Bible Verse: 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 22:2 NIV
Scripture Reading: Genesis 22:1-19; Hebrews 11:17-19
The number of atheists who have thrown Genesis chapter 22 in my face over the years is staggering.
“What kind of God would ask a man to kill his own kid?” they say.
“How can you believe in a God like that?”
And truthfully, it’s not an unfair question. A God calling a father to sacrifice his son for worship seems appalling.
This man was asked to sacrifice his beloved and long-awaited son, and that is huge enough.
But even more than that, Abraham was being asked to lose the son that God had promised him, the son through which a family line would come that would lead to the Messiah and save the world (Matthew 1:1-16).
God asked Abraham to give up the one he loved most, who he had waited for, and who he was counting on for everything. Abraham had enough faith to obey (Hebrews 11:17-19).
Could you do it? I honestly don’t think I could. I wish I could say I had enough faith, but I don’t know that I do.
And beyond family members (we won’t be asked to give up them), what if God asked you to give up something else that was huge?
What would be the biggest thing God could ask you to give up for His sake?
Of course, God never intends Abraham to actually do it. The gods asking for human sacrifice was a common affair in the ancient world—most other religions at the time included it. What seems shocking to us was perfectly normal at that time.
Abraham would have been saddened, but not surprised, by God’s request. Sacrificing a child was just something that the gods required.
And for the atheist critics, what is surprising about this story for Abraham is that our God says, “Stop!” (Genesis 22:11-12). Unlike other gods, our God doesn’t actually call us to sacrifice humans.
Unlike other gods, our God provides the sacrifice Himself, giving Abraham a ram in place of his son’s life, allowing one to be sacrificed instead of the other (Genesis 22:13-14).
This is all pointing towards Jesus, who will later willingly die in our place (Romans 5:6-8). Like Abraham’s story, God provides the sacrifice and saves our lives.
Abraham was willing to trust God with his greatest sacrifice.
Would we?
Would you, as a man, willingly give up whatever God asked of you?
That is a question worth pondering.
Prayer: Lord, thank You for all that You provide. Help me to trust You enough to give You whatever You ask of me. Amen.
Reflection: How do you feel about Abraham’s story? What does it speak to you about faith and sacrifice in your own life?
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