“And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, 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
In this verse, we consider the huge decision that Abraham had to undertake after receiving a rare instruction from God Himself. Abraham, after leaving everything he had before to follow God, was told by God to take not only his own son, but his only son, Isaac, who was miraculously given by God to Sarah despite her old age. This command by God would have caused Abraham sleepless nights and restless days. After all that he and Sarah had been through, they had to give up their only son as a burnt offering! Who would have been strong enough to go through this ordeal? But we see that Abraham was a man that sought after heavenly things. Unbeknownst to him at that time, it was a test of purity, a test of godly submission unto the Father. Such a command goes against our traditional beliefs that stem from the world, but Christians are not of the world, for we are of God. And when we stay true to God and trust His ways, we are brought closer to knowing Him.
Abraham, just like many of the great men and women of faith in Hebrews 11, placed his trust and faith in God alone. A person’s character usually determines how he or she interprets the Will of God (Psalm 18:25-26). Are we greatly troubled by how the world perceives us in our communities and societies, or how God perceives us in this sinful world? Sometimes, our faith requires us to make decisions, tough choices that might hinder a certain promotion, or affect our interpersonal relationships with our colleagues, peers, and even families. Yet through it all, we can be more like Abraham. He was faced with a tough decision, one that would emit severe ramifications to his family. The interesting thing was that we would never know what would have happened, for it was not even in God’s sovereign plan and will for it to take place! Why should we then worry about things that are not according to God’s purpose for us?
The lesson we can learn from Abraham and the rest of these faithful people is that where there is great faith, there will the great sacrifice be also. Are we prepared to do anything for God? To go against traditional beliefs and our selfish convictions? Take heart and know that God would lead us directly through every barrier and guide us in the way that He wants us to go. All we must do is to remain true, humbled, in full submission unto God’s prompting and earnestly searching His Word, as He purifies our Faith through careful trials.
Hebrews 11:1 – Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.