The Test

 Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." He said, "Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you." (Genesis 22:1-2-NASB)

Can you imagine being asked to give up your child in this way? And Isaac wasn’t just the child of Abraham and Sarah born under normal circumstances. He was the son of promise born in their old age. He was the one it seemed would never come—the promise it was hard to believe would ever be fulfilled. Isaac was born twenty-five years after God first promised him. And now God wants Abraham to take him to the top of a mountain and offer him as a sacrifice.

Why would God give such a command? Today, as we read this story from our vantage point, we can see that it foreshadows the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. In the Old Testament account, when Abraham is about to slay his son, at the last moment the angel of the Lord calls out to him and instructs him to not take his life. He then provides a ram for the sacrifice. The ram was the substitute for Isaac. In the same way, Jesus—God’s only begotten Son became our substitute when He died on the cross. We don’t have to be punished for our sins, because He took the punishment for us.

But the Word of God reveals another reason for God’s command. Look at verses 11 and 12: But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." He said, "Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me."

God wanted Abraham to fear Him—to have a reverential awe of Him, to realize that no one, not even the son of promise, was more important than his relationship with God. The fulfillment of the promise must not take priority over the One Who made the promise.

This speaks volumes to me. When God blesses us and fulfills promises He has made to us, we must never allow the fulfillment of the promises to take precedence in our lives. When we place importance on anything or anyone above God, that thing or person has become a god in our lives. And the Lord has instructed us, Thou shalt have no other gods before Me. (Exodus 20:3)

God is the One who deserves our devotion. He is far above all gods. (Psalm 97:9) He is our Source, the One who provides everything we need. He pours out His love upon us. And we still turn away from Him. I pray that we become like Abraham, willing to give up anything God asks to keep our relationship with Him.