God put Abraham to the test.
He called to him, “Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
A rabbi once explained to me the Hebrew word, h’neneh. “Here I am!” is the most important word of prayer in the Bible. To the LORD’s pronouncing his most sacred name, “I am!” we reply, “Here I am.”
We sometimes use similar expressions: May I help you? At your service; How can I help you? Yes, Sir! Yes, Ma’am! These expressions have the same literal meaning as Abraham’s.
However, “Here I am!” takes on enormous significance in the Bible. The word implies alertness, availability, attention, presence, eagerness, readiness, and gladness. “There is nowhere I would rather be than here. I am here with you! And for you!”
Moses used the expression when the LORD called him from the burning bush, as did Samuel when he heard his name called in the middle of the night. Isaiah also cried out, “Here I am! Send me!” when he saw God’s glory in a vision, and heard the question, “Whom shall I send!”
Need I remind you we sing those words in a popular hymn?
In those stories of Moses, Samuel, and Isaiah the word appears as an initial response to God’s call. But in today’s story, Abraham has a long acquaintance with the Lord. He has learned to trust God despite the terrifying display of power he saw when Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed. Why God should choose him over anyone else is never clear, but the Patriarch and his wife Sarah have learned to accept it. There can be only one response when the Lord, calls: “Here I am!”
In the Hebrew original of this passage, Abraham responds three times with h’neneh, although our NABRE translation uses different words for its second appearance; to Isaac he said, “Yes, Son.” Even as he heads for the mountaintop with a determination to do something unspeakable, Abraham has the presence of mind to hear his son’s question and respond with reassurance.
And when the Lord intervenes and aborts the sacrifice, Abraham can still lay aside the knife without a moment’s hesitation.
As our father in faith Abraham exemplifies complete openness to God’s will. Despite many dramatic presentations of this incident in churches and theaters, when the old man is shown as wrestling with his reluctance to kill his only son whom he loves, there is no suggestion of reluctance in this story. God wants it? He does it! If God was only testing him, that too is acceptable.
The story, almost bizarre by God's inexplicable demand and then his relenting, takes a very different resonance for Christians. Abraham's willing obedience is matched first by Mary as the Angel Gabriel speaks to her; by Joseph, her husband; and then by Jesus as he is driven from the Jordan Valley into the desert on his way to Jerusalem.
As Franciscans and Californians celebrate the controverted feast of Saint Junipero Serra, we ask the Lord to give us that same willing, obedient, and generous spirit which remains confident through the difficult hours of our life. Particularly as the Saint is vilified for the abuses which he vigorously resisted, and for crimes committed a century later, we pray that we might trust in God's Guiding Spirit as we struggle for justice in this 21st century.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.