Genesis 22:1-19

The Faith of Abraham

Sacrifice of Isaac

 

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.

Abraham is tested by God

God tested Abraham in order to strengthen his ability to obey God.

Obedience

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.

Our Sacrifice

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.

God Gives Us a Choice

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.

God's Only Son

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 are Saved by the Sacrifice of Christ

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

Comments are welcome. Please email me with any questions or comments you may have.

Genesis 21:8-21 - Sarah is Jealous - This is the story of how Sarah became jealous of Hagar and Ishmael in the Book of Genesis.