OCTOBER 10

Genesis 21:3; 22:1-13

                            ISAAC - THE SON OF PROMISE
 
According to God’s promise, Isaac was born to Abraham and Sarah in their old age. Isaac must have been so precious to his parents and surely Abraham would have taught his son to love and obey God. One day however, God told Abraham to do something that no father will think of doing – to take his son up a mountain, and offer Isaac as a sacrifice. Was God not cruel in asking Abraham to do this? Would God really have Abraham do it? We now know He didn’t. Let’s remember that though it seemed cruel for God to ask anyone to sacrifice his son, God the Father Himself sacrificed His Son – Jesus – for you and me!

Nonetheless, this incident was to test Abraham. You may ask – since God knows everything, would He not already know? That’s a good question, and you are right, God knows the answer before Abraham was tested. So why the test? It’s to let Abraham know more of himself. It’s to teach Abraham the precious lesson of trusting God. 

Sometimes, God sends difficult times and situations to us in order that we be tested and through the tests, be strengthened. How did Abraham fare? Well, he obeyed God and was prepared to sacrifice Isaac.

What would you do if you were Isaac? Although we do not know his exact age, Isaac was not that young as he was able to carry firewood for Abraham. Perhaps he was a teenager then. Perhaps about your age. In other words, he would have been stronger than his father. Abraham am was 100 years old when Isaac was born, so by now he’d be more than 110 as Isaac was a teenager! Surely, Isaac could have resisted any attempt by Abraham to tie him. Did he do that? No! On the contrary, Isaac was obedient and neither struggled nor tried to escape.

Isaac trusted in Abraham, and more importantly, in the God of Abraham.

Thought: Do I trust in God?
Prayer: Heavenly Father, as I read the account of how Isaac obeyed his father even to the point of being nearly being sacrificed, I know it will not be easy. Teach me Heavenly Father to depend not on myself, for that will not be good enough, but to depend on you to help me. Help me to be like Isaac, to trust in You. For this I ask in Jesus’ name, amen.