It has been said that Christians are like tea bags……they always do best when they get in hot water. In Genesis chapter 22, we find Abraham in the hottest water of his life as God tries his faith.
The Bible teaches three key truths about trials in the life of a believer:
1) Trials come to believers because true faith must be tested (I Peter 4:12).
2) Trials work FOR US, not against us (Romans 8:28, I Peter 1:7).
3) Trials come to make us more PATIENT (Romans 5:4).
Abraham found himself in hot water when God asked for the unthinkable: “Go, sacrifice your son, Isaac.” Are you serious, God? Don’t you remember your “unconditional” promises in Genesis 12?
I will bless you.
I will make you the father of a great nation.
I will multiply your seed.
I will bless those who bless you.
I will curse those curse you.
In essence, God promised to send His SON through Abraham's SEED to be the SAVIOR of the world. If Abraham's son dies without bearing a son......the promises are history. Pretty serious stuff.
What happened to all of those “unconditional promises?” Why would God dare to ask such a faithful man to give up his only son who was the only hope for a coming Messiah??
Notice in Genesis 22 three things that happened to Abraham that will happen to every child of God.
I.GOD CALLS EACH BELIEVER TO PROVE HIS FAITH (22: 1-2).
“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” (Genesis 22:1-2).
Ramajit Raghav hit the headlines in 2010 when he claimed to be the oldest man in the world to father a child at the age of 94. Incredibly, he then went on to father a second child in 2011 at the age of 95. His wife, Shakuntala Devi, is believed to be in her early 50s. Talk about your May to December romances!
Abraham would have made CNN News Headlines himself in his day for fathering a child at 100! Abraham was no spring chicken when God surprised him with the shocking news that his elderly wife was pregnant……when they should have been thinking about retirement or choosing a nursing home!
God named Abraham’s son, Isaac, meaning “laughter”, because Abraham and Sarah laughed out loud when God told them about His miracle (Gen. 18). If I was Abraham and had a cell phone in those days, I am pretty sure I would have texted a message to Sarah with a big……LOL and ROFL!! But they fell in love with their boy and remember how they doubted God every time they called his name.
“Hey, Laughter, come to supper! Hey, Laughter, wash your hands and get ready to eat!"
"Hey, Laughter, bow your head as we thank God for this meal!”
But laughter soon turned to tears when God asked the most difficult thing ever ---“Take your son, your only son, whom you love and go to Moriah. Sacrifice him there.”
Time stood still.
This does not sound like God.
He doesn’t sacrifice children. He forbid this very immoral act by mankind in Deuteronomy 12:31-32.
You’re kidding, right?
The spiritual experience of Abraham was marked by four great crises, each of which involved a surrender of something dear. These were:
(1) LEAVE YOUR COUNTRY AND FAMILY (Gen 12:1 Mt 10:34-39 2Cor 6:14-18) - Is God asking you to go somewhere away from home, family and friends. Is he calling you to another job or ministry?
(2) SEPARATE - from your worldly, compromising nephew, Lot; especially dear to Abraham by nature, as a possible heir (2Pet. 2:7,8 Gen 13:1-18). Is God asking you to break off a close relationship with someone who is hurting you spiritually?
(3) GIVE UP - His own plan about Ishmael (Gen 17:17-18). Is God asking you to give your plans on something you have dreamed of for a long time?
(4) SACRIFICE - Isaac, "thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest" (Gen 22:1-19 Heb 11:17,18). Is God asking you to let go of your children and trust Him?
The place of testing was also significant. Abraham was called to sacrifice his son at Mt. Moriah. The Mount of Olives is located on Moriah and it is probable that here both Isaac and Jesus were offered.
Not only do we have to prove our faith, but we also have to purpose something:
II. WE MUST PURPOSE IN OUR HEARTS TO TRUST GOD EVEN WHEN WE DON'T UNDERSTAND
(22: 3-8).
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.
Forbes Magazine states that early risers are the most successful people. The discipline of getting up early produces many positive results, such as:
1. More proactive approach to life.
2. The ability to anticipate problems better
3. Better goal-setting
4. Time for exercise
5. Sleep is much better when we go to bed early and get up early.
6. More optimism
7. Time to focus
8. More time for family
Abraham would have been listed in Forbes Magazine. Genesis 22:3 says that “he got early and loaded his donkey.” There was no sulking, no pity party, no depression and no delay for this man of God. He purposed in his heart the night before to obey God, even if he did not fully understand. If you purpose in your heart before temptation comes, you can win the battle ahead of time. If you wait until the last minute and allow distractions to steal your time…….you will forfeit the victory.
I love to laugh and one of the funniest stories I know about temptation comes from the Old South. There was an old-fashioned church having a revival. One of the ladies in the balcony fell over the edge of the balcony while worshipping. She hung on the edge of the balcony upside down screaming for help. The Pastor cried out, "There is a lady hanging upside down from the balcony. If any man looks at her......God will strike him blind!" About that time, an old fellow in the back of the church leaned over to his friend and said, "I think I'm gonna risk one eye!"
You have to know what direction you are going before the battle of temptation comes. You have to sell out. You can't even risk one eye!
Can you imagine how the sorry old Devil whispered to Abraham all night long before daybreak?
“How can you serve God when He treats you like this? Why don’t you just quit this God-thing……what has it gotten you? God has lied to you all along. He doesn’t love you. He is going to destroy your family. You must be the biggest fool on earth for believing in God. Hahahaha!” All night long this battle raged.
When Eve was alone in the Garden of Eden, Satan questioned God’s love for her. When you are alone and don’t understand, the enemy will come and cast a small DOUBT……which can lead to eventual DENIAL of God’s Word. How do you defeat him?
