A Tetractys on Trust {gn23}

Photo © Unsplash/Scott Rodgerson

God
promised
Abraham
Canaan, the land,
as a gift to him and his descendants.

Years passed with no fulfillment of the vow,
but Abraham
had learned to
trust in
God.

When
Sarah
passed away,
he bought a grave,
and laid her there to rest in promised land.

Israel's first piece of Canaan was a
burial plot,
a wager
on God's
word.

*Tetractys: A poetic form consisting of at least 5 lines of 1, 2, 3, 4, and 10 syllables, respectively. Tetractys can be written with more than one verse, but each must follow suit with an inverted syllable count.

The Voice That Asked for Sacrifice {gn22}

Photo © Wikimedia Commons/Laurent de La Hyre

It has been said
that Abraham was crazy,
that the voice he heard
asking him to sacrifice Isaac
was not God's,

that God would never ask a father
to sacrifice his son—
even to prove a point.

I don't buy it.

Not because I'm so convinced
God would use such a method
to make such a point,

but because I'm pretty sure
that any man who obeyed the voice
which asked him to cut off the tip of his
— you know what —
would recognize that voice
if it ever spoke to him again.

An Etheree on Woman Power {gn21:10}

Photo © Unsplash/Geran de Klerk

Eve
enticed
Adam to
stomach the fruit.
Sarah expertly
bent Abraham to her
will — "Get rid of that woman!"
Hagar summoned (with desert-hot
tears) Jehovah Almighty Himself.

Who says Biblical women were bridled?

Etheree: A poem consisting of 10 lines of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 syllables, respectively.

A Reality Check for Abraham {gn20:11}

Photo © Unsplash/michael podger

Abraham, Abraham,
Judge of Gerar:
Always a tangled web you're weaving,
dependent, as you are, on your deceiving.

Abraham, Abraham,
Judge of Gerar:
You searched Abimelek's soul and found no respect for God—
or so you thought.

You concluded that you were in danger
since nobody in that land, you thought, would ever listen to God.

Were you including yourself in the count?

Abraham, Abraham,
Judge of Gerar:
As between you and Abimelek,
he was revealed as the one with ears open.
Your judgment was wrong.
Yet your judgment was right.

It wasn't so much that your conclusion was wrong,
just the person to whom you applied it.
Perhaps Jesus said to be careful with judging,
because others can be more of a mirror than we think.

Abraham, Abraham,
Judge of Gerar:
In misjudging others,
you judged yourself.

You imagined that no one in Gerar would respect God
                      ...because you didn't.

Duologue {gn18}

Photo © Unsplash/shttefan

When God mentioned circumcision to his friend,
Abraham didn't think twice
or question once.
Not a single word on the tip of his tongue
about removing the tip of his—
well, you know.

Perhaps it was the finality of
bearing heaven's mark forever in his flesh
that made Abraham bold enough
to dicker with God.

After all,
you'd have to be bold to question
The Judge Of All The Earth
about his morality
and offer suggested improvements
to his strategy.

To be fair, though, it was
The Judge Of All The Earth
who invited himself over for dinner
and initiated the whole conversation.

He knew there weren't any righteous people left in Sodom,
so why even bring it up?

Maybe
The Judge Of All The Earth
wants more
than a burnt offering in his gut
and a pat on his back.

Maybe
The Judge Of All The Earth
craves
genuine
unabashed
face-to-face
friend-to-friend
toe-to-toe
duologue.

Foreshadow of Faith {gn17:10-11}

Forefather Abraham must have been filled with
such foreboding as the appointed blade drew near.

He could never have foreseen God's circumscriptive request...
nor foregone its fulfillment once it had been proposed.

After all, he was God's foremost friend on the planet.
Mostly, though, he didn't want God to foreclose on the covenant—

Ishmael had turned out to be the forerunner of the promise,
just a foretaste of the legitimate heir.

God was still forecasting Isaac's arrival,
so obedience was forefront on Abraham's mind.

He cut a deal, therefore, skin and all.

A Patient's Impatience {gn16}

Photo © Unsplash/Ricardo Viana

Abram couldn't wait on God,
but listened to his wife,
who suggested a surrogate with a working womb,
and together, they foisted Plan B on the Almighty.

That's how Hagar became
the mistress of her mistress' husband,
and that never has a happy ending.
Hagar was destined for a rock and a hard place—
punishment if she refused,
punishment because she obeyed.

Hagar could stomach the morning sickness,
but she'd had it with the abuse
and ran away, determined to die in the desert
rather than spend one more day
as a pawn in a power play.

God could have let Plan B die right along with her
and the unsanctioned baby hiding inside.
Instead, he gave birth to Plan C,
and it's been hard labor ever since.

Abram couldn't wait on God,
but God has enough forbearance
to deal with all our impatient messes—
even if it takes an eternity to clean them up.