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17 By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18 even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” 19 Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death. ~ Hebrews 11:17-19
After yesterday's detour, the writer of Hebrews redirects our attention back to Abraham. Biblical faith is the subject of this chapter and Abraham’s faith provides proof of the validity of this biblical kind of faith. In today's verses Abraham encounters the most intense test of his faith in the God of the Bible. Today, we learn how God subtracts in order to multiply.
In v.17 of today's passage we read, "By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son."
In Genesis 22, we are given the story of how God called Abraham to go up to the top of Mount Moriah and place his only son, Isaac, on the altar. This was to be a test from God for the development of Abraham's faith. You see, our faith does not grow without the trials of life. The real issue was in the life of Abraham was whom he loved most. Interestingly, the first time the word "love" appears in the Bible is in Genesis 22. Also, the first time the word "worship" appears in the Bible is here in Genesis 22. What we love we worship, and, what we worship we love.
Unsaved man's wisdom considers trials to be that which we should avoid and they do not consider trails to be useful tools in the hands of God to deepen our heart's ability to see Him. Unsaved man's wisdom looks at the now and so minimizes the values of God like faith, faithfulness, patience, steadfastness, endurance and intimacy with Him.
Abraham knew about the culture of God, and he understood the necessity of sacrifice for sin. He knew and understood he was sinful and that he was in need of a sacrifice for his sin. But Isaac was the heir through whom all the promises would be fulfilled. Abraham had built altars and had sacrificed animals many times before. But this was different, much different. Yet, Abraham led his son up that mountain fully prepared to go through with the task God had called him to that day. Isaac carried his own wood, as it were, kind of a picture of the Lord Jesus carrying His cross. Then Isaac asked his father about the whereabouts of the lamb for the burnt offering. They knew what Abel and Enoch knew. So, Abraham informed his 30 year old son that God would provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering. Abraham built an altar there, arranged the wood, bound his son and laid him on the altar on top of the wood.
In v.18 of today's passage we read, "even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned."
All of Abraham's hopes and dreams were in Isaac. All the promises of God were in Isaac. Abraham loved Isaac, he had waited so long for him. Perhaps Abraham thought that he had sinned so terribly with Hagar that God had changed His mind. At the moment that Abraham had stretched out his hand to slay his son, God profoundly interrupted him.
Abraham also knew that God’s law forbad a man to kill his son, or to kill anybody for that matter. He also knew that God did not call for human sacrifice, so that sacrifice was always an animal. Abraham's trust was so great in the God of the Bible that he knew if God had to, He would raise Isaac from the dead.
In v.19 of today's passage we read, "Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death."
The word "test" used in Genesis 22:1 means to prove the worth. When God tests us, He is out to pull back the curtain to show us the proof His faithfulness in our lives. Faith is not blind or uneducated. When we pass the test, we are allowed to see that the success of our faith in nestled in the faithfulness of God. Isaac did not die that day on that mountain, but Abraham did. Abraham died to allowing his son to be more important to him than God. Abraham could do this due to the fact that he had seen God's faithfulness so many times before. And, in seeing God's faithfulness, Abraham had come to know God pretty intimately. Abraham knew without doubt that God could be thoroughly trusted.
A boy was caught on the second floor of his family's home that was on fire. The father of the boy ran to save his son, but he could not get to the second floor of the home where the boy was. The fire raged. The father could faintly see his boy standing in the window seal of his bedroom. Due to all of the smoke the boy could not see his father. His father yelled, "Jump, son, jump!" The boy said, "But dad, I can't see you!" The dad then said, "Jump son I will catch you for I can see you." That day the boy demonstrated his faith in his father and his father demonstrated his faithfulness to catch his son.
