The hearing of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah often brings us to the remembrance of the story of the binding of Isaac.
This story has been told by many great storytellers in a million different ways. My preference involves some of the ancient writings that we find in the Midrash.
UNDERSTANDING WHAT THE MIDRASH IS ABOUT
The Midrash is a method of interpreting the Old Testament which was used by various Jewish groups before and after the time of Jesus on the earth. These are interesting writings. It is as much a method of telling as a method of writing down.
This method of examining the scriptures was a way that the Jewish sages had of analyzing the Old Testament text in order to derive new information from them. You might say it was the Jewish way of “going deeper” into the scriptures. It is a mixture of interpretations and commentary by many different people.
Therefore; it would be safe to say that the Midrash is commentary; not exact scripture. However, the commentary is BASED on scripture. The function of reading the Midrash would be comparable to the way you might read certain commentaries which are more common to Christians by other non-Jewish authors such as Barkley, Matthew Henry, Gill, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown, etc. while in the process of studying the Biblical Scriptures alongside of the commentary.
NEW TESTAMENT MIDRASH
There is a certain form of Midrash called The New Testament Midrash. The New Testament Midrash uses the Old Testament stories in a creative way in order to make the life of Jesus more meaningful to today’s modern culture. This version brings familiar Old Testament passages to bear creatively on the story of Jesus.
I see nothing wrong with this type of study as long as the student realizes it is commentary and not scripture. However, if this type of study bothers you, I will be careful to forewarn the reader that some of the following information was gleaned from such a source. Never would this author lead you astray by not telling you otherwise.
I have found that the study of such Midrash stories have greatly enhanced my understanding and thoughts on the subject of Isaac; so I take them into consideration in my story here.
REMEMBERING THE AKADAH
Today, in light of Rosh Hashanah and the blowing of the shofar traditions which the day entails; I would like to discuss the journey and passion of Abraham and Isaac as they climbed Moriah for the purpose of the Akadah.
The two were now on the third day of their journey. Abraham walked on in faith, straight up the mountain that God showed him with his son Isaac walking along his side.
A very serious Abraham carried the knife and the fire.
Isaac carried the wood.
All through this long journey, not a word was heard from Abraham. It was Isaac who broke the silence. Isaac called out to Abraham; “My Father!”
“Here I am, my son.” Abraham answered.
Then Isaac noted aloud to Abraham that he saw the fire, and he saw the wood; but where was the lamb for the burnt offering?
Abraham answered: “God will provide the lamb for the burnt offering.”
ISAAC KNEW HIS DESTINY
When the Midrash tells this agonizing story, it goes into greater detail than our bibles. It describes something very significant that happened. The Midrash notes when Abraham answered Isaac with these words that Isaac put down his head and wept.
Isaac knew his destiny.
He asked Abraham if this was the moment from the Torah that he had heard him discussing at an earlier time with his Mother; Sarah.
The Midrash states at that point of the story that Abraham also put down his head and wept.
FATHER AND SON WERE IN AGREEMENT
There is then a description of how Isaac sought to comfort Abraham. A discussion took place in which Isaac gave his father permission to fulfill God’s will through him.
Isaac stated to Abraham that he wished for his life to provide atonement for the people.
Both the Torah and the Midrash state that the father and the son walked on together; in agreement.
From these ancient writings it seems that Isaac, who was probably in his mid-thirties by now; understood his destiny. He walked willingly on to a sacrificial death. Of course, Abraham also willingly led him there and willingly gave him over to God.
The two walked on in agreement up to the top of Mount Moriah.
WE ALL HAVE TO WALK TO MORIAH
Have you ever faced a personal Mt. Moriah?
Was there ever a hard time in your own life when you felt you must continue to “walk on”?
There are often times in this life when it is hard to keep “walking on.”
Sometimes there are moments when we are even asked to carry the fire, the wood and the knife for things which we do not want to do and do not understand. Those times are hard. It is very hard to keep going through such times with total faith and resolve.
Sometimes life is full of such sacrifices as these which MUST be made. While this is taking place, we face a huge struggle of the human will. Sometimes these moments of self-sacrifice even come to us through the things we cherish the most. Often these moments come our way through the ones that we love the most.
“Walking on” takes great courage.
More than that; walking on takes great love.
NO GREATER LOVE
Because of the great love they shared for God, Abraham and Isaac were completely submitted to God’s will. Only by the great love they shared for God and each other were they able to move forward together as they walked further into God’s will to carry out His purpose in their life.
Isn’t that the whole sum of the commandments? Love God; love one another?
GREAT LOVE INVOLVES GREAT SACRIFICE
This was all happening on the way to Mariah. It was the journey of Isaac and Abraham on the Day of Rosh Hashanah. There often comes a time when a similar journey must happen with all of us. We too must face and employ this same type of love that requires and involves self-sacrifice.
Is it then surprising for us to find that this old, old story of the Akadah is the first place in the bible where we hear of the Hebrew word for love?
There is no greater love than this; that a man would lay down his life for his brothers, or that a father would give his son in exchange for other people’s lives.
FOLLOWING GOD TO THE PLACE WHERE HE LEADS
So finally Abraham and Isaac came to the place where God had led them.
Interesting things can happen whenever you arrive at the place where God has led you.
It turns out, in the case of Abraham and Isaac; this was the very same place where Adam had first offered sacrifices to God after he was cast out of Eden. Even then mankind had already begun to seek a way to return to God.
All seekers seemed to realize that the process involved sacrifice.
