The Better Sacrifice

In Genesis 22:2, God gave Abraham one of the most challenging commands imaginable: “Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you” (NLT).

Abraham had waited a long time for his son. Isaac was precious to him. He was the fulfillment of God’s promise to build a great nation from Abraham’s descendants. He was Abraham’s legacy.

Yet Abraham didn’t hesitate to obey. Verse 3 says, “The next morning Abraham got up early” (NLT). He began the journey as soon as he could. He didn’t try to bargain, plead, or stall.

Hebrews 11 is known as the “Faith Hall of Fame” because it records the names and actions of people of God who stayed faithful to Him during extraordinary circumstances. Abraham’s name is prominent in that list. Hebrews 11:19 says, “Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again” (NLT). That’s an amazing statement when you consider that, at that time, no one had ever been brought back to life before.

Abraham trusted God to bring ultimate good from the situation, no matter how it played out. His life, and even his son’s life, were less important to him than God’s will was.

And just as Abraham was obedient to God, Isaac was obedient to his father. He willingly went along with the preparations, even when it became apparent that he was the intended sacrifice. Isaac was a young man. He easily could have overpowered his father and saved himself. But he didn’t. He, too, remained faithful.

And, of course, so did God. Just as Abraham raised his knife to sacrifice Isaac, an angel of the Lord appeared. “‘Don’t lay a hand on the boy!’ the angel said. ‘Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son’” (Genesis 22:12 NLT).

I believe this was Jesus Himself intervening at this strategic moment, which was a perfect picture of what He Himself would experience at the cross of Calvary. Abraham offered his son, his only beloved son. And Jesus said in John 3:16 that “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (NLT).

As we see in Genesis 22:13 above, God arranged for Abraham a different sacrifice in the form of a ram whose horns were caught in a nearby thicket. Isaac was saved because God provided a sacrifice to take his place.

In this story, we see Jesus and His saving work. Every one of us has sinned. We deserve God’s punishment, which is death. Even though we sinned against Him, God loves us so much that He provided a sacrifice to die in our place—just as He did with Abraham and Isaac. If we believe in Christ, we will have eternal life.

Reflection Question: What does the story of Abraham’s near sacrifice of Isaac reveal about God? Discuss this with believers like you on Harvest Discipleship!

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