A Man Of Principle (1)
for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me. Genesis 22: 12
Know – God provides us with a very practical definition of what it means to fear Him. That definition is found in the story of Isaac’s sacrifice. What we learn about proper reverence and attitude before God is so important that we must reflect on it for at least a decade or two. This verse brings it all into focus, and in the clarity it provides, we confront several life-altering implications.
First, we have to ask, “Didn’t God already know that Abraham was His faithful servant?” Why does the verse say that now God knows?
To answer this question, we must deeply consider the meaning of the fear of God. Wolff comments that the fear of God is “obedience which does not hold back even what is most precious, when God demands it, and commits to God even that future which he himself has promised.” Did you get that? It is not merely releasing what we hold most dear. It is releasing what is most dear even if doing so will apparently alter our future forever. In other words, to fear God is to commit to Him whatever He asks in sacred trust that His purposes are served no matter what the future may portend. It is to ruthlessly trust that God’s promise is as solid as rock no matter how shaky the ground is under my feet.
Do you think this is easy? I beg to differ. Are you ready to commit your emotional stability, your hopes and dreams, your sense of well-being to the altar only on the basis that God asks? Are you ready to let go of all those plans, all that emotional investment in whom you are and whom you want to be, confident that God will make of it what He wishes? Are you able to sacrifice that one special relationship here on earth, the one that keeps you sane, that brings you joy and desire and love, the one you are fully invested in? Do you really believe that God can take care of your future? Or are you afraid that you will finally be like Job, rewarded with a new family but visiting the graves of lost children?
The Hebrew verb yada (to know) covers a very wide range of meanings. What it points to in this verse is the startling implication that the fear of God brings a true intimacy found only in a relationship of utter devotion. In other words, Abraham has been faithful as a matter of principle. He is obedient as one would be obedient to a king or commander. He follows orders. But this is not what God really wants. God wants intimate devotion and devotion is manifested in ways that are strikingly different than compliance (just ask your spouse). Christianity is ultimately not a religion of principle. When relationship is reduced to rules, love is converted to legalism. What God wants, what God must know, is this: “Are you devoted to Me?” God does not want you to play by the rules. He wants you to love Him.
Is your faith based on principle, or is it an expression of intimate devotion? How do you know?
