After the events at Sodom, Abraham would travel south between Kadesh and Shur living in Gerar.  The modern geography would label this region as primarily the Sinai Peninsula.  It did extend somewhat further into a portion of Saudi Arabia.

Isaac Is Born To Abraham And Sarah

The northernmost portion of this region would also include modern day Gaza, and extend East towards the Dead Sea.  It was in this more northern part that Abraham would settle after an encounter with Abimelech.  Here there was a second case of misidentification of Sarah as Abraham’s sister which had to be dealt with.

I remained with Jared and Nathan in the area of Bethel for some years.  This was to be part of the land Abraham and his people were to occupy and our work here was essentially business.  It could be called his home base. We were ambassadors while at the same time caring for livestock and people who remained.

We would receive word that Isaac was born, the son of Abraham and Sarah.  The people were elated and it was unfortunate that we could not be there for that event.  Later we would receive word that Hagar and Ishmael had also been sent away due to conflict.  Some people disagreed with this, but I saw it as being inevitable.

If I was not mistaken, I remembered from my young days at church that Ishmael would be the father of Arab nations.  Meanwhile Isaac would continue forward with becoming the nation of Israel.

A Well Dispute With Abimelech

It was after a border dispute with Abimelech that we received word from Abraham to join him.  He did not expect problems, but there was an attack and a land claim made at a well that was stolen.  While it seemed Abimelech was not directly involved it revealed the level of potential hostility between their people and ours.

I left Nathan at Bethel and took the more hot headed brother Jared with me and our ten men.  We rode south and found Abraham and was able to finally meet Isaac.

When we arrived at Abraham’s camp we dismounted and tended to our horses.  Our men began setting tents while Jared and I prepared food.  It was later in the day and soon everyone would be returning from their days work.

Meeting Isaac

I saw Abraham walking towards me and a young man with him.  I walked to Abraham and he had his usual smile on his face.  We embraced as he welcomed my return and then introduced his son.

“Isaac this is Clay, and Clay this is Isaac who has turned twenty-one.” Abraham said.
“It is nice to meet you Isaac.” I said as I shook his hand.
“Nice to meet you too.  Father has told me much about you.”
“Come let’s sit and eat.” Abraham stated while motioning to the table in the shade.

We sat and began to eat.  Some small talk ensued and it became apparent that Isaac knew my story.  He was quite curious about Noah and his sons.  He asked to see the blades which Noah had forged for me.  I let him hold them and he treated them with admiration.

After eating Abraham dismissed Isaac for he wished to discuss some business with me.  I was expecting to get a full rundown of events along the border and which water well’s were threatened.

“Clay I have a favor to ask.” Abraham said.
“Sure no problem, whatever you need.” I replied.
“I must make a journey with Isaac to a place called Moriah.  If you would please look after our people here while we are away.  Here is a scroll with the number of animals and where they are.  Please also watch over Sarah closely.  She is much older now and things are not as easy as they used to be.” Abraham requested.

“Of course Abraham.  Can I ask what is in Moriah?  That is a few days of travel and you are not young anymore yourself.” I said laughing.

“Ha! Says the man who cannot age.  You look exactly the same as the day I met you with Shem.  Do not worry, I will take two young men with me to help.  The land is safe to travel through so it will be a quick journey.” Abram was dodging my real question in his answer.

“Abraham, come on.  What is in Moriah?  Now you have me suspicious.”  I needed to now know.
“We are going to a place God has called us to make a sacrifice, that is all.”  He responded.

I looked at him a bit suspiciously and he smiled back.  I accepted his answer as what he was doing did become a common thing.  I have seen him make sacrifices on many occasions.

“Alright I will look after things here while you are gone.  I have Jared here as well.  He can ride the border with some of the men just to keep an eye out for Abimelech’s group.  I will help manage the business affairs.  Just be careful.”  I had become more concerned for Abraham as time went by.

Abraham Leaves For Moriah With Isaac

The next morning the sun rose and I saw Abraham and Isaac off with their two servants.  They were riding newly acquired camels.  I never liked the beasts personally.  After they left I mounted my horse and began the daily rounds.

At what I came to call midday siesta, we gathered and ate.  Sarah was doing well.  She was aged now and frail.  Still she commanded presence and showed no weakness.  There was no doubt that she was a strong woman in heart and spirit.

