Tyler Hall

Abraham reaches the pinnacle of his faith journey on the top of a mountain, where the Lord commanded him to offer his only son Isaac as a sacrifice (v. 2). This son, born to Abraham and Sarah in their impossibly old age, was specifically named as the one through whom God would carry the covenant promises (see Genesis 17:19). So why would God now ask Abraham to slaughter him? And how could God keep His promise if Isaac died? To human minds and natural reasoning, it doesn’t make sense.

And yet, Abraham didn’t resist God’s directive. He obeyed promptly, completely, and sincerely. The patriarch loved his son, and he loved the God who gave him this child and the promises. So how did he reconcile this tension in his mind? We learn from later divine revelation in Hebrews 11:17-19 that Abraham believed this: if Isaac was killed, God could raise him from the dead. What faith! What trust! This level of devotion can only be proven, though, when it is tested. And Abraham demonstrated his faith even to his son when he told the young man, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son” (v.8).

This is exactly the kind of faith that saves those who believe in Jesus Christ today. Like our spiritual ancestor, we must resolve to believe in God’s promises and obey His commands always, even when (and especially when) we don’t fully understand it all. Never forget that God provides all we need to walk obediently in His perfect will. And just as God provided a ram in the thicket to replace Isaac and redeem him from death (v. 13), God provided His one and only Son - his head even wrapped in a thicket of thorns - to take your place on the cross and to redeem each soul who obeys the gospel.