God Tests Abraham’s Love

One night God gave Abraham a strange command. It was a test to see if Abraham loved his son Isaac more than he loved God.

“Take your son Isaac, and offer him as a burnt offering,” God commanded. Offer Isaac? Sacrifice his
son? That was hard for Abraham. He loved his son very much.

But Abraham had learned to trust God even when he did not understand. In the morning he set out for the mountain of sacrifice with Isaac and two servants.

Before leaving, Abraham split pieces of wood to make a fire for the burnt offering. Abraham planned to obey God.

Three days later they neared the mountain. “Stay here,” Abraham told his servants. “We will go and worship, and we will come back to you.” Isaac carried the wood, Abraham carried fire – and a knife.

“Where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Isaac asked. “God will provide Himself a lamb,” Abraham replied.

The two came to the exact place chosen by God. There, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood to burn the sacrifice before God.

Abraham had built many altars. Surely this one was the hardest ever to build.

Abraham tied Isaac up and placed his beloved son on the altar. Was Abraham really going to obey God and sacrifice his dear Isaac, his only son?

Yes! The knife blade glinted as Abraham raised it high. His heart may have been breaking, but Abraham knew he must obey God.

“STOP!” the Angel of the LORD shouted. “Now I know you fear God. You have not held back your son, your only son, from Me.”

Seeing a ram in the bushes, Abraham untied Isaac and sacrificed the ram instead. Perhaps Isaac thought, “God did provide, just as my father said.”

While father and son worshiped, the Angel of the LORD spoke to Abraham. “In your children, all nations shall be blessed because you obeyed.” Someday, Jesus would be born through Abraham’s descendants.

Abraham and Isaac returned home. Some time later, sadness came. Sarah died. Abraham had lost his wife, and Isaac had lost his mother.

After the funeral, Abraham sent his chief servant to look for a wife for Isaac. The servant went to their old homeland to find a wife among Abraham’s relatives.

The servant asked God for a sign. “Let the girl who offers water for my camels be the right one for Isaac.” Immediately Rebekah offered to give them water. She was one of Abraham’s relatives. The servant knew God had answered his prayer.

Rebekah left her family to marry Isaac. She comforted him after his mother died. How Isaac loved her!

A short story from the Holy Bible found in Genesis 22 to 24