Genesis 22:15-18
Abraham! Abraham!, is
the title of this painting. Salvador
Dali (1904-1989), a Spanish surrealist painter, included this lithograph into a
selection of 105 renditions of biblical stories in Biblia Sacra (Holy Bible), a new version of the Vulgate, Catholic,
Bible.
Dr. Giuseppe Albaretto, a devout Christian and man of faith
who was dedicated to the Catholic Church, commissioned his close friend Dali to
create the illustrations for the new Bible he wanted to print. He knew the project would require Dali
studying the Bible to fully depict the meaning of the stories. His hope was that the commission
would bring Dali back to God. There is
no account of that occurring.
What is the first thing you see in the painting? What do you think Dali was emphasizing? Read again Genesis 22:11-14. How would draw the story? If you haven’t seen Rembrandt’s version of
this passage, look for it. What are the
differences and similarities between the two?
Dali stared with watercolor, then showed a range of
creativity both in use of color and context.
His works show
spontaneity with the use of “bulletism,” a Dalinian invention where an arquebus
(a type of antique gun) was used with ink filled capsules and then fired at
blank sheets of paper. The results were
patterns/designs incorporated into the illustrations.* Note its use on Abraham! Abraham! The
commissions were done between 1963-1964.
Bible published in 1969. The painting is 19” x 13.75”.
Today’s scripture affirms Abraham’s obedience and the angel proclaiming God’s promise would
be fulfilled. Note verse 18. Abraham named the place The Lord Will Provide. How do God’s promises to Abraham relate to us? What and how did The Lord provide
for us? What are the similarities
and differences between what God provided for Abraham and Isaac and what
God provides for us today? Our lives
have been changed as result of knowing of the faith of Abraham. (Romans 4:1-3). All
nations on Earth will them find themselves blessed through your descendants
because you obeyed me (Genesis 22:18,
The Message)
* Bernad Ewell, Park West Gallery, 2009 and William Bennett, Madison Ave. Gallery, 2015.
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QUESTION:
What is the primary
lesson you have learned from these studies in Genesis 21 and 22? Does that lesson impact your daily life? If so how?
What lesson did Abraham learn
between the events recorded in Genesis 21 and 22? Are you ready to trust God with your entire life and family?
PRAYER:
Pray for your pastor as he or
she prepares to proclaim God’s Word and interpret God’s Word, this Sunday. Pray that you will have the courage of
trusting God with all you have, including your family.
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If you would like to hear a sermon based on Dali’s
painting, The Rev. Jim Miller, Pastor of Glenkirk Church, Glendora, California
will be using “Abraham! Abraham!” in his sermons this Sunday,
June 7. Glenkirkchurch.org has all the
details regarding address and times of services. If
you cannot attend, the sermon will be posted on their website early next week.
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