"Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence. John Adams, 'Argument in Defense of the Soldiers in the Boston Massacre Trials,' December 1770 -- US diplomat & politician (1735 - 1826)

I posted the above statement because it really illustrates a point that is salient concerning Abraham's faith journey. Interpretations may vary, but facts are the never-changing bedrock of reality and sooner or later, our interpretation of them must be correct or we will be woefully in error for all eternity. God, in His mercy, may allow a particular problem of faith to continue for sometime, but sooner or later, the problem will become an issue of importance which must be resolved.

Such was the case with Abraham. At the very outset of his relationship with God he was given a clear command concerning his family (Genesis 12:1) that emphasized that he must seperate from them. We know that it took years for Abram to leave his father and that seperation was as a result of Terah's death, not deliberate obedience. Abram was reluctant to seperate from Lot after that and then there was the painful act of sending away Ishmael, whom Abram deeply loved. Thus, in Genesis 22, Abraham came to his ultimate test of faith. And elderly man whose wife would soon die, Abraham's love was now focused upon Isaac, his only remaining child. God brought Abraham to a point where he must give priority to either his faith or his family by confronting Abraham with the greatest test of his faith.

Non-Christians frequently cite this incident as "proof" that God is "anything but family-oriented or pro-life." Their observation is, frankly, wrong. They focus on the test rather than the results and therefore, miss the entire point of the event. Let us not do that. Let us understand that God tested Abraham to demonstrate his faith in tangible terms, to prove his godly character. God never solicits men to sin (James 1:12-18). As James the younger brother of Jesus pointed out, this event in Abraham's life was evidence of a living faith, not of a capricious deity (James 2:21).

"Some time after these things God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" "Here I am!" Abraham replied. God said, "Take your son – your only son, whom you love, Isaac – and go to the land of Moriah! Offer him up there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I will indicate to you." Genesis 22:1-2

God’s command to Abraham must have caught him totally unprepared. Perhaps logically, non-Christians (even some Christians) find their greatest difficulty here not with Abraham's conduct, but with God's command. How can a God of wisdom, mercy, justice, and love command Abraham to offer up his only son as a sacrifice? Infant sacrifice was practiced by the Canaanites, but it was condemned by God (Leviticus 18:21; Deuteronomy 12:31). Such a sacrifice would have had no real value (Micah 6:7). Point out that God stopped Abraham short of carrying out the command does not really solve the problem to satisfaction. How could God have given the order in the first place if it were immoral? To hold that God could ever command His children to do wrong, even as a test, is to open the door to all kinds of difficulties.

Let's admit a strong bias in this discussion. As a parent, I am repulsed by the thought of sacrificing my children upon an altar. I think we all are. We thus project our abhorrence upon God, supposing that He would be equally sickened. We also view this command through the cultural lens of the day, which did practice child sacrifice as a pagan practice. God condemned it, so (from our perspective) it must be wrong in any context.

Unfortunately, we are forced to accept that the sacrifice of Isaac could not have been wrong regardless of the outcome, because God is incapable of evil (James 1:13; 1John 1:5). Let us remember that God actually did sacrifice His only begotten Son (Isaiah 53: 6, 10; John 3:16) for a higher purpose. In this sense, God did not require Abraham to do anything that He Himself would not do. Indeed, the command to Abraham was intended to foreshadow what He would do centuries later on the cross of Calvary.

We can only grasp the holiness of God's command if we understand the symbolic significance of the "sacrifice of Isaac". Abraham’s willingness to give up his only son humanly illustrated the love of God for mankind, which caused Him to give His only begotten Son. Abraham's heart-felt agony reflected God the Father's heart-felt agony at the suffering of His Son just as the obedience of Isaac typified the submission of Jesus to the will of God the Father (Matthew 26:39-42).

God halted the sacrifice of Isaac for two reasons. First, such a sacrifice would have no benefit for others as the lamb must be "without blemish," without sin, innocent (Isaiah 53:9; Micah 6:7). Isaac, being human, did not qualify. Second, Abraham’s faith was amply shown in that he fully intended to carry out the expressed will of God. Had God not intervened, Isaac would have been sacrificed. Isaac had already been sacrificed in attitude, so the act was unnecessary. The Christian life is often a great deal more about attitude than action.

I have a friend who strongly protests that Abraham interceded with God for Sodom, but said nothing for Isaac. She sees Abraham as a deluded sociopath because of this. Remember that the Scriptures are selective in what they report, choosing to omit non-essentials in the development of any given passage (John 20:30-31; 21:25). For example, God told Abraham to He would indicate the particular place to "sacrifice" Isaac (verse 2). Abraham somehow wen tot that spot (verse 9), but but we are not told when God revealed the location to him.

