possess that land, and they shall also spread forth as far as it is necessary for them to receive an inheritance.” (Smith, “Doctrines of Salvation”, 1:88)

So why “not yet”?  Because this life is the time for faith and not fulfilment. In his epistle to the Hebrews, Paul expounded on this perfectly. He listed in detail prophets and people of renown who led amazing lives of faith but never received the promises and “confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth” (Hebrews 11:13)

Paul goes on to say that they through faith “subdued kingdoms, stopped the mouths of lion, quenched the violence of fire,  were tortured, scourged and imprisoned, stoned and sawn asunder, slain by the sword, were destitute, afflicted and tormented, wandered in deserts and in mountains and caves of the earth…..yet they never received their promises”……  And then he gives the reason why…..”God having provided some better things for them through their sufferings, for without sufferings they could not be made perfect……and obtain a better resurrection” (Hebrews 11:33-39; JST 40a)

“Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.” (Hebrews 10:35;36)

“….and in time ye shall possess the goodly land.” (D&C 103:17-20)

 

I suffer the passing of time

In this season of my discontent;

And count the moments of

Loneliness that rob me of my promises.

I am so far from home I once knew

I ache and ache

For the reality of You.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Come by David Bowman)