GOD’S COMMAND OF CONSECRATION

“Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering” – Genesis 22:2

GOD ushered Abraham into deeper realms of covenant relationship by His COMMAND of CONSECRATION: “Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you” (Gen.22:1-2). This ancient and famous story describes how Abraham obeyed God’s command to sacrifice his son Isaac. This dark, troubling story challenges us on how to: Understand our relationship with God; follow God’s lead; and approach Scripture.

How could Abraham, now about 115 years old, restrain his teenage son? Which teenager would lie still while an old father tries to tie him up and slice his neck? If a father expressed such desire today, the police will becalled on him! However, to gain the most from Bible stories, we shouldn’t let the details distract us from the key lesson. We shouldn’t reject the story because of how irrational it seems, but rather, assimilate the concepts. We take comfort in the first sentence of this text: “Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham...” (v.1a). We know this is a test; though Abraham didn’t. God is in control! All would be okay!

On the surface, this story doesn’t seem to convey the concept of God as we understand Him to be – the Father who has the best in mind for His children. This however does not detract from the truth within, which makes the story real and valuable. Abraham’s entire life is a story of faith, free will, and obedience. Since Genesis 12, we read repeatedly of God asking Abraham to do something, and he did it – even if God’s direction lacked details or didn’t make much sense at the time: “If God calls you to it, God will get you through it.” His life modeled: listening for God, responding in faith, and “obediently” going where he believed God was leading him.

The conclusion of the story is instructive: ^“Then the Angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, and said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son – blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies.  In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice” (vv.15-18). God reconfirmed His promise to Abraham in light of his faith!

For four millennia, we have shared this and other stories of God’s role in creation and in human lives, and His incredible love for us and all humanity. This story calls us to an intimate, attentive, obedient, and loving relationship with God. When we feel like God is tugging us in a direction, or speaking to us directly, we should follow Abraham’s lead and respond with “Here I am!” (v.1b). With a “Here I am” relationship with God, amazing things can happen! Practically, the key lesson for us is: When God speaks, we must listen and follow His lead. When we do, God provides what we need.

More significantly, Abraham’s account of offering his son Isaac as a burnt offering is a remarkable foreshadowing in the Old Testament of the work of Christ in the New. No one watching old Abraham binding his dear son to the altar and his heart breaking within him can miss the parallel with God sending his own Son to Calvary's mountain centuries later. This was the deepest thrust of the Cross of Christ into Abraham’s life. There is involved in this account a Gethsemane, a Calvary, and a resurrection!