It was the battle for the ages. Abraham had been through quite an adventure leaving all that he knew at age 75 and starting to Canaan. All He had was a promise from God, but for Abraham, that had been enough. Over the next twenty-five years Abraham had to fight battles, make deals and watch his son Ishmael be sent away, all at God’s leading. Now Isaac was a young man, Abraham had raised him to trust God and told him of the plan to make Him a great nation.
On this day as Abraham was following God, God set the entire plan on its head. He told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. It made no sense. All the strife with Ishmael the years of barrenness and trust all seemed for nothing, well unless you truly trusted God. Abraham did. He followed God’s command. He prepared to sacrifice Isaac. He told isaac, however, even as the end was drawing near, that He knew God would provide. And as a man of faith that he was, Abraham raised his knife to sacrifice Isaac.
God stopped him of course. It was not God’s character to sacrifice Isaac. He did want Abraham to see that He could truly trust God with that which was most precious to Abraham. So, God provided a Ram. Abraham and Isaac prepared the sacrifice. At the close of that day, God showed Abraham the confirmation of all he had been through. He would establish Isaac as a great nation. He would fulfill his covenant with Abraham. God also gave Abraham and al who would follow the picture of the faith and Love God had for us.
When God was at that same place, He laid His only Son, Jesus, on the alter, and sacrificed Him on a cross at Golgotha. It was the only way to honor His commitment to Abraham and save all that followed from sin and death. God completed the sacrifice because He loves us and wants to have that relationship with us for eternity. He wants us to be able to trust and follow Him as Abraham did. God gave his most precious gift because in His mind, WE are worth the sacrifice.
God showed us that Abraham was a superhero. He calls us to be superheroes as well. To do that, we simply need to trust and follow Him. God will do the rest.
God Bless You
After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 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.” 3 So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. 4 On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. 5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy[a] will go over there and worship and come again to you.” 6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. 7 And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” 8 Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.
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. 10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 12 He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” 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. 14 So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”;[b] as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.
Walking With God 