We are continuing our study on the sacrifice of Isaac. At this point we have the insider information that God is testing Abraham. That God has commanded Abraham to take his only son, the son that he loves, Isaac, travel 60 miles (a three day journey) to “the land of Moriah”, and sacrifice Isaac as a burnt offering. And we said all of this is actually a shadow Jesus and the cross.
Also remember, that we know things that Abraham doesn’t. For example, we know Abraham is being tested. We also know how this whole deal is going to turn out, but Abraham doesn’t. So, we need to read each verse without assuming that we know what is going to happen. Being wise in the Scriptures means that you study the Scriptures as though you know nothing at all. That keeps you making good observations, one verse at a time, one word at a time, which leads to big applications.
Now we come to the question, what is Abraham going to do? Will Abraham obey God’s command, travel to the land of Moriah, and sacrifice Isaac? Or, for the sake of his son and for his family, will he oppose God’s command? To answer that question we need to examine verse 3 and 10 which says this: “So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. Then Abraham said to his young men, ‘Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.’ And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac, his son. And then he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. And Isaac said to his father Abraham, ‘My father!’ And he said, ‘Here I am, my son.’ He said, ‘Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the Lamb for a burnt offering? Abraham said, ‘God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.’ So they went both of them together. When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.” There are 6 observations we need to make here.
Observation #1: Notice that 24 hours have passed between verses 2 & 3 since God commanded Abraham to take Isaac and sacrifice him.
Moses writes, “So Abraham rose early in the morning…” That means the following morning. So, let’s put these words into perspective. For Abraham, yesterday God commanded Abraham to go to the land of Moriah, which is 60 miles away, to sacrifice his only son Isaac. Then, at some point Abraham laid down to go to sleep. And woke up early the next morning.
Now, why is this observation important? It’s important because it helps us gain an idea of what the rest of his day was like and even what his night was like. I wonder what the rest of the day was like for Abraham knowing what God had commanded him? I wonder what his night was like as he laid there in bed? I wonder if he rested soundly? I wonder if his sleep was restless? I wonder if he was anxious about the next day or if he had some peace of mind? I wonder if he was even able to close his eyes? I wonder if his mind was filled with questions? I wonder what was going through his mind when he rose early the next morning?
I would imagine, being a parent of an only son myself, that perhaps, his night was not all that restful. That his mind was probably racing. That his thoughts were all over the place. That he probably had several questions. Two of those questions being: how could God ever ask me to do this? And what am I going to do?
If you have been in a position where you’ve had to make a tough decision, then you can likely relate to Abraham here. You’re laying in bed, you know tomorrow is coming, and you have to make a decision about something. It’s hard to have a restful night’s sleep when you’re like that. You may even wake the next following morning with great anxiety and a heavy heart. So what does Abraham decide to do? Our next observation tells us.
Observation #2: Notice that when Abraham rises he immediately prepares to leave.
Looking at verse 3 we see the first thing Abraham does after waking up is saddle his donkey. This is his first act of obedience to God. He gets up and he is preparing his donkey to travel. So, we are beginning to see that Abraham has made his mind up – he is going to do what God commanded him to do. As one commentator put it: “Abraham promptly responds to the challenge placed before him.”
Observation #3: Then we are told that Abraham “took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac.”
So after he prepares his donkey for travel, he then wakes up two of his male servants to travel with him, and then he wakes up the most important person in this deal – Isaac. If Abraham goes to the land of Moriah without Isaac, he would be guilty of disobeying God. So again, we are seeing that Abraham has made his mind up – he intends to do what God has commanded.
But notice who is not mentioned in this text – Sarah. I’m not sure where she falls in this. It is possible, he said nothing to Sarah and that he woke up early in the morning before she awoke so there could be no questions asked. Or, considering the journey is a long one (they’ll be gone 6 days total at least) and so she would not be worried, he could have told Sarah that God had called he and Isaac to do a burnt offering in the land of Moriah without giving her all the details. Both are possibilities here. But the main point that we need to be concerned with is that it is clear at this point, Abraham fully intends to what God has commanded.
Observation #4: Next, we see that Abraham “cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.” And “on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar.”
Again, we see every indication that Abraham intends to be obedient to the Word of the LORD. He’s cut up the fire wood for the burnt offering, which will be his son, he has set out to head to the place God had commanded, and now, after his three day journey, he is seeing the place for which God wants Abraham to commit the sacrifice. Now we have to wonder what happens when he gets there?
Observation #5: What we discover is that Abraham has a continued resolve to obey God.
In verses 5-10 we read that Abraham tells his servants to stay behind while he and Isaac ascend to the top of Mount Moriah. When he gets there, we are told that Abraham builds an altar, assembles the wood, places Isaac on the altar, binds him, takes out his knife and is about to slaughter his only son. Again, all of this is evidence that Abraham has every intention to obey God to the end.
