9 Then they came to the place of which God had told him; and Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood, and bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 And Abraham reached out with his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 12 He said, “Do not reach out your hand against the boy, and do not do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” 

13 Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram caught in the thicket by its horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering in the place of his son. 14 And Abraham named that place The Lord Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”

Genesis 22:9-14 (NASB)

Obedient sons

We know already from yesterday’s passage that Abraham was obedient to the Father. What really catches my attention in this passage is the obedience of Isaac! Can you imagine? His own father is binding him to the altar to sacrifice him. He was at least a teenager and surely could have resisted. But he shows no resistance to his own father sacrificing him! Isaac, you might say, was like a lamb going to the slaughter he was silent (Isaiah 53:7).

So this is actually pointing to THE Son, who also was an obedient son – to the point of death on a cross (Php 2:8). He, too, was, “…Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.”

Obedient to the end

And we notice that Abraham was obedient to the end. He didn’t arrive at the mountain top and just sit and wait for God to provide or to come and tell him to call it off. No, he kept going forward in insane faith with the intent to obey to the end.

But God

Though the words don’t say it exactly, this is another “but God” story. The situation looks bleak and impossible (like resisting a temptation), but God steps in and everything changes. 

Substitution

How could anyone read this account and not see the direct tie to Jesus Christ? Isaac was slated to die, but God steps in and provides a substitute. Here, the angel of the Lord steps in and provides another sacrifice, a ram, a male sheep. Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). The LORD will provide. In Hebrew it is Jehovah Jireh.

Passed the test

Ultimately, we see that Abraham passed the test, and with flying colors – as my best friend would say. God says to Abraham, “for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” In the same way, “We can say to the LORD, “Now I know that You love me, seeing You have not withheld Your Son, Your only Son from me.” (enduringword.com)

RЯeflection

• We have so much to give thanks for. What a wonderful God we serve! He died in our place, for our sins, for no reason – other than He so loved us (John 3:16).
• How are you sharing this good news with others? We should even preach the gospel to one another as believers to encourage each other in this truth that does not change.