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Genesis 22:2 - The Father of Faith Revealed!

Gen.22:2: The Father of Faith Revealed!

Gen 22:2 (KJV)  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. 

CONTEXT/OVERVIEW

This is one of the most unusual and, at the same time, most 
exciting stories in the Bible. Isaac, the promised heir, had been born. 
The old man had grown to dearly love this child for whom he had 
waited so long with such eager expectation. Suddenly, as if to shatter 
the old man's world, God spoke to him again. "Take your son, your 
only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. 
Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will 
tell you about" (v. 2). 
Then the Bible tells us an amazing thing: "Early 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" (v. 
3). 
There was no hesitation.
Abraham obeyed.
We can't know how Abraham felt on the three-day journey, or the 
doubts and fears that may have filled his heart and mind. But we do 
know that before he arrived, Abraham had worked the problem through. 
"Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead" (Heb. 11:19). Abraham 
knew that God had promised, "through Isaac . . . your offspring will 
be reckoned" (v. 18). God would not go back on His stated word. If 
God chose to accept Isaac as a sacrifice, Abraham would give him, 
sure that the Lord would give the child back again. 
And so the Genesis text reveals, in a Hebrew plural: "Stay 
here," Abraham told the servants who accompanied them. "I and the boy 
[will] go over there. We will worship, and then we will come back to 
you" (Gen. 22:5). Abraham did not know the means. But he did know 
that God would provide. 
God did. As Abraham was about to plunge the knife into the bound 
body of his son, the Lord stopped him and pointed out a ram whose 
horns had been caught in a thicket. The ram was slain; the boy was 
freed. God Himself had provided a substitute. 
And then God spoke again. The test was complete. God's promises 
to Abraham were reconfirmed and Abraham, his trust also confirmed 
by the events, returned with Isaac to their tents. [Victor 
Teacher's Commentary] 

INTRODUCTION

God's request that Abraham sacrifice his son was a great test of 
faith, perhaps the greatest such test in history. [Life Recovery SB] 

The Lord put his servant's faith and loyalty to the supreme 
test, thereby instructing Abraham, Isaac and their descendants as to 
the kind of total consecration the Lord's covenant requires. The 
test also foreshadowed the perfect consecration in sacrifice that 
another offspring of Abraham would undergo (see note on v. 16) in order 
to wholly consecrate Abraham and his spiritual descendants to God 
and to fulfill the covenant promises. [NIV SB] 

FIRST VERSE OF THIS NARRATIVE IS CRITICAL FOR UNDERSTANDING

The first verse of this narrative provides a necessary 
preliminary understanding of the events of the chapter. Without it God's 
request that Abraham offer up Isaac as a "burnt offering" would be 
inexplicable. By stating clearly at the start that "God tested Abraham" (v. 
1), the writer quickly allays any doubt about God's real purpose. 
There is, then, no thought of an actual sacrifice of Isaac in the 
narrative,... The whole structure of the narrative focuses so strongly on the 
Lord's request that the writer apparently sensed the need to dispel any 
suspense or suspicion about the Lord's real intention. [Expositors Bible 
Commentary] 

There is an advance notice to the reader that God did not insist 
on the death of Isaac but tested Abraham to see how great his faith 
was. [Cambridge Annotated SB]  

God's directive in no way was meant to condone infant sacrifice, 
which was practiced in Canaan in the second and first millennia. 
[Jamieson, Fausset, And Brown Commentary] 

God's commands to Abraham to offer Isaac did not mean that God 
was condoning human sacrifice (a common pagan practice in Abraham's 
day).  Rather, God was testing Abraham's faith in His covenant 
promises.  [Your Daily Walk SB] 

God tested Abraham's faith by commanding him to offer Isaac as a 
sacrifice. God did not seek to make Abraham sin. He presented Abraham an 
opportunity to clarify his loyalty to God. Did Abraham love Isaac more than 
God? Sometimes our suffering is not due to God punishing us but to 
God placing us in a situation where our faith is challenged and can 
grow. [Disciple SB] 

God did not intend for Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. The command 
was a test: a test of how far Abraham would trust the Lord with his 
most precious possession. Yet the story is also prophetic. God, who 
was too kind to take Abraham's son, was willing to surrender His 
Son, His only Son, whom He loves, to win our salvation. In the test 
of Abraham we see foreshadowed the ultimate test of God's own love. 
And the proof that God's love for us is real. [Victor Bible Reader's 
Companion] 

