Three Days Away

Jul 23, 2021

And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham;” and he said, “Behold, here I am.” And He said, “Take now your son, your only son Issac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell you of.” [...] On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance."

- Moses, Genesis 22:1-2,4

"Aslan is a lion - The Lion, the Great Lion."

"Ohhh" said Susan, "I thought he was a man. Is he safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a Lion."

[…] "Safe?!" said the Beaver. "Who said anything about safe? ‘Course He isn't safe. But He's Good! He's the King, I tell you!"

- C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Genesis, chapter 22 starts out by saying, "After these things..." After what things? I think Abraham believed that his worst trials were all behind him. I mean, at 99 years of age, wouldn't you feel that now at last life should ease up a bit? After all, he had endured the trauma of leaving his hometown and everything he had when he was 70 years old. "Sarah," he said, "Load the wagon… get everybody together… We're going." "Where are we going," she asked. "I don't know," Abe replied, "but God will let me know when we get there."

That's trauma. And it didn't end there. Next came the drama of splitting with Lot, his own family. Then the tragedy of Sodom and Gomorrah and the death of Lot's wife. On the heels of that, he watched as his first son, Ishmael, disappear into the desert with his maidservant, Hagar… both of whom he would never see again. If that wasn't enough, then his own wife, Sarah, was kidnapped by a powerful king who was going to add her to his harem and sleep with her... until, in the 11th hour, he discovered she was Abraham's wife. Yes… Abraham had endured more than his share of trials. So, it was only right, he believed, for God to answer his biggest prayer and give Abraham his miracle son… Issac.

What do you do when your present situation doesn't look like the life God promised you?

"After these things," God said to Abraham, "leave where you are and go on a three day journey, and when you get to the mountain, offer up your son to me." What?! Just when you think you've been through it all, seen it all, and fought every battle the enemy could bring… then… here comes the big one -- the trial of a lifetime. Geewhiz, God! Could it be that only the trial of a lifetime can lead us to the experience of a lifetime? The Bible says that, three times, Abraham "lifted up his eyes."

In Genesis 18:2, he lifted up his eyes and saw three men (angels) at his tent door. One of them was God, and Abraham fed Him a meal. Imagine telling your wife, "Honey, guess who's coming to dinner tonight?" But over the meal, God started giving Abraham His promises. He said, "As the sand… upon the seashore," so shall your descendants be. (Genesis 22:17). So, Abe receives the Promise.

In Genesis 22:4, "Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off." God's saying to Abraham, “Even though you are 120 years old, don't relax! I'm not through with you! You're three days away from the Promise.”

Friends, you cannot get from this place to the place God's trying to take you without walking through seasons of not understanding.

So, Abe begins to trust the Promise.

In Genesis 22:13, "Abraham lifted up his eyes… and beheld him a ram..." You only get that level of miracle when you go through the trial. When you're three days away, it feels like everything is gone… you are lost, confused, God seems a million miles away, you are eaten up with guilt, and you feel like you've messed up so bad that there's no hope of anything ever being the same… let alone better again. And then… after the third day… the Lamb is provided… the tomb is empty… Jesus is risen. So,you step into the promise.

God's promise to Abraham in Genesis 12, that he would become the father of a great nation and that all the world would be blessed through him, became a reality because of one thing… Abraham believed God would provide, not just on top of the mountain, but while he was still in the valley. It was at the foot of the mountain when Issac asked, "Father, we have the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" "God will provide a lamb for the burnt offering, my son," Abraham answered (Genesis 22:14).

Anybody can say, "God will provide," on top of the mountain. But when you're three days away, and you don't know where to turn or what to do… when you’ve paid your tithes and now you're laid off… when you've been faithful in church and your baby's still sick and not getting better… when you've shown up to help those in need time and time again and still the X-rays came back bad…

Listen… if you're three days away from the promise, God's letting you know that He is with you. You may not know where you are going, but you know Who is going with you! And because He's with you, you will get through this trial and step into His Promise for your life… on the third day!

A personal postscript: You know, I may not have all the information I need to fully understand what's always happening here in this story… but this is what I do know -- first, God asked Abraham to do something difficult… even impossible if you ask me… that would reveal his heart's true devotion.