Before God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, he and two angels had appeared to Abraham and promised him that a son would be born to him within a year. Sarah laughed when she heard that promise because she was very old and past the age to have a child. She didn’t believe it could happen. But just as God promised, a son was born to Abraham and Sarah and they named him Isaac which means “he laughs.” Sarah said that God had brought her laughter.
Although Abraham had another son Ishmael by Sarah’s maidservant, Isaac was Abraham’s son of the promise and is called his only son. When Isaac was older God determined to test Abraham’s faith.
1 Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.”
3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 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.”
6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”
“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.
“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.
God told Abraham to take his son Isaac to a mountain and sacrifice him as a burnt offering. This test is hard for us to understand, as we know God hates human sacrifice. That is what pagan people do who don’t believe in the one, true Creator God. Human life is valuable to God that’s why murder is against God’s law. This command doesn’t make since in terms of what we know about the nature of God.
Although Abraham was probably confused and upset by the command, the next day he set off to do what God had told him to do. He didn’t delay or question God. He even cut the wood that would be needed for the fire.
Abraham had been trusting God his whole life. He had trusted God when he was told to leave Ur and go to a new place. He had trusted God for a son even though he was really old and his wife was barren. His faith was such that he was able to say to Isaac, “God will provide the lamb,” when Isaac asked him where was the lamb for the sacrifice.
Since God had promised to make his descendants as numerous as the stars, Abraham knew that God would intervene in some way. He didn’t doubt God. He had a right view of God and what God was able to do.
9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”
13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.”
15 The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16 and said, “I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18 and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”
As he was about to slay Isaac, Abraham was told not to slay the boy. It was clear Abraham was willing to do all that God asked of him. He was fully submitted to God to the point that he didn’t withhold his only son of the promise.
God provided a substitutionary sacrifice, a ram that Abraham could slay instead of his own son. God did this for Abraham because Abraham believed and trusted him. Abraham’s actions showed that his trust in God was very real and not dependent upon his being in agreement with what God was asking.
Romans 4:3 says, “Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Abraham believed God in terms of the promise to have a son, in terms of the promise of the land and also in terms of offering his son as a sacrifice.
Abraham wasn’t really righteous. He was a sinner just like all of us. However, God saw him as righteous because of Abraham’s faith in him.
The focus of the teaching of the Old Testament was to cause the Jews to look ahead to the Savior their heavenly Father would one day send them. God would send his only son as a substitutionary sacrifice for the sins of all people who believe in him. Like the ram God sent so Abraham didn’t have to slay Isaac, Jesus is the one God has sent as the perfect lamb to take the punishment for our sin.
When we believe in what Jesus has done for us it is credited to us as righteousness, like Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness. We become right in the eyes of God by believing in the sacrifice of his one and only son. We can never be righteous on our own because we are sinners. Jesus, however, never sinned and has made a perfect sacrifice that covers our sin.
2 Corinthians 5:21 says, God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
God demonstrates his great love for all people by sending his Son to die as a substitute for the punishment they deserve. We are made right by believing God.
- Overview Questions: What did Abraham do when God told him to sacrifice Isaac? Why was he able to do that? Why didn’t Abraham sacrifice Isaac? Why was God pleased with Abraham? What did Abraham’s faith do for him?
- Thought Questions: What would you have done in Abraham’s situation? If Abraham hadn’t done what he did what would have been the outcome? What was unusual about Abraham’s faith? Do most people have that kind of faith? What keeps people from having the kind of faith Abraham had?
- Prayer: Thank God for the example of Abraham’s faith and steadfastness. Pray that you would learn to trust God in all circumstances and stand on his promise like Abraham. Thank God that he is faithful and can be fully trusted even when you don’t understand what is going on.
- Memory Verse: 2 Corinthians 5:21
How can we become righteous like Abraham?
We become righteous through the sacrifice of Jesus for our sin.
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Questions: Who had no sin? How was he made sin for us? What did that do for us? What does it mean to be the righteousness of God?