God is tutor not tester!

Genesis 22:1-13   NRSV
 “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you.” 3 So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac; he cut the wood for the burnt offering, and set out and went to the place in the distance that God had shown him.  ​"4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place far away. 5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the boy and I will go over there; we will worship, and then we will come back to you.”

The story of Abraham, Issac, and the burnt offering is not an easy to read scripture story, especially for parents and of course not for children.   So, how do we then approach difficult scripture?   Ignore it?  Gloss over it?  Freak out over it?  Forget it? I believe we can approach it, knowing that God walks through it with us, even through it seems impossibly difficult.  Faith. 

Emunah  is one of the Hebrew words for faith.  Abraham is described as having this type of faith.  Not a blind faith or an 'I believe in' God faith.  It is an active faith.  A verb.  A faith in knowing that we walk in partnership with God.   It is God and I.  God and you.  It is faith in We (capital God We).  Knowing and trusting that God  supports and tackles the difficult times, choices, threats, crisis, hardships and situations together with us.  

Abraham had Emunah.  He walked with and trusted in God's companionship through all things...including the idea of sacrificing his son.  And yet, I think Abraham knew that God would not require him to sacrifice his son.  Abraham mentions this in the above passage...'we will worship and we will come back to you. '  We!  Abraham, Issac and God.  

Kids understand tests.  School is filled with them.  The idea of a test often brings about great anxiety.  However, God does not test.  God does not create or Divinely intervene with harsh and hurtful tests in our lives.  Yes, tests exists, but God does not create them for you to suffer through. 
It is with Divine collaboration that God walks with you through your hardships.  Emunah.
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In my mind, God is more like a Tutor.  Not teacher...Jesus was the Rabbi. The radical speaking, wisdom teaching and justice leading example of the people. 
God is the tutor.  Think about what tutors do...they create an intimate and trusting relationship.  They sit with you as you wrestle with difficult problems.   A tutor doesn't' solve the problem for you, they guide you through it and support you.   They bring out our best.  Create in us a sense of resilience what difficult problems vex us.

Working  my way through this difficult scripture story, here is what I've concluded...
God is Tutor not Tester.
God is in the We. 
A Divine Collaboration.
Emunah.  
Amen 

PS...did you know that the word Amen and Enumah share the same root word.  Hmmm.