Observation #6: With all of this in mind I want you to notice what Abraham doesn’t do.
He doesn’t linger to do what God has commanded He do the very next day. There’s no indication he is delaying what God commanded him to do. He’s not waiting to saddle his donkey, he gets up and that this is the first thing he does. He’s not waiting to get his men up and his son, that is the second thing he does. He’s not waiting to get the fire wood together, that’s the third act he does. In other words, he’s not procrastinating or remaining idle hoping God will change his mind. He’s not staggering around in hopelessness. He’s not moping around in sorrow. He’s getting up and carrying on with what God had commanded.
And on his way to the land of Moriah, and seeing where he shall sacrifice his only son, he doesn’t turn back. He had plenty of opportunities over the past three days to turn around, but he didn’t. We see no indication that turning back was ever a thought in his mind. We see no indication that Abraham was hesitant. We see no indication that Abraham was undecided. We see no indication that Abraham was doubtful about what he was going to do. We see no indication that Abraham lacked the readiness to be obedient. We see no indication that Abraham was indecisive about what to do. We see no indication of Abraham being reluctant or unsure or unwilling. If anything, it appears that Abraham is very determined to be obedient.
And then when he gets to the land of Moriah, we still see a determined Abraham. We don’t see him lingering at the base of the mountain, we see him getting down to business. We don’t see dallying with his servants. We don’t see him having second thoughts. We don’t see him dragging his feet. We don’t see him tarrying. We don’t see him poking around, hoping God would change his mind. We don’t see him prolonging the inevitable. We see him ascend to the top of the mountain, build the altar, prep the wood, and getting ready to sacrifice his only Son. In other words, we see a fully obedient Abraham. A Abraham who has no intention to disobey God.
Keeping all that in mind, I just want to point out that being obedient to the Word of God, to the commands of God, is a hallmark of being a Christian.
The reason I say ‘a hallmark’ is because faith is the hallmark of being a Christian, but our faith is seen by our obedience. If you read your Bible, then you know we are saved by faith alone in Christ alone; but even so, you know God expects obedience and that God delights in obedience. It is a topic we read about all throughout Scripture.
When I think about this, I think of what the prophet Samuel said to King Saul in 1 Samuel 15:22, “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.” That means God cares more about our obedience to Him than the sacrifices we make. That God cares more about our obedience than our religious traditions. That God cares more about our obedience than our religious rituals. And that he cares more about our obedience than religious habits.
I think of what God said to Israel through the prophet Jeremiah, “Obey my voice, and I will be your God.” The implication is that the LORD is the God of those who are obedient unto Him.
I think of what Paul said in Romans 2:13, “For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.” In other words, it’s not those who merely listen to what the law says, referring to the Ten Commandments, that will stand right before God, but those who do them, who strive to obey them, and those who live their life by them as a moral guide.
I think of what James said in James 1:22, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” That means if we just merely listen to the Word of God and not obeying the Word of God, we’re fooling ourselves, if we think we are a Christian. James goes on to point out that faith without works is dead faith (James 2:17), and that faith is demonstrated by our works (James 2:18), and that Abraham demonstrated his faith by his obedience to the commands of God (James 2:21). James even said, that is what’s wrong with demons; they believe in God but they do not obey (James 2:19); therefore, they remain condemned.
I think of what Peter said in Acts 5:29 as he stood before the Sanhedrin, “We must obey God rather than men.” Our duty as followers of Jesus is to be obedient to the commands of men but the commands of Almighty God.
I think of what Hebrews 5:9 says. It says that Jesus “became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him.” Which means Jesus is not the source of those who believe in Him but are not obedient to Him.
I think of what Jesus said in Luke 11:28, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it.” Those who are blessed by God are not those who simply hear what God’s Word says. Those who are blessed are not those who have a good retirement plan. Those who are blessed are not those who have a nice home. Those who are blessed are not those who are healthy. Those who are blessed are not those who have kids. Those who are blessed are not those who have a good marriage. Those who are blessed are not those who drive a nice car. Those who are blessed are not those who have a beach home or a mountain home. Those who are blessed are not those who get a big paycheck. According to Jesus, those who are blessed are those who hear God’s Word and do it, because they will be the ones who are saved.
I also think of Luke 6:46, where Jesus said, “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?” Jesus is saying that we can’t Him our Lord, our Master, if we do not obey what He says. Likewise, we cannot call ourselves a Christian or a disciple or a follower of Jesus, we simply hear what has to say but we do not do what He says.
I think of Jesus’ parable of the sower in Matthew 13:18-23. Three of the four soils represented people who were hearers only of God’s word and those three fell away. But the one who heard God’s word, understood God’s word, and obeyed God’s word, was saved.
