The story of God testing Abraham is one of the most amazing stories in the Bible. Many sermons about this story have been preached – most often focusing on the agony Abraham endured and the incredible faith he expressed. This story does indeed show Abraham’s incredible faith, but it also reveals some powerful insight into God and the ways in which he deals with man. The story, which takes place a number of years after the birth of Isaac, begins in Genesis 22:1-2 with this encounter:
“Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, ‘Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ He said, ‘Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.’ ”
The first thing that stands out from this introduction is the clear, undeniable fact that it was God who initiated this test and that it was indeed a test. We also gain some insight into God’s purpose for this test. Notice God does not refer to Isaac as merely “your son” but he adds the phrase, “your only son, whom you love.” God knew full well how long Abraham and Sarah had waited to have Isaac and how much their hearts had grown attached to him. And it was this attachment that God was testing.
Notice too that even though Ishmael was clearly Abraham’s son as well, God referred to Isaac as his only son. Isaac was not only the favorite son he was considered the only son. This calls to mind the story found in Mark 12:42-44 of the widow woman who brought her last cent to the temple as an offering. Jesus commended the widow because she put in “all that she owned, all that she had to live on.” The powerful truth of this story is that an offering is only precious in God’s sight if it is valuable to the one giving it.
Consider another example of this principle, and one that also has application in all of our lives - the story of the rich young ruler. This man came to Jesus and asked him what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus told him to keep the commandments, which the man claimed he had done. Then, cutting to his heart, Jesus said,
“If you wish to be complete, go and sell all that you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”
In one sense, this story is not too different than Abraham’s. This young man’s wealth had become his “Isaac” – his only “son” whom he loved. And for this reason it was the very thing Jesus asked him offer. Ultimately God is interested in our hearts. If he has our hearts, He has all of our being. But if we have given a portion of our heart to an “Isaac” of one kind or another, it will always be competing with God for our affection.
We can be certain that God tests his sons to see if they will put their trust in His love and provision above anything else. But we can be equally certain that God will always give back to us more than we give him. The question is, do we believe that? Ultimately, that is the question that we are being tested on. What we believe about God will determine what we are willing to do when He asks us. If you have found yourself in such a test, I hope that, like Abraham, you will rise to the challenge with the confidence to say that, “God will provide.”