Abraham loved his son Ishmael whom Hagar bore, but Isaac was the miracle son Sarah gave birth to, and through whom God was going to increase and bless the nation. Even though Abba Father God also loved Ishmael and blessed him, Isaac was considered the ”only” son of promise.
”Some time 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.”
”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.” (Gen. 22:1-5)
This passage is rich with meaning. Abraham got up as early as possible to obey God. His obedience was immediate, even though his heart was aching; he knew he must obey. He did not consult anyone, even Sarah. He kept the matter between himself and his Father God. Even though he had servants, he cut and prepared the wood for the sacrifice himself = humility.
Abraham’s obedience was an act of worship. He also believed that God would cause a miracle and PROVIDE another offering as he said ”…WE (him and Isaac) will be back.” Are we prepared to obey God like that even if He might want to remove the most valuable thing in our lives? After Abraham and Isaac built the altar, Abraham ”reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 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 (Father God) your son, your only son.” (Gen. 22:10-12) Then God provided a ram for Abraham to sacrifice on the altar.
God also did not withhold His ONLY Son, Jesus Christ from us, but He loves us so much, that He sent Jesus to take all our sins upon Himself to be crucified on an awful, dreadful cross. Yet Jesus defeated Satan and rose to life on the third day, proving Himself Victorious over death. Likewise, when we accept Jesus and surrender our lives to Him; we can also have Eternal life!
The purpose of God testing us, is to strengthen our characters and deepen our trust and relationship with Him. If Christ tests us, we need to be able to say like Job did after his extremely difficult tests which God allowed the devil to bring upon him – ”But He (Almighty God) knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” (Job 23:10)
Precious loving Father God, thank You for the example of Abraham’s immediate obedience, and for the Gift of Jesus Christ, Your beloved Son. Please help me to not hesitate to obey You instantly, but to surrender my own will to Thine and to have the assurance that You will always provide the right solutions. Amen
Myrtle Turunen