Vindicate Me
Genesis 22:1-14
March 26, 2023 anno Domini
Today is Judica. Vindicate me, O God. Isn’t that what we all want? God to rule in our favor, God to be on our side. Isn’t it also something we presume? We expect God to side with us. In the midst of sin, we expect Him to forgive and not punish us. In the midst of tragedy, we expect Him to bring us triumph. Sadly, we often expect this apart from God’s Word and apart from Christ. We don’t fear God’s judgment, but rather we act as if God is a judge in our pocket, that He owes us a favor. He would never rule against us. He wouldn’t condemn us. Would He?
We’re seven days from Holy Week. This Fifth Sunday in Lent brings us to the precipice of our Lord’s passion. Abraham is going to sacrifice his son, his only son, Isaac, whom he loves. What do you think that’s about? Jesus’ preaching is ticking off the Jews and they try to stone Him. They’re ready to kill Him. Where do you think that’s pointing?
God is going to vindicate you by way of the cross. He’s going to rule in your favor, but not in the way you think. He is the just and holy God so your sin, your crimes against God, must be punished. He’s not a judge in your pocket, but mysteriously He is a merciful judge. He pays the price of your sin out of His own pocket with His own flesh and blood.
We want and live for vindication. It’s part and parcel of God creating us human. We want others to favor us. A child wants to be his parent’s favorite. A student the teachers favorite. A pastor his congregation’s favorite. You want your co-workers or employer to value you, respect you, acknowledge that you are doing what is right and good. Husbands want their wives to say, “Of course, you’re right dear.” And smart husbands will reply, “No dear. You were right and I was wrong.”
But how do you seek this vindication? You use force. You want to be acknowledged as right so you yell, or pout, or protest, until your way is acknowledged as the right way. It’s the way of preschoolers and politicians and mostly peaceful protestors, but it is also your way. Repent.
We also seek vindication by lying. Think of all profanity and perversity that we are expected to favor by way of lies. Abortion is not murder because the unborn child is not human or alive or a person. A boy is not a boy if he wants to be a girl. Why does he want to be a girl? So, he can finally win at sports and be vindicated in his athletic ability. But, once again, the liars aren’t just out there. You gossip and justify your slander because it is true. You steal from your boss by laziness and vindicate yourself by calling him rich or uncaring. You read a trashy novel or watch an ungodly movie, but it’s on Netflix so it must be okay. You might be able to fool yourself or your wife, but you will never fool God by lying. Repent.
We’ve spent five minutes on vindication, but we haven’t gotten to God’s Word. If the vicar were judging my sermon, as I judge his, he would likely ask, “Is there a text in our future?” Yes, there is. Let us see and learn from Father Abraham how God vindicates us.
God tested Abraham by commanding Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. There’s no reason to sugar coat this and cover it in chocolate so we can swallow it. God was commanding Abraham to act like a pagan. The pagan gods required child sacrifice. God was commanding Abraham to go against the very promises God had made – that through Isaac the world would be blessed. Not Ishmael, not another son you might have in place of Isaac, but through this son I will bless you and Sarah. Kill your son Isaac while still believing My promise that through him, I will give you thousands of descendants, including the One descendent who will bless the whole world.
What did Abraham do? He did what God commanded, believing that God would vindicate him. Abraham took his son Isaac to Mount Moriah. He had Isaac carry the wood for his sacrifice and he taught Isaac the faith. The Lord will provide. Even though we don’t have a lamb to offer, God will supply what we need.
There are two things to learn from Abraham and the sacrifice of Isaac when it comes to the Lord’s vindication. First, it’s all about Christ. Second, trust and do what the Lord says.
It’s about Christ. Isaac was Abraham’s son. His only son. His beloved son. The son of the promise. Isaac points to Christ. God’s only begotten son, the Son of the promise, the Son through whom the world would be blessed. Isaac on the way to Mount Moriah is pointing to Jesus on the way to Mount Calvary. They both carry the wood of their sacrifice. The substitute Ram, in the place of Isaac, is Jesus. Jesus is our substitute, the One in our place who suffered for our sins, endured our hell, and died our death. We are set free from sin to live, because Jesus was bound to the altar of the cross and sacrificed for us.
God’s test of Abraham was a test of faith. Did Abraham believe in the Christ, in the Son of the Promise? He did and that is why Isaac didn’t die. Abraham believed that even if Isaac was sacrificed God would raise him from the dead. Do you believe that Christ died for your sins? Then God favors you. Stop forcing others to favor you. Stop faking your righteousness. You’re forgiven. You’ve been spared death by the substitute Lamb of God. Believe in Christ and you have God’s favor. Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness, vindication. God was on Abraham’s side, and He is on your side.
In today’s collect we prayed that by God’s great goodness we might be governed and preserved evermore in body and soul. What do you think of the government of Minnesota? Do the laws currently being passed reflect the love of God or His goodness? Do they advocate for the family as God created it? For life as God gives it? We should never depend on the state to do the Church’s work, but we should expect the government to do God’s work of punishing evil, rewarding good, protecting the weak, and standing for the family as God defines it – one man and one woman married with children, where God gives them. That’s what we pray for and work for, but when that isn’t being done, we must carry on like Abraham, because God is on our side. How do we know? Christ has died for us. Christ is risen and Christ will come again. Believing that we must confess that boys are boys and girls are girls and marriage is between one man and one woman. We must vote not for party or power, but for God’s way because His way is the best way for all people. We must walk like Abraham did on his way up Mount Moriah, trusting God’s Word and believing His promises and doing what God told him to do. Did God’s command make sense? Did the future look good for Abraham and Isaac? Did Abraham feel in his heart that he was the favored of God? No, not at all, but Abraham walked up the mountain, with his son, and raised the knife because he believed the Lord would vindicate him and the Lord did. March on dear Christians. God is on your side, and He will vindicate you. In the name of Jesus. Amen.