What is it that you would be wiling to give up in your life? Would you be willing to give up your time to a cause such as a charity or nonprofit organization? Perhaps you would be willing to give away money or other monetary items to benefit the less fortunate. These sacrifices could seem ordinary compared to the sacrifice that must be made in order to make real changes. What would you be willing to give up?
The Biblical narrative of Abraham and Isaac tells a unique story. It explores the premise that in order to show complete devotion to God, Abraham must sacrifice his son Isaac on an altar. Every detail of what happened that day are not penned down in the Bible, so it leaves the reader with lots of unanswered questions. What was going through the mind of Isaac as he and his father, Abraham, were trekking up the mountain? Was Abraham having any second thoughts to what the Lord told him to do?
The narrative is recorded in Genesis chapter 22:
Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then He 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.” 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. Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.” So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together. But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” Then he said, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went together. Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” So he said, “Here I am.” And He 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.” Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. And Abraham called the name of the place, The- Lord -Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided.” and said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord , because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son — blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” So Abraham returned to his young men, and they rose and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba. Then the Angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, Genesis 22:1-19 NKJV
The words of the narrative suggest that Abraham was not worried about his son Isaac. At the beginning of the story Abraham tells his servants to stay behind so him and Isaac can worship the Lord, but they would both be back. If Abraham was not certain of this, I am not sure that he would say such things to his servants. One could say that he was optimistic about the situation, or perhaps he did not want to create panic about something that he did not fully understand. These are possibilities, but it may very well be that Abraham believed that even though God told him to sacrifice his son, that in some way God would provide another way that would keep his son alive.
The story continues as Abraham and Isaac make their way up the mountain. “Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, ‘Abraham, Abraham!’ So he said, ‘Here I am.’ And He 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.'” The questions that may loom in the mind of the reader is what was Isaac thinking as his father tied him up and laid him on the alter? Isaac was old enough at this point in his life that he could have overpowered his father and fought back. Why did Isaac choose to allow his father to do this to him? When the knife was raised to him, was he overcome with fear that his father was going to kill him? Any reasonable person could read this account and question why Isaac did not fight back.
The entire situation seems that it would be anxiety provoking for both Abraham and Isaac, what was going to transpire? However, by the grace of God, an Angel cried out from heaven to stop Abraham from going forward with what he was doing. This was a test that the Lord placed upon Abraham and it proved that he feared the Lord, even above the love he had for his son. Do we each have that type of deep love for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? Could we sacrifice our son or daughter, or anything so close to our hearts and prove that these things are nothing in comparison to Jesus? On a surface level, many Christians may boldly state that they could do such a thing, yet it is easier to say things when it is not a reality in your life.
Each day we are all tested by the various trials that can cause us to question God and His purpose through each of these challenges. However, after these events we often realize that God had a bigger plan. Abraham’s faith was tested by God and in the end God provided a different sacrifice. We too will have our faith tested, but unlike Abraham we are not always going to be saved or taken out of the situation. God will individually deal with each of us and He will gently move us along to draw us closer to Himself, and He does so with immeasurable love. We must remain obedient and willing to ride out the challenges of life and trust that God has a plan for each of us. May our faith grow as we go through these experiences.