The Reward of a Good Deed: Shasta and Abraham

If you do one good deed your reward usually is to be set to do another and harder and better one.

("The Horse and His Boy," page 155)

Previously we suggested that Lewis' above assertion was parallel to the declaration in Ethics of our Fathers that the reward of fulfilling one command is the opportunity to fulfill another. However, this parallel does not address the second part of Lewis' statement, that the next "good deed" would be a "harder and better one."

Perhaps a more accurate portrayal is, instead, the series of tests God placed before Abraham. Again turning to the Ethics of our Fathers we find:

Abraham our father, peace be upon him, was tested with ten tests and he withstood all of them. This is to demonstrate the great love of Abraham our father, peace be upon him. (5:3)

The commentaries disagree as to the exact identity of these ten tests (see for example the list of R' Ovadia Bartenura). But what was God's goal of administering these tests? The answer to this lies in the second part of the quotation from Ethics of our Fathers, "to demonstrate the great love of Abraham." The language is ambiguous and could mean:

(1) Abraham demonstrated his love of God by passing the ten test. 

(2) God demonstrated his love for Abraham by administering to him the ten tests.

The first meaning is straightforward. Abraham's willingness to follow God's commands, even when difficult and at times defying logic, demonstrates how much Abraham loved God. The second meaning is more opaque: how is God's love demonstrated by testing Abraham? Are the tests not challenging? Did not tests such as God's call to Abraham to sacrifice his son cause Abraham pain and anguish? To address these questions we must ask a more fundamental one: why does God administer tests in the first place? Does God not know the outcome of the test beforehand?

There are two general approaches to the question of why God administers tests. The first approach posits external reasons. For example, Abraham's successful completion of the tests explains to the world why God favors Abraham above all others, and perhaps encourages others to support Abraham and learn from his ways.

The second approach indicates internal reasons for the tests. In school for example, a teacher may give a test, not only to determine how well the students know the material, but to force students to study the material. The study itself is a goal, as only through study will the students internalize the material. The test is simply the method used to encourage the students to study. God, of course, knows the results of the test. Even so, a test administered by God is a growth opportunity for the one who takes it. With each successive, more difficult test, Abraham climbs to greater and greater spiritual heights. 

We can now return to our previous question: how does the administration of tests by God demonstrate His love for Abraham. The answer is self-evident. God’s love for Abraham is demonstrated because He continually provides Abraham with opportunities for spiritual growth. 

This latter approach is the one encapsulated in Lewis' above quoted assertion. Shasta felt that, having passed one test to show his loyalty to Narnia and the North, he should be given the opportunity to rest on his laurels and take a break at the home of the Hermit of the Southern Marsh. Aslan deemed otherwise. His love for Shasta required that Shasta have the opportunity for continued spiritual growth. This was especially and immediately necessary for Shasta as he was soon to be declared the prince, and future king, of Archenland. The opportunity to provide further spiritual growth is accomplished by charging Shasta with an even harder and better good deed; the quest to warn King Lune of the coming danger from the army of Rabadash. 

What was true for Shasta is true for each of us in our own lives. God constantly provides us, and at times forces us, into situations where we have the opportunity for spiritual growth. It is easy to be dismissive and at times even resentful of this, especially if we do not perceive others with the same challenges. Shasta's story teaches us not to give up. But even more so, his story teaches us that opportunities to perform good deeds are a reflection of God's love.