By: Erin Pearce
One morning recently, I was reading Genesis 22. (Stop and read it if you have time.) This is the story of the sacrifice of Isaac. I was confronted with questions of my own heart that I'll share with you.
Notice that we see God asking something of Abraham in verse 2 - "Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you." Can you imagine? Sacrificing your only son? Abraham had waited 100 years for this son. And now God was asking him to give his son up.
And do you know what Abraham did? "So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac" (22:3). His obedience was immediate. He got up and left EARLY the next morning.
How could he do this? I think it is fair to say that Abraham feared the Lord. That he knew that "every good and perfect gift was from above" (James 1:17). He was not entitled to anything, but only to fear the Lord and obey Him.
Obviously, Abraham was not perfect - he sinned like all of us. But we can certainly learn some things from him. So be honest with yourself here: What are you holding onto that you think is yours? Do you acknowledge that everything you have is from God? Would you be willing to give it up immediately in obedience to the Lord? Do you fear the Lord above all else? I encourage you to meditate on Genesis 22 today and let these questions sit with you.
