Hope, Healing & Freedom Podcast: Episode 133
TRANSCRIPT
Genesis has several fascinating Biblical stories. I grew up in Sunday School, and I remember these stories well. However, I recently discovered that my Sunday School teachers may have gotten some details wrong! Did you know that you might believe things you’ve been told or learned—even in church—that could be inaccurate? I don’t think my sweet Miss Alice, my Sunday School teacher, knew the information was incorrect; she was simply teaching from the manual given to her. Today, I encourage you to explore any possible misconceptions you learned and have come to believe.
My name is Cindi Whitman, and I work for Restoring the Foundations. Today’s podcast will uncover a misconception that has persisted for decades, even within the church.
One of my goals for 2025 is to read through the Bible again, this time chronologically, rather than following the traditional layout of most Bibles. This approach allows me to understand the context and progression of events more comprehensively. It’s fascinating to read the events in the order they occurred rather than just how they are arranged in most editions. Since it’s January, you guessed it—I’m starting in Genesis. Today, I’m reading Genesis 22, which tells the story of Abraham and Isaac. This story is particularly personal; God used it during a critical time in my life.
Let’s take a closer look at Genesis 22:1-8:
“Sometime later, God tested Abraham. He said to him, ‘Abraham!’
‘Here I am,’ he replied.
Then God said, ‘Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.'”
Okay, wait a minute. God is instructing Abraham to take his son up the mountain and sacrifice him. It states that He, God, was testing Abraham. I’ll admit there are several things in the Bible that I don’t fully understand. I have come to a place where I don’t always try to figure God out. We know that Isaiah 55:8-9 says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord.” I hold onto that scripture when encountering something I don’t grasp or understand.
The first remarkable thing about this story is the timing. God said to Abraham, “Take your son Issac and sacrifice him”. Abraham left the following day! It was early in the morning. What was that conversation with Sarah? Hey Sarah, God told me to sacrifice the son you waited decades for. What do you think Sarah would have done? Or Sarah… Isaac, and I are camping for a few days. I’ll explain everything when I come back.
Author and Christian speaker Joy Dawson says, “Delayed obedience is disobedience.” Abraham encountered a profound decision that would shape his faith: to follow God’s command or to turn away from it. Remarkably, he did not waver for long. As we see in verse 3, “Early the next morning, Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about.” Just three days later, Abraham looked up from the journey and saw God’s designated place for him. He reassured his servants: “Stay here with the donkey while the boy and I go over there. We will worship, and then we will come back to you.”
STOP! Wait just a minute! Listen to what Abraham says. Did you catch it? He tells the servants to stay at the bottom of the mountain. Then he declares, “We will come back to you”. What an astonishing statement. He is acting in faith, believing that somehow God will provide! In mind, there are three options. First, Abraham may have considered not going through with the sacrifice. Second option: Abraham believed that God would provide a substitution. Or thirdly, that Abraham believed that God would bring Isaac back to life! I don’t think that the first option not to obey God was in his thinking. It had to be either God would provide a substitution, or he’d resurrect Isaac. After all, how would Abraham become the father of many nations if Issac died? Either of these is a reflection of Abraham’s great faith.
In an astonishing act of faith, Abraham placed the wood for the burnt offering on his son Isaac. Isaac, carrying the fire and the knife, walked alongside his father, creating a poignant moment between them. As they walked, Isaac asked, “Father?”
Abraham responded warmly, “Yes, my son?” With innocent curiosity, Isaac observed, “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
Abraham’s answer, filled with faith and optimism, was, “God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” Together, they continued this profound journey, embodying a beautiful trust between father and son.
Many traditional Sunday School illustrations depict Abraham with a young boy of about eight years. When I taught my first Sunday School class at the tender age of ten, I shared that same image with the seven-year-old girls. However, upon deeper study, I learned that this portrayal may not reflect the historical context accurately. Many scholars and Rabbinic teachers suggest Isaac was around thirty-seven years old during this event. This new understanding transforms the narrative entirely. Instead of a helpless child easily bound to an altar, Isaac was a strong young man who had to lay himself down and participate in this profound moment willingly. This perspective certainly adds a richer depth to the story. Identifying and correcting such misconceptions is essential to have a more accurate understanding of the Biblical narrative.
This story is a shadow of Jesus and how he willingly gave his life for us. However, in the case of Jesus, he was the substitute for us!
Abraham is rightfully known as “the Father of Faith.” He demonstrated a remarkable belief in God’s promises, even when the tangible evidence seemed absent. There was no sign of a substitute sacrifice at that moment, yet his faith shone brightly. True faith is not about having perfect actions or an unblemished character but about trusting God’s promises. Through long years of walking with God, Abraham developed a deep understanding of God’s character and nature. God had told him he would become the father of many nations. How could that promise come to fruition if Isaac were sacrificed, especially considering Isaac didn’t have children until he was sixty? Abraham confidently clung to God’s promise, naming the site “The Lord Will Provide.”