We would finish the days work and I decided to go meet Jared to check on the well at Beersheba.  After meeting all seemed well.  We both decided to ride back to camp and settle in for the evening.  This first day passed normally without anyone noticing anything wrong.

Abraham Took No Animal To Sacrifice

It would be the next morning that chaos would erupt from Sarah.  After we woke we found her in tears and wailing.  I have no idea how we could have missed something so obvious.  Abraham had told me he planned to make a sacrifice, but he took no animal with him.

“Clay you have to find Abraham!  I am afraid something horrible will happen.  I cannot lose Isaac.  He cannot sacrifice Isaac!  Please Clay.”  Sarah was pleading.

“He wouldn’t, would he?” Jared said looking at me in shock.  Pulling me aside Jared began to question my memory of this past.

“Come on Clay remember your church stuff, what happens?”
“Honestly I don’t remember.  What I do remember is that Isaac becomes a father to at least one son, maybe two?  Either way he survives.  So I am not sure what Sarah is afraid of.  There is no way Abraham would do what she’s thinking.” I said.

“Clay! Please find them!” Sarah was screaming.
“Okay Sarah, I am going right now.  I will leave Jared with you.” I replied.

It took a couple minutes for me to get my running horses.  These boys were fast and could ride hard and long.  I had a lot of ground to make up.  On foot the trip would be about four days.  They were on camel’s so at a leisure pace it would take two days.  I needed to make it in one.

After setting my gear on the horse I mounted. I was about to ride when Jared ran over to me with his dog.  “Clay take the pup.  Send word quickly.”

I nodded my head and I rode towards Moriah.  My spare horse riding free to my left, the pup running at full speed on my right.  We would stop for water which thankfully in this time could be found. 

Racing To Find Abraham

The modern deserts of my time had not yet formed as this region was primarily hills and grasslands with groves of trees and the occasional oasis.

My problem would be finding Abraham.  Moriah was not a city.  It was a term used to describe a general geographic area.  Then I remembered the parchment Abraham handed to me, it was his personal document that he kept on him all the time.

I reigned the horses to a stop.  After dismounting I called the pup over.  Taking out the scroll I let pup get a good whiff of it.  I then gave him the command “Find”.  His nose turned to the air, then the ground.  I watched as he began to stroll one direction then another.

After mounting my horse I followed pup for a short while.  Then it happened.  He caught the scent and shot off like a bullet.  I sped the horses to keep pace.  I was running out of time.  The sun was starting to get low on the horizon.

I just kept thinking there is no way possible that Abraham would sacrifice Isaac.  It was logically impossible.  Still I needed to let Sarah know Isaac was safe.

I could tell when the dog saw the camels and two servants.  He turned and adjusted course then the last burst of super puppy speed hit the paws into the ground.  As he approached the camels I called him off halting him.  I dismounted to find the two young men Abraham had taken with him.

Witnessing Abraham Sacrificing Isaac

Walking over to them I asked “Where is Abraham?”.  They were staring at something, and then pointed with their finger not saying a word.  I looked to my right and at the top of this small mountain I saw Abraham.

I saw what looked like him standing over an alter with something laying on it.  I couldn’t make out what it was.  Turning back to the men I demanded answers.

“What animal did Abraham take with him up the mountain?  Tell me now.”
“He didn’t take an animal, only himself and Isaac.” One of them said.

My heart sank in disbelief.  I looked back up the mountain to see Abraham raise his hand into the air.  I knew there was a knife in that hand.  What was on that alter had to be Isaac.  I started to run to my horse, one of the young men grabbed me.

I turned knocking his arm from me and punched him backwards.  The other young man screamed at me in protest trying to get my attention.

“Sir, please stop, look now.  Just look now.” he screamed.

I looked again.  What I saw I did not understand.  Isaac was standing with his father.  They were embracing.  For a moment they both disappeared but the alter remained.  A few moments after that it appeared that Isaac was carrying a ram in his arms.

At that moment I almost collapsed.  They had an animal.  It was over.  I needed water.  Stumbling over to my water skin I drank.  I fed the poor pup and gave him water, tended to the horses in the same way, and we took a break while Abraham finished his sacrifice.

After the pup had some rest I slipped a note into the carrier of his collar.  I gave him the command to return home.  He had ran hard so the command was set to give him a leisure pace, not one of urgency.  He trotted off into the distance.