TEMPTING VS TESTING

In Hebrew, to tempt, and to try, or to prove, are expressed by 
the same word. Every trial is indeed a temptation, and tends to show 
the dispositions of the heart, whether holy or unholy. But God 
proved Abraham, not to draw him to sin, as Satan tempts. Strong faith 
is often exercised with strong trials, and put upon hard services. 
[Matthew Henry Commentary] 

To tempt is originally to try, prove, put to the test. It 
belongs to the dignity of a moral being to be put to a moral probation. 
Such assaying of the will and conscience is worthy both of God the 
assayer, and of man the assayed. (Barnes' Notes) 

We read that God tempted Abraham, that He tempted the children 
of Israel. This means that He permitted circumstances to occur to 
test their faith, and lead them to look to Him for help. God permits 
temptation to come to His people today, that they may realize that He is 
their helper. If they draw nigh to Him when they are tempted, He 
strengthens them to meet the temptation. But if they yield to the enemy, 
neglecting to place themselves close to their Almighty Helper, they are 
overcome. They separate themselves from God. They do not give evidence 
that they walk in God's way (ST March 12, 1912).  

True faith is always tested. Of course, God did not want Isaac's 
life; He wanted Abraham's heart. Isaac was dear to Abraham, and God 
wanted to be sure that Isaac was not an idol standing between Him and 
Abraham. It was possible that Abraham was trusting Isaac to fulfill the 
promises and not trusting God.... "Never doubt in the dark what God has 
told you in the light."... If we do the one thing God tells us to do, 
He will reveal the next step when the right time comes. God's 
answers never arrive a minute too late! [Wiersbe Expository Outlines] 

Tests are intended to make us, not break us. Character is 
developed through challenges. God tested Abraham, not to trip him and 
watch him fall, but to deepen his capacity to obey God and thus to 
develop his character. Just as fire refines ore to extract precious 
metals, God refines us through difficult circumstances. When we are 
tested, we can complain, or we can try to see how God is stretching us 
to develop our character. [Life Application SB] 

Testing brings our real priorities out into the open. Why did 
God ask Abraham to perform human sacrifice? Pagan nations practiced 
human sacrifice, but God condemned this as a terrible sin (Leviticus 
20:1-5). God did not want Isaac to die, but he wanted Abraham to 
"sacrifice" Isaac in his heart so it would be clear that Abraham loved God 
more than he loved his promised and long-awaited son. God was testing 
Abraham. The purpose of testing is to strengthen our character and deepen 
our commitment to God and his perfect timing. Through this difficult 
experience, Abraham strengthened his commitment to obey God. He also learned 
about God's ability to provide. [Life Application SB] 

Satan tempts us to bring out the worst in us, but God tests us 
to help bring out the best. See James 1:12-15. The most severe 
tests do not come from people, but from the Lord, and yet the greatest 
blessings always accompany them. God never tested Lot in this way. Lot 
lived on such a low level that Sodom and the world tested him. It is 
the saint that walks closest to the Lord that God tests the greatest 
for His glory. [Wiersbe Expository Outlines] 

PURPOSE OF TESTING

God's intention here was to see if Abraham loved Him more than 
he loved Isaac and to try Abraham's faith in His promise concerning 
descendants. [Ryrie SB] 

In this frightening event, God was sending two messages to 
Abraham and to all of us. One, God does not want anything to be more 
important to us than our relationship to him, not even our children. Two, 
God does not expect us to sacrifice the life or health of our 
children to follow him. This twofold message may have special 
significance to those of us who have become Christian service addicts, doing 
great things for God while doing very little for our children. [Life 
Recovery Devotional SB] 

