BENEATH THE TEREBINTH TREE
(A short story written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)
He was born laughing. It is said that his parents laughed when they conceived him. Even his beautiful mother had to ask God's forgiveness about her laughter over him, but he never thought any of the laughter was wrong. He loved the laughter! He felt the laughter did not happen often enough.
It was the meaning of his name – laughter; and life for Isaac was sometimes very serious and very hard, so when the laughter came it was always timely. It was always welcomed. It was always good to him, and it came to be to him as refreshing as cool water in the hot desert sun.
He constantly longed for more of the laughter. He sought after it and he was always looking for ways to make it happen again. This was easy enough with his mother; not quite so easy with his father. He had learned to wait for the proper time to bring it forth, and he knew the proper times to leave it be. Sarah had taught him the distinction between the two early on. This was definitely a day to keep silent. It was not a day for laughter.
There was no laughter in his father's voice as he told him to gather the wood they would be taking on their journey. Isaac set about obediently gathering the wood into his bag. This wood was for the sacrifice and they would be taking with them when they left tomorrow. Abraham had insisted on cutting all of the wood by himself. He had slowly and patiently cut it from some of the branches of the terebinth tree he had planted right outside their tent many, many years ago. This tree had grown large, strong and tall and had spread its branches in such a way that it shaded Abraham as he gazed upon it from the door of his tent.
Abraham had lived many happy days under the generous shade of this huge old twisted tree. It had been under the shade of this tree that the three men of God had visited Abraham and Sarah nine months before Isaac's birth. Abraham had often told Isaac the story. God had promised Abraham a nation would be his heritage, but Abraham and Sarah had grown old without a child between them.
On that same day of the visit, when Sarah's laughter came at the announcement of Isaac's birth, the same Three Men of God had been on their way to Sodom to destroy the whole town because every single person living there was wicked. Angels had reported this to Heaven and the prayers of the nearby town's people had risen up to the ears of The Lord over and over again. Abraham pleaded with God to spare any godly men from the destruction of Sodom; and Isaac's cousin Lot and his family had been spared, except for Lot's wife; who had turned back to remember the carnal things of that city just one last time.
When she turned to look back she instantly became a pillar of salt. Isaac had been shown the place where she was changed. He hated looking into the eyes of her stony face. The story had always horrified him, and he shuttered each time he thought of it. It had happened on the day that God Himself, in the form of three men, stopped in to visit with Abraham under the tree on His way to this mission. They all sat together and shared a meal under the very branches of the terebinth tree that Abraham was now using for firewood. Isaac tried not to think of Lot’s wife as his father chopped the wood of his favorite tree.
Funny how things happened sometimes, Isaac thought this to himself as he gathered the wood. On their way to put an end to something evil, the three visitors from Heaven had stopped to proclaim something good. They told Abraham that Isaac would soon be born. Sarah had heard from inside the tent and that was when she laughed. Isaac had heard the story over and over again as he grew up. He didn't mind though. He always loved hearing it. He often thought of this story and smiled, even now that he had grown into a man 37 years of age.
Isaac marveled at his father's actions in cutting the branches of the sacred old tree. He did not fully understand, but Isaac had learned how to wait for understanding. Abraham had taught Isaac this virtue long before he grew into a man. In time Abraham would share his heart with Isaac; he always did. Isaac knew Abraham only did the things God instructed him to do. So Isaac did not ask why. If God told Abraham to use the branches of the terebinth tree; Abraham would be obedient. This Isaac was sure of. Abraham was always obedient, at all costs, and so was Isaac. This trait of total obedience to God had been instilled in Isaac's character from the first day of his birth. Isaac knew he was a promise fulfilled, and he must always stay true to God because of this blessing. Obedience was his destiny, his purpose, his call of God on his life.
Abraham had been careful to carry out the covenant promise of circumcision when Isaac was only eight days old. Everything about Isaac's upbringing had been carefully planned and well thought out by his parents. So careful even that his mother had insisted he not be allowed to play with his older brother Ishmael when the two were growing up together. It seemed that Ishmael liked to taunt Isaac, even when he was just a toddler, perhaps their mutual jealousy had started way back then. This had certainly continued on - and Isaac had seen Ishmael only in short visits with Abraham since that day that Sarah got upset with Ishmael.
Ishmael was thirteen and Abraham had given him a bow and arrow. He was quite good with it and very precise when he shot. He had begun a game of shooting his arrows to land just inches away from Isaac as he lay in his crib. This had happened more than once and it horrified Sarah. She had insisted that Abraham send Hagar and Ishmael away. It was a long time after that before Isaac was allowed to visit with Abraham when he took supplies to Hagar and Ishmael. Sarah did not like the fact and Abraham and Isaac did not speak of it to her.
