The Sacrifice of Faith

- Abrahams Journey of Faith had taken him from his homeland of Ur into an unknown land. god asked him to leave and promised to “Make him a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great”.

- Abraham has this promise from God that he will be a great nation but he has no child. He is struggling with this and God shows up and promises he will have one. God promises him that his descendants will be as numerous as the stars. Abrams trusted God and it was counted to him as righteousness.

- Sarah and Abraham both doubt the word of the Lord because they are both getting older, and Sarah gives Abraham her younger servant Hagar to bare a child with. Guys and Gals, this is never a good idea! This creates a rift inside Abrahams camp when God finally does provide Sarah with a child and Hagar has to leave the camp.

- The promised child is born. After years of doubt and struggle Abraham finally had his first biological child.

Isaac was the promise. Isaac was the one who would make Abraham’s name great. Isaac was the one who would begin the process of making their descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky. Isaac was the one who would carry on the family business and the family name. Isaac was the product of their faith and the gift from God.

Why does this matter? Why is it important for us to understand who Isaac was and what he represented to Abraham and the promise of God?

Isaac was everything. Isaac wasn’t just a son, he was THE Son. It wasn’t like it is today. We live in a hyper-individualized society where He was the firstborn, which meant he would inherit the majority of Abrahams possessions. He would be the one to carry on the family name and business. He was going to be the one who would make Abraham’s name great. Isaac wasn’t just a fulfillment of the promise, he was the promise! If Isaac died, the promise died with it.

In , one of the most awkward and cringeworthy stories in the Bible, God asks Abraham to sacrifice him. God asks Abraham to give up the promise, to lay it down and here’s the kicker, God makes no promises. Every other time God called Abraham a promise was attached to it. “I will make your name great”, “I will give you land”; there is no of that. Just the command to sacrifice the promise.

Abraham’s journey of faith had many highs and lows, but this would be the lowest it gets.

The Sacrifice of Faith

Abraham is asked to sacrifice his only child.

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