How Well Do We Obey?

God said “sacrifice him” and Abraham obeyed. The next day, Abraham saddled up his donkey and chopped enough wood to use for a sacrifice. He then set out with his son and two servants toward the region of Moriah just as God instructed.

In Genesis 22, the Bible tells us that eventually Abraham and Isaac parted ways with the servants so that they could worship. It also says that Isaac carried the wood for the sacrifice on his back. (This young man is no weakling!) Abraham carried the fire and the knife. Eventually, a specific question had to be asked…

“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” (verse 7)

Abraham was honest with Isaac and told him that God would “provide the lamb for the burnt offering.” (verse 8)

Soon they arrived at the specific location that God had directed them, and Abraham got busy building an altar and then started arranging the wood. You have to wonder what Abraham was thinking. Was he praying? Was he hoping that an animal would suddenly appear? Amazingly, we don’t have to wonder what he was thinking because God gives us the answer! Hebrews 11:19a says “By faith…Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead.” So, what was Abraham thinking as he built the altar and arranged the wood? If Isaac had to die, God would then have to raise him from the dead. Abraham was remembering the words of the covenant and believed that God would be faithful to that promise! 

Once I realized that Abraham’s thoughts were revealed to us in Hebrews, it made me start wondering what Isaac must have been thinking. His dad had already told him that God would provide “the lamb,” but can we know anything more for sure? Was Isaac studying his dad as he built the altar, or did he lend a hand? Was he listening intently and looking over the countryside to see if there was a lamb wandering around nearby? Unless I’ve missed a piece of the puzzle hidden away in Scripture, I don’t think we’ll ever know those answers this side of heaven.

What we do know is that there must have been a conversation between Abraham and Isaac. Because in the next part of this story, we see that Abraham “bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.” (verse 9b) Ummm. So, how did that come about? What would make Isaac willingly allow his father to bind him up and lay him on an altar of sacrifice? An altar that would soon be in flames?

Because the Bible doesn’t give us the next part of the narrative, we don’t know for sure what happened. My guess is that a very hard conversation took place. One of those tough father-son conversations which culminated in Isaac’s deeper understanding of the situation. Ultimately, what God was asking Abraham to do also required his own obedience. It must have been quite the father and son moment because the next thing we learn is that Abraham “reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.” (verse 10)

Right before Abraham’s knife was released down toward Isaac’s flesh, God saved them both! Father was saved from having to kill his son. Son was freed from the pain and suffering of death. And, Abraham passed the test. He demonstrated his complete faith, trust and surrender to the Almighty and Sovereign God. He withheld nothing from his God, and God blessed Abraham - even saving him from having to endure the potential follow through. 

There was no doubt. Abraham’s heart was truly right before God, and that is all that mattered. But, God already knew that, right? After all, He is all-knowing! However, now both Isaac and Abraham knew, without a doubt, where Abraham’s loyalties were. Then, and only then, God provided the lamb because He is Jehovah Jireh, the God that Provides!

This story makes me wonder. How well are we sharing our faith and our witness with the next generation? Do we allow them to hear what struggles we face as we go through life, either now or in days past? Have they heard our testimony of salvation, of God’s grace or of God’s daily provisions in our lives? Are we instilling in our children a faith like Abraham and Isaac? Are we teaching them to know, without a doubt, that God will provide - but maybe not in the ways we expect?

In eternity, I look forward to hearing Isaac’s side of the story (and Abraham’s for that matter!). How did this Mt. Moriah experience all play out? Was there a struggle? Did Abraham have to talk Isaac down, or was he simply willing to follow his father’s lead? Was Isaac scared? Did he hear or remember what his dad had told the servants before they went up on the mountain? Abraham had told them, “We will worship and then we will come back to you.” (verse 5) Who? We! Abraham professed his faith before these servants and his son, and he had every reason to have this confidence in his Almighty God.

Because of Abraham’s faithfulness (and Isaac’s part in the process), we are blessed. Whatever you may be facing in life, remember that we believe in and serve a God that we can trust with our lives – and the lives of our children and our children's children. Our job is to obey God’s call and to love and serve Him each and every day. After all, God’s got a way planned out especially for you and me! It’s our job to listen for His voice and follow!

“…because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth (that includes us!) will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.’” Genesis 22:16-18

May you feel God's presence and His blessing as you seek to share your faith, in word and deed, with your children and all those God puts in your path.