It seems that Moses, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, omitted Abraham’s initial reaction to God’s command in order to highlight his ultimate response—obedience. Personally, I believe Abraham argued and pled for the life of his son, but God chose not to record this point in Abraham’s life because it would not have inspired us to obey Him at any cost. How many of us would prefer that God not report our first reactions to unpleasant commands, especially if we carried them out and everything turned out okay? We would argue that it is our final response that truly matters (Matthew 21:28-31).

"On the third day Abraham caught sight of the place in the distance. So he said to his servants, "You two stay here with the donkey while the boy and I go up there. We will worship and then return to you."

"Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and put it on his son Isaac. Then he took the fire and the knife in his hand, and the two of them walked on together. Isaac said to his father Abraham, "My father?" "What is it, my son?" he replied. "Here is the fire and the wood," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" "God will provide for himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son," Abraham replied. The two of them continued on together.

Regardless of any unreported struggles, Abraham arose early to begin the longest journey of his life. The early hour may reflect Abraham's resolve to do God’s will or it may simply indicate that Abraham hadn't been able to sleep anyway. I would note that, while Abraham was resigned to do God’s will, Sarah apparently was not informed of this test (so far as Scripture records). As a mother, I can tell you that history would have recorded my protests, so I rather think Abraham did not tell Sarah what was to come.

After a heart-breaking three-day journey, Abraham spied the mountain of sacrifice and he and Isaac left the servants behind (verses 5-6). In the midst of soul anguish Abraham expresses beautiful hope and faith in verse 5 and then again in verse 8. I do not believe these words were idly spoken; they reflected a deep inner trust in God and His promises. The God Who had commanded the sacrifice of Isaac had also promised to produce a nation through him (17:15-19; 21:12). At every step Abraham must have hoped for some change of plans, some alternative course of action. When there was nothing left but to bind Isaac and place him upon the wood and plunge the knife into his heart, Abraham's heart must have been breaking.

"But the Lord’s angel called to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!" "Here I am!" he answered. "Do not harm the boy!" the angel said.

"Do not do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God because you did not withhold your son, your only son, from me."

"Abraham looked up and saw behind him a ram caught in the bushes by its horns. So he went over and got the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place "The Lord provides."

It is said to this day, "In the mountain of the Lord provision will be made." Genesis 21:11-14

At the point of death it was evident that Abraham would willingly to forsake all, even his son, for God. While God certainly knew the heart of Abraham, Abraham’s reverence was now evident TO ABRAHAM from experiential knowledge. At this point of total obedience, God did NOT halt the sacrifice; He provided a ram as a substitute for Isaac. I would note that the ram was already there, just unnoticed, before Abraham prepared Isaac as a sacrifice. It was similar to the well that Hagar didn't notice until after she'd settled things with God.

In deep testiment to his own understanding of this event, Abraham named that place of sacrifice "The Lord will Provide". Abraham had known by faith that God would provide; now he KNEW by experience that God DOES provide. He could never have known God's provision for certain had he not first accepted it by faith.

"The Lord’s angel called to Abraham a second time from heaven and said, "‘I solemnly swear by my own name,’ decrees the Lord, ‘that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will indeed bless you, and I will greatly multiply your descendants so that they will be as countless as the stars in the sky or the grains of sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the strongholds of their enemies. Because you have obeyed me, all the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another using the name of your descendants.’"

God then confirmed His promises to Abraham through Isaac. While there was no real new revelation in this confirmation, God now told Abraham that the blessings promised to him were because he had obeyed God in this test. God’s choice of Abraham included not only the end God purposed (blessings) but also the means (faith and obedience). After his ultimate test on Mount Moriah God can say that the blessings are a result of the obedience which stems from faith. This same sequence of faith is evident in the New Testament (Ephesians 2:8-10; Romans 8:28-30). The work of God begins with a promise which must be accepted by faith. Ultimately this faith, if it is genuine, will be demonstrated by good works (James 2). The promises of God are sure to every believer because God is sovereign at every step—from faith to obedience to blessing.

This incident in Abraham's life dealt with a problem that had plagued Abraham all along -- his unhealthy attachment to family. When Abraham had to choose between Isaac and God for his first loyalty, his obedience finally put this problem to rest. This obedience to the revealed will of God justified his profession of faith (James 2:17-23). A faith which is professed but not practiced is mere lip-service. While Abraham was justified before God by believing the promise of God (Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:3), he was justified before men by his obedience. God could look on Abraham’s heart and know that his faith was genuine; we must look at his obedience to know if his profession was genuine.

