The God of Israel and of Jesus is the God of Exodus who leads His
people from the desert to the promised land, from a dry and dusty land
to a well-watered garden, from slavery toward sabbath.
Preachers have often imagined an anguished Abraham staggering toward
Moriah as he leads his son to his death. But the biblical account
contains no anguish, no heated arguments with Sarah (“Yahweh told you what?”),
no teetering on the edge of faith.
Whenever a fairy tale begins with “Once upon a time, there were three
brothers,” we anticipate that the older brothers are oafs and the
younger will be unexpectedly successful.
An icon
painted by Andrei Rublev in the early 15th century depicts the three
men who visit Abraham sitting at a table. Though it is a scene from
Genesis, the icon also displays the Trinity.
