“Sometime later God tested Abraham. He said to him, ‘Abraham!’ ‘Here I am,’ he replied. Then God said, ‘Take your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.’” Genesis 22 1:2 NKJV
Uhm… That’s a pretty odd request, “Go sacrifice your kid,” coming from a God Who supposedly IS love.
I don’t know about you, but I’d be like, “Really, God? You can’t be serious!”
But check out Abraham:
“Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. He said to his servants, ‘Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.’” vs 3-5
He’s all, “Stay here guys while Isaac and I go worship God (the same God that said to kill his son).” Then he added, “WE will come back to you.”
Abraham trusted God so much that he literally told his servants that he AND the boy will be back. Perhaps he knew God would provide the sacrifice or maybe even that God would raise his boy from the dead after he had been killed. Either way, Abraham declared in faith that they would return.
“Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, ‘Father?’ ‘Yes, my son?’ Abraham replied. ‘The fire and wood are here,’ Isaac said, ‘but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?’
Abraham answered, ‘God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.’ And the two of them went on together.” Vs.6-8
And, what about Isaac? “Hey, dad?” “Yes, son?” “So, I see the fire and the wood. But where’s the sacrifice?” He’s had to have figured this situation out by now. Maybe it’s just me, but if I thought my dad was taking me up a mountain to kill me, I certainly wouldn’t follow. Not Isaac. He trusted not only God, but his father’s relationship with God.
“When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.” Vs.9
Again, if I where Isaac, I’d be running off at minimum. Dear ole’ dad is about 100 years old by now. Surely Isaac could have fought him off and outrun him.
“Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.” Vs. 10
If I happened to manage to obey God in this whole sacrifice your child thing, I think this is the moment I’d back out for sure! But not Abraham! Wow, what faith!
“But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, ‘Abraham! Abraham!’ ‘Here I am,’ he replied. ‘Do not lay a hand on the boy,’ he said. ‘Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.’
Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, ‘On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.’” Vs. 11-14
Abraham trusted God to the point he was willing to sacrifice his beloved son. Some of us, myself included, don’t even trust God with the simplest of requests. God says tithe. We say, “But I can’t afford it.” God says quit your job and go there. We say, “But I’m 5 years away from retirement.” God says talk to that person about Yeshua. We say, “But I don’t want to offend them.” God says love your enemies. And we say, “But you don’t know what they did to me.”
We have 100% free will to listen or not to listen to the voice of God when He tells us something. But, don’t you know by now that when He does we ought to trust and obey? His ways are so much better than what our flesh can imagine for ourselves.
“The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, ‘I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.” Vs 15-18
Abraham’s test was a picture of God’s ultimate sacrifice- His own beloved Son who died for us on the cross. Since God did this amazing act of love for you, why wouldn’t you put your unwavering trust in Him? God always provides. Will you put your trust in Him?
In His Service,
Rebecca Hamilton, Founder/ Executive Director
For Every Great Battle, There is a Great Victory!!