Abraham's obedience resulted from spiritual growth and deeper insight into the person and promises of God. No experience in Abraham's life made the person and work of Christ more evident. Before, he'd known by faith that God provided; after, he KNEW that God provided. This event prepared Abraham for the future, for the death of Sarah, his beloved wife. God’s tests are often preparatory for greater things ahead.

God used this incident on Mount Moriah to instruct the nation Israel, who received this book from the pen of Moses while wandering in the desert before reaching the Promised Land. For those who had just received the Law with its complex sacrificial system, this event in Abraham's life ave a much deeper understanding of the significance of sacrifice. Sacrifice, they would understand, was substitutionary. The animal died in place of man just as the ram was provided in Isaac’s stead. They should also perceive that ultimately an only Son must come to pay the price for sin which no animal can possibly do. The sacrifice on Mount Moriah gave a deeper and fuller significance to the whole sacrificial system of the Law.

This incident was also intended for our edification and instruction (1Corinthians 10:6-11). It is a beautiful foreshadow of the death of Jesus Christ. Abraham equals God, the Father, Who out of love for mankind, gave His only Son as a sacrifice for sinners (John 3:16). Isaac equals Christ, Who submitted to the will of His Father, bearing the wood as Jesus bore His cross (John 19:17). The three day journey of Abraham and Isaac signified the three days between the death of Jesus and His resurrection (John 20; 1Corinthians 15:4). Isaac was "sacrificed" at the place where Jesus would give His life centuries later -- Mount Moriah outside of Jerusalem (which is also where God appeared to David and Solomon built the Temple). What a beautiful illustration of the infinite wisdom of God and of the inspiration of God’s holy Scripture!

Beyond anything else, this passage reminds Christians of the importance of obedience. Because Abraham obeyed God the promised blessings were confirmed once more. While our works never save us, saving faith must inevitably be shown by good works (Ephesians 2:8-10).

In a way, this explains the seeming contradiction of the Christian life. Abraham gained his son by giving him up to God. Christians "get ahead" in God's eyes by putting ourselves behind others (Matthew 23:11; Philippians 2:5). We lead by serving and save our lives by losing them (Matthew 16:25). God's ways are not man's ways.

However, the Christian life is not devoid of reason or rationality. That should never be the message we take from this passage. Though some critics suggest that Christians must leave their brains at the churchhouse door, this is an erroneous premise. Yes, Abraham was commanded by God to do something that seemed unreasonable. How could Abraham become the father of multitudes through Isaac if Isaac was dead? That seems so beyond the character of God (as it must have seemed to Abraham at the time). The writer of Hebrews (11:17-19) noted that Abraham acted upon reason (Greek word logizomai). This was no blind "leap of faith". Non-believers like to believe that they act according to reason while Christians act without thinking -- even against rationality. This is completely false! The truth is that worldly reason and Godly reason to totally different from one another (Matthew 16:23; Romans 8:5-7; 12:1-3). Worldly reason is based on the presupposition that the material world is all that we can know and all that exists, while Christian reasoning is based upon the presuppositional belief that there is a God, Who is both our creator and redeemer (Hebrews 11). We hold that God's Word is absolutely true and reliable. Abraham believed that God had promised a son through Sarah through whom blessings would be given; when God commanded that Abraham sacrifice that son, Abraham believed God and obeyed even though human reasoning would question Godly wisdom.

Remember, Abraham's reasoning was based on many years of experience with God, Who had continually proven Himself as provider and protector. Abraham did not understand why God had commanded him to sacrifice his son nor how God would accomplish His promises if Abraham obeyed, but he did know Who had commanded it and therefore, trusted that God could do it.

Abraham assured Isaac that God would provide a lamb (verse 8), and God did (verse 13). The principle is not that God will provide at a certain place, but under a certain condition. At the point of faith and obedience, at the point of helplessness and dependence, God will provide. Perhaps, we do not see God’s provision because we are not at a point of despair. God sometimes must bring us to Abraham's position on Mount Moriah—totally depending upon God for deliverance. There we must acknowledge that God has provided. This is the point men and women must come to in order to be saved. We must see ourselves as lost sinners, deserving of God’s eternal wrath. We must forsake any faith in ourselves and any work we might do to win God’s favor. We must look only to God to provide the forgiveness of sins and righteousness required for salvation. God’s provision has been made by the death of Jesus Christ 2000 years ago. Only by reaching the point of despair and the end of ourselves can we also reach the point of salvation where we will cast all our hope upon Jesus and find salvation.