This story reminds us that God’s provisions are often sprinkled along our journey of faithful obedience, encouraging us to trust in His plans, even when we cannot fully see them. It is a beautiful testament to maintaining faith against all odds while recognizing the wonderful ways God guides us on our paths. God brought this passage of scripture to my awareness several years ago. We had been on a journey of obedience with the Lord. Often, a journey or obedience requires sacrifice, right? In 2008, Lee and I separately sought the Lord for the following year. God impressed on both of us separately that we were to “get out of the boat.” Our interpretation was that we would each quit our jobs, get out of the boat, and trust him. Lee fully obeyed and resigned from his leadership position in a local Christian counseling ministry where he had been for 18 years, he opened an office for counseling separate from that ministry.
Honestly, I didn’t fully obey. I partially obeyed. My fear kept me from fully obeying. I worked at our church as the Director of Women’s Ministries, and I was also the Administrative Assistant to the Pastor. We would have zero regular income if we both fully obeyed and quit our jobs. At the time, we still had a mortgage and other bills to pay. How would we pay our bills? How would we eat? How was that going to work? I let my fear rule.
The other thing that the Lord had asked me to do was to join Lee as he counseled people. My primary role was to be an intercessor for him. You might not know me personally, but this was a stretch for me to sit quietly and just pray. Of course, I pray, but to pray and not offer any of my insights or counsel was a real challenge. But I went to my boss and cut my hours in half. For the next year, I worked part-time at the church, and I would sit with Lee part-time as he counseled.
At the end of that year, I was complaining to God. I felt pulled in many directions. Although I cut my hours in half, those who know about church staff understand that the work is never part-time. So, I was overwhelmed. I “heard” the Lord say, “How do you like having one foot in the boat and one foot out?” I knew what he meant. However, I was also concerned about talking to my Pastor/boss. There was no one waiting in the wings to take my place. I didn’t see the provision. Since I had gone “part-time,” most of my responsibilities were still mine, but I was not as efficient. I valued the relationship as a boss and a friend with my Pastor. I wasn’t sure how to bring up that I needed to quit entirely working for him and the church. One morning in prayer, the Lord gave me the phrase, “Tell him you don’t have the emotional capacity to continue working for him, the church, and with Lee.” The words “emotional capacity” were nowhere in my vocabulary at the time. I knew that was from the Lord. I used that phrase when I met with him, and he got it! He understood. I was not rejecting him or the church. He blessed me, and I joined Lee full-time in the counseling room. In the next few days, an excellent replacement stepped into the role I feared leaving.
So, our journey of total obedience continued. We watched our somewhat healthy savings account dwindle as we said yes to God. Did you know that obedience often requires sacrifice? Part of our obedience journey was to go through the RTF Issue-Focused Training in January 2010. We were very excited about the results we saw using the integrated approach of RTF ministry in a three-hour ministry session. God was working, and we got to have front-row seats. We went back home and did as many IFM ministries as we could.
Towards the end of 2010, we knew the Lord was asking us to go to the next level of RTF training. At the time, it meant going to North Carolina for 5 weeks. By this time, our savings were gone, and we had no money to do it. As we shared with some leaders about what we felt the Lord was saying, one of the guys put his prophetic pointing finger in Lee’s chest and said, “Apply today.” Later that day, we called the Director of Training and told him we were supposed to go through RTF training, but we didn’t have any money. The deadline for the application had passed, but he said he would give us two weeks. We began praying and declaring what God had spoken to us from Genesis 22. God would provide. We believed that if God led us, he would provide for our financial needs. Lee checked our post office box each day. From day one to day thirteen, there were nothing but advertisements. On day fourteen, there was a check for $10,000. God provided, and our lives radically changed!
Friends, God is leading some of you to take a risk. It may be a job change, a move to a different location, or even talking to you about being trained as an RTF minister. I want to encourage you today to read the story of Abraham and Isaac in Gen 22. Let the faith of Abraham encourage you and build your faith! Begin praying and declaring the truth that God is speaking to you. Let your faith be as unwavering as Abraham’s and your obedience quick and complete!
PRAYER
Father God, I thank you for being a God who provides. Lord, forgive us for our fear, doubt, and unbelief. Just as you provided for us to get to training, you continued to provide for us to complete that training. When you guide, you provide. Thank you for the encouraging story of Abraham’s faith. Remove our unbelief, fear, and doubt. Fill us with fresh faith! We say yes to all that you are calling us to.
