God Testing Abraham

God Testing Abraham

After several years of getting to raise his son Isaac, Abraham is commanded by God to sacrifice him, the son of promise, on a mountain to which God would lead him. Undoubtedly tormented inside but trusting God, Abraham obeys. Just as the knife is about to come down on his son, an Angel of the Lord shows up, praising his faithfulness, and provides a ram for him to slay instead.

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Genesis 22:2
Think about how you’d feel if you finally received something you’ve waited for years. Then in an instant, you’re told to give that thing back. How devastating, how confused you’d be. That’s where we find Abraham today. The promised son has finally arrived, and all seems well with the world. But now God commands Abraham to offer him as a sacrifice. If God wanted to test Abraham’s faithfulness, there could be no better or more painful way to do so than what He’s asking now. Are we going to see the fearful Abraham or the faithful Abraham? What was going through his mind as he climbed that mountain with Isaac? What did Isaac feel as the events began to unfold? Yet, Abraham was confident that God would provide, even though he didn’t know how. This passage foreshadows what will come later in Scripture, as God sends His own Son to be sacrificed. Think also about how Jesus, as he watched this unfold from His place in Heaven, knew that one day He would make his own trek up a hill.
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