When they arrived at the place that God had told him about, Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood. He bound his son Isaac and placed him on the altar on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son.
But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!”
He replied, “Here I am.”
Then he said, “Do not lay a hand on the boy or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your only son from me.” Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught in the thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son.   Genesis 22:9-13 HCSB

This story has always amazed me. Abraham waited 25 years for God to fulfill His promise and give a son to him and his wife Sarah. He now has this boy who has grown to be a young man. We don’t know how old Isaac is, but he was old enough and strong enough to carry wood up a mountain.

All of a sudden, God tells Abraham to travel to this place and sacrifice Isaac as a burnt offering. Do what? Now remember that God had not only promised Abraham and Sarah that they would have a son, but He told them that he would be the father of a great nation. They told him that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars. How will this happen is he is sacrificed on the altar?

But we are told in Hebrews 11 that Abraham trusted God and trusted in His promise. He believed that God would keep His promise one way or another. In Genesis 22:5, Abraham tells his servants to wait while he and Isaac go worship. He tells them that they will come back. He doesn’t say he will come back, he says, “we will come back”. Abraham trusted God completely. In Hebrews 11:19 it says that Abraham considered God to be able even to raise someone from the dead. He trusted that one way or the other, God would keep the promises He had made to him regarding Isaac.

Now Abraham hadn’t always trusted. When God told him and his wife Sarah that in their old age they would bring forth their son, they laughed. When Abraham faced heathen king Abimelech, he plotted and planned things on his own telling Abimelech that Sarah was his sister. He feared that he would be in danger and Abimelech may kill him so he could have his wife. But, God intervened and even made all this work out for Abraham and Sarah’s good.

Jesus Christ went all the way for us. We are told in Philippians 2:8 that he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death-even to death on a cross. Verse 9 tells us for this reason God highly exalted Him.

How far are you willing to go? Are you willing to humble yourself? Are you willing to be obedient even if it means going all the way?

My friend are you going through a test? Genesis 22:1 tells us that God was testing Abraham. Hebrews 11:17 tells us that by faith, when Abraham was tested, he offered up Isaac. When we go through tests, our faith must remain strong if we expect God to reward us.

The interesting thing about this test is that God could have stopped Abraham anywhere along the way. He could have stopped him before he left home to make this three day journey. He could have stopped him before he and Isaac walked up the mountain. He could have stopped him before Isaac was strapped to the top of the altar.

This brings about another point. Isaac silently is led like a lamb to the slaughter, just as Jesus would later do. Isaac had observed the great faith of his father. Isaac even asked Abraham in verse 7 “Where is the lamb?” He trusted God completely when Abraham said God would provide. If he was strong enough to carry wood up a mountain, he was strong enough to resist, but he did not. He surrendered and submitted to God’s will, just as his father did. Our children are watching what we do. Will we model faithful obedience for them?

Only when Abraham raised his knife to slaughter Isaac, did God stop him. Only then, when he was about to commit the final act of obedience, did God stop him and provide the ram.

If you are going through a test, trust and obey. Follow Abraham’s lead. God was with Abraham every step of the way. He provided all that was needed. God had to lead that ram up the mountain to get stuck in the thicket at just the right time. Think about that. God leaves nothing to chance. He’s got this. Just trust and obey Him and He will provide all that you need.

Have a great day!