Take now your son . . . and offer him . . . as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you —Genesis 22:2
I can’t always separate what I personally know about God from what I have been told. When we read about biblical characters hearing from God we often picture a face to face conversation between Creator and created and wish we had that kind of clarity when God communicates with us. But isn’t it likely that when God told Abraham to sacrifice his son that the word of God came to Abraham as it comes to us, in a still small voice.
Would not Abraham have doubted that it was God who was speaking? What kind of God requires the death of a child? Maybe it’s Satan talking to me, Abraham might have thought. This can’t be God.
Often we don’t hear clearly from God because we filter his messages through our traditional view of Him. We think, that can’t be God. God wouldn’t ask me to do that.
God wants to personally reveal Himself to us. We have a guidebook in scripture. God does not change and what He reveals of Himself will not be inconsistent with what He has revealed in His word, but it may be different from our human constructs of Him. One of the great lies of “religion” is that we must give equal weight to scripture, tradition and reason. Our good God gave us his holy Word, because our traditions and our reason can not be trusted.
God wants to make Himself personally known to us and He will do so if we are willing to set aside our concepts of Who He is whether such concepts have been passed down from others or formed in our minds. But our personal picture of Him will not differ from His revelation of Himself in His word.
Be blessed.
Nick
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