I wrote this story about 4 years for a Bible as Literature course at Porterville College. Although this class was in a secular setting, it was responsible for me rediscovering my love for the Bible. This class showed me that all the techniques I used for reading literature I could also use for reading the Bible, giving me a new passion for God's word.
This short story was the first of two projects we had in class where we had to create some form of art inspired by something from the Bible (the second was a poem I wrote for the New Testament portion of the class).
I chose to rewrite the story of Abraham and Isaac. I did take a few creative liberties (near the end especially), and I also kind of rely on the reader having a good knowledge of the actual story from Geneses. I fixed up a few things, but for the most part, this is the exact story I turned into class. I had to force myself not the change everything (being a writer I keep wanting to rewrite everything until I think it's perfect) and let it stand as it is.
I saw the story in the Bible as Abraham's struggle to trust God in everything, and how Abraham always messed up, but finally learned to trust Him. I saw myself in Abraham at this point, because I say that I trust God, but know I have a hard time actually trusting Him. Even though in the end, He knows what He's doing, I still try and do things my way, and I'll end up messing it all up. So in a way, it's kind of a story about me.
Hope you enjoy it!
He woke up in a sweat. His heart pounding so hard he could hear it beating in his ears, and almost mistook it for drums. Getting out of his tent, Abraham felt the light touch of the morning sun against his face. He hoped yesterday’s conversation was just a dream. He hoped that it was just his imagination, and that God didn’t really want Isaac. Abraham waited years for him and Sarah to have Isaac, and now God, with his promise fulfilled, wants to it take away. Abraham told himself it was just a dream. It’s just a dream. It’s just a dream.
"It’s just a dream."
“What’s just a dream?” A voice said behind him.
Abraham, realizing he was speaking out loud, turned around to see who was talking, and stood face to face with Isaac.
This is his miracle child.
This is his promise from God.
To think that more then 30 years ago, God had promised him that he would become the father of a great nation, and that his descendants would outnumber the stars. He remembered that night so vividly, as he tried to count the stars, but got God’s point that there was no limit to the stars. Abraham still wasn't sure how God was going to do this, but he learned to trust Him.
When Abraham first left his homeland to go to the land that God had promised him, he stopped off in
And notice her he did.
God’s heart broke.
He looked down on Abram and said to Himself, “Why does he do this? Does he not know that I have everything under control? Doesn’t he trust me?”
God then cursed Pharaoh and his family with sickness and illness, because he did not want to see Sarai defiled. He then reviled to Pharaoh why all these things were happening.
Immediately, Pharaoh called Abram, and scorned him for deceiving him.
“Why did you lie to me?” Pharaoh shouted at him. “Did I threaten you in any way? Did I tell you I would kill for her?”
“I wasn’t sure,” Abram replied. “She is very beautiful, and I wasn’t really lying. She is my half sister after all, but we have different mo...”
“Quiet!” Pharaoh shouted out. “You have brought disease to my household!"
“I’m sorry, my lord. If there is anything I can do…”
“The best thing you can do right now, is leave!”
And with that, Pharaoh sent them on their way.
That night, Abram spoke to God, and asked Him why he cursed Pharaoh’s family. “I was just trying to save my family so that your promise would be fulfilled.”
“Do you trust me Abram?” God replied.
Abram sat silent for a moment, but the silence spoke louder then words. Then with a soft voice, God said, “Trust me."
Abraham looked at Isaac and said, “Nothing. I had a dream that snakes were everywhere. You know how I feel about snakes.”
“Yes,” Isaac said back. “You can’t stand the sight of them.”
“So you can understand why I would wake up reminding myself it was only a dream.”
“Yes sir. We don’t need you freaking out on us.”
Then Isaac reached out his hand and touched his father’s shoulder. His hand felt like a cold blade slicing into Abraham skin. He just knew he would have to trust God. God made a promise, and it will come to pass.
“So,” Isaac asked, “what are we doing today?”
Abraham told Isaac that he was going to be a part of an offering to the Lord. They hadn't done an offering together in years, and the chance to be a part of one with his father was enough to get Isaac telling everyone that later today in the region of Moriah, he and his father were going to bring a sacrifice to God. Abraham just watched, and faked a smile.
Isaac went and got the donkey while Abraham’s servants gathered wood for the altar.
