Faith and Sacrifice: Lessons from Abraham's Life

The LORD called unto Abraham "Abraham, Abraham," and he answered and said "LORD, here I am." And the LORD said unto Abraham "Take thy son, thine only son, Isaac, and go up unto a mountain which I will show you. And there on that mountain, lay down your son on an altar and offer him as a sacrifice unto Me." Genesis 22:1-2

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The Bible did not tell us whether or not Abraham murmured or complained against the instruction of God. We didn't hear him confer with his wife, Sarah, either. But what we see is that Abraham hastened to perform the word spoken by God. The lesson here for us is that we should promptly obey the word or command of God at any given time. Abraham promptly obeyed God, giving Him first place in this matter.


To wait for a minute or an hour to pass by to find reason why you should embark on what God has assigned you to do, you will find yourself in rebellion. Your own logic will ill-counsel you to believe that you're in the right - as though your reasoning were superior to God's! Do not waste time on what God has instructed you to do. Your flesh and its lusts will cause you to satisfy your comfort and to regard God's assignment as burdensome.

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So we see Abraham sprung into action. He saddled his donkeys, took servants with him as well as the things needed for the sacrifice. And, together with his beloved son, Isaac, they embarked on this journey to the Mount Moriah. On their way to the place of sacrifice, the inquiring mind of Issac broke the long silence that enveloped everyone on this journey, when he said "Father, behold the fire, the knife and the wood. But where is the lamb for the sacrifice?" 


Young Isaac has seen his father conduct this solemn sacrifices of lambs back home. Today, however,  he hasn't seen any lamb and he was rightly concerned. Like every father would be sullen knowing very well they are going to sacrifice their own child, Abraham takes a different posture. It was God who gave him Issac, after he had trusted God and waited for a long time to see his birth. And if now God has made a demand to take back what He has given yo him,  then God knows best. Abraham's faith has matured as we find in his response "My son, God will provide for Himself a lamb." 


Abraham is teaching us a life of absolute dependence and faith in God. Notice also the question Isaac asked about the sacrificial animal. He didn't asked about a sheep, thus referring to an adult, or a grown animal. But he asked about a lamb thus referring to a lad or youthfulness, in that sense. The big lesson for us is to offer ourselves very early in life when we're young to the service of God. We are to become a living sacrifice on the altar of God from our youth! 

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