Isaac remembered one visit with his half-brother about the time that he had grown to into a teenager. Ishmael had taunted him again over the issue of circumcision that made them both a part of the covenant with God and Abraham. Isaac suspected that this was the very covenant that kept Abraham from severing ties completely with Hagar and Ishmael. The adults were off tending to some other business and the two boys, Isaac a young teen and Ishmael a young man, were sitting around the fire talking. The usual happened; they began to compare themselves as the future heirs to Abraham's covenant with God.
Ishmael had proclaimed he was most loved since he was circumcised when he was thirteen and Isaac was circumcised as a baby. Ishmael had noted that Isaac could not refuse as he was only a helpless infant, yet he, Ishmael, had made a brave and conscious decision to perform the covenant act and had done it in a time of life that was much more painful; so he reasoned that his sacrifice to God was greater and more deliberate that Isaac's.
Isaac had calmly looked at his half-brother and replied if God desired of him to be slaughtered he would not refuse even to offer up his whole life as a sacrifice. This was a common practice for the pagans in Ishmael's hometown. Isaac could still remember the sneer on his half-brother's face upon hearing these words. Isaac knew Ishmael would never make such a statement, because he would not be brave enough to carry through with it. Isaac's heart and intent were true. He truly would lay down his life if God should demand such a thing from him. From time to time the words of that conversation haunted Isaac in his dreams.
As Isaac gathered up the wood he pondered the interesting traits he knew of the terebinth tree. The tree was a very strong and sturdy oak. It had deep, deep roots. It had remained green through all of the draughts of the land. That tree had provided shade for many a sojourner. It was a resilient tree. If one of these trees should die or be cut down, it was known that the stump that was left would sprout up and grow new life again. This gave Isaac comfort as he listened to the chopping sound of Abraham’s ax.
The tree was so large that it could be seen from a distance for miles and miles. It had become a landmark. It served as a way that Abraham had of telling people how to locate his tents. He had used this tree as the one to mark this place of his home after so many years of wondering. The place of the tree was very close to the cave where he had reverently and thoughtfully decided would be the future burial plot for his family. He was glad the cave was so close to the tree that he had grown to love and admire.
It had actually been Sarah's idea, to buy the caves at Machpelah. She had purchased them herself with some of the money that came from her own dowry, explaining to Abraham that she felt sure she had found the very site where Adam and Eve had been buried by God. Abraham had patiently listened to his wife when she spoke of this. Other husbands might have ignored this far-fetched tale from a wife, but Abraham knew that sometimes Sarah just knew things. It defied all logic, but always proved out in the end. Over the years he too came to believe this story from the cave was true.
Just as a double check, Abraham had asked God to confirm this fact to him as well as Sarah. On the day that the Three Men of God came calling Abraham ran out to kill the fatted calf for their dinner. The calf had gotten away and ran from him. Desperately needing the calf for dinner, Abraham chased the calf through the land. The chase led him right up to the caves where Abraham beheld Adam and Eve's burial sites with his very own eyes. He instantly knew God had shown it to him too, and after that he knew the cave was a very sacred place. That calf also provided a very sacred meal.
When Sarah had first expressed her desire to be buried in this spot beside him one day, he remembered looking at his charming wife and noting that she was the most beautiful woman in all the land. He had taken in her innocence, her ability to make the world feel right and perfect and her deep wisdom. The thought of her not being alive was very painful to him. He had realized long ago that she was blessed with the gift of prophecy and this incident with the cave was yet another proof of it. He had seen how the glory of God surrounded their tent as she prepared their meals each day. Her dough never ran out. She hospitably gave portions of it away to people as blessings as they came to visit at the home of Abraham and enjoyed many meals prepared by Sarah.
Abraham had seen how the lamps lit during Sarah's prayers lasted from Sabbath to Sabbath, never going out during the week, providing light for their home day after day after day. How was it that God had blessed him with such a wife? He always marveled at it, even now, in their old age. He had completely agreed that he and Sarah were to be laid to rest together in the cave near the terebinth tree that grew close to their tent in the very place where God had finally established them a permanent home together.
Isaac did not yet understand how significant the cave was, but he did understand the importance of the tree. This strong tree stood for everything that God had promised to Abraham. It was an ever present reminder. The roots were deep and old. The branches were fruitful and many. The leaves were full of life. Abraham had often told Isaac that the tree was sacred. Yet, just yesterday Abraham had raised his ax to some of the branches of this tree for firewood. He had chosen it deliberately to provide the fuel for their sacrifice. He had chosen something of the best from this place of blessings from God and taken something from it to give back to God. Isaac understood that much of his father's thinking as he carefully filled his bag with the wood and then moved on to help load the donkey.