It was to impress Abraham's mind with the reality of the gospel, 
as well as to test his faith, that God commanded him to slay his 
son. The agony which he endured during the dark days of that fearful 
trial was permitted that he might understand from his own experience 
something of the greatness of the sacrifice made by the infinite God for 
man's redemption. No other test could have caused Abraham such torture 
of soul as did the offering of his son. God gave His Son to a death 
of agony and shame. The angels who witnessed the humiliation and 
soul anguish of the Son of God were not permitted to interpose, as in 
the case of Isaac. There was no voice to cry, "It is enough." To 
save the fallen race, the King of glory yielded up His life. What 
stronger proof can be given of the infinite compassion and love of God? 
"He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, 
how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" Romans 
8:32.  {PP 154.2} 
The sacrifice required of Abraham was not alone for his own 
good, nor solely for the benefit of succeeding generations; but it was 
also for the instruction of the sinless intelligences of heaven and 
of other worlds. The field of the controversy between Christ and 
Satan--the field on which the plan of redemption is wrought out--is the 
lesson book of the universe. Because Abraham had shown a lack of faith 
in God's promises, Satan had accused him before the angels and 
before God of having failed to comply with the conditions of the 
covenant, and as unworthy of its blessings. God desired to prove the 
loyalty of His servant before all heaven, to demonstrate that nothing 
less than perfect obedience can be accepted, and to open more fully 
before them the plan of salvation.  {PP 154.3} 
Heavenly beings were witnesses of the scene as the faith of 
Abraham and the submission of Isaac were tested. The trial was far more 
severe than that which had been brought upon Adam. Compliance with the 
prohibition laid upon our first parents involved no suffering, but the 
command to Abraham demanded the most agonizing sacrifice. All heaven 
beheld with wonder and admiration Abraham's unfaltering obedience. All 
heaven applauded his fidelity. Satan's accusations were shown to be 
false. God declared to His servant, "Now I know that thou fearest God 
[notwithstanding Satan's charges], seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine 
only son from Me." God's covenant, confirmed to Abraham by an oath 
before the intelligences of other worlds, testified that obedience will 
be rewarded.  {PP 155.1} 
It had been difficult even for the angels to grasp the mystery 
of redemption--to comprehend that the Commander of heaven, the Son 
of God, must die for guilty man. When the command was given to 
Abraham to offer up his son, the interest of all heavenly beings was 
enlisted. With intense earnestness they watched each step in the 
fulfillment of this command. When to Isaac's question, "Where is the lamb 
for a burnt offering?" Abraham made answer, "God will provide 
Himself a lamb;" and when the father's hand was stayed as he was about 
to slay his son, and the ram which God had provided was offered in 
the place of Isaac--then light was shed upon the mystery of 
redemption, and even the angels understood more clearly the wonderful 
provision that God had made for man's salvation. 1 Peter 1:12.  {PP 
155.2} 

Why did testing come to Job? (23:10)
Why believers undergo prolonged and difficult suffering has no 
one, simple explanation: But the Bible offers several reasons. 
First, testing strengthens our character. James says, the 
testing of your faith develops perseverance (James 1:2-3). Painful 
situations produce character the same way regular exercise builds muscle 
tone. 
Peter adds that testing proves our faith is genuine (1 Peter 
1:7). When the heat is on, who we actually are, and what we truly 
believe are revealed. He also suggests that this tested faith gives 
honor to God. Remaining faithful despite prolonged agony testifies to 
others how much we value God. 
Job notes that testing can get rid of unrefined qualities in our 
lives (23:10). Much the way a blast furnace brings out impurities in 
metals, testing removes sinful attitudes in us, and we come forth as 
gold. 
The writer of Hebrews (12:6-8) says that testing proves we are 
God's children. Every parent disciplines a child, in love, to help the 
child develop. When God brings testing, it reminds us that we are his 
children. 
Why did testing come to Job? Job never realized that God allowed 
it because he was proud of him: Have you considered my servant Job? 
There is no one on earth like him (1:8). There may be no reason behind 
our testing other than that God is proud of us. He may want to 
demonstrate to others that our devotion to him is real and unshakable. 
[Quest SB re Job 23:10] 

And Paul gives another reason in 2 Corinthians 1:8, 9 (NIV) ..... 
We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so 
that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the 
sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves 
but on God, who raises the dead. 

Why does God test us? (81:7)
God was testing the Israelites' faith, whether they trusted in 
his ability to provide for them. They had seen his incredible power 
in the plagues, the crossing of the Red Sea, the manna and quail 
and in so many other ways. Yet they were still grumbling and 
complaining. In this way they failed their test. 
Life is a laboratory of faith. God tests us to confirm the 
strength of our faith and the sincerity of our commitment to him. Another 
example of this was when God tested Abraham (Gen. 22:1.). Would he trust 
God even if it required the sacrifice of his beloved son? 
It's important to distinguish between testing and temptation. We 
know God tempts no one (James 1:13). Rather, Satan is the tempter 
(Matt. 4:3; 1 Cor. 7:5). Yet God can use Satan's temptations to test 
us; God redeems what Satan intended for evil and uses it to 
accomplish something good. [Quest SB re Psa.81:7] 

