Some things in life are simple obedience, but at other times, obedience is difficult. Yesterday, I wrote about Abraham and the difficult decision to leave his country and follow God one step at a time. God did not tell him where he was going before he stepped out and started his journey. Today, we will look at a situation in which, in my opinion, God required extremely difficult obedience.
In Genesis 22:1, God did something I believe we will all face at some point in our Christian lives. He will test us. Maybe not to the extent that He did with Abraham, but it will still be a test. Abraham’s response was direct and simple. He said, “Here am I.” He did not hesitate or ask what God wanted before he volunteered. He simply said here am I.
Genesis 22:1 “After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”
In verse 2, God gives the command, notice I said command, not a request. God’s words to us are not suggestions or requests; they are intended to be attitudes and actions we are to adopt and put into practice. God tells Abraham to “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” Wow! Abraham knew exactly what God was telling him to do. He knew what a burnt offering was. In verses 3-6, we see his obedience. “So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. On the third day, Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.” And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together.”
I can only imagine the pain that must have been going through the mind of Abraham, or maybe the great expectation of how God was going to perform a miracle to restore his son to him. You see, God had promised Abraham in Genesis 22:17 that he would be the father of more offspring than there were grains of sand at the seashore. This shows us the depth of his faith. He knew what God had promised, and he believed God would keep His promise. Even when his son, Isaac, asked, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Abraham responded, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.”
I see two things exhibited here. The faith of the father, and of the son. No doubt, Abraham had shared the story of how Isaac was the promised son. He had taught how to trust God in his actions and his words. When they arrive, he binds Isaac and lays him on the altar on top of the wood. What a beautiful, but painful, display of the trust they both had: Isaac trusted his dad, and his dad trusted God.
Genesis 22:9-10 “When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.”
As always, God spoke and provided, just in time to spare Abraham’s son in verses 11-13: “But the angel of the LORD alled to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son.”
Have you ever experienced this kind of faith? A faith that allows God to fully show Himself to you because of your complete obedience. A faith that removes yourself from trying to fix things so God can move and receive the glory. Maybe God does not test us this way because He knows we will fail miserably. Had Judas had this kind of faith he would not have sold Jesus for 30 pieces of silver and then killed himself. If Peter would have had this kind of faith he would not have denied Jesus out of fear. If we had this kind of faith we would not miss church for things of this world. We would not make excuses for things we do so that we can fit in, instead of stand out in the crowd. I wonder how much we are missing that God wants to show us because of our lack of faith in Him. We need to be like Abraham was with Isaac, complete obedience knowing that God will always take care of His obedient children. Knowing that He loves us more than anyone else ever could. Knowing that whatever He allows in our lives is to make us more like His Son. If we would embrace this kind of faith we could then say as Abraham did in verse 14, “The LORD will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the LORD it shall be provided.” It is in the difficult obedience that God shows us how great He truly is.
