An Unlikely Death
Scripture
Abraham Tested
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, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”
3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded 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.
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.” (Genesis 22:1-14).
Reflection
No doubt Abraham and Sarah were overjoyed by the birth of their son Isaac and delighted to see him grow and prosper. One can only imagine how Abraham felt when God required him to sacrifice the son he loved as a burnt offering. It is beyond imagining what it must have been like for him waiting for the dawn, rising and setting out with his two servants and Isaac, then travelling for three days to the place to which God led them.
One wonders if Abraham thought back to the promises made to him earlier—God would make him a great nation; his offspring would be like the dust of the earth, as numerous as the stars in the sky. Yet Scripture tells us that Abraham responded in obedience, without hesitation—he rose up to follow God early the next morning. For Abraham, there was no wavering; trusting his God to provide, he would bind Isaac, lay him on the altar, and prepare to slay his son.
In Abraham we see a man who trusted God, even though he did not understand him, one who did not see the promises made to him being worked out, but who did trust the one who had made the promises. Let us note also that, had he chosen, the young man Isaac could have escaped his aged father and anticipated death. He, too, in faith, submitted to his father’s will.
So much of this story in history points us to God’s gift of his only Son, the perfect Lamb. Just as Abraham was willing to give up his only son, so God willingly gave his only Son as a sacrifice for us. Just as Isaac carried the wood, and in obedience was laid on the altar, so Jesus willingly carried his cross to the same Jerusalem hill to die.
In Abraham (and Isaac), we are offered profound examples, not just of faith, but of faith in action. This Lent, let us examine our own lives, asking the Holy Spirit to build our faith and show us where it can be expressed in action to show others God’s loving faithfulness.
Prayer
Jehovah Jireh, thank you for your great love and for giving your son as a sacrifice for us. Help us to always offer our lives as a living sacrifice of praise for you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
2024 Lenten Journey
Adrian Brown