Fear No Fear

(All scripture from the World English Bible, ebible.org, all rights reserved)

“Yahweh’s angel called to him out of the sky, and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” He said, “Here I am.” He said, “Don’t lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.””
(Genesis 22:11-12)

God didn’t let it happen. God would never have let it happen. It was never about Abraham making the sacrifice. It was about obedience. Abraham was willing to obey even as he held to the promises of God and trusted God to bring them about. Abraham’s beliefs didn’t block or hinder his obedience. They made his obedience firmer and more secure. He did not hold back. He did not put his preferences first. He obeyed and he was committed to obeying. Period.

In a covenant, what one party is willing to do, the other party is obligated to do. How was the Father able to offer up Jesus as a willing sacrifice? His covenant partner was willing to offer up his son as a willing sacrifice. Isaac was willing to obey Abraham. Jesus was willing to obey the Father. Abraham didn’t withhold his son, the Father didn’t withhold His Son. Look at the language here in this verse: “since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me“. Now look at the language of John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only born (or ‘one and only‘ Son“. This was a prophetic event. This was the door that God was able to use to provide our salvation. It was part of the plan and Abraham was obedient to that plan. He did his part and was joyful to do so (John 8:56).

God stopped Abraham, among other reasons, because the actual sacrifice wasn’t needed. God doesn’t delight in our sacrifices, but in our obedience. Abraham was willing to obey in all things and did not hold back. The actual sacrifice would not have added anything to Abraham’s obedience. In Abraham’s heart, there was no disobedience at all. That is what pleased God (1 Samuel 15:22). That is what always pleases God. He isn’t looking for blood sacrifices. He is looking for obedience. Where a blood sacrifice was neccessary, God provided it Himself and He did it before we EVER got into a position to need it (Revelation 13:8).

The sage Chizkuni writes: ‘אברהם, אברהם! “Avraham, Avraham!” The repetition of Avraham’s name is to indicate that the call was of an urgent nature. This is a formulation also known in other languages. עתה ידעתי, “now I know for a fact, etc;” did G-d not already know? Actually the meaning is: “now I am able to make My knowledge public to all.” We have a similar formulation in Exodus 32,12, where G-d said to Moses: ידעתיך בשם, “I have made your name well known.” The appropriate translation would be: “I have made you so famous that no one can dispute it.”’

The sage Kli Yakar writes: ‘“Abraham, Abraham.” This is an expression of endearment. The reason He did not call him twice [by name] the first time as an expression of endearment was because his beloved status was not yet known to all inhabitants of the world, as perhaps he would not withstand the test. However, after he passed the test, it became clearly visible to all, with greater intensity and strength compared to others. Therefore, He called him Abraham, Abraham twice as an expression of endearment, for this test was for the benefit of the one being tested — to make known his beloved status. Another explanation: When he was engaged in the mitzvah of binding his son, he was so intensely focused on completing the commandment properly that he did not pay attention to the [first] calling voice. Therefore, it was necessary to call him a second time, and this is the reason for the repetition of Abraham, Abraham. This was unlike the first [divine call to Abraham], when he was not yet preoccupied with a mitzvah. And some say that Abraham understood from this call that Heaven would prevent him [from completing the sacrifice], therefore he made himself like a bewildered man and like one who does not hear, in order to complete the mitzvah, until they called him a second time. “Now I know that you are God-fearing.” Not every usage of the word “now” [etah] excludes the time that preceded it, as we find And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear Him (Deuteronomy 10:12) — and did He not ask for fear of Him before this? Rather, it is as if it said “Behold, Israel.” Similarly, Now I know is as if it said “Behold, I know.” Some say that I have known means “I have made known,” for the purpose of this test was to raise a banner to show the nations the beauty of His actions. Thus the phrase And God tested [nassa] would be related to the raising of a banner [nes] that is visible to all people. For better is open rebuke that comes from concealed love (Proverbs 27:5) — when there is great love but it is hidden, the Holy One, Blessed be He, sends upon him an open rebuke, and by way of accepting it with love, His love becomes revealed and visible to all eyes. Now regarding God’s knowledge of everything before it comes into being, while man still maintains free choice — many have been perplexed by this investigation, and most investigators have gone out to gather [explanations] but found none, no satisfactory way to resolve this doubt, for these concepts seem to contradict each other. This is a deep matter — who can fathom it? And regarding this, the Rambam explained the saying of our Sages (Avot 3:15): Everything is foreseen, yet free will is given — that even though everything is foreseen before Him, may He be blessed, nevertheless free will is given to man and he remains with his power of choice.’