And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. — Genesis 22:9
If you read the story of Abraham, Sarah, and Isaac, it is an interesting one. You read about two people who were promised to have a son in their old age. Through their inability to have children, Sarah lost her faith and sent in another woman to bear Abraham a son.
Even after this, God still promised she would have a child. It was an unusual promise and seemed so peculiar to Abraham and Sarah. But the story becomes even more peculiar.
Fast forward to a few years later and Isaac was born. I have no doubt that he was probably the most important thing in this world to Abraham and Sarah. Here in Genesis 22, God tells Abraham to go and offer Isaac as a sacrifice. Yes, Isaac, the son that he had desired for so long God told him to sacrifice him.
Before the sacrifice happened, we read through the rest of the chapter about how Abraham was stopped because he had proven his faith and fear of God. God provided a sacrifice and Isaac was spared.
While the request of God to sacrifice Isaac may be seen by many as a confusing one, it has a very clear application for us in our day. As we think about the things we have in our lives, are we willing to give the most important things up for God? If God asked us to sacrifice the things we value the most, would we be willing to do so?
I have no doubt that as Abraham walked up the side of that mountain, he was no doubt heartbroken and troubled by what he had been asked to do. Yet, he had faith in God and God’s request.
Sometimes, God may ask us to give up things that we value in life. That is not necessarily a child as was the case with Abraham, but it could be many various things. If God asked you to give up those most important things to you in life, would you be willing? Are you willing to sacrifice your Isaac if God asked?
