First, this story shows us the character of the man of faith, Abraham. ‘God tested Abraham’, who showed his willingness to give up that which he had longed for, prayed for and treasured to the God he trusted. Knowing so much more of God how much more should we trust him?
Secondly, this story shows us the character of God. Dallas Willard, a theologian I deeply respect and rarely understand, recently made a thought-provoking comment in a conversation on suffering; ‘God does not need to test you to find about you. He already knows you fully – what you will think, what you will say and what you will do.’
Yet God tests Abraham, why?
1. Abraham is shown his own character that God already knew. It is in times of testing and stress that who we really are is revealed to us and others. God tests you to show you you.
2. God reveals his character to Abraham. We know God more fully than Abraham did, we know that he is unrelentingly good and loving and that he despises human sacrifice (Deuteronomy 12:31) but Abraham was learning about God for the first time as he walked with him. God tests you to show you himself.
3. Through this story God reveals a glorious foreshadow of the lamb to come.
Thousands of years later a city called Jerusalem would be built in the region of Moriah, and another beloved son would approach, also travelling on a donkey (Gen 22:3). Like Isaac he too would climb a mountain with the wood for his sacrifice laid upon his shoulders and Abraham’s prophetic words would finally be fulfilled – ‘on the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.’
How unthinkable to Abraham that Genesis 22:16 would one day be said in praise of God.
(homegroup member)