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    What faith requires

    The Akedah (Binding of Isaac) is a test of Abraham (Gen. 22:1).

    God knows He can rely on Abraham, like a potter who knows that his best pots will hold water and not crumble or crack.

    So when Abraham is told to take his beloved son and offer the lad as a sacrifice, he says Hineni – “Here I am”.

    Everyone acclaims Abraham’s faith but they are puzzled at why God stops the patriarch and won’t let him complete his act of obedience.

    The explanation has to do with the nature of faith. It has been said that what faith requires is not obedience but commitment. What God wants to test is not whether Abraham will carry the act through but whether he is willing to do so.

    Abraham cannot know whether God will expect the act to be completed. But what faith requires is willingness – “I would if I had to!”

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