Daily living advice | Christian Fellowship Christian Perspectives More Tips for Daily Living through Bible Study Family Articles Genesis 22:1-19 The Faith of Abraham Abraham is tested by God   22:1 Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied.   2 Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about."   3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled 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.   4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.   5 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."   6 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, 7 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?"   8 Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together.   9 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.   10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.   11 But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied.   12 "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."   13 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.   14 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."   15 The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16 and said, "I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 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, 18 and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me."   19 Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set off together for Beersheba.   And Abraham stayed in Beersheba. This is the Word of the Lord ... It is meant to change the way that we think, and the way that we live. Commentary by Bob Pardue Abraham is tested by God God tested Abraham in order to strengthen his ability to obey God. Abraham had been tested many times in the past so this time his obedience was instant and complete.  I'm sure that deep down Abraham was feeling a tremendous hurt and sadness over having to sacrifice his only son but he was willing to obey God's wishes because he had an unparalleled sense of trust in God. Have you ever been asked to give up something you loved deeply in order to do what God asked you to do? I think we all have at certain times in our lives. We could simply complain about the hand we are dealt (which I am certainly guilty of doing) or we can obey God's will in our lives and have a rich sense of joy that comes when we obey without hesitation. Abraham's test of obedience is a far cry from what most of us will ever encounter but we have been and will be tested by God in order to strengthen us. We have the choice to obey God or to disobey Him. It will never be easy but I hope that we will make the right choice as Abraham did. The fact that Abraham was able to trek fifty miles to Mount Moriah to kill and sacrifice his son without hesitation is simply amazing to me. But, I'm even more amazed at the parallel between this story and the story of Christ. God provided a ram to die instead of Abraham's son just as He provided Jesus Christ to die on the cross as a substitute for us. Abraham's son was spared at the final moment but God's son was not spared. If God had spared Jesus then the whole world would have died in His stead. We, as sinful creatures, deserve to die but God sent His only Son to die a slow and horrible death so that we can be saved from eternal death and live with God forever in eternal life just as the verse John 3:16 promises. Love in Christ - Bob If you have never made the commitment to receive the love and life-changing experience of Jesus Christ, please take a moment to go here and take the first steps to salvation. Bob Pardue is a member of First Baptist Church in Lancaster, SC. He is ordained from Rich Hill Baptist in Lancaster. Want to place this passage and commentary on your website or e-zine for content? This article may be freely reprinted or distributed in its entirety in any e-zine, newsletter, blog, or website. The author's name, bio, and website links must remain intact and be included with every reproduction. Bob Regarding Christian Fellowship There is a lot of talk in the Christian community about the effect that the Internet is having on Christian ministries.   Web based ministries like this one are constantly reminding themselves of being able to reach vast numbers of young people who they wouldn't have been able to talk to before about the Holy Bible and the word of God, all with the creation of a few simple websites.   There is something to be said for this type of Christian witnessing. It certainly is useful to be able to talk to people thousands of miles away, giving them advice for daily living and spreading the word of Jesus Christ without even having to leave the chair. Learning the Bible couldn't be easier, could it?   Does Cyberspace Lose that Christian Fellowship Factor?   Something is lost when communicating online, however. Christianity, you see, is not simply about preaching a set of doctrines. It is about Christian fellowship which means joining with fellow believers, getting together as a group and dedicated to spreading Christian values.   Still, there is a place for online Bible study. It can develop a community and give those people a guide for daily living that they otherwise might miss if left to research God's Word on their own.   Christian living is something we have to work at and, the people of the millennium just don't have as much time for weekday church services so, enter the age of daily Bible study on the Internet.   So, use all the youth group resources online, reach the young people on the Internet but don't lose the main point of all this ... To love God, love each other and make new disciples of Jesus Christ. Verses are from Life Application Study Bible: New International Version Comments are welcome. Please email me with any questions or comments you may have.