Abraham had carried a branch of this tree to the land where Ishmael lived and he had planted it beside the well where Hagar worked. Ishmael had brought some of the wood from that tree too and he began to mix it with the wood that Isaac was hauling. "Stop!" Isaac almost panicked as he saw what he was doing, but Abraham came and stood between the two men and allowed the wood to be mixed together. Isaac was amazed at this, but he said nothing.
Abraham carefully gathered up the fire-pots and the knife for slaughtering the sacrifice. Eliazer and Ishmael helped with the food supplies. They gathered all the necessities they would need to sustain them on the long six day journey. Hagar had come with Ishmael as he had not wanted her to be alone in his absence. She had reluctantly submitted to this trip, hating every minute that she would be stuck in the tent with her former mistress, Sarah while the men were away.
Isaac wished he and Abraham were going alone. He did not get along well with his older half-brother, and he knew his mother would not be pleased to be spending his time away from her with this former slave women. Ishmael had often reminded Isaac that his mother had once been a Princess of Pharaoh before she had volunteered to be his mother's handmaiden. Isaac wished she had not been so hasty with her decisions. Former princess or not, she always brought trouble to the camp.
When Abraham and Sarah sent Hagar and Ishmael away on Ishmael’s thirteenth birthday, a miracle had happened. They had found a pure well in the dessert and had established their home there next to this well. Hagar then provided a living for them by selling the pure refreshing spring water to people passing through the desert land. They had become quite prosperous from this provision. Hagar had no need for Sarah's pity now. She no longer was a slave, and she made quite a good living for herself. Ishmael managed her wealth for her. She would be at the tents of Sarah only for a quick visit and then she would be heading right back to her well established home again. She was no longer a tent dweller. She had a home with walls and a roof. She did not like revisiting the home of Abraham’s first wife. She longed to be going with Ishmael and Abraham instead of staying behind while they journeyed off together.
Both mothers gazed longingly at their sons as they prepared to leave them behind.
Both boys had grown up constantly seeking Abraham's full undivided attention. One was always trying to please him above the other, in hunting, in fishing, in building, in growing crops. Their lives had been one long competition for Abraham's affection. Now they were both grown men and this situation had not changed. It never went away. Perhaps this very competitive spirit had been handed down from their mothers. Each of these women were also constantly seeking Abraham's undivided attention. The women did not have room for one another and they despised each other, so much so that Sarah had convinced Abraham to send Hagar and Ishmael away, but Abraham had maintained a long distance relationship with them off and on and had always looked after them in spite of the fact that God had made it clear to him that Isaac was the son of promise.
This was something that Sarah had learned to bear quietly in her heart. Sarah was smart enough to understand that anger and jealousy did nothing to make a woman beautiful or cherished. Hagar seemed incapable of learning this lesson. When Abraham moved Hagar and Ishmael away, Sarah bore this grief against them all alone and tried not to share it with anyone. She knew of the times Abraham went to them with supplies and she secretly wondered what went on between them, but she said nothing. She had her cherished Isaac. She lavished him with all the love that a mother had for a son, and she ignored that Abraham was not always in her tent. She accepted that this whole situation was her own fault and she had asked God to forgive her for it long ago. She knew in her heart of hearts that Abraham cherished her above all women. She had tried to make her peace with this situation, but if she was not careful it would always rise up against her.
Now Sarah knew her son was going away and that woman's son - Ishmael - would be going on the journey too. This did not please her one bit. Abraham had tried to prepare Sarah for Ishmael's presence here by explaining the necessity of having good and trusted servants on this journey. That is what he told Sarah, but Abraham had other thoughts about this too.
He had already informed Sarah that he was taking Isaac to the school established by Shem (son of Noah) on Mt. Moriah so that Isaac could study Torah and learn all the ways of God from the masters in Shem's school. It was said that Shem's school carefully guarded the mysteries of God and taught them to only very trusted, blessed men. As much as she knew this would be a good thing for her son, Sarah had an unexplained apprehension about it. She realized these teachings were necessary in order to fulfill the calling and purpose of Isaac’s life, but she had not been able to rest well since she had found out this would happen.
For some reason she sensed a deep sadness in Abraham's voice. It did not sound like the excitement of a father taking his son to learn from the great masters. Did he not realize how many years this would take Isaac away from her? She wondered if her husband was telling her everything. Abraham had been very silent, very quiet and was going off to pray by himself a lot these days.