The person whose faith has been severely tested yet who has come 
through the battle victoriously is the person to whom even greater tests 
will come. The finest jewels are those that are the most carefully 
cut and polished, and the most precious metals are put through the 
hottest fires. You can be sure Abraham would never have been called the 
Father of Faith had he not been tested to the utmost. 
Read Genesis 22. In verse 2 God said to Abraham, "Take your son, 
your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and . . . sacrifice him." We 
then see him climbing Mount Moriah with his heart heavy and yearning 
yet humbly obedient. He climbed with Isaac, the object of his great 
love, who was about to be sacrificed at the command of God - the One 
whom Abraham faithfully loved and served! 
What a lesson this should be to us when we question God's 
dealings in our lives! Rebuke all explanations that try to cast doubt on 
this staggering scene, for this was an object lesson for all ages! 
Angels also looked on in awe. Will Abraham's faith not stand forever as 
a strength and a help to all God's people? Will his trial not be a 
witness to the fact that unwavering faith will always prove the 
faithfulness of God? [Streams In The Desert By Cowman] 

QUESTIONS

Would God Ever Ask Us To Do Wrong?
No. But he will push to the limit the boundaries of our 
commitment to him. The first words of this chapter - Some time later God 
tested Abraham - suggest that God never really intended the sacrifice 
to take place. The point was the test: Did Abraham really trust 
God? 
We are shocked by this today because we know of the Bible's 
strong warnings against child sacrifice (Lev. 20:1-5; 2 Kings 23:10; 
Jer. 32:35). That's what pagan gods demanded, not the holy God of 
Israel. 
Because the Biblical laws against child sacrifice came later, we 
can't be sure what Abraham understood about it. Still, God had shaped 
Abraham's sense of values. And this request would not have been consistent 
with God as he had known him to this point. So perhaps Abraham was 
somewhat confused or puzzled by the nature of God's command. Abraham's 
primary concern however was crystal clear: He was being asked to give up 
the son promised to him. 
God's command was harsh (even for the ancients). It raises for 
us a poignant question: Will we entrust our futures unreservedly to 
the One who calls us? Or will we doubt God and place our trust in 
our own understanding? 
Our God does not require human sacrifice, but heart sacrifice. 
God desires in us an obedient heart willing to do what he asks. 
[Quest SB] 

Because we know God is good, we do not ask questions here about 
the morality of God in asking Abraham to sacrifice his only son, the 
son of promise. Rather, we ask if we are trusting enough to obey our 
good God's most radical demands on us. Ultimately, God alone required 
the sacrifice of an only Son of Himself. [Disciple SB] 

Does God have to test us to find out what's in our hearts? 
(2Ch.32:31) 
No, he doesn't. But tests of faith are not to enlighten God; 
they're to teach us. Tests help uncover our real motives, clarify our 
deep loyal ties, eliminate deceit and nurture genuine faith. [Quest 
SB re 2Ch.32:31] 

THE EIGHTH VERSE PROVIDES FURTHER INFORMATION FOR FULLER 
UNDERSTANDING 

When Abraham finally ends his narrative silence and speaks in 
his reply to Isaac, for the first time, a hint at an answer is 
given: he said, "God himself will provide ['elohim yir'eh-llo] the lamb 
for the burnt offering, my son" (v. 8). Such a reply is not 
anticipated within the narrative thus far, but the reply itself anticipates 
precisely the final outcome of the story: "The LORD will provide" (yhwh 
yir'eh v. 14). Thus midway through the narrative, the writer allows the 
final words of the story to appear and foreshadow the end. [Expositors 
Bible Commentary] 

When God called, the patriarch responded promptly. Even when he 
knew what was ahead, he calmly spoke to his servants: "Abide ye here 
... I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you" 
(v. 5). His faith in the God who sees and "sees to it" assured him 
that all would be well. He trusted Jehovah to carry out his promises. 
"By faith Abraham, being tried, offered up Isaac: yea, he that had 
gladly received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; 
even he to whom it was said, In Isaac shall thy seed be called: 
accounting that God is able to raise up, even from the dead; from whence he 
did also in a figure receive him back" (). Faith saw 
beyond the sacrifice and was willing to obey. (Wycliffe Commentary) 

