For as long as I can remember, the beautiful plan of salvation, as portrayed in the book of Genesis, has been particularly striking to me. This plan is especially exemplified in the story of Abraham being told to offer up Isaac as a sacrifice in Genesis 22.
This gripping narrative lays a foundation for understanding God’s sacrifice of His Son in a relatable way for anyone who has ever been a parent or a child (which is everyone). It is especially poignant for any father who has just one child.
Yet, as touching and dramatic as this story is, I am reminded of something my father told me as a child. We were talking about Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, and he remarked that it is very easy to become almost numb to the power of Christ’s sacrifice if one drifts from a strong connection with Him. I have never forgotten that statement.
Throughout Scripture, God consistently reminds us of His immense love for us and the great sacrifice He made to save us. Abraham’s willingness to offer Isaac, from which he was thankfully spared, provides us with a faint glimpse of the true sacrifice God the Father made when He sent Jesus to earth to die for us.
Believing Without Precedent
When Abraham offered up Isaac, he truly believed that Isaac was going to die. He was not holding out hope that a substitute lamb or ram would be caught in the thicket. He actually raised the knife to slay Isaac. We know, based on Hebrews 11:17-19, that he believed Isaac was going to die:
“By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac; and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure” (KJV).
Abraham believed that God was able to raise Isaac from the dead based on the following:
1. God had promised in Genesis 17:19 (referenced in Hebrews 11:18) that He would establish His covenant with Abraham through Isaac’s seed:
“And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him” (KJV).
If Isaac was the son of promise, and if he was promised to have “seed after him,” God must have a plan to raise him from the dead, even though He was asking Abraham to sacrifice Isaac at this time.
2. God has resurrection power. Abraham’s faith in God’s resurrection power is described above in Hebrews 11:19, and it is also seen in Romans 4:17:
“(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were” (KJV).
Abraham believed that God “quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.” Abraham had already witnessed God speaking the impossible into existence when Isaac was conceived by him and Sarah, both of whom were past childbearing age. The difference between the conception of Isaac and his seemingly inevitable death is that God had promised Abraham and Sarah that He would do that which is biologically impossible and give them a child together.
What is particularly astonishing about Abraham’s faith in the resurrection of Isaac is that there had not been a resurrection up to that point. Furthermore, God did not explicitly promise that He would raise Isaac from the dead. Abraham had to infer a belief in the resurrection based on earlier promises and his experiences with God’s power. His faith was tested to the limit, requiring him to believe that Isaac would still be the child of promise even if he were put to death. Abraham had to rely on previous promises without any clear current commitments.
Romans 5:14 says that “death reigned from Adam to Moses.” Obviously Moses was a descendant of Abraham and Isaac, and Moses was resurrected long after the lives and deaths of Abraham and Isaac.
Abraham believed in God’s resurrection power even before it was demonstrated on earth, despite God not explicitly promising to resurrect Isaac. Furthermore, Abraham had to wrestle with the possibility that Isaac would not be raised from the dead until after Abraham’s death, meaning he wouldn’t see him again until eternity.
Whatever challenges we may be facing, we can have faith in the promises of God. He always provides.
Isaac, a Type of Christ
There are many parallels between Isaac’s sacrifice and Jesus’ death. Isaac and Jesus were the only begotten sons of their fathers (Heb. 11:17; John 3:16). Abraham had no guarantee that he would see Isaac again in this life. The Father gave Jesus at the risk of eternal loss with the possibility of eternal separation. This thought is touched upon in the following quote:
“Never can the cost of our redemption be realized until the redeemed shall stand with the Redeemer before the throne of God. Then as the glories of the eternal home burst upon our enraptured senses we shall remember that Jesus left all this for us, that He not only became an exile from the heavenly courts, but for us took the risk of failure and eternal loss. Then we shall cast our crowns at His feet, and raise the song, ‘Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing.’ Revelation 5:12.” [*]
When We Don’t Understand the What
The stories of Isaac’s and Christ’s sacrifices contain valuable lessons of faith that we can apply to our own experiences.
A very important aspect of faith is trusting in God, even when we do not understand what is happening.
From personal experience, in 2003 I watched my father slowly die from multiple sclerosis. He spent the last three years of his life bedridden, fully aware that he was facing death. Yet he faced it bravely.
I will admit now that when our family went through that experience, I focused primarily on how his death affected me. I didn’t think much about how it impacted him. My perspective changed a few years ago, however, when I went through a serious freak accident and am now dealing with permanent wrist drop in my dominant right hand because of radial neuropathy. I was never angry with God and never questioned His goodness, but I struggled with feelings of self-pity as I tried to make sense of what had happened.
Then God spoke to me through the memory of my father. Through his health challenge, he faced death bravely with a strong faith in God and a clear hope for eternity. God would remind me of that. Initially, I prayed for healing and resisted these promptings from God that reminded me of my father’s faithfulness.
In my younger years, as I watched my father stay true to God as he faced death, I never thought that someday I would have my own neurologic handicap. But there is a big difference between what my father faced and what has happened to me. He knew he was going to die and passed away at the age of 63. I do not have that worry (I was 44 at the time of the accident). God has provided for me so that, despite my injury, I can expect typical longevity. I am still able to work without any limitations. I have a beautiful family, and I experience fresh revelations of God’s love every day.
Ultimately, I was faced with a choice to exercise trust in God’s purposes. Once I decided to accept my situation, it has been liberating, and I have truly been at peace with God. It also has given me deeper appreciation for the faith that my father demonstrated in facing a much greater challenge.
When We Don’t Understand the How
I have also appreciated the example of Abraham, the father of faith, who demonstrated faith by offering up Isaac when he did not know how God would provide. Yet he knew that God would somehow provide a way, which turned out to be a ram caught in a thicket. Ultimately, Jesus is the Lamb who has been provided for each one of us.
Whatever challenges we may be facing, we can have faith in the promises of God. He always provides. Not every challenge and tragedy will be set right this side of eternity, but in heaven it will be. In the meantime, God gives us the grace and the strength to be content in what He provides for us.
While I look forward to having a restored right arm and a resurrected father, what I look forward to the most about heaven is the joy of being in God’s presence forever and of my earthly faith becoming an eternal reality.
Abraham is an example of faith for all of us in looking to the Lamb of God. My father was an example of how to deal with disability with acceptance and faith. Perhaps God led you to read this story so you can gain the encouragement you need to exercise faith in God’s promises for whatever challenges you are facing.
May we all be faithful until that day!
[*] Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1898, 1940), p. 131.