SUSPICIOUS SITUATION

Flip to page three of the newspaper—there it is. The police log from a couple nights prior: “11:43 p.m. 100 block N. Main St. Suspicious Situation.”

The police car approached a man walking down the street with tears flowing down his face: “Son is everything alright?” The man explained everything to the police officer just as a second car arrived. As they left, no arrests made, one of the officers said, “Boy you really caused a lot of commotion.”

The man wasn’t drunk and no crimes were committed. No, this was my friend John. He told the officer the reason for his crying and hands lifted to the sky: “I’m just worshipping God.”

John, worshipping on Main St.? The church sign in that neighborhood states: “Come Worship 9 & 11.” Inside the church on Sunday morning for an hour or so, isn’t that worship?

In Genesis 22:5 the word “worship” appears in the Bible for the first time. First mention is always a pay-attention moment for Bible scholars.

It says, “We will worship.” Here Abraham and his only son Isaac are the participants in the worship. But there’s no singing, no preaching, no late night “suspicious situation.” Abraham had heard the voice of God. He was going up the mountain to kill his son as a human sacrifice.

What!

Abraham never sacrificed his son. God provided an alternative sacrifice just as Abraham, with knife in hand, prepared to obey God to the ultimate.

Abraham tapped into the essence of true worship--sacrificial obedience. This means giving up everything to God as we worship Him through our lives all the time. As John discovered, this type of radical, all or nothing worship stirs up commotion sometimes.

God notices. “God called to Abraham from heaven . . . I will surely bless you.”