In Genesis 12, God called Abram (later known as Abraham) to go to a land that He would give to him and his descendants (Genesis 12:1-2), except there was one problem. Abraham and Sarah were in their old age and had no children. Abraham was 75 years old at the time.

God instructed Abram to count the number of stars in the sky (Genesis 15:1-6), and encouraged him that as many as the stars are in the sky, so shall his descendants also be. The Lord was faithful to His word and Sarah had a child; a son (Genesis 18:14; 21:5). She named him Isaac, meaning ‘the Lord has made me laugh’ because who would have thought a 90-year-old woman would ever have a child?

Fast forward many years later, God asked Abraham to do the unthinkable. Imagine being Abraham, after waiting on God for 25 years to fulfill a promise, only to be asked to lay it down as an offering. And it wasn’t just any offering. It was a burnt offering. The choice sacrifice wasn’t going to be a four-legged creature, but the son that he loved. What can we learn from Abraham on his way to the altar?

1. Abraham walked with God

In the last 10 chapters we read of Abraham’s journey: he left his home country, wavered in his faith, leaned on his own understanding, rescued his nephew Lot, interceded for Sodom and Gomorrah, conquered his enemies, won battles, built altars and favour in a foreign land.

Genesis 22:1a
After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”.

It was almost as if, God had deliberately waited for Abraham to get to a certain stage in his life where he was probably comfortable. He lived in a fruitful land with multiple servants and livestock. Most importantly, he finally received the promised child, Isaac.

It wasn’t until ‘after these things’ that God decided to test him. Could Abraham be trusted with the promise of having a great name and generational blessing (Genesis 22:16-18).

When God called Abraham, there was an immediate response to the voice of his Creator. There was a call “Abraham”, and there was a response “Here, I am”. The timeliness of Abraham’s response shows us that he lived in submission to God. There was a rhythm between the two of them. God spoke and Abraham listened, and vice versa.

The only reason why Abraham responded quickly was because he spent time with the Lord. He was a friend who walked with God. It wasn’t a casual relationship but an intimate one. However, this can be hard to practice if we don’t recognize His voice for ourselves.

Abraham’s response also serves as a challenge for all of us in our everyday walk. What is our heart posture when our heavenly Father speaks to us in prayer, through His word, or simply calls our name? Do we respond out of love, fear, or obligation? Do we respond quickly, or slowly? Is it “Here I am” or are we wondering if there is an ulterior motive?

2. Abraham trusted God.

Genesis 22:2
He said, “Take 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.” 

This might seem like just another offering, except it was more than that. In the book of Leviticus, there were many types of offerings, and each offering had its own purpose.

The burnt offering, as the name implies, was an offering that was wholly devoted to the Lord and wholly consumed (Leviticus 1). The reason why this is important is because burnt offerings meant there weren’t any leftovers. Whatever a person offered to God, belonged to God entirely. 

For some offerings (e.g. grain, fellowship, and sin offering) certain parts of the animal were burnt whilst the other parts of the animals could be kept for the priest, as their own portion (Leviticus 2:3; 5:11; 7:31-34). For Abraham to be asked to offer up his son as a burnt offering, meant that his son belonged to the Lord. There was no guarantee that he was going to get Isaac back.

And yet, this didn’t deter Abraham. It tells us that the very next morning, he gathered his son, two servants, and the materials that he would need to set up the altar for the burnt offering (Genesis 22:3). Abraham didn’t hesitate or ask the Lord if he could have a couple of days to “process” the instructions given to him. Nor did he say, “I’ll pray about it”, “I’ll do it tomorrow” or wait to get several “confirmations”. He knew that God had spoken.

Abraham embarked on a journey and although we may not know what was running through his mind, his son Isaac noticed that something was missing. They had wood, the fire, but no lamb (Genesis 22:7). Most altars built in the Old Testament required an animal sacrifice.

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.

There was a quiet confidence in the Lord, which was only possible because he had a history with God. Abraham had witnessed God’s faithfulness even in his moments of weakness. He knew the character of God and was able to trust him, even if he would face disappointment in the future. Abraham’s life and the life of his son was in His hands.

3. Abraham obeyed God.

Genesis 22:9
When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 

Abraham’s willingness to offer up Isaac showed that he trusted God. Obedience is proof that we trust God. It’s easy to say that we love the Lord and even make vows unto Him during our mountaintop moments, but what about when we have our valley moments? How many of us would still say we love Him if He was to ask us to demonstrate it too?

God’s love language isn’t acts of service, words of affirmation, or quality time; it’s obedience. None of those things are acceptable substitutes for our obedience. It’s not enough to say that we trust Him or love Him without our actions matching. As he was about to draw the knife, an angel of the Lord appeared to stop Abraham from performing the final act (Genesis 22:10). The angel says,  

Genesis 22:11
“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.”

God tested Abraham to see if he would not withhold anything from Him. Yes, Abraham loved the Lord, but he probably loved Isaac just a little more without realizing it. Isaac would be considered his pride, joy, and heir.

Isaac was a gift, but God was the Giver. He was the source of Abraham’s strength and success.  Abraham knew that his son came from the Lord, but he also understood that God had every right to ask for it back. After all, it starts and ends with Him.

When God gives us a blessing, there is a tendency for us to become more preoccupied with the gift rather than the Giver. We hold onto it a little tighter, forgetting that it still belongs to Him. This becomes a problem when the Lord asks us to surrender because we believe it’s “ours” and not His.

We’re only stewards of what we’ve been entrusted with. Nothing should be precious in our sight that we cannot give it back to Him when He asks of it. There is no blessing that is more worthy than Him. If the Lord were to ask us to lay “Isaac” down on the altar, would we do it willingly or would we wrestle?

Wrestling reveals that there is an area in our life that we haven’t fully surrendered. There will always be a “wrestle” or struggle between what our flesh desires versus what the Lord desires. The flesh will do what it can to stay alive because dying to self is painful. But if we really want His will to be done, it will cost us something.

We may read this passage in the bible and try to create a formula out of it. Almost like reverse psychology, that if we surrender our desires or “Isaac” to the Lord then we’ll get it back. Surely, the Lord will provide a ram in the bush, but what if He doesn’t? What if we lay it down on the altar and He takes it away? Would you still trust Him?

4. Jesus trusted and obeyed God.

Genesis 22:13
And 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

The event that took place in Moriah was significant for another reason. It was a foreshadowing of what God was going to do for humanity. The ram in the bush was symbolic of Jesus who would be our substitute and pay the price for our sins. The Lord provided (Jehovah Jireh) the solution for His redemption plan.

Like Abraham, Jesus’ trust and obedience in God had been tested in the wilderness. He wrestled in the garden of Gethsemane but still yielded to the Lord during it (Luke 22:39-43). He was obedient to the point of death on a cross; (Philippians 2:8) because of his love for God and for us. He laid down his life on the cross (the altar) and was the sacrificial lamb.

God could have forsaken us which would lead to eternal separation, but instead, He gave. He gave His son, His only son Jesus Christ, whom He loved as a ransom for many. So that those who believe in His son would have eternal life (John 3:16).

There was nothing that God withheld from us, and He desires the same. That we wouldn’t withhold anything from Him.

God bless,
Susan.