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GENESIS 22
Abraham was tested for the sake of God’s creation (i.e. mankind), and God’s oath to bless and save them, because Abraham obeyed -- (DATE: Around 1837 before Christ)
DISCOVER Genesis 22: After some time passed, God decided to test his chosen Abraham, by saying to him that he was to take his only son, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah. There he was to make a burnt offering of his son at a place he would show him. -- And Abraham obeyed and prepared a donkey for the journey. He took his son and two young men from his household with him. He also cut wood for the offering, before they all went to the place God had specified to him. After a three day journey, their destination came into view, and Abraham told the two men that had accompanied them to stay behind with the donkey, while he and Isaac would go on to worship the LORD. Loading the wood onto his son, Abraham took the fire and the knife into his hand, and they went together. As they walked towards the mountain chosen by God for this event, Isaac asked his father where the lamb for the offering was, as he only saw the slaughter knife and the fire with them. Abraham replied that God himself would provide the offering he expected them to sacrifice for him. Once the two reached the right place, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood. He then proceeded to bind his son and put him on the altar. Then he raised the knife intent on following through with slaughtering his only son, of whom his God had said he’d make nations of. -- But before he could harm his son, an angel of the LORD intervened by calling to Abraham from heaven. And Abraham listened as the angel conveyed the LORD’s words to him, for he commanded Abraham not to lay a finger on his son to harm him. Now He got to know the faith Abraham had, which was so deep as to be willing to give up his only son upon His command. Then Abraham lifted up his eyes and beheld a ram behind him that had gotten caught up in a bush by its horns. Abraham took this ram and offered it as a burnt offering instead of his son. -- The angel then spoke to Abraham once more, relaying what the LORD was saying, namely that He, the LORD, had sworn by Himself that, because Abraham had not withheld his one and only son from Him, He would surely bless him and do as He had promised earlier, multiplying Abraham’s offspring, so that his descendants would be numerous as the stars in heaven or the sand of the seashore. He also promised that Abraham’s offspring would possess the gate of his enemies, and that through this offspring all nations on earth shall surely be blessed, for Abraham had faithfully obeyed His command. And so Abraham returned with his son to the two men, waiting by the donkey, and they all traveled back to Beersheba. -- There Abraham learned about his brother Nahor that Milcah, his wife, had born children to him. She had born him first Uz, then Buz, his brother, and Kemuel, who had fathered Aram as his son, then Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph and finally Bethuel. But besides these eight which Milcah had born for Nahor, Abraham’s brother, his concubine, Reumah, had also born him children, which were Tebah, Gaham, Tahash and Maacah.
PRAYER: Our heavenly Father, we are moved to tears about this command, which you burdened Abraham with. You did this not only to test his faith, but also to foreshadow what you yourself would do by letting your beloved Son Jesus Christ die for our sins on the cross to save us from sin, hell and the devil. We thank you for the bottomless trust Abraham had in you and pray that you will also awaken in us such an uncompromising faith in you and your promises. Thank you for the way you are blessing us and all mankind today through the promised offspring of Abraham, who is Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. You sacrificed him for us to reconcile us with yourself. We worship you and adore you for your unfathomable love and holiness. Amen.
QUESTION 22: What was the reaction of God, when he witnessed the uncompromising faith of Abraham?