1. Now it
came about after these things, that God tested
Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said,
"Here I am."
2. And He said,
"Take now your son, your only son, whom you love,
Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah; and offer him
there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of
which I will tell you."
3. So Abraham
rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and
took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son;
and he split wood for the burnt offering, and arose
and went to the place of which God had told
him.
4. On the third
day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from a
distance.
5. And Abraham
said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey, and
I and the lad will go yonder; and we will worship and
return to you."
6. And Abraham
took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on
Isaac his son, and he took in his hand the fire and
the knife. So the two of them walked on
together.
7. And Isaac
spoke to Abraham his father and said, "My father!" And
he said, "Here I am, my son." And he said, "Behold,
the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the
burnt offering?"
8. And Abraham
said, "God will provide for Himself the lamb for the
burnt offering, my son." So the two of them walked on
together.
9. Then they
came to the place of which God had told him; and
Abraham built the altar there, and arranged the wood,
and bound his son Isaac, and laid him on the altar on
top of the wood.
10. And Abraham
stretched out his hand, and took the knife to slay his
son.
11. But the
angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, and said,
"Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here I
am."
12. And he said,
"Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do
nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God,
since you have not withheld your son, your only son,
from Me."
13. Then Abraham
raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a
ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham
went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt
offering in the place of his son.
14. And Abraham
called the name of that place The Lord Will Provide,
as it is said to this day, "In the mount of the Lord
it will be provided."
God gave Abraham what many
consider the ultimate test of obedience and faith when
He told Abraham to offer his son, Isaac, on the altar
as a sacrifice. Yet Abraham obeyed without hesitation.
He actually bound his son and had the knife out to
slay him when God provided a substitute at the last
minute, a ram that was caught in the bushes.
The obligation God laid on
Abraham He also laid on Himself. Knowing that the sins
of men and women, young people, and children could
never be forgiven without a sacrifice, God the Father
sent God the Son to be a sacrifice for sins. However,
at the last minute, God did not provide a substitute
for His own Son. The sacrifice was really
offered.
Jesus actually died a hideous
death on the cross of Calvary, in accordance with His
Father's will. But He didn't die as a martyr, or to
serve as an example of selflessness. Instead of having
a substitute take His place at the last minute, Jesus
was a substitute — your substitute
and mine. He suffered the wrath of God while He
was on the cross, so that you would never have to
experience that wrath. He died that you might
live.
Why don't you stop right now and
let that one sink in for a minute. And then, why not
take some time to express your gratitude to Jesus
that, because of your trust in Him for salvation, you
have experienced deliverance from both the penalty and
the power of sin?