By: Obed Pineda
When a sword has been forged and polished by the blacksmith, it must endure one final test phase before it can be deemed complete. This final stage of the forging process is the moment of truth where the quality of the forger’s labor is validated. First, the sword must be wielded to test its balance in the hands of a soldier. The equilibrium of a sword is of vital importance on the battlefield. A sword that is lighter toward the hilt and heavier at the point can make it extremely difficult to use and become a great danger to the soldier wielding it in battle. The strength of the sword is also vital to ensure. Although the blacksmith may have decorated his product very elegantly if it easily breaks when it is struck by another sword it proves itself inefficient for battle. Yet, it is inadvisable to forge the blade too bulky so that it may resist the blows it receives because it can be too heavy to carry into a fight. Thus, a master blacksmith will know how to distribute evenly the weight of the blade, but also how to apply the proper density so that it will neither be too thin or too heavy. If the weapon proves to be well balanced and strong, then the durability of the blade verifies the worthy craftsmanship of the blacksmith. Holy Writ expounds, “Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham” (Genesis 22:1, emphasis added). For some time now, we have been using the imagery of a blacksmith to illustrate the development and maturity of Abraham’s and Sarah’s faith. In the prior composition, we witnessed through Holy Scripture the bitter separation of Abraham from his biological firstborn, Ishmael. Scripture reveals that this was an imperative separation because the Lord explained to Abraham “for in Isaac your seed shall be called” (Genesis 21:12b, emphasis added). Without question, even though God had reassured Abraham that Ishmael would not be forgotten by Him for being his offspring, it was still a difficult action Abraham needed to execute. Yet, in spite of his initial displeasure with his wife’s request (Genesis 21:11), he trusted Jehovah’s direction and obeyed His command. Curiously, we paused noting that this bitter separation was also a manner of preparing the Father of faith for his final test from heaven. The required expulsion of Ishmael from his home were the final blows of the celestial hammer upon his faith to make it complete, for the inspired apostle explains, “the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you” (1st Peter 5:10, emphasis added). Once more, it is vital to keep in our mind’s eye that the expulsion of Ishmael was still a part of the forging process; Abraham’s faith was still being molded by God. This is necessary to comprehend because now, as in our introductory example, God is testing His servant to verify the efficiency and durability of him. This phase of the spiritual forging was to confirm if Abraham’s faith was perfect; complete. However, one must wonder why is his faith being tested to prove if it is fully ready after the arrival of the son of promise? Was not his faith being developed and matured so that he would be prepared to receive and train the child of promise? The truth that Abraham and Sarah had been blessed with Isaac would prove that God had confirmed them ready for their heavenly task. Abraham’s obedience in casting out the bondwoman’s son is also further proof that he was indeed prepared. Therefore, why was the Lord still testing Abraham’s faith? To begin to answer these questions properly, we must first return to the promise made to Abraham. Specifically, the one in relation to Isaac. It is wise to analyze very carefully what the Sacred Text is saying about Isaac every time God speaks about him to Abraham. The Hebrew amanuensis assists in unraveling this enigma as he teaches, “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, ‘In Isaac your seed shall be called’” (Hebrews 11:17-18, emphasis added). The pericope quoted by the inspired scribe is Genesis 21:12 and they were the words uttered by the Lord when He was exhorting Abraham to heed Sarah’s voice in casting Ishmael from their home (Genesis 21:10-12). This is significant because it sheds light on how God’s promise would come to fruition. It first clarifies that Ishmael was not chosen by Him to achieve His goal, but secondly, it reveals that Isaac was an instrument crucial to God’s promise; not the promise itself. It is unwise to overlook the purpose of the Hebrew writer’s allusion to the passage. The magnitude of Jehovah’s final test for Abraham is being exposed at this point. The Hebrew writer states “of whom it was said” to reveal what exactly God was seeking to confirm with this test. Remember that Abraham had suffered much loss up to now. Verily, his journey began by leaving behind his father’s home, his nephew, who was his adopted son, separated from him to dwell in Sodom, and recently he had expelled his son Ishmael from his home. In every one of these trials, the Lord revitalized His friend by reassuring him that they were not a part of the promises made to him. He was comforted by God always after these trying times by being reminded that he would be given a son from his wife, Sarah. Thus, when the final test required him to now part from the son that was his motivation to continue moving forward, a valuable lesson appears. When God freed Israel from Egyptian bondage, He did not give them the promised land immediately after they were freed. The diligent Bible student knows that Jehovah God made the people of Israel to wander the wilderness for forty years after their liberation. When the time was near that they would enter and conquer the land of Canaan, the Lord unveiled to them His reason for making them wander the wilderness for 40 years. He revealed to Israel, “the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 8:2-3, emphasis added). Behold the motive for Jehovah God’s final exam! It was of the utmost importance that Abraham did not shift his trust from the Lord to Isaac. It was important to ensure that Abraham’s faith was efficient and long-lasting, contingent on God and not Isaac. In other words, it was essential that Abraham’s faith remained in God, regardless of what happened to Isaac; God’s chosen vessel. It is a sorrowful truth of life that often what God gives as a blessing, man transforms into his own curse. This, however, was not so with Abraham. To be continued…