Discussing Abraham’s Sacrifice And It’s Meaning

After apologizing to the man I punched I helped them set camp.  It was now dark, the sacrifice was over, and I knew Abraham and Isaac would be coming down the mountain.  We prepared food. 

A short while later I heard them coming.  They were talking about the sacrifice.  I stood and walked over to meet them.

“Clay! What are you doing here?” Abraham asked.
“Sarah became worried about you, can I talk privately with you for a minute?” I asked
“Yes, of course.  Go ahead Isaac and eat.  I will be there shortly.”

Abraham and I walked away from the group.  We were on a rise from the lower land.  While not on the mountain we still had a view of the night sky.  I found a rock for us to sit on and share.

“Okay Clay, what really happened?” Abraham started.
“Sarah noticed you didn’t take an animal with you and feared the worst.  So your turn, what really happened?” I asked.

Abraham looked at me and burst into tears.  I knew then this was serious but I didn’t understand.  My knowledge of history is limited when it comes to the Bible, but I knew Isaac wouldn’t die like this.  I was confused.

“Clay, God told me to sacrifice Isaac.” he said.
“He did what? Why? What possible purpose would that serve after His promises to you?” I demanded.
“It was a request to measure my faith, and obedience, and to serve as a future promise Clay.”
“You really need to explain this to me.  I am so confused. What do you mean faith, and a promise?” I was searching.

What I did know was that Abraham and Sarah had for so long desired a child.  I also knew God had for years promised them a child.  After so much time a child never came. 

Thus the reason for their actions creating the saga surrounding Hagar and Ismael.  Now after having Isaac God actually asked Abraham to sacrifice his son.  It sounded like insanity.

“Do not be upset or angry Clay.  I was willing to do whatever God asked of me.  Isaac is twenty-one, he is a strong boy.  He too had faith in the last moment.  He could have stopped me, I am an old man.  He laid down willingly.  He did not protest.” Abraham said.

“Im sorry Abraham.  You mean to tell me that Isaac figured out he was the sacrifice and he actually went along with it?  Why?  Have you two gone crazy?” I exclaimed.

Isaac A Picture Of A Coming Messiah

Abraham continued trying to explain. “Do you remember when we were with Shem?  He gave me the parchments.  Contained within them is a story of Adam and Eve.  In the garden God gave a promise that the heel would crush the serpents head, but it would bruise the mans heel.”

“This is a picture of a future promise of one that would come to remove sin from this world.  God’s test for me to be willing to sacrifice my son, and the test of Isaac to be a willing sacrifice was also a picture of this promise.” Abraham continued.

“Clay, there will be a day when a Messiah comes.  He will be like us, but also God.  He will become a willing sacrifice in place of our sin.  He will die for us.” he said.

There in the moonlight I could see Abraham’s eyes, his passion, and feel the elation of the victory he had experienced.  What he couldn’t see is what was happening within me.

I instantly remembered me and Noah having our discussions.  In our talks he kept speaking of a God he called Yah.  In that moment I was so confused as to the connection of this Yah and the Jesus I heard spoken of so much as a child.

It was like a lightning bolt hit me.  I felt something inside of me wanting to scream out.  Yah was the Father.  Jesus was the Son.  Jesus is this promised Messiah.  Abraham couldn’t know my thoughts, but he read my face like a book.

“See I knew you would understand Clay!  It is a miracle!  I went to stab Isaac in the heart and ….” I interrupted him.

“Abraham please, this is too much as it is.  I understand.”
“But Clay He, God, provided a ram in Isaac’s place!”
“I saw from down here.  I saw it all.”  I said trying to calm Abraham and get my senses back at the same time.

I stood and walked away a few paces.  Now it was me looking into the night sky.  I just couldn’t hear Him.  Why?  I felt this pull that I had never felt before.  It felt like something I couldn’t control.  I felt like I was about to explode.

Why had none of this been explained to me as a child?  How could so much get lost in translation through the millennia to come as our preachers stood in pulpits screaming at us?  This feeling inside me I couldn’t explain, but it was about to take me to my knees.

Abraham came up behind me touching my shoulder. “Clay, lets go eat and rest.  Tomorrow we go tell Sarah what happened!” he said.

I looked over at him saying “Yeah you might want me to help you with that.”  I put my arm around him and we walked to camp to eat and rest.