I think of what Jesus said in Matthew 7:24-27. He taught that everyone who hears His words and does them is wise and has a solid foundation for their life. But those who hear his word and do not do so are foolish and have a weak foundation for their life.
It also came to mind what John the Baptist said in John 3:36, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” In other words, those who believe and obey shall have eternal life, not those who believe, but yet continue to live a life without surrender to Jesus.
The point I am making here is that Abraham is setting for us a good example of how we ought to respond to the Word of God. Abraham did not merely hear God’s Word and do nothing, he heard God’s Word and obeyed it. That is what God wishes from all of us – to hear His Word and do it. Specifically, to hear the gospel and believe in it, and then live by it. And you may wonder, why would anyone want to obey God’s Word? There are two answers to that question.
The first answer to that question is love.
Now, the text does not outright say that Abraham loved God. We don’t see anywhere in the Scripture that Abraham loved God. However, my argument is that everything about Abraham’s life and his response to God shouts that Abraham loved God, because he was obedient to God’s commands, including the sacrifice of his only son, Isaac.
Here’s what I mean. In John 14:15 Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” In John 14:21 Jesus said, “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me.” In John 14:23 Jesus said, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word.” In 1 John 5:3, John wrote, “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments.” In 2 John 6, John said, “And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments”
The point I am making is that Abraham’s obedience to the command of God was not out of obligation. Abraham’s obedience to God’s Word wasn’t because he was bound to. Abraham’s obedience to God’s Word was not out of necessity. Abraham’s obedience to God’s command was not forced; he had the free will to say no. Abraham’s obedience to God’s command wasn’t out of duty. So, why did Abraham do it?
I argue that Abraham’s obedience to God and His Word stemmed from his love for God. That Abraham’s obedience to God and His word came from his affection for God. That Abraham’s obedience to God resulted from his fondness of God. That Abraham’s obedience to God was a result of his tenderness for God. That Abraham’s obedience to God’s command showed that his love for God was greater than his love for Isaac, as it should be.
My second answer is faith.
Like love we do not see the word faith anywhere in this passage. But I argue that even though we do not see the word faith used in this passage, this passage screams that Abraham had faith in God. For example, in verse 5, when Abraham said to his servants, “I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.” He had faith that he and Isaac would return. In verse 8, after Isaac asked Abraham where the lamb is for the offering, Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” Abraham demonstrated that God will provide a better sacrifice, a more proper sacrifice, for the burnt offering. And in verse 11, when Abraham reached to get his knife to slaughter his son, according to Hebrews 11:17-19, Abraham had faith that even if God did allow Abraham to slay his only son, that God could and would raise Isaac from the dead.
This is why I believe that faith in God, in addition to love for God, is what compelled Abraham to obey God. Abraham believed, by faith, that he and Isaac would return to Sarah, and therefore he obeyed God. And my point is that without faith in God and love for God Abraham would not have obeyed God.
As we conclude, I just want to say the same goes for us.
I believe the life of Abraham is a great example of how faith in God and love for God, compels one to faithful obedience to God. I also believe the life of Abraham is a great example of how our obedience to God should not come from a heart of duty or obligation or burden. In fact John said in 1 John 5:3 that God’s “commandments are not burdensome.” Which means for those who are not truly born again, obeying God’s word is demanding, oppressive, and irksome. Those who are not truly born again have no desire to obey God’s Word.
I’m not saying, and John is not saying, that for a born again person obeying God’s word is easy; everyone of us knows it’s not. But I am saying the born again person wants to live a life in obedience to God. They want to live a life in submission to Jesus. They want to live a life surrendered to Jesus.
Neither am I saying a born again person will obey the Word of God perfectly; none of us are going to do that, which is why our salvation is based on faith alone in Christ alone. But I am saying a born again person hungers and yearns and craves and thirsts and longs and strives to obey the Word of God. They will want to obey the Word of God, simply because they love and cherish and adore Jesus. They will want to obey the Word of God, because they have an affection for Jesus. They will want to obey the Word of God, because they treasure Jesus and are delighted in Jesus. They will want to obey the Word of God, because He first loved us and sent Christ to die on a cross and reconcile us to Himself. They will want to obey the Word of God, because they believe that God is real, that Jesus is His only begotten Son, that Jesus is the Christ, and that Jesus is the only means to be saved.And I want to ask you all tonight, are you obedient to the Word of God as Abraham was? Do you hunger to obey God’s Word? Do you crave to obey the Word of God? Do you thirst to live a life of complete submission to the teachings of Jesus? Do you yearn and long to live your life in total surrender to the commands of God? My hope is that you do. But only you can answer that.