In Genesis 22:1-19 we read the famous account of how God commanded Abraham to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice. This short account gives us important insights valuable to our walk with Christ.
What can we learn from their experience? Here are a few things we should note.
1) When God calls us to do something, it can be pretty terrifying
God promised Abraham that he'd be the father of many nations. Of course we can imagine Abraham being happy with his son Isaac - after all, he was his child with Sarah.
Perhaps we can imagine Abraham thinking about the nation that God promised him every single time he looked at Isaac. He probably thought that someday, Isaac would have children of his own, and would soon have his own descendants.
But then, God shocked Abraham with a terrifying command in Genesis 22:2, saying:
"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."
Abraham's happiness probably turned to gloom as he thought of sacrificing Isaac in obedience to God. Moreover, he himself had to offer his son as a burnt offering, not just leave him on the mountains to die.
2) Faith in God allows us to obey His commands no matter how hard
If we were in Abraham's shoes, we'd probably be discouraged big-time upon hearing God say that we are to offer our Isaac to Him, no questions asked.
Abraham, however, wasn't. His faith allowed him to obey God without flinching.
"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." (Genesis 22:6-8)
Abraham believed God could give him a son even in his old age. If God could give him Isaac, he probably thought, God could give him another son and more.
3) God wants us to prioritize Him above all
We understand that Isaac must've been such a joy to Abraham, a young boy given to an old man who had problems with having his own son with his wife. More than that, Isaac would daily remind Abraham of God's promise to give him descendants too many to count.
God, however, wanted Abraham to prioritize Him, not His promise nor the child He gave to him. Thus He commanded Abraham to give Isaac up.
In His goodness, however, God didn't want Isaac killed. He wanted Abraham totally obedient to Him, and prioritizing Him above all.
"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."" (Genesis 22:12)
In closing
Friends, we ought to be like our father Abraham. He obeyed God even when His command was terrifying, had faith in God even when it seemed hard to believe, and prioritized God over and above his own dreams.
Let's learn from him.
