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希伯来书11:17-19：17亚伯拉罕因着信，被试验的时候，就把以撒献上；这便是那欢喜领受应许的，将自己独生的儿子献上。18论到这儿子，曾有话说：“从以撒生的才要称为你的后裔。”19他以为神还能叫人从死里复活，他也彷彿从死中得回他的儿子来。
我记得我的表姐凯西在19岁死于车祸时，我的祖母和我说过一段话。她说：“埋葬59岁的丈夫让我感到很难过；埋葬42岁的儿子让我愈发感到难过；但是埋葬19岁的孙女最让我感到难过。”我们该如何面对生活中的这些悲剧？
亚伯拉罕面对的是上帝的命令，要他将独生子献祭。他走了足足3天才来到摩亚利山，耶路撒冷后来就建在这片山上，而上帝也是在这里献上了自己的独生子。他爬到山顶，将以撒捆绑在祭坛上。正当他举刀要杀他儿子的时候，上帝阻止了他并说道：“现在我知道你敬畏我超过一切。”但亚伯拉罕是如何做到的呢？
希伯来书的作者给出了解释。他认为既然上帝已经应许亚伯拉罕，他的后代要从以撒数算起，也就是说，救世主要从以撒的后代诞生，那么上帝就不可能违背他的这一应许。所以亚伯拉罕相信上帝能让以撒从死里复活。看哪，公义的亚伯拉罕，他是藉着信心被上帝算为义（创世记15:6），他也因信得生。
你会如何面对配偶、孩子、孙辈的死亡？我们会悲痛，但我们藉着信心而活，所以我们相信上帝也会让他们从死里复活。而且比起亚伯拉罕，我们的信心有更多的确据。我们已经看到上帝牺牲了自己的儿子，并让他从死里复活！所以上帝也一定遵守他的应许，让我们从死里复活。
祷告：主耶稣，愿你快来！藉着信心，我们活在你的应许里：当你再来的时候，你会让我们从死里复活，并带我们去天家和你在一起。今生的痛苦和我所经历的失望都无法夺走我对你的盼望。荣耀永远归于你！阿们。
Hebrews 11: 17 By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18 even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” 19 Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.
I remember something my grandmother said to me after her granddaughter, Kathy, died in a car accident at the age of 19. She said, “It was hard to bury my husband when he was only 59. It was harder to bury my son when he was 42. It was hardest of all to bury my granddaughter when she was only19.” How do we deal with these tragedies in our lives?
Abraham faced sacrificing his only son at God’s command. He made that three day journey to Mt. Moriah, which was the mountain range on which Jerusalem was built and on which God sacrifice HIS one and only Son. He climbed the mountain and bound Isaac on his altar. He raised his knife to kill his son, when God stopped him and said, “Now I know that you fear me above all things.” But how could Abraham do it?
The writer to the Hebrews explains it. He reasoned that God had promised that his seed would be counted through Isaac. In other words, the Savior would be born through Isaac. God could not break any promise, especially that one. So Abraham believed that God would raise Isaac from the dead. Wow! Righteous Abraham, who was righteous by faith (Genesis 15:6), lived by that faith.
How do you handle the death of a spouse? A child? A grandchild? We mourn, but we live by faith and believe that God will raise them from the dead. And we have more than Abraham did to hang our faith on. We saw God sacrifice HIS Son and raise him from the dead! So must God keep his promise to raise us up from the dead also.
Prayer: Even so, Lord Jesus, come! We live by faith in your promise that when you come again, you will raise us from the dead and take us to be with you in heaven. The sorrows of this life and the disappointments I experience cannot rob me of the hope that I have in you! To you be glory forever! Amen.