When God asked Isaac in sacrifice he shows us his peculiar ways of working, acts in ways that we will never understand, but up front he always honors us as we put our faith into practice and trust completely.
Who was Isaac?
The Bible will show us that Isaac was the son of the promise that was made to Abraham in:
Genesis 18:9-10 – And they said to him, Where is Sarah your wife? And he said: There she is in the tent. And he said, I will certainly return to thee in this time of life; and behold, Sarah thy wife shall bear a son. And Sara listened at the door of the tent, which was behind him.
Sarah laughed, because she and Abraham were already advanced in age and Sarah had already left the customs of women she was already old, she herself Sarah wonders Genesis 18:-12 I will still have delight after I have grown old, being also my master already old?
Sara can’t believe the promise that was being made to that elderly couple at that time.
Genesis 18:13,14 – And the LORD said unto Abraham, Why did Sarah laugh, saying, Will I indeed give birth yet, when I am old? Is there anything difficult for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to thee for this time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.
In human eyes, God does inexplicable things, because when we look at Sarah conceiving Isaac at age 90, we understand that nothing is impossible for God.
Due to Sara’s laughter, the name Isaac is born. It means “he smiles” or “he laughs”.
Later on, God actually grants Abraham and Sarah the son of promise, everything happened the way God had really promised.
First point: The time of promise
Ecclesiastes 3:1 – Everything has its appointed time, and there is a time for every purpose under heaven.
Ecclesiastes will say that for everything there is a time, and teaches us that nothing escapes from God’s time, for every promise there is a time for it to be fulfilled. Hey you maybe God made you promises and you behaved like Abraham and Sarah. Where you’ve wondered how this can happen, so much time has passed and the promise hasn’t been kept. God is ministering to your life today, now that the promises made will never die.
As it was in the life of Abraham and Sarah, it will be in your life, you will generate the promise.
Then the child of promise was born and imagine how the hearts of Sarah and Abraham were overflowing with happiness with their son Isaac in their arms.
Isaac was Abraham’s only son with Sarah and the bible will say that Abraham loved Isaac. God will now “ask for the promise back” asks Abraham to make a sacrifice, but this time it was not a sacrifice that Abraham was used to make, for God asks Isaac as a sacrifice.
Genesis 22:2 – And he said, Take now thy son, thy only son, Isaac, whom thou lovest, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there for a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will tell thee .
Meaning: Moriah means “ordained / considered by God”
Imagine how Abraham’s heart was at that moment as he begins to prepare for the moment of sacrifice. The morning after God’s request, Abraham gets up at dawn and prepares his donkey, takes two of his servants and Isaac, his son. The wood for the burnt offering was prepared, so Abraham goes to the place that God has indicated.
Three days of travel until they saw the place of sacrifice, imagine what was going through Abraham’s mind, how Abraham’s heart was in the face of that request from God.
Genesis 22:4 – On the third day, Abraham looked up and saw the place from afar.
Second learning: Only those who have the same intimacy as you go up to sacrifice.
Genesis 22:5 – Then he said to the servants, “Wait here with the donkey.” The boy and I will go there and, after we have loved it, we will return to you.
Abraham will teach that we should only take with us to the sacrifice only those who have the same vision of the supernatural as we do. Only those who understand the incomprehensible things of God. The young men did not understand what only God and Abraham had dealt with.
Abraham, after seeing the place of sacrifice, tells the young men to wait here with the donkey. Abraham was convinced that God would not go back on his word, as he says. The boy and I will go there and, after we’ve loved it, we’ll come back. Note that it is in the plural, we will come back, that means that Abraham was saying the boy and I are going there to worship and we will come back together, because God watches over his word.
Numbers 23:19 – God is not man, that he should lie; nor son of man, that he might repent; would he say, and would he not? Would I speak, and not confirm it?
Jeremiah 1:12 – You have seen well; because I watch over my word to keep it.
Now, in the middle of this walk, only Isaac observes that they took everything, or almost everything, because there was firewood, there was fire and there was a knife.
Firewood: There cannot be any lack of firewood in the middle of the church, we cannot lack firewood in our lives, because firewood is fuel, firewood produces embers and one next to the other will not let the next element, which is fire, go out.
Fire: Fire cannot be lacking in our lives, because fire is able to keep our lamps lit, keep them warm in the presence of God.
Knife: The knife must be ready to cut the roots of sin
Isaac noted that they had everything, but one detail caught Isaac’s attention, as the main one wasn’t there. Isaac demonstrates that he was used to accompanying Abraham in sacrificial acts, as he asks a question that takes Abraham’s faith to an extreme level.
The two are both walking in silence, Isaac will now break the silence with a question that goes straight to Abraham’s heart.
Genesis 22:7 – Isaac broke the silence and said to Abraham, his father: — My father! Abraham replied: — Here I am, my son! Isaac asked, “Here is the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
Where is the lamb for the burnt offering? The bible prevents us from adding, but allows us to imagine Abraham, at that moment he must have looked to heaven and with his faith based on God he sought strength and responded with his faith at the most extreme level and says.
Genesis 22:8 – And Abraham said, God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son. So they both walked together.
Abraham and Isaac now arrive at the place that God told him, so the word of God will tell us that Abraham built an altar there, laid the wood in order, and the strongest moment where he ties Isaac his son, the son of promise , laid Isaac on the altar on top of the wood.
Third learning: There are times when we must put ourselves as a sacrifice.
Isaac at no point refuses to be the sacrifice, this shows and teaches us that God will often demand that we come to sacrifice to offer our best, even if it costs our own lives.
Now Abraham stretches out his hand, and takes the knife to sacrifice Isaac, and at that moment the angel of the Lord cried out and said,
Genesis 22:11-13 – Abraham, Abraham! And he said: Here I am. Then he said, Lay not thy hand upon the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, and you did not deny me your son, your only son. Then Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked; and behold a ram behind him, caught by his horns, in a bush; and Abraham went, and took the ram, and offered him a burnt offering instead of his son.
God provided a lamb, and Abraham then offers it as a burnt offering instead of his son. Abraham did not kill Isaac physically, but he killed him in his heart. He teaches us that we must love, yes, care, yes, care, but that nothing occupies God’s first place in our lives.
Abraham teaches us that if necessary we must know how to win, but also give back to God. Giving back will never be easy, but God has his purposes.
By not denying his only son to God, Abraham is greatly blessed by God.
Genesis 22:17-19 – That I will indeed bless thee, and will multiply thy seed exceeding exceedingly like the stars of the heavens, and like the sand that is on the shore of the sea; and thy seed shall possess the gate of their enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because you obeyed my voice. Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they arose, and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt in Beersheba.
We must never deny something to God, as we are often tested with what we have most precious. And we have to do like Abraham if God asked he will provide, if God promised he will give you. And if he asks you back, remember that the Lord God is only proving your faith, your faithfulness.
May we take this word of faith to those who have not yet met God.
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