Genesis 22:1-18 (NLT)
Abraham’s Faith Tested
22 Some time later, God tested Abraham’s faith. “Abraham!” God called.
“Yes,” he replied. “Here I am.”
2 “Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.”
3 The next morning Abraham got up early. He saddled his donkey and took two of his servants with him, along with his son, Isaac. Then he chopped wood for a fire for a burnt offering and set out for the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day of their journey, Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 “Stay here with the donkey,” Abraham told the servants. “The boy and I will travel a little farther. We will worship there, and then we will come right back.”
6 So Abraham placed the wood for the burnt offering on Isaac’s shoulders, while he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them walked on together, 7 Isaac turned to Abraham and said, “Father?”
“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.
“We have the fire and the wood,” the boy said, “but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?”
8 “God will provide a sheep for the burnt offering, my son,” Abraham answered. And they both walked on together.
9 When they arrived at the place where God had told him to go, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it. Then he tied his son, Isaac, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. 10 And Abraham picked up the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice. 11 At that moment the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
“Yes,” Abraham replied. “Here I am!”
12 “Don’t lay a hand on the boy!” the angel said. “Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son.”
13 Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. So he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering in place of his son. 14 Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means “the Lord will provide”). To this day, people still use that name as a proverb: “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”
15 Then the angel of the Lord called again to Abraham from heaven. 16 “This is what the Lord says: Because you have obeyed me and have not withheld even your son, your only son, I swear by my own name that 17 I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants[a] beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will conquer the cities of their enemies. 18 And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed—all because you have obeyed me.”
As I was reading the word this morning, God had highlighted some of the verses and shared with me a word for you today.
With great blessings, comes great testing!
Many of you know the story of Abraham’s faith being tested on the mountain by being asked to sacrifice his son Issac. It’s interesting that God had blessed him with a son at such an old age which is a testimony of his faith in God, yet God decided to test his faith again with the very blessing He gave him.
In the text it says that Issac turned to His father and started asking him, “we have the fire and the wood, but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?” And Abraham responds with “God will provide a sheep for the burnt offering, my son.”
Now when I read that I thought to myself, he just straight up lied to his son. Unless “sheep” means “son” in Hebrew, I don’t think God said He would provide a sheep for him to sacrifice. Then I thought, well if you told your son that he was going to be sacrificed, how willing would he be to get tied up and laid on an altar for a sacrifice?
We know by reading the rest of the text that God intervenes and stops Abraham from sacrificing his son and even provides him with a ram to be sacrificed in place of his son. Abraham goes on to name the place Yahweh-Yireh “The Lord will provide” and God speaks to him about his obedience to Him.
What I want to suggest to you is a reasoning for Abaham’s response “God will provide a sheep for the burnt offering my son.”
You see Abraham prior to this event, had been tested with his faith and obedience many times; Called to leave his native country and go where God will show him, sparing his nephew Lot’s life through intercession as well as his own in foreign lands, and giving him a son at such an old age. I just believe that when Abraham responded to his son, he was remembering all the times God has shown him what to do, all the times God had blessed him and protected him and his family. I believe he responded out of that faith.
I believe Abraham was not only rehearsing the promises God had spoken over him before but He was also rehearsing all the times God came through. I just believe that Abraham had built up his faith in God that he just knew that the Lord would provide. I believed he drew from all his times of being obedient to God and thought “He hasn’t failed me yet.”
In verse 12 the angel said to Abraham that his obedience showed that he truly feared God because he didn’t withhold from Him even his son. Abraham feared God enough to do what God told him to and had faith enough to believe that He would provide. That is definitely something we can all learn from.
Lifespring, As the Lord blesses you and tests you, because He will, I encourage you to draw from yesterday’s faith, rehearse the promises and victories God has given you so that you may respond in boldness when you are tested. Have the faith and obedience to do what God is asking you to do and to know that He will see you through. For Abraham has said it, “The Lord will provide.”
Father, I thank you that you are faithful in every season. I thank you that the call to maturity requires testing and we know that test produces perseverance and perseverance produces our character. I thank you that you are constantly blessing us and giving us opportunities to show us who you are. I ask that you would help us to have the faith and obedience to do what you are asking of us. Give us the peace that surpasses all understanding, the peace that comes from knowing that you are still God. We pray this all in Jesus’ Name, Amen.