This very place was also the place that had been destroyed during the days of the great flood. When the flood subsided, Noah built an altar in the very same spot where Abraham and Isaac were going. There Noah also offered up sacrifices to God along with his family.
Noah left a trail of sacrificial altars as God led him to different places. They were noted by the future generations. Later, Nimrod tried his best to destroy this place of the altar of the sacrifice of Noah’s family. He tried to wipe the place off of the map right after the fall of the Tower of Babel. That didn’t work thought because after Nimrod came Abraham. Abraham totally rebuilt the altar in this same exact spot we speak about in this story.
A PLACE OF TOTAL SUBMISSION TO GOD
Abraham laid the wood in order.
As Abraham built, Isaac had every opportunity to escape and run away. Isaac stayed. He was completely submitted to God’s will for his life. There Isaac humbled himself. This young man was absolutely ready to do his Father’s will; believing all the while that God would save them both through this sacrificial offering that seemed to have become his destiny.
Can you imagine the pain in the heart of Abraham?
THE LOVE OF A FAITHFUL FATHER
Abraham bound to this altar a totally submitted and willing Isaac; an Isaac who willingly laid himself down on top of the wood. The same father who had held him in his arms as a baby was not binding him to a wood-filled altar.
What type of Father would do such a thing?
Now we know, in all these many years later, of another Son who came from another Father. This Son also willingly lay himself down on top of the wood of a tree in order to die for all of mankind. It happened with Him just as it happened with Isaac who had willingly laid atop this altar of wood that his father had built.
Now it was time for the blood.
Abraham understood an important fact about offering a blood sacrifice. In offering the blood sacrifices it was important that the throat of the sacrifice be slit quickly.
The ancient texts say that Abraham set his face like a flint to fulfill God’s will. He was going to make a quick and clean cut. We can imagine in our mind’s eye that Isaac lay on the altar with his eyes directed toward the Heavens, his faith totally on the ability of God to use this act for the good of all.
For a few seconds Abraham examined the knife to be sure it was ritually fit for the cut.
Then he stretched out his arm and raised his hand to make the cut.
GOD’S PERFECT TIMING
In that very short moment of time The Angel of the LORD called out Abraham’s name from heaven.
Abraham!
Abraham!
The Angel of the LORD told Abraham not to lay a hand on the boy and not to harm him.
“For now I know that you fear God, seeing that you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.”
It must have been with great joy that Abraham immediately released Isaac and recited a prayer of blessing:
“Blessed are You LORD, who revives the dead!”
GOD PROVIDES A LAMB
Just as Abraham lifted his eyes from this earnest prayer, he beheld a ram caught by it’s horns in the thicket. Abraham took the ram and offered it up on the altar in the place of his beloved son.
With the thought in mind of a substitute offering, Abraham also prayed while sacrificing the ram that God would regard the offering as though it were his son.
God accepted Abraham’s offering in place of Isaac.
THE RAM’S HORN
To this day those who are faithful from the tribe of Judah and Benjamin living in Israel believe that God has one of the two ram’s horns which were caught in the thicket. They believe that mankind has been given the other ram’s horn.
The blowing of the shofar on The Feast of Trumpets is mankind’s cry out to God for mercy.
One day the last trump will sound on the last day.
Many believe that the sound will be coming from that other half of the ram’s horns that is in the possession of God from this day called the Akadah.
We are always admonished to be listening for that sound.
ABRAHAM’S PRAYER FOR US
Using the passages of the Midrash for reference; it is said that Abraham, after making this sacrifice, prayed to God and mentioned that he had not questioned or argued when God had made the request of him. He had willingly offered up his son until God Himself had stopped the action.
Father Abraham then requested that God remember this each time one of the sons of his later generations sinned.
Abraham requested that God would have mercy on their sins because of this day; and always forgive them.
Today, many of Abraham’s descendants can be thankful for that wise and timely prayer.
THE SOUND IS A REMINDER TO GOD
The Talmud mentions that God asked Abraham to sound the sound of the ram’s horn before Him each year so that He would remember the binding of Isaac and count it as mercy toward the children of Abraham forever.
This is yet another important reason we blow the shofar on Rosh Hashanah; to remind God to be merciful to His children who are doing their best to be faithful.
Each year at the sound of the shofar, God is reminded of the prayer of blessing from Abraham.
A VERY SIGNIFICANT PLACE OF SACRIFICE
This place where God called for the sacrifice of Isaac is a very sacred place. Abraham called it Adonai Yireh, which means: “The LORD will provide” because God had provided a ram in place of Isaac.
Moriah comes from the verb “ra’ah,” which means “to see.” It was said on Mt. Moriah that the LORD saw the need of the people and made provision for a substitute sacrifice that would save them.
Mt. Moriah, which has been called “Zion” has been the place for many, many sacred events ever since.
Many years later Jacob, the son of Isaac, dreamed here of a ladder that reached up to heaven.
Years after that dream of Jacob, the Temple was built on the very spot where Isaac was bound and Jacob dreamed of Heaven.
This was in sight of the very place where another Son, the true Son of God, the perfect Lamb, was eventually sacrificed upon a wooden cross for all of the sins of mankind. He carried His own cross. He knew His destiny. He gave His life willingly out of love for The Father.
A SHADOW OF THE LOVE OF JESUS
Isaac, as brave and courageous as he was, was only a shadow of the great and awesome love of Jesus Christ for His people.
It was right in this very spot where Isaac laid himself down that Jesus came and died for us.
On the Mountain of The LORD; God has truly provided a Lamb!
Can you not hear the message every time that we blow the shofar for The Feast of Trumpets?