Hebrews 11:17-19 offers us insight on how Abraham won this spiritual battle. It was his FAITH.
17 By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18 even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”[c] 19 Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.”
Abraham believed that, if God took his son, then He would raise him right back from the dead! What a mighty faith in a mighty God! You can’t beat a man like that. His attitude was one of total victory: “Satan, I have you whipped either way! ” I John 5:4 reminds us that “this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.”
You can be OVERCOME by fear or you can OVERCOME by faith.
Once we prove our faith and purpose in our hearts to trust God regardless.....then it is God's turn to provide something for us.
III. THE LORD SEES OUR FAITH AND REWARDS US IN HIS TIME (22: 9-18).
There is no clearer picture of the Cross and the sacrifice the Father made for us in Christ than Genesis chapter 22. Notice the powerful parallels between Isaac and Christ.
1.Both fulfilled promises:
Isaac was the long-promised son to Abraham (Genesis 12:3)
Jesus was the long-promised Messiah (Genesis 3:15; 13:3)
2. . Both were the only son of their father:
God said that Isaac was “Your son, your only son, whom you live…” to Abraham(Genesis 22: 2)
God said “This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased!” (Matthew 3:16, 17)
4. Both were loved by their fathers (Genesis 22:2; Matthew 3:16, 17).
5. Both had a 3-day experience:
Isaac had a 3-day hike to Mt. Moriah
Jesus had 3 days from the cross to the grave to the resurrection
7. Both accompanied by 2 men:
Isaac by two servants (Genesis 22:3)
Jesus by two thieves (Matthew 27:38)
8. Both carried their own wood:
Isaac carried the wood for his own sacrifice (Genesis 22:6)
Jesus carried the crossbeam of his cross (John 19:17)
9. Both submitted to their father:
Isaac willingly laid down , submitting to his father (Genesis 22:9)
Jesus submitted to his Father’s plan and will (Luke 22:42)
10. Both asked a question of their father:
Isaac asked Abraham “Here is the fire and the wood, Father, but where is the lamb? (Gen. 22:7)
Jesus cried “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” from the cross (Matthew 27:46)
11. Both were brought back from the dead:
Isaac was “brought back” figuratively (Genesis 22:12)
Jesus rose from the dead 3 days after he was crucified (Matthew 28:6,7)
When Abraham placed his son on the altar, the Angel of the Lord stopped him from taking his life (22:12-13). The Angel said, “You have not withheld your only son from ME.” The reason he could say, “ME”, is because this Angel of the Lord is actually the Lord Jesus Himself pre-incarnate in the Old Testament.
13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram[a] 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 Jehovah Jireh: The Lord Will Provide.”
The ram caught in the thicket by his horns is a beautiful portrait of Christ, our sin Substitue, caught by the thorns of our sins. Christ became what we ARE…..that we might have what He IS. Paul declared to the Church at Corinth: “He who knew no sin, became sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (II Corinthians 5:21).
Have you trusted Christ as your Savior and Sin Substitute? Are you trusting His finished work on the Cross to be your pass into Paradise? If no…….trust Him today. You have no assurance of tomorrow.
If yes…….you have not only trusted Christ to be your Savior to enter Heaven, but also you have relinquished control of your life as your Lord. Have you taken control of the life you had surrendered?
As believers in Christ, there are four questions for us to answer based upon the experience of Abraham and Isaac:
1. What is the most precious thing I have in this world?
2. Have I laid it down at the feet of Jesus?
3. If I have not, why have I delayed?
4. Am I willing to lay down my Isaac today?
Lay down your Isaac today and remember the words of Andrew Murray: God is ready to assume full responsibility for the life wholly yielded to Him.
Bruce Larson tells how he helped people struggling to surrender their lives to Christ:
For many years I worked in New York City and counseled at my office any number of people who were wrestling with this yes-or-no decision. Often I would suggest they walk with me from my office down to the RCA Building on Fifth Avenue. In the entrance of that building is a gigantic statue of Atlas, a beautifully proportioned man who, with all his muscles straining, is holding the world upon his shoulders. There he is, the most powerfully built man in the world, and he can barely stand up under this burden. 'Now that's one way to live,' I would point out to my companion, 'trying to carry the world on your shoulders. But now come across the street with me.'
"On the other side of Fifth Avenue is Saint Patrick's Cathedral, and there behind the high altar is a little shrine of the boy Jesus, perhaps eight or nine years old, and with no effort he is holding the world in one hand. My point was illustrated graphically.
"We have a choice. We can carry the world on our shoulders, or we can say, 'I give up, Lord; here's my life. I give you my world.'"
PRAYER OF SURRENDER AS I LAY DOWN MY ISAAC:
"Dear God, Your will, nothing more, nothing less, nothing else. Amen."
WHEN I LAY MY ISAAC DOWN
Abraham prayed for the day
God would give him a son.
Blessed Isaac was his name,
The greatest gift he’d ever known.
Then came the day, who would have dreamed,
God would say “Give him to me.
On this mountain you will prove,
It’s you and Isaac, or it’s me and you”.
When I lay my Isaac down,
Broken heart, but my Father’s proud
On this altar, here he lays.
Just to find it wasn’t him.....He wanted me.
Most of us, I’d dare to say,
Have an Isaac in God’s way.
On the Altar God will prove
It’s not your Isaac that he wants,
He wants you.
Chorus
On this altar here he lays
Just to find it wasn’t him.....He wanted me.
Writer-Billy Fields
Publisher-Fields for Harvest
BMI
