Fully Devoted: Israel, Act 1Sample

Abraham and Isaac

After 25 years of waiting, Abraham and Sarah gave birth to their son, Isaac. The promise they had been waiting for was finally fulfilled. Can you imagine the joy they must have felt? 

But then, in Genesis 22, Abraham’s faith was put to the test. 

Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.” Genesis 22:1-2 NIV

At first glance, those words seem to contradict everything we’ve learned about the character of God. Why would God do something like this? This seems cruel. It’s those initial reactions that should serve as a signal that there’s more going on in this story than we realize.

You see, all throughout the biblical story, the authors will throw things our way that are totally unexpected—to get our attention. And now that this story has our attention, let’s take a closer look at what’s really going on.   

Two primary reasons God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son:

1. God wanted to test Abraham. He wanted to see just how far Abraham was willing to trust Him. To be clear, at no point was God actually going to let Abraham sacrifice Isaac. That’s exactly why the angel stopped him. 

2. God wanted to give us a picture of what He would do with His Son on the Cross. The parallels between this story and the sacrifice of Jesus are staggering. And the more we understand them, the more we can appreciate what is really going on here.  

What are some of those parallels? 

Isaac and Jesus were both born through miraculous circumstances. Isaac was conceived by parents who were well past the age of being able to get pregnant naturally. Jesus was born to a virgin.  

Isaac and Jesus were both named by God. 

In Genesis 17:19, God says:

“... your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. ...” 

And in Matthew 1:21,  a messenger of God tells Joseph: 

“She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus ...”

Isaac and Jesus were both loved by their fathers. 

The first time the word “love” is used in the Bible is in Genesis 22:2:

Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. ...” 

The first time the word “love” is used in the New Testament describes the Father’s love for His Son in Matthew 3:17: 

… “This is my Son, whom I love ...” 

The first mention of love in the Old and New Testament is in the context of Abraham’s love for Isaac and God’s love for Jesus. 

There’s an idea in biblical studies known as the principle of first mention. This principle teaches that the truest meaning of a word or phrase is revealed the first time it’s mentioned.

The first time love is mentioned in the Jewish Scripture, it describes the love a father has for his son. The first time love is mentioned in the New Testament, it describes the love that God the Father has for God the Son. And John’s Gospel first uses the word “love” to describe the love God has for the world:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 NIV 

This story of Abraham and Isaac matters because it gives us the truest picture of what love really is. Love isn’t defined by strong affection or positive feelings, but by the relationship a father has to his son. And God so loved all of us, that He was willing to sacrifice His beloved Son to rescue us from sin and reconcile us to Himself. 

These parallels are just scratching the surface. There are so many more. One last piece we need to look at today is that Isaac and Jesus were both willing sacrifices.  

In order to understand this story properly, we have to understand more about Isaac. It’s estimated that Isaac was in his thirties when this event took place. Which means Abraham would be more than 130 years old. This isn’t the story of a grown father sacrificing his young, helpless son. This is the story of a fully grown, capable son trusting his dad enough to be sacrificed by him. 

Why? Because Isaac trusted his father. 

Read what Peter, an eye-witness of Jesus’ death, says about Jesus: 

When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 1 Peter 2:23 NIV 

Journaling Questions 

• What from the story we read today impacted you the most? Write down the verses that stood out to you.
• What was your initial reaction to the command Abraham received from God? After reading the whole story, how do you see the grace of God?
• Is there something in your life that you treat as more valuable than God? How can you surrender that and choose to trust God instead?

Memory Verse

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 NIV