Before delving into the story of "The Command to kill Issac"...

Before delving into story of “The Command to kill Issac,” I want to describe the hermeneutic (principles of interpreting the Scriptures) to which I adhere. To do this, I have quoted the words from Sunday by Sunday I where Rose, my alter ego and main character, explains:

“And I offered my personal hermeneutic (not exclusively personal, I trust, grounded as it is in many years of listening, exploring, reflecting, and living, all within the community of faith, guided by the Holy Spirit) which I state in a formal way here, for self-clarification, as much as anything:

The Scripture, old and new, is the inspired Word of God, a gift to the people of God, to understand the nature of God, and to live according to that divine nature. The Scriptures were recorded by people of faith traveling through time and space, interpreting the divine will and divine action in their own lives as revealed to them. Human, fallible, limited in their powers of interpretation and subject to their culture and history, these people faithfully did their best to express the truth about God. Because Christ is both human and divine, his actions and words most fully reveal the divine nature, so we look at all the Scripture through the eyes of Christ.”

Also relevant from that same book, Rose writes after a Bible study led by Pam at her congregation, St. Timothy:

“Pam offered principles for interpreting Scripture which fit perfectly with my personal hermeneutic. I find them extremely helpful:
· observe “peaks and valleys”—some parts of the Bible are more important than others
· honor tradition—the interpretations and teachings of the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church should guide us and not be changed lightly
· bring experience to bear on how we understand the Scripture—trust the Holy Spirit to allow experiences to move our hearts
· use our God-given brains—ask what makes sense, both in the original and modern contexts.
· look at everything through the lens of Jesus Christ’s teachings”

There. Now you will know from whence I am coming when you read my next blog reflecting upon the story of “The command to kill Issac.”