Chapter 3
A Journey of Sacrifice
The Reading: Genesis 22:1-18
The Problem:
In the natural ties of family relationships, whomever we love – whether it’s our mother, father or children – we must love God more (Matthew 10:37). This was the challenge to Abraham as he went to the mountain of Moriah, believing that God had told him to sacrifice his only son, the son of God’s promise upon whom he had set his hopes for a great nation. But Abraham was obedient. He saddled his donkey, took two servants and his son, along with firewood, a knife, and fire, and headed towards the place that God had shown him.
The trip to Mount Moriah was about fifty miles – about a three-day journey. Can you imagine how heavy his heart was as they tramped along? Three days must have felt like an eternity, and yet not long enough, when embarking on such a trip to carry out such an unthinkable task.
The Bible doesn’t tell us how old Isaac was at the time of this event. However, if he was strong enough to carry the wood for his father, he would have been strong enough to resist his aging father, if he had chosen to do so. But Abraham must have invested considerable time and effort in being a good father, because we see Isaac was obedient and trusting in his father and had a submissive heart.
From Isaac’s question, we know he was old enough to understand the principle of sacrifice. From his willingness to become the sacrifice, we see that Isaac must have had a strong personal relationship with God – not just respect for the God of his parents.
The Turning Point:
What a horrible thing to be asked – to sacrifice your only son after so many years of waiting. And yet, Abraham trusted God and set out to do exactly what God had told him to do. What Abraham didn’t know was that while he was walking up one side of the mountain, God was sending a ram up the other.
Just as Abraham had lifted up the knife and was about to obey God, the Lord stepped in and stopped him. God said, “... Now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” (Genesis 22:12) It wasn’t that God didn’t already know that Abraham was going to obey. This was God’s way of showing Abraham that He knew Abraham was a man of faith, despite his failings. God knew Abraham was faithful and rewarded Abraham’s faith with the assurance of His blessing.
The Miracle That Followed:
Having obeyed God, Abraham experienced a miracle. “Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son” (Genesis 22:13).
The Bottom Line:
The obedience of Abraham is what the Lord wanted from him - not the sacrifice of Isaac. It is through this abandonment of self and self-interests that we learn to become obedient. God is looking for those who will trust Him for every provision in every situation, no matter how desperate it appears on the surface. When steps are taken in the direction of obeying God’s specific instructions, we put ourselves in the right position for God’s miraculous power to move in us and through us.
The story of the proposed sacrifice of Isaac has many parallels with the actual sacrifice of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
- Genesis 22:8 and John 1:29: Just as God provided the lamb (which was Jesus) to sacrifice, He provided the lamb for Abraham to sacrifice.
- Genesis 22:6 and John 19:17: Just as Jesus carried the means for his sacrifice (His cross), Isaac carried the wood for the fire for his own sacrifice.
- Genesis 22:1-10 and Acts 8:26-34: Just as Jesus never opened His mouth, we have no indication that Isaac ever opened his mouth to argue with his father, or resisted his father when being bound and laid on the altar.
- Genesis 22:2 and John 3:16: Just as Jesus was God's only and beloved Son, Isaac, after Ishmael was banished, was then Abraham's only and beloved son.
