Faith and Sacrifice

Good morning everyone. I am Abraham. Your pastor brought me here to share my experience on the day the Lord called me to offer my son Isaac as a sacrifice. He introduced me to this book you all call a Bible that tells the story of my life and particularly the story of the day I nearly sacrificed my own son. Now, because your pastor has been preaching through this book called Genesis, which is a fitting title seeing as the word means origin or beginning. I have read this book, and I have to say, the details are quite remarkable. It is the story of our beginning as a people, the covenant God made with me, and the development of a nation.

As you now know, Sarah and I waited a long time for the birth of our son. God promised he would come, and twenty-five years was a long time to wait. I often wonder why he waited so long. I’m just glad he chose to do it. When you wait so long for God to fulfill his promises, and the day finally comes, you don’t care about how long it took. You’re just glad it finally happened.

Sarah thought we could have a child through Hagar, because let’s face it. Sarah wasn’t getting any younger. But maybe this was how God was going to fulfill his promise. But we quickly learned that was not the case. God assured us that a child would be born from us. In fact, I remember the day God showed up and told us that we would have a son in a year’s time and that we would name him Isaac, which you know means laughter. What a fitting name that was. Everyone laughed at us when we told them what God was going to do. For a year we were the butt of all the jokes.

But when Sarah got pregnant, the laughter changed to disbelief. Nobody could believe it! I could barely believe it, and I was there when he said it! I mean, how often does an old man like me have a child by his not quite as old wife (Don’t tell her I said that)? But sure enough, nine months went by in the blink of an eye and Isaac was born. Per God’s instructions, we named our son Isaac, and those who laughed at us began to laugh with us! There was no denying that this was the hand of God.

The boy grew older and not only was his name a reminder of how we laughed at the idea that such an old couple would have a child, we laughed at the reality of holding our dear boy, seeing what God had done, but he was a happy boy who himself laughed all the time! He was fun and adventurous, and as all boys do, he got himself into quite a bit of mischief. He was a character. The things kids say sometimes will have you laughing until it hurts! And boy did we laugh!

Well, years went by and it wasn’t long it seemed until my bouncing baby boy grew into a strong and capable young man. It was then that one day the Lord called upon me to sacrifice my own son. This sounded like such an unusual request. God had never asked me to do anything like this before. It seems so uncharacteristic of him. How could he want me to sacrifice this child he promised me? I wrestled with this, but I have lived long enough at this point that no matter how ridiculous it sounds, it is best to listen to God and do as he says. After all, people all over the world sacrifice children to their gods. Maybe our God is no different after all. I agreed to do it, though it made my heart very heavy.

The preparations were made. We had gathered everything necessary. We gathered the wood, we made the torch, gathered provisions for the trip, and headed to the land of Moriah. It would take three days to get there. It was me, the boy, and two other men who worked for me. After three days, we arrived at the mountain God had directed me to. I instructed the two men who worked for me to remain behind with the donkey. We would return to them after Isaac and I were finished. Everyone knew a sacrifice was going to be made. Nobody knew what the sacrifice was.

Let me tell you that three-day journey was the most agonizing journey I have ever taken. The sheer number of questions running through my mind was unbearable. Was God really going to have me do this? Is this really the kind of God that called me out of my homeland all those years ago? He has taught me to trust him in all things, but this seems to cross the line. It makes no sense that I would wait twenty-five years for my child to be born, spend less years actually with him, only for him to be taken from me by the very one who gave him to me in the first place. I already had to send Ishmael away. Why do I have to lose my son? Am I going to lose my son? Is this a test? If so, what is the point of all this? Did I do something to make God angry? How is he going to fulfill his promises if Isaac is dead?

