IT TAKES FAITH (part seven)
Hebrews 11:17-19
Today we'll be looking at probably the greatest test of faith given to a man followed by the greatest display of trust and obedience (next to Jesus', of course). In this story we have God commanding Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. But this is the son of promise; this is the covenantal son; the son they had been hoping for all these years and now Abraham was told he must end his life. In this amazing story we'll see that it takes faith to put God first.
1) The ultimate test.
Gen. 22:1-2, "Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" "Here I am", he replied. Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about."
"Some time later". Scholars differ on the actual span of time but many believe it's 20-25 years after the birth of Isaac. The significance of this will come into play later. But if this timeline is true then you have a situation where life is good; moving along just fine for Abraham. After 20-plus years he may have thought the trials and testing had come to a close. Then, out of nowhere, God drops a bombshell on him.
One thing this shows is that Abraham knew the voice of God. Because if ever there was something that I would doubt came from God this would be it. "Let's see...take my son and sacrifice him; okay. Satan would definitely say this-but God-I'm not seeing it."
And notice that God doesn't explain his reasoning to Abraham. Just like when God told him to go without telling him where, God tells him to make the most extreme sacrifice but is mute when it comes to any justification for making such a harsh command.
This tells me that God does what he wants and owes no one an explanation. He didn't give Job a reason for what he allowed him to go through. There are times where he hasn't given me one.
And we don't have Abraham asking for one, either. Such was his faith and trust. He believed that God was holy and just and though it made absolutely no sense and seemed to go against everything that God had been doing up to this point-he was going to follow through and obey the confusing command.
Do we think that way when it comes to doing what we know God is telling us to do when it doesn't make sense or he doesn't provide an explanation? “Faith does not demand explanations; faith rests on promises”. The word of God and our history with God needs to be enough when God doesn't provide answers or explanations.
"God tested him". Some translations read God tempted Abraham. But it's not to be seen as being tempted to sin. James says that God cannot tempt anyone to sin. There's a difference between testing and tempting. God tests; Satan tempts. That's why I like the clarifying word tested. But they can be closely related because it's almost a guarantee that when God provides a test Satan will be right there with a temptation to try to get you to fail the test.
God put Abraham's faith to the test by telling him to sacrifice Isaac. We can guarantee that our faith will be put to the test too. To show the strength of something it needs to be tested. Prov. 17:3, "The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the heart." God will test our sincerity, devotion, love and faith.
There's a valid and necessary purpose behind silver and gold being put through the hot furnace. These remove impurities and putting things like steel in the crucible strengthens the material. Likewise, having our faith put to the test serves a necessary purpose for the same reasons-purifying and strengthening. The testing of our faith is also for the purpose of determining how genuine it is.
1st Pet. 1:6-9, "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."
James 1 says that the testing of our faith develops perseverance. And that perseverance's work results in maturity and completeness. These are the benefits of having our faith tested. It's not pleasant but it is necessary.
"Your only son". Not firstborn, but only. Yes, Abraham had Ishmael but he was no longer in the picture. He had been sent away with his mother (Gen. 21:8-20). So, Isaac was in essence the only legitimate son; he was the son born to the wife and not the servant. He was the son of promise; he was the covenantal son. Not that God didn't take care of Ishmael; he promised him that he too would be the father of numerous descendants.
"Region of Moriah". Mount Moriah is in Jerusalem. This is a significant area for a number of reasons. Not only was this where Abraham was to take Isaac, but 2 Chronicles 3:1 states that this is where Solomon built the temple. And many scholars suppose that this is also the place where Jesus was crucified. As we go along you may notice some similarities between this account and Jesus'.
"Sacrifice him". To sacrifice means to give of something that costs the giver in terms of self, time or money. To sacrifice means to feel the void, perhaps even the pain of letting something go. We understand when God asks us to let go of something that isn't good for us, we know sin is a problem and therefore that should be removed; but when God asks us to let go of something that is good we become confused. I'm sure this command didn't make any sense to Abraham. Isaac was the best blessing he could've ever received but now God was asking him to give him up.
"Burnt offering". In Leviticus 1 you read about God's command to Moses concerning this type of offering. It was to be a male animal without defect and it was to be an offering of atonement. Again, a similarity between here and what Jesus did for us-his sacrifice was an atonement sacrifice for our sins.
Another interesting aspect of the burnt offering was that it was done as a voluntarily act of worship and an expression of devotion, commitment and complete surrender to God. This epitomizes what Abraham (and Jesus after him) was all about.
