Ep. 9 - Abraham & Isaac
Genesis 22:1-14. Abraham’s faith is tested…big time.
Abraham’s Vision
It was nighttime, and old Abraham slipped into his bed. It was the end of another day, another day of serving God and living for His promise. And as old Abraham fell asleep on this particular night, maybe he thought about his life, and all the things that had led him to this point in his life. Maybe he thought about that day all those years ago when God had called him to leave his father’s family, and promised to make him into a great nation. Maybe he thoughts about the day that he had set out on his long journey from Ur to Canaan. Maybe his face looked pained for a moment as he remembered the whole embarrassing episode in Egypt, and how he had failed to trust God. Maybe he restlessly turned in his bed as he thought about that big mess with Hagar and Ishmael, and how he had failed to trust God to fulfill His promises. But then maybe a little smile came to his face as his mind turned to all the blessings that God had given him. God had blessed him with a lot of stuff – sheep, goats, cattle, silver, and gold – he had hundreds of people living around him just to take care of all his stuff. To the other nations around him, Abraham was a prince. And then maybe a big smile came on his face as he thought about his son, Isaac. His miracle son, whom he loved, and who was turning into an amazing young man. Isaac was the key to God’s promise that He’d made to Abraham all those year ago – His promise to make Abraham into a great nation. All of Abraham’s hopes and dreams, everything he did from day to day, his entire life, was wrapped into that boy. Abraham drifted off to sleep, full of happiness and thankfulness.
But what Abraham didn’t know, is that the most difficult time of his life was right in front of him.
After Abraham had fallen asleep, God came to him in a dream. And God said to him, “Abraham!”, and Abraham replied, “Here I am.” And God said, "Take now 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." (22:2) Eeeer? What? What had God said? You kidzos remember from a few episodes back when we talked about how to make an offering? Remember how they were supposed to take a lamb or a young goat, kill it, and then burn it? Well, that is what God was telling Abraham to do to with his son!
At first Abraham probably couldn’t believe it. There were so many things that just didn’t make sense. Isaac had been a miracle baby – born to a 90-year-old mother – and Isaac wouldn’t even exist if it hadn’t been for God directly making it happen. And before Isaac had been born, God had had named Isaac, and had, in no uncertain terms, promised that Isaac would have ga-gillions of descendants. Not to mention that this would be a human sacrifice, which Abraham knew that God hated. And never mind all that, how could God ask him to do this? He loved Isaac more than his own life. That was his boy. That was his son. What father could possibly kill his own son?
Abraham did not understand. What was going on! But even though Abraham did not understand, and even though he must have been going out of his mind, he remembered that he’d felt this way before. When he’d gone to Egypt, and found out that Pharaoh might kill him… he hadn’t understood, and then he made that big mistake of lying to Pharaoh. Then when Abraham and Sarah were getting older, and couldn’t have children anymore…he hadn’t understood, and then he made another big mistake by marrying Hagar. Each time when he hadn’t understood he had failed to trust God. And each time he had failed to trust God, he had regretted it…big time. And now, God was again asking him to do something that he did not understand. What was Abraham going to do?
Abraham Departs
Well, the Bible says, “Abraham rose early in the morning, and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.” (22:3) Abraham did not hesitate. He had learned the hard way that he had to trust God, no matter what. And even though he must have been dying inside, and even though he did not understand, he trusted God and obeyed.
The Bible says that it took Abraham, Isaac, and the two young men three (3) entire days to travel to Moriah where Isaac was to be offered on the alter. He had told Isaac that they that they were going to Moriah to offer a burnt offering, but had not told Isaac that Isaac was going to be the burnt offering. Maybe he didn’t tell him because he thought Isaac would resist, or maybe he just couldn’t bring himself to tell him. But whatever the reason, they traveled for three (3) long days with Abraham being the only one knowing what was really going to happen. Which meant that for three long days Abraham was all alone with his pain and hurt, with no one to talk to about it. There is no way that Abraham slept during any of those three days. And they must have been the longest three days of Abraham’s life.
Moriah
The Bible says that, “On the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said to his young men, ‘Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.’ So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together.” (22:4-6) And so, Isaac and Abraham started up the mountain. Abraham’s heart must have been pounding. Every step that they took brought them closer and closer to that dreaded moment. And they were almost there.
Now Isaac was probably only a teenager around this time, but he was old enough to know that something was wrong. And Isaac said to Abraham, “Father!”. Abraham replied, “Here I am, my son.” Then Isaac said, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Isaac still had no idea what was going on. I mean why would he right? I mean what son could have even guessed what was about to happen? Well, even though they were so close to their destination, Abraham still was not ready to tell him. And he replied to Isaac, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” (22:8) And so they continued their way up the mountain.
And the Bible says that, “They came to the place of which God had hold him. And Abraham built an alter there and placed the wood in order;” (22:9) And that moment that Abraham had been dreading for the last three (3) days, well…it had finally arrived. There was nothing left to do. Everything was ready, except for Isaac.
Abraham turned to his dear son, and finally hold Isaac about God’s message…and what they were there to do. I imagine that as Abraham explained God’s words to Isaac that tears streamed down his face. After three days of not sleeping, and three days of worrying and the dread…Abraham must have been completely exhausted. All of the pent-up emotions must have exploded out of him while was explaining this thing to his son.
Isaac listened to his father, and when he realized what they were there to do, I’m sure that at first he was horrified. God had told his father to do what? And I’m sure that Isaac must have been tempted to just run away. I mean, Abraham was an old man. If Isaac wanted to run, well, there was really nothing that Abraham could do to stop it. But, after everything that Abraham had been through in his life, after what happened in Egypt and with Hagar, Abraham had been careful to teach Isaac the hard lessons that he’d learned – and to trust God, no matter what. And amazingly, even in this insane situation, Isaac did just that. He let his father tie up his hands and tie up his feet and put him on the alter on top of the wood. Isaac offered up his life willingly, without any fight.
Abraham leaned over and picked up the knife. And as Abraham and Isaac said their final goodbyes, Abraham lifted the knife into the air…and…
“Abraham, Abraham!” Abraham heard a voice, coming from heaven. Abraham quickly put the knife down, and replied, “Here I am.” And the voice from heaven said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” (22:11-12) Oh it had been a test! Oh wow, it had been a test. God had never intended for Abraham to actually go through with it. That makes so much more sense!
Abraham was going to be the father of a very important nation, and he needed to set an example for his descendants. Abraham had sometimes failed to trust God in the past, and so God given Abraham a final test to prove once and for all that he trusted God.
With unspeakable joy, Abraham cut the ropes from Isaac’s hands and feet. And the Bible says that Abraham “lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by it’s horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son.” God had provided the ram, so that it could be sacrificed in place of his son.
And you know what kidzos, Moriah, the land where the ram had been sacrificed instead of Isaac? Well many years later, somewhere in the land of Moriah, in a place called Golgotha, another Son would come to be sacrificed. But this time, nothing would stop that sacrifice, because that Son was our Saviour, and He was sacrificed for you, and for me.
