When Yahweh Asks for Human Sacrifice
And a new project from Hazefire Studios
Hello! Hope you’re well. Here’s the latest.
Season 6 Finale
Today, Season 6 of Holy Ghost Stories concludes with “The Provider and the Patriarch,” which tells the story of Abraham traveling to Mount Moriah to sacrifice his son, Isaac.
When I put this season’s possibilities to the patrons, Jacob’s glimpse of the stairway to heaven and Abraham’s sacrifice rose to the top. I’ve been wanting to tell this one for a while, so I was excited to slate it for the season finale and I’m so happy to share it with you today.
Let’s talk about some of the details, shall we?
BITS AND BOBS
Previously on Holy Ghost Stories…
If you’d like to explore more of Abraham’s life through the lens of HGS, check out S5E9, “The Almighty and the Patriarch.” It tells the story of Abraham’s initial call and journey from Ur to Canaan (Genesis 11:27-12:20). “The Rescuer and the Rejects” (S1E9) also features Abraham, though Hagar is that episode’s protagonist.
A calling and a flashback
This episode shares the famed events of Genesis 22—Yahweh’s command to sacrifice Isaac, the journey to Mount Moriah, and Yahweh’s last-minute intervention. During the writing process, I decided that including the promise and covenant of Genesis 15 would give some important context and enable another layer of empathy for both Abraham and Yahweh. Every chapter in these longer stories in Scripture (Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, etc) is informed by the others, so putting them side-by-side often makes for a richer experience on our end with fewer “Why in the world would——??” moments of confusion.
Testing, testing
You can’t avoid it—right out of the gate, Genesis 22 offers these words: “Some time later, God tested Abraham.” This revelation frames the entire story and colors it in an important way. While divinely-initiated testing appears several times in Scripture, the concept sits somewhat uncomfortably with a modern Western audience. (I’ve given voice to some of our understandable hangups in the intro to this episode.) BibleProject’s video on this topic (“Why God Tests Your Faith”) is a good primer if you’re looking for something brief. The first scene of this episode was inspired by some of that animation, in fact. There’s plenty of “Why would He test us?” in me, and time meditating on the story of Abraham and Isaac has been shaping. I hope “The Provider and the Patriarch” can be a part of a similar journey for others.
The spectre of Ishmael
Though he’s not mentioned in Genesis 22, Ishmael is present. The Holy Spirit intentionally places the story of Ishmael and Hagar’s exile (Gen 21) up against the story of Yahweh’s command to sacrifice Isaac. Though we don’t have time to speak to all of the possible reasons why that’s the case, the loss of Ishmael (probably about the same age when he’s sent away as Isaac is in this episode) adds lots of emotional color to the sacrifice narrative. How hard must it have been for Abraham to find himself faced with the loss of his only other son? (I didn’t have space in this episode to explore this at length, but I did provide an opportunity to reflect briefly on it by way of one of Isaac’s barrage of questions on the journey.)
Yahweh understands
You’ll hear me speak to various aspects of Yahweh’s empathy for Abraham as the story continues, but our first glimpse of it happens early. It’s present in the very wording of His command: “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac…” This three-fold emphasis on the preciousness of Isaac adds lots of wonderful dissonance to the command to sacrifice him. So much tension there—and I think the longer we pay attention to it and explore, the more music we’ll hear.
Holy Imagination
As a storyteller, I’ve got essentially half of one scene to make you feel (in a personal, rather than conceptual way) the weight of Yahweh’s command to sacrifice Isaac. Later, I have an opportunity to turn the dial up immediately preceding the moment of sacrifice. In each case, my best tool is imagination—imagining what Abraham likes about his son, imagining Isaac’s personality, imagining the questions he might ask as he walks with his father on this mysterious journey, imagining why he would submit to the fate that’s eventually revealed, imagining why Abraham might tie him even though Isaac has clearly offered himself freely. See the theme? This is just to say, if you’re not reading narrative Scritpure with your imagination engaged, your experience with it will be much flatter and smaller (and less true) than Yahweh intends for it to be.
The Mountain of Yahweh
As history unfolds, this area of the mountains of Moriah, home of the Jebusites (remember Yahweh’s promise in Genesis 15? ““I give this land to your offspring, from the Brook of Egypt to the great river […] the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, […] and Jebusites.”) will become Jerusalem. The peak known eventually as Mt. Moriah will become the Temple Mount—the site of the second temple and (likely) Solomon’s as well. …Puff pastry, am I right?
