A Story of God and All of Us Young Reade - By Roma Downey Page 0,5

God spoke to Abraham, but he still knows the voice well. "A sacrifice?" he whispers to God.

It is common for Abraham to offer sacrifices to God. In his ritual, an animal is offered as a sign of thanks.

God goes on to tell him the details.

At first Abraham doesn't comprehend what he's hearing. Then, as he realizes what God is saying, he becomes horrified. "No," he whispers.

"Please, no. Haven't I shown enough faith? Dear God, I will make 13

any sacrifice you ask. Anything"--now he can barely speak--"anything but Isaac."

It is God's will. With a heavy heart, Abraham retrieves his best knife from his tent. He and his people are camped at the foot of a great desert peak, Mount Moriah. As the sun rises higher and higher in the sky, Abraham sets off in search of Isaac, his knife firmly secured in the sheath on his waist.

He finds him eating bread with Sarah. "Eat more," she encourages the boy.

"How will you ever grow if you don't eat?" But she stops talking as Abraham draws near.

"God wants a sacrifice," Abraham says, offering a hand to Isaac. "Come with me," he commands.

"Of course," Isaac says brightly, and then rushes off to gather his bag for the long and arduous trip up Mount Moriah.

Storm clouds are rolling in, and Abraham and Isaac can hear the faint boom of approaching thunder. The two gather wood for a fire along the way, and with each twig and branch that Isaac presents to his father, Abraham finds himself more and more distraught

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about what he must do. God has demanded this beautiful, innocent boy as a sacrifice.

"Father?" Isaac asks, handing him a new handful of twigs.

Abraham takes them. "Good work," he tells his son. "Let's get more."

Soon the bundle is so thick that Abraham wraps it in rope and straps it to Isaac's back so the wood can be carried more easily. Abraham then makes another bundle, which he shoulders for the hike to the summit. "Enough sticks," he tells Isaac. "Let's just get up there."

"But why are we going directly to the top?" Isaac asks. "We have the firewood for the sacrifice, but we still need to go back down and get the lamb."

Abraham sighs. His heart is heavy. "God will provide the sacrifice, my son."

Up on the mountain, the storm grows fiercer. The sun, strangely, is completely white, and then the sky turns black. Winds swirl. Clouds seem low and thick enough to touch. Abraham knows there can be no greater sacrifice than for a father to offer his son. This is the most difficult test of faith he has ever endured.

When the time comes to do what he must do, a

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voice calls out to him. Abraham sees an angel standing near a bush.

"Abraham! Do not hurt your son," the angel tells him. "You have proved that you have faith in God. The Lord will bless you with descendants as numerous as the stars in the heavens."

Abraham turns from the angel to look at Isaac. Isaac looks off to where the angel stood. But the angel is not there anymore.

Years after his death, Abraham's great-grandsons will found the twelve tribes of Israel. The nation will be called Israel because their father, Jacob, is also known as Israel. This does not ensure harmony throughout the land, or even a powerful kingdom, for there is great bitterness and rivalry among the brothers. Jacob makes no secret of the fact that the eleventh son, Joseph, is his favorite.

Just as Abraham once discovered, every group, large or small, needs wise leadership--and this is where Jacob is found wanting. Jacob lacks the sense to treat all his sons equally. A symbol of Jacob's love for Joseph is a splendid multicolored robe. Given to Joseph as a

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gift, the robe has come to signify all that the brothers loathe about him. It would be wise for Joseph not to wear the robe at all, but he cannot help himself. This only makes his brothers more furious.

One day, in the fields outside the family estate, the brothers gather around Joseph. They trip him and then circle around him as he lies in the dust.

Simeon, one of the older brothers, angrily pulls at the elaborate coat.

"We'll have that," he demands.

"No," Joseph answers defiantly.

This is followed by the sound of fabric being ripped. All the brothers laugh and pull eagerly at the coat as Joseph cries out in anguish. They push his face down into the dirt. Their sandaled feet kick dust upon him.

"Look!" cries Judah,