Abraham Tested
Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
2Then God said, “Take you son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a brunt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.”
Right here is where I first saw the actions of God revealing Jesus Christ to us. In John 3:16 it states, “For God so loved the world that He gave His One and Only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Abraham has waited waited his whole life for a son, and now he has the faith that God will not take him from him. I do not know if he believed in reincarnation or what, but I would be going nuts!
3Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 4On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”
Here is where I notice Abraham said WE will come back. Was he lying? Did he truly believe God would not take his son? If this were a movie, I would be crying right now. That is, if I didn’t know the outcome. lol
6Abraham took the wood for the offering and placed it on his son, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together. 7Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”
“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.
“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the brunt offering?”
8Abraham answered, “God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.
Here is where I start crying anyway. I cannot imagine how heavy Abraham’s heart must have been. His only son! Not knowing for sure in which manner God would provide this lamb. Did he lie to Isaac? Was his faith that strong? Even so, I could not handle it.
9When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
12“Do not lay a hand on the boy,” He said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”
Here is where I get confused. Was the angel of the LORD God Himself? Should I emphasize this section of speech? Oh my, such decision!
13Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.”
15The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from Heaven a second time 16and said, “I swear by Myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and not withheld your son, your only son, 17I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18and through your offspring all nations on earth will blessed, because you have obeyed Me.”
19Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set off together for Beersheba. And Abraham stayed in Beersheba.
Am I the only one who is curious about what Isaac thinks about this whole matter? I cannot imagine my father bounding me up on an altar! Did he have any scars emotionally, or is this a new phenomena?
Nahor’s Sons
20Some time later Abraham was told, “Milcah is also a mother; she has borne sons to your brother Nahor: 2Uz the firstborn, Buz his brother, Kamuel (the father of Aram), 22Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidiaph and Bethuel.” 23Bethuel became the father of Rebekah. Milcah bore these eight sons to Abraham’s brother Nahor. 24His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also had sons: Tebah, Gaham, Tahash and Maachah.
Keep on loving each other as brothers. 2Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. 3Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering. Heb. 13:1-3