When evening came Sarah could not rest. She rumbled through the things in her tent and found the lavish, beautiful garments and the turban containing the special stone. These royal garments had been given to her as a gift from King Abimelech in the time when she was held captive as a guest in his palace. She had saved them for years for a special gift to her only son. She took them to Isaac and told him to dress himself in them as he appeared before the masters in the land of Moriah. Isaac, astonished at their beauty, took them and hugged her expressing his sincere thanks. This was another case in Sarah's life where something good had come from something wrong. King Abimelech had not touched her and had honored her marriage to Abraham when he had learned the truth of their relationship. He had sent her away with Abraham and had given them lavish gifts as they left.
After she had given him the presents from her greatest treasures, Sarah wept. Through her many tears she told Isaac how much she did not want him to go away. Neither of them could sleep that night and they spent the night just talking of memories from Isaac's childhood and expressing their fond memories of all the good times God had granted them with one another as he grew up. Isaac loved and cherished his Mother very much. He did not enjoy seeing her grieve, yet he knew he had a destiny from God that must come first. He tried to comfort her to no avail. In the wee hours of the morning she seemed to accept his reality.
She would not deny him the special time he was to spend with God which would truly make him a better man; but why was Abraham making this journey so mysterious? Why did she catch her beloved husband gazing at her with what seemed to be a tinge of tender sorrow? He had always been so protective of her heart, and she sensed he was some how wanting to be protective of something. Yet again; she knew not what. She dared not ask. The day had been full of enough painful surprises.
Questioning why things happened was no longer Sarah’s style. She had learned to let life happen as it happened. This had been a hard lesson for her to learn. It was a lesson that had taken away much of her innocence, passion and joy. She had learned not to question, though it was not her true nature. After the horrid mistake she had made with that Egyptian slave named Hagar, she had learned to let God fulfill His own blessings in His own way in His own time.
Sarah was sad in her soul about this journey, and she was not excited about this parting, even if it was for a noble cause in Isaac's life. Even if the study of the Torah would help to fulfill his destiny, she would miss him terribly! She would also miss Abraham as he took Isaac on the journey. Would he come home only to leave again to take Ishmael and Hagar back? She hoped Abraham would give that task to Eliazer.
Sarah knew so much could happen in six days, so much! A whole world had been created in six days! It would take them six days total to make the journey, three days to climb the mountain where Abraham would leave her beloved son to be schooled, and three days for Abraham to return to her, leaving Isaac behind. Sarah began to petition her great God to look after them both, her beloved husband and her blessed son. She reminded God, as she often did, of His promises to Isaac and Abraham. She prayed that God would provide everything that they needed in every minute of this journey.
She felt the salty tears from the Holy Spirit trickle down her face as she prayed and prayed and she knew God had heard her prayers. Just that God listened to an old woman like her gave Sarah more hope and courage. She reminded herself of how God had kept His promise to them even when it had seemed
impossible. She smiled sweetly at her husband and her beloved son as they prepared for their long journey.
"Perhaps I should go with you," she remarked to Abraham as they all had sat around the fire that night. Because of the dark she had not seen the terror that presented itself in Abraham’s face. He could not bear to explain all of this to her. "No, my princess, you must stay behind this time." Sarah was silent. As the fire danced before them she leaned on her husband's chest and pondered how she might walk a way behind them without their noticing her presence. Yes; she was old and frail, but she was also courageous and determined. Had she not waited 25 years for Isaac to be born? If an old woman could give birth, surely an old woman could walk to Mt. Moriah! She had seen God's miracle way back then, and she knew he would protect her now. After Abraham and Isaac went to sleep she hastened to pack some food and water for herself, then she lay down beside her husband to rest for a few hours.
She woke to an empty bed and the sun shining down on her face from an open tent flap. The men had risen and left early, even before Sarah stirred. It distressed her that she had not been able to tell her son goodbye again as he departed. She walked outside the tent only to see the face of Hagar staring at her from the shade of the tree. Those eyes were the last thing she wanted to see today.
Sarah quickly gathered her things. She would not be too far behind them. The first time that Hagar turned her back Sarah went trudging down the road. She knew the general direction toward Moriah. It took a few hours before she caught up with the men. They were shocked to see her and amazed that she had followed them so far. She ran toward Isaac and hugged him close. "My son! Who knows when I will see you again? I could not let you go without saying another goodbye!"
That is when the tears poured forth. She wept and Abraham wept and Isaac wept, each of them for their own reasons; each of them in deep pain and agony. After much weeping Abraham and Isaac convinced Sarah to turn back and wait at home. She stood in the road watching everything that mattered to her walk away to a place where she could not go. She had never felt so much pain, as if a knife were cutting into her throat and bleeding all of the life out of her. She finally could not see them anymore and she turned back toward Hebron.
