This past week at Ascend Camp with our teenagers, I heard Adam Bueltel preach a sermon out of Genesis 22 related to Abraham and God’s request to sacrifice Isaac. The story itself conjures up many emotions as you consider God asking Abraham to kill his own son. Putting the obvious foreshadowing of the future Lamb of God aside, this text requires worthy contemplation and discernment. If you were Abraham, what would you have done differently? Further, if you were required to make some kind of similar significant sacrifice yourself, what would you do differently?
Backstory of Abraham and Isaac
God made a number of promises to Abraham. At age 75 when he was still known as Abram, God promised:
3 “…I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:1-3)
God asks Abram to move by faith with Sarai his wife to a far country of which Abram was unaware. God promises blessings to him if he would. Again, he was age 75.
As Abram got older, God confirmed his initial promise with further assurances and additional covenants (Genesis 15). He told Abram:
5 “…Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” (Genesis 15:5)
The Bible says that Abram believed God (Genesis 15:6).
Almost 25 years later with still no son, God changed his name to Abraham, which means father of many nations. God also changed Sarai’s name to Sarah, which means mother of many nations (Genesis 17).
Sarah struggled believing God as Abraham was nearly a centurion and she 90. When she doubted, God asked Abraham, “Is there anything too hard for the Lord?” (Genesis 18:14)
Eventually, Abraham and Sarah had their son when Abraham was 100 years old. Isaac’s birth fulfilled God’s promise (Genesis 21:1-7).
God Asks Abraham to Sacrifice Isaac
If the story was not crazy enough, God asks Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. The Bible does not say exactly how old Isaac was when this happened. Rabbinic tradition claims that Isaac was near 37. In reality, it was probably between the age of seven and thirty-seven. We do not know exactly; however, he was probably older than a typical teenager.
God asks Abraham to sacrifice Isaac.
Then He [God] said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” (Genesis 22:2)
What would have been your response? I do not know. I do not pretend to know. I know that I struggle sometimes today with simple steps of obedience to God, much less obedience to a command like this.
Abraham’s response?
“So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him” (Genesis 22:3).
The next morning he got up early and began obeying. Incredible.
As you probably know, when Isaac asked his dad what they were going to use for the sacrifice, Abraham replied, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering” (Genesis 22:8).
When they arrived, Abraham built the alter, got the fire wood in place, bound Isaac, and laid him upon the alter. He raise his knife to kill Isaac before setting the alter ablaze. As he raised his knife, the Angel of the Lord stopped him. The Angel of the Lord said:
“Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me” (Genesis 22:12).
The text say that Abraham looked up and just behind him a ram was caught in a thicket. He took the ram and offered it as the sacrifice.
Why Would Abraham Be Willing to Obey?
Although we have hints throughout this story as to why Abraham was willing to obey this more than crazy command from God, the Book of Hebrews tells us what He was thinking. (Hints include God’s covenants to him that through Isaac there would be nations and that he said God would provide Himself a lamb.)
17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18 of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,” 19 concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense. (Hebrews 11:17-19)
As Genesis said, Abraham proved he feared God – that is, he respected what God asked him to do and chose in obedience to trust God. Although Abraham had never seen God raise anyone to life again, he believed that God would raise him up from the grave again. He trusted that God would fulfill His promises to Him. God tested his faith and Abraham passed with incredible perseverance.
What Would You Have Done Differently?
Thankfully God never requires us to literally sacrifice our children! In fact, God never required any person outside of this one instance to sacrifice his or her children. However, he does ask us to serve Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. He wants us to obey Him with the same kind of passion, devotion, trust, submission, and careful obedience as Abraham in this incidence.
If you were Abraham, would you have responded the way he did? Would you have obeyed? Would you have trusted God?
What about today? In your situation now, do you fear God – respecting Him, trusting Him, and submitting to Him?
This is an incredible challenge for each one of us. May we functionally pass the test in all the smaller moments of life too.
In the process, may God be glorified.
Image Credit Adam Wilson
KevinCarson.com | Wisdom for Life in Christ Together
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