Genesis 22: (8-10)

" And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. "

Isaac and Abraham are walking together toward the spot where the sacrifice of a burnt offering will be made. Isaac has asked where the lamb is. Abraham now responds somewhat cryptically: God will provide for Himself the lamb. What Abraham does not tell Isaac is that God's command was for the sacrifice to be Isaac (Genesis 22:1–2).

Of course, Abraham's willingness to obey this command is not driven by blind faith or evil. Instead, Abraham seems convinced that God has some plan, behind the scenes, to make all things right. That fits perfectly with the experiences Abraham has had with God so far in his life: seemingly impossible situations working out to prove God's righteousness.

Given his response, we're left to wonder if Abraham imagines that God will indeed stop this and provide a literal lamb in some way. Or, does Abraham mean that God has provided Isaac as the lamb for Himself, referring to Isaac's miraculous birth? Or, that God has provided Isaac as the sacrifice but intends to raise him from the dead? We can't fully know. In any case, Abraham does not flinch in continuing to move toward fulfilling God's command. Judging by his actions, his faith in God's goodness, character, and power remain absolute.

Touchingly, Isaac's simple trust in his father also remains intact. A young man who can carry wood up a mountain could not be overpowered by an elderly man—when Isaac is bound on the altar, he has to allow it to happen (Genesis 22:9). The two obviously care for each other. Abraham continues to show his willingness to give to God this boy he loves, trusting the Lord to do what is right.

As we read through the story told in Genesis 22, we come very close to the moment we have been dreading. Abraham has been commanded by God to sacrifice his beloved son, Isaac (Genesis 22:1–2). Abraham has obeyed, thus far, seemingly under the assumption that God has some greater plan or purpose in mind (Genesis 22:5). Abraham and Isaac arrive at the place God has shown to Abraham for the sacrifice. Abraham builds the altar and lays out the wood on top of it.

Then he prepares to do, but for the command of God, what would be unthinkable. He binds Isaac with a rope and lays him on the altar. Did Isaac protest? Did he struggle? Or did he stand obediently without resisting and allow himself to be tied and laid out? Did either Isaac or Abraham cry? We're not told any of these details, but what we do know of the story strongly suggests that Isaac was a willing participant. He's old enough to ask questions (Genesis 22:7), and to carry firewood (Genesis 22:6). He's alone with an elderly man (Genesis 22:5). Since he could have easily run away from or overpowered Abraham, it makes the most sense to assume Isaac allowed himself to be bound. Of course, Scripture does not say this directly, so we cannot be absolutely certain.

What we know for sure is that Abraham continued to demonstrate his unshaken faith in God by willingly obeying this command. He was clearly passing God's test of his faith, showing that his love for the Lord was greater than his love for his son. Even though he does not understand, Abraham still obeys—this is the definition of "faith," which in a biblical context means "trust."

The other thing we know is that Isaac here serves as a picture of the very action taken by Jesus about two thousand years from this moment. Jesus, the Son, willingly allowed Himself to be sacrificed for the sins of the world by His Father God. As Isaac did, Jesus carried the wood that was to be used in His own execution. Jesus, however, actually died as the sacrificial lamb, raised back to life as Abraham may have imagined Isaac would be (Hebrews 11:19).

God had commanded Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac, the son he loved, as a burnt offering. Now that Isaac was bound and laid out on the altar, the moment had come. Again, Abraham's confidence in God's goodness, power, and character is so thorough that he does not appear to hesitate. He takes the knife and prepares to kill his precious and long-awaited son. This is the moment of truth—the phrasing here clearly indicates that Abraham is taking action. He is not merely "holding" the knife and waiting for something to happen. He is actively, obediently following the command given him by God.

This obedience, of course, is not based in ignorance or blind faith. Instead, Abraham is trusting God to do what He has done so many times before: work behind the scenes to do the right things, even when human beings cannot understand.

Before we read on to the next verse, in which the angel of the Lord calls out to Abraham to stop him, it's worth taking a moment to consider God's character. Was the Lord cruel to ask this of Abraham? Was God being capricious like the gods of mythology who casually tormented their human followers? Such questions require some thoughtfulness. They should not be dismissed too quickly.

God identifies Himself as love (1 John 4:8). He demonstrated His love to the universe by the sacrifice of His own Son for our sins (Romans 5:8). He is the same God who asked Abraham to do what He Himself would later do with Jesus. Given what we see in the very next verse, God always knew that Isaac would not be harmed. So, then, what was the point of all of this? God's purpose in testing Abraham's faith will be clarified in the following verses.