Obedience Over Sacrifice…Do You Pass the Test? part 8

Did you pass?

I often asked this question of my boys after they had a hard test at school.  Sometimes it wasn’t so much the grade that they received but more if they passed.

 Did you know that God also gives us tests? He will never tempt us, but He will test us.  He tests us to see if we are worthy of His calling.

The story of Abraham and Isaac continues with a test. Taking a stroll up a mountain, they prepared themselves to pass.

“Some time later God TESTED…” Genesis 22:1 NIV

“Hey Abraham…it’s time for a test! Are you up for the challenge?  You have done a great job so far, but this test is big.”

“Here I am,” he replied.” Genesis 22:1 NIV

“Take your son, your only son, whom you love – Isaac – and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.” Genesis 22:2 NIV

Take your son…

now, I have I have taken my boys many places; the park, Six Flags, baseball games, shopping.  But I never took any of my boys to where God was asking Abraham to take Isaac.

The story of the sacrifice of Isaac is a familiar story to most.  It causes confusion and to be honest, a bit of distaste for God.  Why would God ask any parent to do this? Filtering this through our human minds, our perspective is limited. Abraham was not just any parent and Isaac was not just any son. Within Abraham and Isaac, God desired to carry his covenant, His promise for His people.  It was through this covenant that the world would be saved, so this test is big!!!

• If Abraham said no, would the covenant be lost? Would the hope for the world be gone?

• If Abraham said yes and killed his only son, would the covenant be lost?  Would the hope for the world be gone?

There is a lot at stake here not just for their lives but for ours. Could this have been the catalyst that destroyed hope for the world? We don’t know because the story doesn’t end that way.  But what we do know is that God is so much bigger than that!

Child sacrifice was not unheard of in the days of the Old Testament.  There is nothing more despicable to us than to kill your own child.   Interestingly, God also detested child sacrifice as stated in Jeremiah 7:30-31 and Deuteronomy 12:29-31. So, if God himself hates child sacrifice,…

• Why did God ask?

Was it for us to have a story to relate to? We often use this story to try to relate it to our own lives. “Maybe what God is asking is like the sacrifice God asked of Abraham to kill his own son.” We equate it to situations in life when God brings us to the brink of giving something up, yet hoping it is just a test. Really?  Do we really think that there is anything in our lives that comes remotely close to this sacrifice asked of Abraham? I don’t think so!  I have never had to take one of my sons and place them on a bed of wood readying them for my knife to sacrifice.

• Why did Abraham agree?

One theory is that he believed God would resurrect Isaac. Or was Abraham’s faith so huge that his obedience ranked higher than his sacrifice? We really don’t know why Abraham agreed or if he battled in his decision. But the fact is that he agreed. That is an unfathomable faith!

As the story continues, Abraham follows through with what God asks him to do. He heads up the mountain to sacrifice his only Son.

In the story, God rescinds!  As the knife was readied to kill, God says STOP. Put your knife down!

“Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” Genesis 22:12 NIV

“Abraham, you pass the test! I’m so proud of you and your faith. I’m proud that you would give to Me your only Son. You are truly a man of faith and obedience!”

When we look at this story, we want to ask ourselves if we are a person of such faith? It is an honorable question and one that we need to ask of ourselves. But the story presented here goes much further than us asking ourselves the faith question.

There is a reason for this test that takes us far beyond a story we can relate to or a faith measure for ourselves. This story take us to the cross!!!

Listen to what God says…

“I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, ¹⁷ 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, ¹⁸ and through your offspring^[b] all nations on earth will be blessed,^[c] because you have obeyed me.” Genesis 22:16-18 NIV

Follow along with me…

God spoke to Abraham long before his son, Isaac, was born.

God promised Abraham that he would be the father of a nation.

Not because God wanted a lot of children, but because it was through His children that He longed to carry his covenant of salvation.  Salvation that we so desperately need today because of the sin in this world. If God would have allowed Isaac to be killed that day, the hope of the covenant would have also died. Now, what we don’t know is whether God would have orchestrated another plan. But what we do know, is that He chose to keep Isaac alive to carry this covenant forward.

When you look at this story of sacrifice, the similarities to the sacrifice of God’s only son is uncanny.  I’m not saying that this is the story of Jesus foretold. But I do know both father’s, Abraham and the heavenly Father faced the sacrifice of their only son. They both placed their son on a hill. And both sons carried the hope of salvation. But within this story of Isaac, God was not ready to offer the ultimate hope for salvation. It wasn’t time!

Within this story, God made provision for us! He tested Abraham to see if his faith was strong and worthy to carry the covenant of old to the covenant of new.  It is through the covenant of new that we can find our salvation through the sacrifice of death in Jesus Christ.  God took his only son and laid Him on the altar of sacrifice.  God did not swoop down in the final moment to save His son from and excruciating death on the cross. Unlike the story of Isaac, Jesus was killed. When Jesus died the world went dark. The world lost all hope of salvation.  How can a dead man save my soul? But through His death also came resurrection. Through His resurrection, life was claimed.  Life for us in Christ…the hope for our world.

Two fathers…

              Two only sons…

                           Two sacrifices…

                                         ONE DEATH! The hope of our salvation!