This is what our attitudes should be. Are we offering ourselves as a burnt offering? Are we committing ourselves as a voluntarily act of worship? How are we expressing our devotion, commitment and complete surrender to God?
Romans 12:1, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship." And verse two tells us how to do this-by not conforming any longer to the pattern of the world but rather be transformed by the renewing of our minds. The ultimate test for us is the daily surrendering our will.
2) The ultimate response.
So God gives Abraham yet another faith challenge. First it was pack up and go to a land I will later show you. Then it was the challenge to believe he and Sarah would have a son in their old age. And now we have the greatest challenge of them all. And, like the others, Abraham obeyed.
Genesis 22:3, "Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled 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."
"Early the next morning". Abraham probably got the message from God at night and after a no doubt sleepless night, gets up bright and early and sets about making preparations. He didn't hesitate; he didn't struggle-he did what God commanded him to do.
I don't know if it was a rip the band-aid off type of thing where he felt it was best just to hurry up and get this over with but if that were me I can't imagine moving too fast to do this gut-wrenching task. Has God ever asked something from you that took everything you had to obey?
It's interesting that there's no mention of Sarah anywhere in this. Did she know? If not, it's understood why. She may not have willing to allow it and somehow sabotaged it. But chances are he told her that he was going on a journey to worship God.
But in any event, Abraham, along with everything else, would've been contending with this as well. "How am I going to explain this to Sarah when I get back? Regardless of what God said she's going to be crushed. Will she resent me for it? Will this cause her to turn away from God?"
I guarantee the reason Abraham could so willingly obey and pass such an enormous test was because of what he had seen God do previously. He saw God lead him to a great land. He saw God come through with the son of promise.
And even though he was wondering why God was commanding him to sacrifice this son of promise, his past experiences with God enabled him to exercise his faith to the fullest extent. He trusted the God who had protected and provided for him. The more we know God and his love the less apprehensive we'll be to trust him. The more we see God at work the easier it will be to step out in faith.
"There was a traveler in the early days of the west who arrived at the Mississippi river and discovered there was no bridge. Fortunately it was winter and the great river was sheeted over with ice. But the traveler was afraid to trust himself to it, not knowing how thick it was. Finally with infinite caution, he crept on his hands and knees and managed to get halfway over. And then he heard singing from behind him. Cautiously he turned, and there, out of the dusk, came another traveler, driving a four-horse load of coal over the ice, singing as he went!"
Either this man was crazy and reckless or he knew the strength of the ice well enough to know there was nothing to be worried about. J. G. Machen said, “The more we know of God, the more unreservedly we will trust him; the greater our progress in theology, the simpler and more childlike will be our faith.”
3) The ultimate faith.
Gen. 22:4-5, "On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 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.”
This is amazing. Abraham had probably been perplexed beyond belief over this command and as he contemplated it during this journey in comparison to the promise he had been given he decided there was no other logical conclusion but that God was going to pull off some sort of miracle. He believed that as two would go in, two would come out. Abraham had confidence that God would keep his promise.
And as Abraham and Isaac traveled the rest of the way by themselves, we see Abraham's confidence in God expressed to his son.
Vs. 6-8, "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, 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 n for the burnt offering?” Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together."
I wonder if this just dawned on Isaac or he had wondered for a while but wasn't willing to ask. Abraham's response wasn't to evade or put his son off, he was expressing his trust in God; first to his servants and now to his son.
We see more fully what Abraham believed in Hebrews 11:17-19, "By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death."
Abraham believed God could raise him from the dead. Since God had already shown Abraham he could do miracles Abraham believed he could do one again. Since the birth came by way of a miracle, then God could perform another miracle by raising him from the dead.
Up until this time we have no records of someone coming back from the dead. This makes Abraham's faith unprecedented-to believe that God could do what had not been done before, and raise someone from the dead, is nothing short of amazing. Abraham believed the promise that there would be a remnant through Isaac. Therefore, in Abraham's mind there was no other logical explanation as to how this would still be fulfilled but through such a miraculous occurrence.
Do we have the faith that obeys when it doesn't make sense? Do we believe in the God of miracles? Does our faith conclude that no matter how absurd the command is God knows what he's doing? Do we trust the promises of God even if the circumstances seem to contradict them?
When we don't feel loved by God do we cling to 1st John 3:1 that states, 'How great is the love the Father has lavished on us'? When we feel alone do we cling to the promise that God will never leave or forsake us? When we are facing seemingly insurmountable circumstances do we put confidence in the fact that nothing is impossible for God? When we are in great need and have run out of options will we trust that God will provide all our needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus? Trusting in the promises of God will enable us to pass the test.