For three days I wrestled in my own mind over this issue. For those of you who have kids, wouldn’t God be asking the unthinkable? How can he be good and just and ask me to do such a thing? Can you imagine what it’s like watching your son walk a few paces ahead of you knowing that in a couple days he won’t be walking anymore? Unless God is going to do something…

We arrived at the place God wanted us to go. I placed the wood on my son’s back. Little did he know that in a little while he would be laying on that wood. I carried the torch and the knife. We were walking along the path. Isaac was excited. He was taking a trip with dear old dad. He was getting to help dad worship God. But suddenly he stopped dead in his tracks. He suddenly realized…there are the provisions for the sacrifice, but there is nothing to sacrifice.

“Dad, we have all we need, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” This wasn’t the first sacrifice Isaac had seen or been a part of. Frankly, I was surprised it took him this long to notice. But when he turned and looked at me and asked that question, I didn’t know what to say. I was terrified. So, all I said was, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, son.” I could not believe how comfortable Isaac was with that answer. I was relieved, but only for a moment. We got to the site and set everything up. Isaac is still looking around. No sacrifice. Then he feels his father come up behind him and begin to tie his hands behind his back. Shock sets in. Remember, my boy is no small boy, and I’m pretty old. It’s not like I overpowered him. “Dad, what are you doing?” “This is what the Lord asked of me son. I don’t understand, but I have learned not to question God. He has a plan. He may yet provide.”

“No, dad! Don’t do this! There has to be another way! Please! Don’t do it! Stop.” In the midst of all of this he never fought me. He didn’t understand. I didn’t understand. But he was willing. He could have easily ran, but he didn’t My own son was going to let me sacrifice him! He laid atop the wood we had laid on the altar, he looked into my eyes and said, “It’s going to be okay dad. Do it.” I shook as I raised the knife to strike my own son, and in a split second, I heard the angel of the Lord call me to WAIT! He told me that I was no longer holding anything back from him and he told me to turn around. And wouldn’t you believe it? There was a ram who was caught by his horn in a thicket. You can’t imagine the relief I felt!

I cut my son free, we sacrificed the ram, we hugged each other for a very long time. Then we returned home together. Why would God have me go through this? Well, I have the benefit of seeing the whole picture now that I have been in the presence of God for some time. But let me share a few lessons I learned.

Your children’s future is in God’s hands.

Many of us are parents. Many of you are grandparents. It is natural to worry about your child’s future, and it doesn’t go away just because they grow older and become independent. But remember that your children’s future is in God’s hands. Just like everything else, your children and grandchildren ultimately belong to God. He made them. He knows them better than you do. He can see who they will become. So do your best to love them as God loves you. Never give up on them.

God’s plans always make sense, just not always in the moment.

Many times, God wants us to head in a certain direction. But sometimes the direction he would have us go in makes no sense. In this case, this was the hardest test of faith I ever endured. But God knew how it was going to play out. He was always going to provide the ram. But I believed him so much that I was convinced that if he really had me sacrifice my own son, he would raise Isaac from the dead. I didn’t know he could, but I knew he would. The author of this book you call Hebrews wrote about me in chapter 11, and he got the details right. He said, “He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type.” God made his promises. He kept his promises. Even during this time of testing.

Where God stayed my hand, he did not stay his.

God showed up at the most critical moment. When I had committed to following him into this unbelievable test, he provided a substitute. My son was spared. Now that I can see the greater picture, I realize where God stayed my hand, he did not stay his own when it came to his Son. Christ was crucified on our behalf. Now I understand. Burnt offerings were a substitute for us. Imperfect and insufficient, but still a substitute.

But Christ? He is the perfect substitute. We offended a holy God. We didn’t just make him mad; we committed treason. We deserve to die. That’s the price for the crimes we committed. But God sent his own son in our place. He died on a cross, was buried, and rose from the dead three days later. The near sacrifice of my son was ultimately a foreshadowing of this event. It was the greatest test of faith for me, but it was a picture of the ultimate provision for all of us. Believe the gospel of Jesus Christ. For there is no other name under heaven by which you are saved.

In what area of your life do you need to trust God in? I can assure you it won’t be nearly as difficult as the test I endured. Are you willing to trust God with the things most precious to you? Are you willing to cast away idols and allow him to have first place in your life? Your pastor will come back in a moment to lead a time of invitation.