“Bring the wood over here,” Abraham said, in a small voice. He was still in shock. Every word he said had to be pressed out with a little extra force. He started thinking, Could I bring myself to do it? How would I do it? Did God really speak to me, or am I out of my mind? “I will also need a couple of you to come along for the journey.”
“I already thought of that,” Isaac said, walking up to the tent with the donkey being pulled by his left arm. “Johan and Rapha are already packing some rations for the trip.”
Abraham admired that in his son. Isaac was always one step ahead of his father. He always made him laugh, even before he was born.
God came to Abraham while he was sitting in his tent. He noticed three men were walking, and he brought them in right away. He cleaned off their feet, fed them, and gave them something to drink. While they were sitting around the table enjoying the calf, one of the visitors told Abraham that Sarah would give birth to a boy. Sarah overheard this and laughed. Abraham could hear it, but acted like he couldn't. God had already told him this would happen, and last time he didn’t just laugh, but he fell over laughing. He couldn’t tell her to be quite when he himself was trying not to laugh.
God spoke to Abraham and asked, “Do you trust me?”
Abraham wanted to say yes. “Yes Lord. I trust you more then I trust myself.” But he knew better. God knew Ishmael was born. God told him not to do it, but he still slept with Hagar and had a son. He couldn't hide it from God. He knew that. So instead of saying anything, he hung his head down.
Once again, God said in a soft voice, “Trust me.”
He thought this is what God knew would happen. This is what God wanted to happen. I trusted God, and he brought me here. He must want me to turn back now.
So he acted like he forgot something, and started searching his clothes and bags for something.
“Forgot something father?” Isaac said.
“Yes,” Abraham stated. “I seem to have forgotten my…”
“Knife?” Isaac said, both finishing his sentence and holding up the blade. “I have it right here on my right side. I’ll keep it here so that you don’t lose it. Don’t want you forgetting things like you old people seem to do.”
Abraham laughed, and felt his heart sink into his stomach. Even though Abraham now knew there was no turning back, somehow Isaac brought a smile to his face.
“You know,” Abraham starts “I should have been dead years ago. At the rate I’m going now, I just might outlive you.”
And they both laughed.
Not many people will live to be a hundred years old; let alone have child at that age. But here Abraham was, standing in a tent, watching his wife Sarah, screaming in pain, pushing a child from her body. Even though he had already conceived a child, this was his boy. This was the child that God had promised him. Even when Sarah was screaming in pain and agony, Abraham could still see a look of disbelief and joy on her face. Every once and a while, Sarah would scream, “Is this happening? Am I really giving birth?”
He started laughing. Even though Sarah was in pain, Abraham was laughing, because Sarah was laughing.
“Are you sure it’s human?!" She yelled out. “Does it have all its body parts?! Are you sure it’s not deformed?! Aren’t we a bit too old for this?!”
When it was finally over, Abraham named him Isaac.
“Isaac?” Sarah thought out loud. “I like it. He will make everyone laugh.”
Then Sarah and the mid-wife both started laughing. While they were doing this, Abraham, holding his son in his arms, walked outside.
He looked up at the stars, and then looked into Isaac's eyes.
“You see those stars?” he said to his newborn son. “Those stars were part of a promise. You know what the other part of that promise was? It was you. You were my promise.”
Abraham start weeping, while smiling at the same time.
“And I didn’t trust God. I thought I could do things my way. But I here you are. In my arms. God said it, but I didn't believe it. I didn't trust Him, but now, ” looking back at the stars, he said...
“I trust You.”
“What was that?” Isaac asked Abraham.
Abraham was thinking out loud again. He was telling God that he trusted Him, but he was still scared.
“Nothing,” Abraham replied. “I was just thinking out loud again. Being old and saying things that don’t make much sense to anyone,” and winked at his son.
Abraham and Isaac were now alone. The terrain had become, and Abraham said it would easier for just two people to walk up the hill. He also told them that only he and his son could be there for the offering, and said, “If we need you two for anything, we will shout your names. But for now, just stay right here.”
They reached the spot and started to build the altar. As they were stacking the wood, Isaac turned to his father, and asked him the question that Abraham felt he would never be able to answer: “So where is the lamb?”