READING BETWEEN THE LINES FOR DEEPER UNDERSTANDING

A person's character determines how he interprets God's will 
(see Psalm 18:25-26). Abraham interpreted God's command to mean that 
he had to kill his son, and he could only leave this traditional 
belief behind through the pain of a tremendous ordeal. God could purify 
his faith in no other way. If we obey what God says according to our 
sincere belief, God will break us from those traditional beliefs that 
misrepresent Him. There are many such beliefs which must be removed--for 
example, that God removes a child because his mother loves him too much. 
That is the devil's lie and a travesty on the true nature of God! If 
the devil can hinder us from taking the supreme climb and getting 
rid of our wrong traditional beliefs about God, he will do so. But 
if we will stay true to God, God will take us through an ordeal 
that will serve to bring us into a better knowledge of Himself. 
The great lesson to be learned from Abraham's faith in God is 
that he was prepared to do anything for God. He was there to obey 
God, no matter what contrary belief of his might be violated by his 
obedience. Abraham was not devoted to his own convictions or else he would 
have slain Isaac and said that the voice of the angel was actually 
the voice of the devil. That is the attitude of a fanatic. If you 
will remain true to God, God will lead you directly through every 
barrier and right into the inner chamber of the knowledge of Himself. 
But you must always be willing to come to the point of giving up 
your own convictions and traditional beliefs. Don't ask God to test 
you. Never declare as Peter did that you are willing to do anything, 
even "to go ..... both to prison and to death" (Luke 22:33). Abraham 
did not make any such statement--he simply remained true to God, and 
God purified his faith. [My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald 
Chambers] 

Oh, the wonderful simplicity of Abraham! When God spoke, he did 
not "confer with flesh and blood" (Galatians 1:16). Beware when you 
want to "confer with flesh and blood" or even your own thoughts, 
insights, or understandings--anything that is not based on your personal 
relationship with God. These are all things that compete with and hinder 
obedience to God.... If God has made your cup sweet, drink it with grace; or 
even if He has made it bitter, drink it in communion with Him. If the 
providential will of God means a hard and difficult time for you, go through 
it.... by going through the trial you learn to know God better. God is 
working in us to reach His highest goals until His purpose and our 
purpose become one. [My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers] 

APPLICATION

Abraham: Faith In Action; Gen.22; Step 3
Abraham's test of faith was monumental. No one in the Bible was 
ever tested by God in quite the same way. Isaac was Abraham's miracle 
child, born long after his wife, Sarah, had passed childbearing age. 
When Abraham first heard God's promise of a child, he had accepted it 
without wavering, though it seemed physically impossible. 
But now, the God who had given Isaac to Abraham was ordering 
Abraham to offer him as a sacrifice. Again, Abraham followed God's 
instructions, not understanding why, but going forward in faith. When Isaac 
questioned his father about the offering, Abraham's faith answered, "God 
himself will provide the lamb." 
At times we have to follow God down pathways we do not like or 
understand. We may want to avoid his path, opting for shortcuts or smoother 
roads. Working the Twelve Steps, going to meetings, staying accountable 
to a sponsor and changing friends will challenge our natural 
thinking, but they will also assure our recovery. By choosing to have 
faith when facing the possibility of losing his son, Abraham brought 
blessings upon himself and on many generations. 
When we hold on too tightly to people, things, or habits, they 
become stumbling blocks to our recovery. But when we are willing to 
"sacrifice" them for our recovery and our faith, we too will be blessed. 
-Barbara Stephens  
Prayer: Father, help me remember that everything precious to me 
has come from you and ultimately belongs to you. Teach me to trust 
you even when I don't understand. [Life Recovery Devotional SB] 

James 2:14-26 discusses the relationship between faith and 
works, and James uses this event to illustrate his main point: true 
faith is always proved by obedience.... James is not telling us that we 
are saved by works or by sacrifices, but that the proof of saving 
faith is an obedient life. [Wiersbe Expository Outlines] 

Only in obedience can we discover the great joy of the will of 
God. [Your Daily Walk SB] 

ILLUSTRATION

Priorities: Worth a Sacrifice
Jesse Poling couldn't sleep. He tossed restlessly in bed, 
wondering what to do. He had been planning to take a summer job at a local 
machine shop. The pay and hours looked great, and the work didn't sound 
bad.  
But then, last week at school, he had seen a poster about a camp 
for disabled kids that needed someone to teach swimming and 
canoeing. He loved water sports, and his youth minister had encouraged him 
to consider volunteering to help at the camp.  
Jesse wasn't prepared for the reaction when he mentioned the 
camp possibility to his dad, "That's the craziest idea you've come up 
with in a longtime, Jesse," his dad fumed. "Why would you want to 
work for free when you could get paid? It's not like you're 
independently wealthy. And then you'll come running to me to pay your college 
tuition."  
His dad had a point, Jesse reasoned as he stared up at the dark 
bedroom ceiling. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't forget 
about the camp - or those kids.  
When Jesse's alarm woke him the next morning, he knew what he 
had to do. "Dad," he explained at breakfast,. "some things are worth 
sacrificing for. Helping at that camp is important to me." His dad didn't 
understand, but he agreed to let Jesse stick with his priorities. So Jesse 
called the camp director.  
Like Jesse, Abraham had tough decisions, but he also stuck with 
what he believed was right.  
Consider writing out the issues involved in a tough decision. 
Keep the list by your bed or on your desk for a few days. Whenever 
you think of an option, benefit, or disadvantage, write it on the 
paper. Pray about your decision through the week and then make the 
decision, sticking to what you know to be right. [Youth SB] 