As she approached her tent she noticed an old man walking behind her. He saw that she had seen him. She wondered who he was and why he seemed to be following her. She stopped, though much afraid and faced him. He bowed low to her and proclaimed that he had come from the school in which her son was to be a pupil. She drew a deep breath of relief and asked what his business was. "I am a prophet and I have come to declare the truth to you, the WHOLE truth, the part that your husband and your son have not told you, I fear you will be terribly upset when I tell you, but your husband has gone to build an altar and there he will sacrifice your son to God. You will not be able to reach them in time to stop it. I am sorry to have to tell you this."
When Sarah heard these words she screamed the loudest scram ever heard in any land. It was the wale of a mother with a broken heart. As she felt her heart losing its rhythm and the strength of her life leaving her body she thought she saw a vision of her son cut and bleeding and tied to an altar. She became very ill and was too weak to walk back to the tent. She could not bear this horrible news. Her old body could not take the shock of it. She could not bear to think that Abraham would do such a thing. Her scream was heard by Hagar, who despite their past came running to her side to see what was wrong.
The next words from Hagar gave Sarah the second heart breaking shock. "They have told you, haven't they?" Sarah's eyes looked an answer for the rest of the sentence. "They have told you that Isaac is to be the sacrifice at Moriah!" Sarah fainted and Hagar almost fainted too. Hagar became afraid that Sarah would die and she would be blamed for Sarah’s death. She panicked and ran away. The old man had also mysteriously disappeared from the road. Sarah was left there alone and unconscious for hours until some friends of Abraham passed by and recognized her on the side of the road. They quickly took Sarah to their tents and tried to nurse her back to life.
The good neighbors watched anxiously as Sarah faded in and out of consciousness, She talked to them about what God was showing her in a dream. She mentioned how Abraham would only do God's will and that Isaac would only do what God had required of him. Even in her dreaming state, Sarah confessed that everything God did was always good, even when she did not understand. The people were astonished at her testimony and admired her courage as she lay there, dying of grief. They knew they had cared for a true prophetess.
Finally, in the provision of the peace and the hope of God, Sarah having lost all reason for living, gave up her spirit and passed into the other world. The people of the village grieved her death and preserved her body as they waited for Abraham to pass back through the land so they could give him the sad news that the wife he dearly loved had died.
It was several days before they heard his footsteps on the road. Men were watching and waiting on Abraham, dreading what they had to say to him. Abraham was deep in thought as he approached alone. He was still in awe of what God had done for him and Isaac. He had painfully walked up to Moriah, Isaac at his side. Isaac had asked the obvious question; "Father, where is the lamb for the sacrifice?"
Abraham had answered "My son, God will provide the lamb."
It was when he had spoken this that Abraham knew that Isaac knew and understood his destiny. Isaac had moved on willingly and had not resisted one thing that was done to him. He only asked that his father bind him tightly so that he would not be tempted in a moment of weakness to jump away.
As Isaac lay down on the altar, he remembered his words to Ishmael that day. They played over and over through his mind. He heard those words as Abraham raised the knife to slay him and perhaps Abraham had been slow because of another sound that he heard. A long loud blast from a ram’s horn sounded forth. In the midst of that sound Abraham thought he also heard Sarah screaming, and he hesitated for only a moment; but a moment was just enough time for him to hear the Angel say "Stop!"
And the Angel assured Abraham that everything God had required of him had been proven, and he need not sacrifice the boy. Suddenly Abraham saw a ram caught in the thicket. He quickly untied Isaac and together they sacrificed the lamb that God had provided. A day of sadness had instantly become a day of joy.
Abraham left Isaac with The Great Masters to learn the secrets of Torah and he hurried home to Sarah. He was full of thankfulness and excitement. He could not wait to share this sweet story with his beloved wife.
As the men stopped Abraham on the road with the tragic news of Sarah’s death, Abraham’s countenance quickly changed. Only hours ago Abraham had escaped the greatest grief he thought he would ever know, but now he realized that Sarah's death would leave him only half a person. He was not sure how he would go on living without her. The men who met him in the road saw him age 20 years in his appearance from the short walk from where they found him to the place where they had laid Sarah.
Abraham took his beloved wife and buried her in the cave at Macphelah, just as they had discussed when Sarah was living. He knew God would look after her there and it was a way for him to fulfill one last wish from her.
With a broken heart he went to sit alone under what was left of the old terebinth tree. There he mourned for days. Finally he lifted his head and rode out toward the desert. It would be a long time before Isaac returned, and Abraham could not bear to stay in Hebron without him.
