Thought from today’s Bible reading from Genesis 22-24.
“Abraham said to his young men, ‘Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you’” (Genesis 22:5).
There is nothing particularly unusual about a father and son going somewhere to worship. Lots of people worship God. It is certainly commendable but not particularly unusual.
What makes Abraham’s plan remarkable are the circumstances. God told him to sacrifice his son (Genesis 22:2), and Abraham was prepared to do it (Genesis 22:6,9-10). Only an angel’s intervention prevented him from offering Isaac on the altar (Genesis 22:11-12). This demonstrates Abraham’s great faith and shows his trust in God’s promises and His commandments.
When Abraham told the young men that he and Isaac would return, he really believed that they would. The Hebrew writer provides some insight into Abraham’s reasoning:
“By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son… He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead…” (Hebrews 11:17-19).
Abraham knew God’s promises would come through Isaac. Yet God called him to sacrifice Isaac. Abraham’s theory was that God would raise Isaac from the dead. God’s plan, of course, was to stop him before the sacrifice.
Abraham was not sure of all the details, but he knew everything would work out. He knew he could and must obey God’s instructions. He knew God’s promises would be fulfilled.
Abraham knew that – no matter what – following God was right and His promises were sure. May we have the same faith!
Tomorrow’s reading: Genesis 25-26
[I’m using the Chronological reading plan on the Bible Gateway website if you’d like to follow along, too.]
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