“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, 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.’”
God wants Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, Abraham’s only son
God is suppose to be a loving god
What’s going on?
God is testing Abraham and will not benefit from this
God wants to use Abraham as the center piece to glorify
1 Peter 1:7
“These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”
God is testing people in a different way
God calls it a trial
God is purifying us through these trials
This is an awesome opportunity!!!
Abraham probably isn’t thinking this though
Deuteronomy 18:10
“Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft,”
Even the Bible says human sacrifice is bad
But during Abraham’s time sacrifice was an ordinary thing
Genesis 22:3-6
“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. 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.’ 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,”
Abraham and Isaac traveled for 3 days to get to the mountain
Think of the pain and agony that is going through Abraham’s head
When they get to the mountain Abraham and Isaac went up the mountain
But Abraham said TOGETHER
What is Abraham thinking?
Abraham is remembering God’s promise that Isaac’s lineage would save the race
Hebrews 11:17-19
“By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, ‘It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.’Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.”
Abraham believed in God’s promise
Abraham thought God would raise Isaac from the dead
Abraham still had faith
Genesis 22:7
“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?’”
Abraham is really feeling the agony
So much pain is going on in Abraham
Genesis 22:8
“Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.”
God will provide the lamb
Genesis 22:9-12
“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. Then he 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 your son, your only son.”
Abraham made MAJOR faith in God
God sent an angel to stop Abraham from killing his son
Genesis 22:13
“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.”
Animal sacrifice is different from human sacrifice
Humans have free will and rights
Animals only have instinct
Animal punishment shouldn’t count for us humans
Genesis 22:14
“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.’”
Mount Moriah = The Lord Will Provide
What is being taught about Abraham’s faith?
Genesis 15:6
“Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.”
RIGHTEOUSNESS
The Lord declared Abraham righteous
Abraham was saved through faith
Abraham’s faith is at an outstanding level
He waited so long for his son and yet God told him to sacrifice his only son
Abraham didn’t understand but he did know that he loved his son
Everything Abraham had, God blessed him with
Abraham still had faith through thick and thin
How does this apply to our lives?
As believers God gives us many amazing gifts
Sometimes as believers we focus on the gifts and NOT the giver
There’s nothing wrong enjoying the gifts
But when we’re totally focused on our gifts, it’s wrong
God could want our gifts back
Are we going to be willing to give the gift back?
God told Abraham it was okay to trust him
God couldn’t explain to Abraham what he was planning
It wouldn’t have the same effect if he told Abraham
Romans 8:28
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Isaac
Carrying wood on his back = Christ carrying the cross
Climbing up the mountain = Christ tiredly walking up the same mountain
Angel stopped Abraham… No one stop Jesus being crucified
Hebrew 12:2
“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