Abraham's ultimate faith was seen when it was put to the test. His faith was proved genuine by how he lived. When James talked about the difference between dead faith and saving faith he used what Abraham did as an illustration.
James 2:21-24, "Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone."
We know about Abraham's faith because we read about what he did as a result of faith. The same holds true for us. We will know how great our faith is based on how we handle the testing of it. We will know the level of our faith based on how we are living.
Do we face challenges believing that we can be successful? Do we proceed through trials with the belief that nothing is too great for God? Do we believe that God is greater than my problems? Faith demands action in order for it to be proved genuine. "Faith with works is a force; faith without works is a farce."
4) The ultimate devotion.
Gen. 22:9-12, "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. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. “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.”
"Bound his son Isaac". If it's true that Isaac was now around 25 years old and with his father around 125 it would seem likely that if Isaac was unwilling he could've overpowered Abraham and got away. So, this would suggest that Isaac was submissive and obedient-even when it meant impending death. This was how much respect he had for his father and no doubt God-to be willing to sacrifice himself. What loyalty; what faith! It takes faith to willingly give your all; no matter what the cost.
Jesus did this for us. He didn't have to die; he chose to willingly go through his torture and death because he loved us and he was humbly subjective to the Father's will. What about us? Are we so willing to sacrifice our all for the Father's will.
"Now I know that you fear God". In the Psalms and throughout Proverbs you will see the phrase "The fear of the Lord" followed by things like "is the beginning of wisdom" and "is a fountain of life" and "through the fear of the Lord a man avoids evil"; things like that.
This isn't being afraid of God so that you would run away from him but rather fear of the consequences if you disobey him. Being afraid to test him; being afraid to dishonor him because you believe in his power and you respect his holiness and you're convinced that it's not a good idea to go against him in any way.
This is how Abraham approached God and his commands. There was the fear of not obeying him but there was also the trust that he had nothing to worry about in being obedient to him. In James he is called God's friend. There was a relationship there; there was love. Abraham knew that God loved him and he knew that he loved God. Therefore, he could more readily and easily exercise that faith and trust with these factors in place. There is great benefit in having that healthy fear of God.
"Because you have not withheld from me your son". Abraham's test seems to be a test of devotion and loyalty. Was God first in his life? I don't know if Abraham was putting Isaac before God but I know God will challenge us if we are doing that. If we are putting something or someone before God then God will challenge us to either let it go completely or change our focus and allegiance and put our priorities in the right perspective.
Corrie Ten Boom said, “I’ve learned that we must hold everything loosely, because when I grip it tightly, it hurts when the Father pries my fingers loose and takes it from me!” We have to love the blesser more than the blessing; even when it comes to people.
Jesus said in Matt. 10:37-38, "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me."
This might sound extreme but Jesus is justified in saying it. My family didn't (nor could they) die for my sins-Jesus did. My family isn't God-Jesus is. And if I'm not fully devoted to Jesus I won't really be devoted at all. If Jesus doesn't have first place in my life then I'm not really a devoted follower.
If Jesus doesn't come first it means someone or something is more important to me than Jesus. What I need to understand is if I put Jesus first all my other relationships will be better. Loving Jesus more than anyone else will enable me to love others on a deeper level. For Abraham God came first.
5) The ultimate provision.
Gen. 22:13-14, "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. 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.” "The Lord Will Provide".
Jehovah-Jireh. From the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge commentary: "The meaning is, that God, in the greatest difficulties, when all human assistance is vain, will make a suitable provision for the deliverance of those who trust in Him." How have you seen the Lord provide for you? In what ways has he come through when there was no other way? When we pass the test we will see God provide in amazing ways.
Then in vs. 15-18 God reiterates his promise to Abraham regarding his offspring being as numerous as the stars of the sky and the sands of the shore. This was what Abraham was banking on. He didn't have to have an explanation because he already had the promise. Abraham faced the ultimate test and he passed with flying colors. He showed that he was fully devoted to God-even at the threat of losing his only son. Abraham was sold out.
But think of what might've happened had Abraham not passed this test. Instead of enjoying more years with Isaac God may have taken him away. Instead of showing his son the benefits of faith, he would've shown him a disadvantaged life of rebellion. Had Abraham been disobedient he would not have left a legacy for Isaac to follow. Instead of Abraham passing the torch Isaac would've seen the torch flicker and die.
God provided a substitute for Isaac but what Abraham provided for Isaac was a lesson on amazing faith.