Abraham stopped for a moment, looked at his son with a straight face, trying to keep himself from weeping, and smiled. He said “God will provide the lamb.”
Isaac laughed at first, when he looked into his father eyes. Something in Abraham's eyes said he was worried, and then Isaac felt the same.
“Oh. Okay. I understand.” He swallowed and said, “God will provide."
“God will provide,” Abraham repeated.
It was a week ago when Abraham heard the voice of God call his name.
Abraham, having learned how to reply when being called by God, said, “Here I am.”
God then sent a shiver down Abraham’s spine, when He said, “Take Isaac, and go to the region of Moriah. And when you get there, build an altar, and sacrifice him as a burnt offering.”
Abraham didn’t know what to say back. God had promised that this Son would be the one to carry on Abraham’s name; that their descendants would outnumber the stars in the sky. But now, God was asking him to end his bloodline himself.
Abraham hung his head, and said, “Yes, my Lord.”
Then God asked Abraham, “Do you trust me?”
Abraham sighed, scratched his head, and said, “I think so."
The God said in a soft voice, “Trust me.”
When the altar was finished, Isaac started picking up extra pieces of wood that were too small to be on the bottom of the altar. While Isaac’s back was to his father, Abraham put a blindfold round Isaac’s eyes.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered to Isaac.
“What are you doing!?” Isaac replied.
"I said God will provide, and he already has"
Isaac didn't reply. He only stood still, started shaking.
Abraham started to weep. As he cried, he tied up Isaac’s arms behind his back, and led him to the altar.
As they were nearing the altar, Isaac jokes, “You know, I was wondering why the altar was so big. I was starting to wonder if the lamb that God had for us was going to be as big as a cow.”
Abraham laughed, again, but this only made the tears worse.
When he got to the altar, he had Isaac lie down on his left side. With his hands behind his back, he wanted his son to be as comfortable as possible.
When Isaac lied down, Abraham went to the donkey to retrieve the knife.
However, once he moved away, Isaac said, “It’s strapped to my thigh.”
Abraham forgot that his son was the one who remembered the knife; the object that will take his life.
Abraham made his way to his son. Even though they were only 4 feet away from each other, each step felt harder and harder.
What am I doing? He thought to himself. Am I really going to do this? Is this only a test? Does God really want my child?
When Abraham finally reached the alter, he put his left hand on Isaac’s head, putting his fingers though his sons hair, and then put his right hand on the knife attached to Isaac’s thigh.
Right then, he saw that Isaac was crying. He had never seen his son cry before. Not since he was a young boy, crying from the pain of his bruised knee, asking his father to make it stop. To make it better. To not feel pain.
He stopped, and thought to himself, I can’t do this.
He then felt his son’s hair, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and pulled the knife out of the holder.
The moment the knife left Isaac’s thigh, he started to weep louder.
He opened his eyes, and stared at the knife in his hand.
At that moment, Isaac whispered to his father, “I love you.”
Abraham then looked up into the sky, held up the knife, and said to God, “I trust you.”
Then, with a shout, as if something had possessed him for that second, he brought the knife down, till something held him back.
Abraham turned around to see what had stopped him, and saw it was one of the men who visited him before Isaac was born; the one who told him Isaac would be born.
The man smiled, and nodded his head.
Then Abraham heard a voice from heaven call his name. It was God, and He told Abraham not to touch Isaac. “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Now I know you trust me.”
Right then, Abraham saw a ram trapped in a bush. He ran over and tied up the ram, and brought it over to the altar.
He untied his son and removed the blindfold. Isaac sat up, got off the altar quickly, and looked at his father. He didn’t know what to say or do. He wasn't even sure what just happened! Then saw the ram by Abraham’s side.
He then looked into his fathers eyes, and rubbing his wrists said, “Well, it’s not a lamb. But it will do.”
While the flames engulfed the ram, Abraham held Isaac in his arms. He kept repeating “I’m sorry” over and over again, and Isaac kept saying “its okay” over and over again.
Then they picked up their things, placed them on the donkey, and made their way back home. When they met up with Johan and Rapha, Abraham asked to be alone for a moment. He went into his tent, and while there, God spoke to him.
God said in a soft voice, “Do you trust me?”
Abraham replied, “Yes. I trust you.”
To which God replied, in a soft voice, “I know.”
