Date: February 4, 1940Place: Unrecorded
If Isaac had been put on the altar and burned, would not God's promise have been burned as well? Does this not mean that God's purpose in Abraham would have been annulled? Ishmael was begotten of the flesh, and it was possible to send him away. But Isaac was different; he was born of God's promise. Abraham could blame God and criticize God's way. He could say that God's way was being uneconomical, cruel, and unreasonable. He also could say, "Before Isaac was born, he was not mine. Now that he is born, why are You taking him away?"
Isaac was God's gift. God shows us through this story that our natural man cannot be attached to God's gifts. In spiritual matters we cannot hold on to anything by our flesh; we can only receive God's gift according to the spirit. What is gained through the flesh will eventually be cast out, and what is gained through the spirit cannot be retained by fleshly hands either.
We have to realize that God was the Father before Isaac was born. After Isaac was born, He was still the Father. God has to accomplish His own purpose. His purpose did not hinge on Isaac, but on Himself. After many people receive the gifts, they begin to pay more attention to the gifts than to God. This is wrong. Abraham learned his lesson in this matter. Even if we have received the best gift, we cannot neglect God. If God wants to take away this gift, we have to be willing to let it go. Abraham's experience shows us that his natural life and flesh had been dealt with by the Lord.
We should not be attached to our work. Instead, we should be attached to God. Once we become attached to our work, it is difficult for us to drop our work. Whenever we become attached to Isaac, we find that it is hard to drop Isaac. God told Abraham to offer up Isaac. This was a big test to Abraham. Would he choose God or would he choose God's gift? Praise the Lord, Abraham learned the lesson. He considered God as the greatest of all treasures, and he was willing to drop Isaac. In God's eyes Isaac had to pass through death. God demands the same thing in regard to our work and our gifts; He wants these things to go through death.
God's vessel and God's ministry are not constituted through the gifts. They are produced through experiences of God and the dealings from God. God's vessels are those who have a history of being dealt with by Him. The men that God uses are not merely eloquent or clever; they are not merely those who have a sharp memory. All the men that He can use are like Abraham, men who have been dealt with by God, who see their own weaknesses, who consider themselves as being dead, and who believe that God is the One who can raise Isaac from the dead.
May the Lord be merciful to us and open our eyes that we may see. We do not aspire to be a prophet like Balaam, nor do we aspire to be a judge like Samson, serving God with temporal energy. We aspire to be like Abraham who became a friend of God.
