Genesis 22:2

The Trial Of Abraham

Take now thy son, thine only son, whom thou lovest, even Isaac, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. Genesis 22:2.

The first reading of this story hurts us. A little girl was listening to her father as he read it. She was deeply interested; but as he went on, something more than mere interest appeared in her face. When the story was finished, she jumped up from the stool on which she sat, and with passion in her childish voice, said, “That's not true, father!” She judged the story from what she knew of her own father and mother.

We want to judge it from Abraham's point of view. Abraham, as you know, was friendly with all the neighboring chiefs. Although they did not worship Abraham's God, they were religious. He was constantly seeing them sacrificing what was near and dear to them sometimes it was even their sons and their daughters. They did this hoping to please or to turn aside the wrath of their god or gods. Of course they had all noticed how Abraham, the great shepherd chief, loved his son Isaac. We can imagine how they would wonder what the difference between their religion and his meant. “You give up nothing for your God,” they said to him. “You love your only son, but you keep him; we never hesitate to give up our firstborn.”

And Abraham began to think about this a great deal: he brooded over it until at length it became a question between himself and God. Did he love his God as those people loved theirs? Was he willing to give up Isaac his only and well-beloved son? He did not believe he was. He lay awake at night asking himself many such questions. He gazed up at the stars, and felt that while the questions were unanswered there was a barrier between him and his great Friend.

One night there came the voice of God to him. He knew it, and it spoke not asking a question, but giving a command. “Take now thy son, thine only son, whom thou lovest, even Isaac, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.” You know how questions come and perplex us at night; and sometimes we feel convinced that God wants us to do a certain thing we hear a command. Then we say to ourselves, “ As soon as morning comes, Ι 'll put things right with God; I'll live better; I'll give my whole life up to Him.” Abraham said, “I am willing, whatever it may mean for me, to give up my best, mine only and well-beloved son, to God.” So, early in the morning he rose, and with sad and silent determination set out with Isaac for Mount Moriah.

You know the whole story. On Mount Moriah, Abraham raised an altar, bound Isaac, laid him on the wood, had even raised his hand to strike with the knife, when there came again the voice of God “Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know thou fearest God, seeing thou heist not withheld thy son, thine only son, from me.” God really wanted no human sacrifice only the spirit of giving up, the resignation of Abraham's will.

We are not told about the home-going, but we feel sure that Abraham and Isaac shared a deep happiness with each other. You have felt happy have you not? when you have obeyed your father and mother to the extent of giving up something you liked very much. And God let Abraham know that He approved. It was the climax in Abraham's life; he came out of the trial perfected through discipline a great saint.