Genesis 21-23

January 6

Genesis 21-23

“Is anything too hard for the Lord?” That was God’s question to Abraham after Sarah laughed when she overheard God telling Abraham that she would have a child the next year in chapter 18. A year later, Abraham was 100 and Sarah 90 when Isaac was born. Is anything too hard for the Lord?

Sometime later, many believe it was when Isaac was in his late teens or even early twenties, God spoke to Abraham. God told Abraham to do the unthinkable, to sacrifice his son. Abraham did not argue; he did not try to change God’s mind like he did when God said he was going to destroy Sodom. Abraham got up early in the morning saddled his donkey and took Isaac and a couple servants and headed toward the mountain.

As he approached the mountain he told his servants to wait while he and Isaac continued up the mountain. He told them; “we will worship and then we will come back to you.” Abraham trusted that God would protect Isaac even as he asked Abraham to sacrifice him. Abraham knew God’s promise that many nations would come from Isaac. He also knew that nothing was too hard for the Lord.

Abraham and Isaac continued toward the mountain top when Isaac asked his father, we have the wood and the fire where is the sacrifice? Abraham responded; “God will provide the lamb for the burnt offering.”

When they got to the mountain top Abraham bound Isaac and laid him on the wood for the sacrifice when God interceded and told Abraham to stop. Then God provided a ram as a substitute sacrifice for Isaac.

God does not call us to sacrifice out children. He gave us a substitute. Jesus came as the Lamb of God to take away the sins of the world. But God does want us to give our children to him, to give our spouses, to give our loved ones, to give our hobbies, to give our jobs. God wants us to give everything we have and hold dear to him. He will then give us back what we need. He will sanctify what we give him and give it back.

When we give God the things that matter to us most, those things take their proper place; under God. When we open our hands to give to God, our hands are also open to receive a blessing. Abraham was able to trust God enough that he gave the most important thing in his life, his son. God gave Isaac back to Abraham along with a new blessing.