Hebrews 11:17-19, "By faith, Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, 'It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.' Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death."
When God told Abraham to offer his son Isaac as a burnt offering, what thoughts do you suppose ran through Abraham's mind? Surely not, God. That doesn't make any sense. Not only was Isaac the precious, beloved son of Abraham and his wife Sarah, doted upon like a grandchild, but Isaac was the key to the promises God had made to Abraham about his countless descendants. Sometimes God's instructions don't seem to make sense to us. Sometimes He doesn't explain his actions to our satisfaction. Warren Wiersbe wrote, "Our faith is not really tested until God asks us to bear what seems unbearable, do what seems unreasonable, and expect what seems impossible. Whether you look at Joseph in prison, Moses and Israel at the Red Sea, or Jesus at Calvary, the lesson is the same: We live by promises, not by explanations."
One of Abraham's first thoughts must have been, "How will I ever explain this to Sarah?" Certainly he did not share God's instructions with his wife, nor with anyone else, because other people would have thought he was crazy and would have tried to stop him.
One of Abraham's traits which especially endeared him to his Heavenly Father was his instant obedience. When God told him to do something, Abraham got right on it. He made the arrangements and left with Isaac, two servants, the wood and the fire for the sacrifice and headed to the designated mountain to carry out God's command. We do have some real insight into one of his thoughts in Genesis 22:5, which says, "He said to his servants, 'Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then WE will come back to you." Our Hebrews passage tells us that Abraham believed that if he slew Isaac, God could raise him from the dead.
Abraham continued to trust God though the hardest test of his life, and God beautifully rewarded his faithful servant. God never intended for Abraham to kill Isaac. He just wanted Abraham's willingness. Sometimes that's all God wants from us--our willingness to make whatever sacrifice He asks of us. Sometimes He requires the actual sacrifice itself. Whichever the case, God will always be right there with us and will applaud our trust in Him.
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