Abraham has been called
"the father of faith"
and
"the friend of God".

But he didn't arrive there without being tested by God.

By exploring the test Abraham experienced,
we can understand how we too can become people of faith,
and how we too can draw closer to God.

In this series
we examine one particular test Abraham took in God's school of faith:
THE MOST DIFFICULT TEST.

This series can be a real encouragement to YOU as you deepen your relationship with the Lord.

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11 - No Question!


Genesis 22
9. Then they came to the place of which God had told him.
And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order;
and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon 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 lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me."
13. Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son.
NKJV

There is an occasion in everyone's walk of faith where God, having given you what He promised, requires you to give it all up, with no promise that you'll ever see it again.
This was that time in the life of Abraham.

God had told him that he and Sarah would have Isaac. They had waited and waited on God for many years in faith for the fulfilment of this promise.

Now Isaac was a fully grown young man, the most precious person in Abraham's heart, the one through whom God had said he would fulfil His great promises to Abraham,
and God says, "Give him back to Me!"

Abraham's heart must have screamed, "God, what do You mean: sacrifice Isaac as a burnt offering to YOU!"

But Abraham never voiced that question to God.
He chose instead to believe that God would give Isaac back to him, so he went ahead in faith to obey God's command:
"and took the knife to slay his son…"

When God comes to test your faith by requiring some impossible sacrifice of you, will you respond in trusting obedience like Abraham?

Or will your own self-will rise to the surface and question God's directives for you?

Abraham had no assurance that this incident would end the way it did.

It was the practice of the idol-worshipping people who surrounded him, that they would offer their children as burnt offerings to their gods.

Abraham had never been told that God is totally against child-sacrifice of any kind.

Still he decided to obey God in faith.

Prayer:
Father, the way Abraham was able to trust You here is astonishing to me.
I want to be able to obey You without question, in faith, the way Your man Abraham did.
Today, like the Lord Jesus Christ, I put away my self will, and say,
Not my will, but Yours be accomplished in my life,
In His name I pray,
Amen.




LB stands for "The Living Bible", by Tyndale House Publishers
NKJV stands for "The New King James Bible",
by Thomas Nelson Publishers


A new reading in this series is available every day!
See you tomorrow, God willing, and be blessed in all you do today!
Sol Wise.