Could Yahweh have had Abraham go through with it?
A question I wrestled with: Could Yahweh have required Abraham to go through with this sacrifice while still being the good God we know from the rest of Scripture? My wife and I had a good, long discussion about this. I’d love to hear your thoughts. Here’s something I jotted down as I explored this myself: “He’s entitled to everything. But He needs none of it. He created you for your joy and for His joy—not so He’d have wood to burn.”
Christ in view
This story, of course, foreshadows the coming sacrifice of Jesus in many ways. As I write these episodes, it’s always an enjoyable challenge to include allusions to such parallels without being too on-the-nose. You’ll hear some that are obvious, and others might emerge during a second listen.
An unequal covenant
One of the most fascinating things about the covenant Yahweh makes with Abraham in Genesis 15 is its lopsided nature. God (in a manner of speaking) walks through the slain animals, signifying his ‘on-penalty-of-death’ devotion to the covenant. But Abraham is not asked to follow. An invitation for our reflection, surely.
Who are you?
I hope you’ll find yourself identifying with multiple folks in this episode. (I think this story’s supposed to evoke that.) Take Isaac, for instance. Is Christ Isaac, the beloved son actually given (the second time around) as a sacrifice? Or are we Isaac, spared death thanks to a God who provides an offering in our stead? Somehow, both are true.
TIME TO LISTEN
I do hope this one blesses you. What a story it is.
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Two Nights Only
Join us for a Holy Ghost Stories Christmas! We’ll be in Northwest Arkansas on December 12 and Nashville on December 17, bringing you an evening of holiday cheer, storytelling accompanied by live cello, and a feast of festive songs.
If you’ve never been to a Holy Ghost Stories live show, this is your chance. And if you’ve been before, you know this will be an enchanted evening that will draw you close to your King.
It’s been a joy to see so many of you grabbing your tickets. I don’t blame you, frankly—if the show weren’t enough, it’s happening in a couple of absolutely incredible spaces. You can check them out and get your seats here.
I promise you, you’re going to love what we have in store for you.
Artist Spotlight: Eve Adeline
It’s been my absolute joy to team up with my daughter Eve on several shows so far, and I’m delighted to let you know that Eve will be a principal vocalist at the Christmas show this year.
Eve leads worship regularly here in Northwest Arkansas with a gifted team of musicians. She has been writing songs and performing for a few years now, having been a lover of music all her life. She cowrote a song with Kendall Ramseur and performed alongside him during the Exodus tour, and also sang during last year’s Christmas show.
She’s a huge fan of using her gifts to draw people into transcendant moments with their God, and she plans to devote her life to telling the truth in beautiful ways through music.
Quick Giveaway
For all you literature lovers, I’ve nestled two Easter eggs into the Season 6 finale—one that’s a Tolkien reference, and the other that’s from Shakespeare. If you’re the first to reply and tell me what they are, I’ll send you a free ticket to the Christmas show. 🎉
Next From Hazefire Studios…
I am absolutely buzzing to let you in on Hazefire Studios’ latest venture. It’s coming soon and it has the potential to change the way you experience God in your life.
Not an overstatement.
This thing has been in the works for over two years now, and it’s getting dangerously close to seeing the light of day. I’ll share details very soon in a special issue of The Latest. Keep an eye out!
3 Cool Things
Remember Richard Scarry? - This write up on the beloved children’s author did not have to be hardly as good as it was. I may have to grab the deluxe 50th anniversary edition of Cars and Trucks and Things That Go.
Is This the Best Scene Ever? - We’re on a rewatch of Stranger Things Season 3 right now with the kids. I knew this before and it was confirmed today—the Neverending Story scene of episode 8 (language alert) is without a doubt one of the most delightful, expertly crafted scenes in all of television. Bravo, Duffer brothers.
Chips for Dips - I have opinions about tortilla chips, and these are fantastic.
That’s the latest! I’d love to hear your thoughts after “The Provider and the Patriarch.” You guys are always thoughtful listeners. See you at the Christmas show!
Gratefully,
Justin
The whole family wept in the car with this one. And the manuscript edit led to such a fruitful meditation on Yahweh's character and desires for His children--loved talking through it, wandering around, looking for the truest truth.