SYMBOLIC AND PROPHETIC OF CHRIST AND THE CROSS

Centuries later covenant love would cause God to give His own 
Son as a blood sacrifice.  Jack Hayford and Sam Middlebrook [Spirit 
Filled Life Devotional SB] 

The offering of Isaac was designed by God to prefigure the 
sacrifice of His Son. Isaac was a figure of the Son of God, who was 
offered a sacrifice for the sins of the world. God desired to impress 
upon Abraham the gospel of salvation to men; and in order to make the 
truth a reality, and to test his faith, He required Abraham to slay 
his darling Isaac. All the agony that Abraham endured during that 
dark and fearful trial was for the purpose of deeply impressing upon 
his understanding the plan of redemption for fallen man (YI March 1, 
1900).  1BC1094 

This event is a wonderful type of Christ, the only Son who was 
willing to give His life to please His Father. Both Isaac and Christ 
were promised sons; both were born miraculously (of course, Christ 
was born of the Virgin Mary and was sinless); both brought joy to 
the heart of the father; both were born at the set time. Both were 
persecuted by their brethren and both were obedient unto death. Christ was 
crucified between two thieves, and the two young men went with Isaac (v. 
3). Isaac questioned his father, and Jesus asked, "My God, why have 
You forsaken Me?" (Matt. 27:46, NKJV) Of course, Christ actually 
died, while Isaac was spared. However, in God's sight Isaac had 
"died." Hebrews 11:19 says that "in a figure" (that is, symbolically) 
Isaac was raised from the dead. Verse 19 indicates that Abraham 
returned to the waiting servants, but nothing is said about Isaac. This 
too is a type; for the next time we see Isaac, he is receiving his 
bride! (24:62ff) Even so Christ gave Himself on the cross and went back 
to heaven, and one day will come forth to receive His Bride, the 
church. [Wiersbe Expository Outlines] 

Isaac was a figure of the Son of God, who was offered a 
sacrifice for the sins of the world. God would impress upon Abraham the 
gospel of salvation to man. In order to do this, and make the truth a 
reality to him as well as to test his faith, He required him to slay his 
darling Isaac. All the sorrow and agony that Abraham endured through 
that dark and fearful trial were for the purpose of deeply impressing 
upon his understanding the plan of redemption for fallen man. He was 
made to understand in his own experience how unutterable was the 
self-denial of the infinite God in giving His own Son to die to rescue man 
from utter ruin. To Abraham no mental torture could be equal to that 
which he endured in obeying the divine command to sacrifice his son.  
God gave His Son to a life of humiliation, self-denial, poverty, 
toil, reproach, and to the agonizing death of crucifixion. But there 
was no angel to bear the joyful message: "It is enough; You need not 
die, My well-beloved Son." Legions of angels were sorrowfully 
waiting, hoping that, as in the case of Isaac, God would at the last 
moment prevent His shameful death. But angels were not permitted to 
bear any such message to God's dear Son. The humiliation in the 
judgment hall and on the way to Calvary went on. He was mocked, derided, 
and spit upon. He endured the jeers, taunts, and revilings of those 
who hated Him, until upon the cross He bowed His head and died.  
Could God give us any greater proof of His love than in thus 
giving His Son to pass through this scene of suffering? And as the gift 
of God to man was a free gift, His love infinite, so His claims 
upon our confidence, our obedience, our whole heart, and the wealth 
of our affections are correspondingly infinite. He requires all 
that it is possible for man to give. The submission on our part must 
be proportionate to the gift of God; it must be complete and 
wanting in nothing. We are all debtors to God. He has claims upon us 
that we cannot meet without giving ourselves a full and willing 
sacrifice. He claims prompt and willing obedience, and nothing short of 
this will He accept. 3T368-370