Good Sacrifice

The story of Abraham’s sacrifice in Genesis reveals the faithfulness and obedience of Abraham to the LORD God. During Abraham’s life, Abraham had moral failures with half-truths, trying to force God’s promises and even laughing at God’s promises, but Abraham always trusted and obeyed the LORD God by faith. Because of Abraham’s faith and obedience, the LORD God found Abraham’s heart faithful, and He declared Abraham righteous before Him and called Abraham a friend. Abraham was willing to sacrifice and surrender everything to the LORD God because he knew everything belonged to Him. An example of Abraham’s surrendered life comes with the birth of his beloved son Isaac. After Isaac’s birth to Abraham and Sarah, the LORD called Abraham to test Abraham’s faithfulness and obedience to Him with trials and temptation. The LORD instructed Abraham to take his beloved and only son Isaac to the land of Moriah and offer Isaac as a sacrificial offering. Isaac was God’s covenant-promised son to Abraham and Sarah. Ishmael was Abraham’s son and was blessed by God, too, but he had already left Abraham’s home with his mother, Hagar. Abraham, in active faith and obedience to the LORD, rose early the next morning, saddled his donkey, took his beloved and only son Isaac, and went to the mountain instructed by God, arriving on the third day. In his obedience, Abraham believed the LORD would provide the lamb for the offering, and he also believed the LORD could raise the dead. So, Abraham placed the wood for the offering on Isaac’s shoulders. Abraham came to the place designated by the LORD, built an altar, and prepared his son Isaac as a sacrifice when the Angel of the LORD God called from heaven and stopped Abraham from sacrificing his son Isaac. The LORD found Abraham’s heart surrendered to Him with fear and honor. Abraham lifted his eyes and found a ram graciously provided by the LORD as another sacrifice instead of Isaac, and Abraham sacrificed the ram as an offering and not his son, Isaac. Many biblical scholars see that sacrifice provided for Isaac as Christ Jesus our Lord, who is the Righteous Servant and Lamb of God given as a ransom and atoning sacrifice for our freedom from sin and shame. The LORD is our Provider (Yahweh-Yireh), and He always provides. Then, the Angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven, and the LORD promised Abraham an eternal blessing to all nations through his Seed (Christ Jesus) and multiplication of his descendants as the stars of the heavens and the sand of the seashore because of Abraham’s faithfulness and obedience to Him. The blessings of Abraham have now come through Christ Jesus, who is the Savior and Lord of the earth, to bring heaven’s blessings, peace, salvation, and forgiveness to all people who love and obey Him with faith and belief. Also, the LORD knew Isaac would never be sacrificed because He forbids child sacrifice in His Law. Importantly, Abraham revealed the active faith accepted by God with a heartbroken self-will and surrendered all to God. Everyone who repents and follows God with Abraham’s example of faith and obedience is also declared righteous (justified), blessed, adopted, and saved before the LORD. Jesus is the LORD and let EVERYONE worship Jesus as King!