Abraham's Ultimate Test of Faith

God chose Abraham to be the father figure of God’s chosen people. People often question why they are specifically called to do something. They wonder “why am I an different?” Many times I would argue that we are very similar to many people on this earth, but inside we are different. You may be more determined than those around you. You may be more faithful than those around you. When push comes to shove you may not fold like those around you. But God also sees who you will become, and that is a major factor in who He calls to do specific tasks. You may see someone who you say “Lord, they are far greater than me.” at the moment, but they may be an entirely different person given a few years.

Abraham was from the line of righteous men after Noah, the great-great grandson of Shem. The knowledge of God had been passed down generation after generation, and Abraham chose to follow the Lord in a world who chose to follow many other pagan god’s. Abraham also had the characteristics of a strong, well to do man. He had strong morals, a strong work ethic, and became progressively stronger as he grew older. God saw who Abraham was, but He also saw who Abraham would become.

Abraham had blunders. 1. He allowed his wife to coerce him into having a child with someone other than his wife. Though accustom to the culture of the time, it was against God’s design. 2. On two different occasion he told people that his wife was actually his sister because he was afraid they would kill him and take her, for she was extremely beautiful. But the problem with that is that God made promises to Abraham. Promises that had not yet been fulfilled. Which means that had Abraham had strong faith in God’s promises, he would have realized that God cannot keep His promise if Abraham died. Abraham was the safest man on the earth he just did not know it because his faith had lapsed. He did this twice. Once when he was entering the land God had directed him to, and once years later.

God promised Abraham that He would make Abraham’s name great, which He did. Wherever Abraham went he was blessed, and those who helped him were blessed as well just because. He promised him land that he was currently living in, but this will come later on in the history of the nation. He promised him that he would have descendents that would be innumerable. Which means that he must first have one child. That one child was Isaac. The one and only child that Abraham had with his wife. The child that God promised, and the child that God would use to start His nation.

Sarah finally gives birth to Isaac. Not much is known about his childhood other than an adolescent party, and the adult that we find in this story that we are about to read.

This story is a test of Abraham’s faith. Everything that God was about to begin within the hearts of man was about to be established. God wanted to see where Abraham really stood. What better way to do so but by taking what you had promised, and that promise being your one and only son?

God called to Abraham and Abraham eagerly answered “Here I am.” I wonder if he would have hid from God if he knew what God was going to ask of him. God asked him to make a sacrifice. The sacrifice of what was most dear to him…Isaac. Abraham was likely confused, upset, and probably frustrated for a moment, but he remembered God’s goodness and he prepared for the journey to the mountain. He loaded the donkeys, got the servants, the wood for the fire, and of course his son. They headed off for the mountain, and at a point Abraham and Isaac went on their own. What a sad hike that must have been. To be Abraham going up the mountain with his only son, and the directives to sacrifice him at the top. By the way if you paid attention to the story close enough you could see that Isaac was carrying the wood that he would be sacrificed on.

I want you to notice something else. There is a massive jump in this story. You go them marching up the mountain, to Isaac being bound like an animal on the alter. How many of you think that a 17 year old man could get away from a 117 year old man? Yes, easily. Isaac had to have just as much faith in God’s plan as Abraham did in order to allow himself to be tied up for the offering.

God allows both of the men’s faith to be pushed to the absolute limit, and then He intervenes. The angel of the Lord calls from heaven to stop Abraham just moments before Abraham goes through with the sacrifice.

God never wanted Isaac to die, and He never wanted to make Abraham kill his promised son. God simply wanted to know the level of devotion that Abraham had to Him, and God was proud of what He had found when Abraham was put to the test.

Did you catch that Abraham was asked to sacrifice his one and only son? Can you think of someone else who gave their one and only son as a sacrifice? That’s right. God did. The only catch was that there was not ram caught in a thorn bush for Jesus. Jesus had to go through with the sacrifice Himself so that you and I never had to experience death. It was either Him, or you, and He decided to take your place. You can see Him one day, and you personally thank Him, if you would simply place your trust in Him.

Abraham had to be tested to see that he stood firm in God. There will come a point in your life where you will likely do the same. You will question if He exists. You will question if He is good. You will question if He cares about you. You will question if He is in control. You will have doubts. We all do time to time. If you do not doubt Him now, then you will only face a test to prove your genuine belief. If you never had true belief in the first place, but you would like to believe He is there, you would like to believe that He is good, and you would like to believe that He cares, then come talk to me.

Isaac would have been about 17-20 years old at this point which would have put Abraham at 117-120. In this story