The death of a child—a parent’s worst nightmare. And not only that, but Abraham himself was the one who had to kill him. Not just kill him, but kill him as a sacrifice, kill him devoutly, kill him by rule, kill him with all the pomp and ceremony, with all the calm and composure of mind, with which he offered his burnt offerings. And as if that wasn’t enough, God had promised that it would be through Isaac’s family line that He would provide mankind’s Savior, the Messiah. To Abraham’s sinful flesh, not only did God command him to kill his son, but also to kill his only hope of eternal salvation.
What do you think was going through Abraham’s head? Think of all the revolting thoughts and accusations that he must have been thinking. And yet one truth dominated them all, “The LORD will provide.”
When we face tests of faith in our lives – when we or our families goes through pain and suffering and sorrow – when we are in tough financial situations – when we think that we just can’t get through this – remember Who provides our faith! That’s what Abraham did.
Hebrews 11:17-19 tells us that “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead.”
The writer to the Hebrews helps us to realize that Abraham truly believed that he was going to go up on that mountain, kill his own son, burn his body to ashes, and then God was going to raise him from the dead. That’s what was in Abraham’s heart. True faith! How could his faith be so strong? Because the LORD provides him with a rock-solid faith that stands firm on the rock-solid promises of God’s Word. And he provides the same faith to you! God had made a promise. A promise to bring the Messiah through the family line of Isaac. A promise that God kept when Jesus was born, lived, and died to rescue us from sin and death. God keeps his promises. And God-given faith trusts those promises absolutely.
Heavenly Father, strengthen me with the faith to endure tests and trials. Amen. |
