Being Tested

In all of this, I am reminded that our actions demonstrate our level of trust in God. And now we come to the rest of the story.

Genesis 22:11-14 – “But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” He replied, “Here I am.” 12 Then he said, “Do not lay a hand on the boy or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your only son from me.”

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13 Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught in the thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son. 14 And Abraham named that place The Lord Will Provide, so today it is said, “It will be provided on the Lord’s mountain.”

At this point, we cannot question Abraham's faith. With his knife raised over Isaac, he was prepared to do what no parent would dream of doing. But right at the last moment, God intervened. The angel revealed that this was a test. Abraham's fear of God wasn't a fear of terror. Abraham lived with a worshipful respect and a love of God that played out in absolute obedience and trust. So, Abraham named the place Jehovah-Jireh which means the Lord will provide.

Earlier, Abraham had told Isaac that God would provide the lamb for the sacrifice. We don't know if Abraham believed God would intervene with an actual lamb, or if he reasoned that the son that God had provided was also the lamb he provided. If God could provide Isaac who would be sacrificed, He could also provide another heir who would be the son of the promise. But either view shows an incredible faith that Abraham had.

As soon as the angel of the Lord told Abraham to stop, he surely must have dropped the knife immediately. I picture Abraham being so overwhelmed with emotion that he fell to the ground and worship. This had to be a worshipful moment for Isaac as well. This probably strengthened and solidified Isaac's faith in God as well. But, both Abraham and Isaac experienced that day the truth that God will provide. And at that moment, Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught in the thicket. He knew immediately this ram was the Lord's provision of a sacrifice in the place of his son.

One of our lessons in all of this is that God will always provide. You have heard me say that over and over again. He may not always provide exactly what we want or provide on our timetable, but He will provide, and He provides what we truly need when we need it. It is in those moments when God doesn't provide what we think we need that we simply need to trust in Him and His plan for us. Trust that He has something even better planned down the road for us.

And the greatest gift that God has provided for us is salvation and eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Do you know Him? Do you know Him in a personal way? If God is tugging at your heart right now to accept Christ as your personal savior, we offer you that time now as we respond to His word.