Shabbat Shalom: The Sacrifice ©Dawn Minott

On By Dawn MinottIn Poetry, Shabbat Shalom

Part I

The place, Mount Moriah
The time, the darkest of night
The request was made
The decision has been taken
Separated, alone, he wrestled
At dawn the journey began
One heartbreaking step before the other
Only begotten son in tow
Three days he trods a beaten path up the mountain

The place, Mount Moriah
The time, the darkest of night
In the sheepfold, huddled together
Except for one lamb
Separated, alone, he wandered
At dawn the journey began
One unsure-footed step before the other
Blindly he trods an unknown path, through thickets, up the mountain

Part II

The stones of the altar have been stacked
The sticks and brambles have been laid
The stony place of sacrifice cushioned, made ready to receive
The sacrificial instrument has been sharpened
The binding cords have been secured
The fire stones have been selected
The sacrifice has surrendered, submitted, bounded, mounted
The knife raised in shaking hands in space suspended …

The thickets have grown thicker
Sticks and brambles blurred his path
Directed by a force unknown
He stumbled forward up the backside of Moriah mountain
To a place where the stones of an altar have been stacked
Where a sacrifice has surrendered, submitted, bounded, mounted
Where the sacrificial instrument raised in shaking hands, in space suspended
Caught in the thicket, he’s suspended …

In that moment of dual suspension
A voice thundered:
“Touch not your only begotten son
Look over yonder, there, see
A sacrificial lamb caught in the thicket for thee”

Part III

The place, Mount Golgatha
The time, the darkest of days
The decision has been taken
Separated, forsaken, alone He wrestled
At dawn the journey began
One back-breaking step before the other
Sacrificial instrument in tow
Dutifully he stumbled forward up Calvary’s mountain
Where a cross has been stacked
Where the sacrificial tools have been sharpened
Where the sacrifice has surrendered, submitted, bounded, mounted
To be nailed-up upon a cross, in space, He too, suspended …

When the voice of heaven thundered:
“It is finished”
And a terrified voice confessed:
“Truly He was the only begotten Son of God”
To be placed in a grave, three days enshroud

Part IV

Two only begotten sons
But only One begotten Son of God

Two went up the mountain
But only One went up Calvary’s Mountain

Two lambs
But only One Lamb slain from the world’s foundation

Jesus—the Son of God, the Sacrificial Lamb

After-word: This epic poem is a parallelism of the Abrahamic and the Messianic sacrifice experiences. Abraham’s would-be sacrifice of Isaac was a foreshadow of the crucifixion of Christ. The sacrifice of Christ was a symbolism of high sabbaths (John 19:31) as the complete story of salvation—that is, the work of Christ beginning with His death on the cross as the Passover Lamb and to end at His second coming.

2023 All Rights Reserved

Like what you see? To never miss a post click HERE👈 to subscribe & follow the blog. I love hearing from you, so remember to “like” & comment. For more content start HERE👈

In creative solidarity, Dee

16 thoughts on “Shabbat Shalom: The Sacrifice ©Dawn Minott”

  2. Pingback: Shabbat Shalom: What In God’s Name—Jehovah Jireh (Provider) Part II – Poems & More: createdbyDEEsign

  3. nola Estwick

    This is masterful. I was brought to tears actually. Your juxtaposition forces one to think at a deeper level and is very compelling….like watching a thriller! You are indeed gifted in capturing these scenes in ways that grab the emotions.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. Hi Nola. I’m so happy it landed with you the way I saw it in my mind and tried to retell it in poetic form. Praise God for the complete cycle from imagination-thought-words-write-read-understand-resonate!!!!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  4. Vivene H

    This is very powerful. God made provision for Abraham to save his son, and in the same way God made provision for us sinners by sacrificing His only begotten son to save us. However, the sacrifice of Christ Jesus will only be beneficial to us if we believe that He died to save us , and that should be followed by acceptance. What a great parallelism, the only difference is that one died and the other lived. Both sons were obedient even unto death, although I believe that the burden that Jesus was carrying was far greater than what Isaac had on his shoulder. Jesus was carrying the weight of humanity as a human himself. That must have been quite a task….. his sweat became blood. This is an amazing and profound piece of history. Let us all strive to be save , because after all this provision we want to meet with the lamb that was slain on our behalf.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
      1. Ace

        This was an amazing parallelism between Abraham’s journey versus Christ’s journey as they both enetered into their purpose. In both instances we are drawn to the idea that they are called to a higher purpose and once acknowledged thr choice remains to adhere or dismiss this calling. Jesus represents the ultimate sacrifice and his death was the catalyst that destroyed the sacrificial system that was in place before his ministry began. We give all glory and honor to him for his decision to save us all into his kingdom. Hebrews 10.1-39 . We can take comfort in knowing that we have freedom in him.

        Liked by 2 people

        Reply

    2. Hi Vivene. Thanks for stopping by and sharing this deep insight. Indeed a human sacrifice would not/could not do. The lamb pointing to the Lamb/Jesus stepped. what Mercy!!!! 🤗Dee

      Like

      Reply
  5. Vivene H

    This is very powerful. God made provision for Abraham to save his son, and in the same way God made provision for us sinners by sacrificing His only begotten son to safe us. However, the sacrifice of Christ Jesus will only be beneficial to us if we believe that He died to save us , and that should be followed by acceptance. What a great parallelism, the only difference is that one died and the other lived. Both sons were obedient even unto death, although I believe that the burden that Jesus was carrying was far greater than what Isaac had in his shoulder. Jesus was carrying the weight of humanity as a human himself. That must have been quite a task….. his sweat became blood. This is an amazing and profound piece of history. Let us all strive to be save , because after all this provision we want to meet with the lamb that was slain on our behalf.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Yes Frank. A substitute couldn’t do. Oh what love God has for us that He stepped in to pay the ultimate price but gave us object lessons along the way so our human minds could try to understand the depth of His sacrifice. Thanks for stopping by. I appreciate your insightful comments. Cheers, Dee

      Like

      Reply

Leave a reply to nola Estwick Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.