Faith Of My Father

Why did it have to be at the top of a mountain on a hot day, carrying all that wood?

His father wasn’t young anymore (had he ever been?) so Isaac took the load of wood himself.

Abraham went ahead, finding the path, carrying the fire for the altar. This was a long, long way

to come to make a sacrifice.

Isaac had seen his father make sacrifices to his god before, and it was always the same.
He’d build an altar, stone on stone ‘till it was right,
lay it with wood – first the tinder, then the kindling, then the fuel.
He’d choose the very best lamb he could find,

sometimes that took hours, talking to the shepherds, looking at hooves and skin.
If he couldn’t find the one he wanted, he’d buy one from a neighbour. That could take a day or two.

Once he’d found the one he wanted, he’d tie its legs with rope, lay it on the altar.
He’d cut the lamb’s throat quickly so it wouldn’t suffer and light the fire.

A complete waste, except it wasn’t.
It was a gift, a symbol of how nothing was more important to Abraham than his god.

But this one was different, not only the journey, but especially the fact that there was no lamb.

Abraham was always so picky about choosing just the right one, surely he didn’t expect it to

just be waiting there for him at the top.

Isaac had asked about that, but Abraham didn’t really answer,

so he dropped it.

Abraham was unusually quiet.

Anytime they’d sat or eaten or traveled together Abraham was full of stories
the time he’d tried to trick Pharaoh and his God had ratted him out,
the time he’d gone to war to rescue Uncle Lot and his God had given him victory,
the time his god had wiped a couple of entire cities off the earth,

and over and over and over again, the story of the son, the only son, the son their God had

given them, the son they loved, their miracle son.

The first star in his father’s sky of children and children’s children and

children’s children’s children.

Isaac had heard volumes about Abraham's god. Sarah's god.

But not today.

Today he was lugging a load of wood up a mountain, eyes on where he was putting his feet,

glancing at his father’s back.

Lots of time to think.

This god of his father’s was a strange one as gods went.

He didn’t seem to follow the same rules.

The other gods, the ones that ruled the lands around them, the ones that came into the family

compound with slaves from other places…
The other gods were tied to one particular nation or tribe or family. This one seemed to be

everywhere, involved with anybody he chose.

Isaac wasn’t sure whether he went ahead, or if he was following Abraham, but he had been

everywhere.

The other gods were distant and people did extravagant things to get their attention…

shouting, dancing, extreme sacrifices - even killing their own children to get their noticed.

His father’s god seemed to be waiting around every corner,

with something to say,

to ask,

something to offer

– kind of like Abraham was with Isaac.

But Isaac had never heard the voice his father heard.

Everything he knew, he’d learned from his parents’ lives and stories.
He’d lived his whole life from before he could remember by the words and ways

of his father’s god.

Abraham stopped walking. He looked around and said,

“We’re here.”

He told Isaac to sit down and have a drink while he built the altar.

Stone on stone ‘till it was right,

Then, he opened the bag of tinder,

untied the rope that held the bundle of wood,

arranged the altar, - tinder first, then kindling, then fuel.

He stood still, looking at it.

Isaac said, “Perfect! Now all we need is the lamb.”

There was a long silence. Abraham trembled, sat down beside his son, his only son,

the son his god had given him, the son he loved, his miracle son

the first star in his sky of children and children’s children and

children’s children’s children and told him about the lamb.

What he said cut Isaac open like no knife ever could.

Isaac was to be the lamb.

No.

That can’t be right.

All his life he’d been told how special he was.

His life was a miracle, an answered prayer, a promise kept.

He couldn’t die now!

It was too soon!

That can’t be right.
No.

His father was old, confused. Isaac was stronger, he could take him, maybe tie him up with the rope from the wood and get him home somehow. (On the donkey. That would work.)

To Sarah. Sarah would know what to do.

Isaac snatched up the rope, jumped to his feet ready for anything and in that moment,
he heard it.

He heard the voice - whispering somewhere inside him, behind him.

Whispering his name

“Isaac”

The whisper took over his heart and his mind and whispered to him in that split second every story his father had ever told him.

Every step of his father’s journey,

every promise made and kept,

every tear,

every laugh,

every surprise,

every demand,

every moment of forgiveness and starting over again and redemption.

Every star in his father’s sky.

And in that moment, Isaac knew he had a choice to make. A line to cross.

He had lived his entire life from before he could remember by the words and ways of his father’s god and

now

now

now he had to decide whether this god was his own.

Isaac had to choose.

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