2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.” Genesis 22:2 (NIV)

As you may have already guessed, today’s lesson covered God’s command to Abraham (God changed his name in Genesis 17:5 from Abram, which means “exalted father,” to Abraham, which means “father of many.”) to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, as an offering to God. If you are unfamiliar with the story, you can read the entire account in Genesis Chapter 22. If you don’t have a Bible handy, I frequently use Biblegateway.com to look things up. OK…so, Abraham and Isaac, also known as the sacrifice.

This story has always left me in awe for several different reasons, not the least of which is Abraham’s immediate obedience. Scripture doesn’t tell us he questioned God or argued with Him. It doesn’t say he cried or fussed and fumed. It says in Genesis 22:3, “Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey.” (emphasis mine) We aren’t told what time on the previous day Abraham was given the instruction, but for all intents and purposes, his obedience was immediate.

Next we are told how after arriving at their destination, Isaac asked his father “where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Check out Abraham’s response. “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering my son.” Genesis 22:8 (NIV)

I wonder what Abraham was thinking when he said that. Was he thinking that God was going to provide a substitute in Isaac’s place? He knew that God had told him back in Genesis 15 that a son coming from his own body would be his heir and that his offspring would be more numerous than the stars in the sky. Was God going to provide him with another son? He was one hundred years old when Isaac was born. If not another son, then how would God’s promise be fulfilled if Isaac was offered as a sacrifice? And that brings me to another point that leaves me in awe.

Abraham was to be the one to sacrifice Isaac! He took him to the place God had told him, bound him up, after having Isaac carry the wood for his own sacrifice no less, laid him on the altar, took out his knife, and raised his hand to kill his own son!

As he did so, an angel of the Lord called out to him and said in Genesis 22:12, “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” Abraham looked up and saw a ram whose horns were caught in a thicket and offered the ram instead.

God provided the lamb that was slain just as Abraham believed he would. I don’t know if Abraham thought Isaac was to be the lamb or if he thought God would provide a substitute. I only know that he had to have trusted and loved his God with all his “heart, soul, and mind.” (see Matthew 22:37) What faith! What trust! Oh to be like Abraham!

Tomorrow we will look more at this account. Stay tuned. There are still lots of riches to be gleaned from this story. Don’t you just love God’s Word?! Amen!

1 The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.

I continued today with the new study I am doing, A Woman’s Heart: God’s Dwelling Place. Today, we were introduced to Abram, specifically how God told him to leave everything he knew and set out for parts unknown.

Have you ever moved to a new place before? I have, several times actually, and it was very difficult. I had no friends, no family. I was in an unfamiliar place. I didn’t know my way around.

One such instance was when my husband and I moved from Alpharetta, Georgia, to Plantation, Florida. We are both originally from North Carolina. I lived in NC my entire life until my husband and I moved to GA the year after we got married because there was no work for him where we lived. The move to GA was very hard for me because I was so far away from everything and everyone I had ever known, but the move to FL was even harder.

We had been in GA for about two years. I had learned my way around, found a church home, made a few friends and had mostly settled in. Then my husband’s company began going through some changes. A merger took place, and my husband began receiving calls about possible jobs elsewhere. Ultimately, he would receive two job offers, one in Plantation, FL, and one in Wilmington, NC. We lived in Wilmington before moving to GA, and it was only about an hour away from my family.

Richard asked me what I thought we should do. I took time to pray about it. My flesh was screaming, “Move back to Wilmington! Go back to who and what you know!” I asked God what His will was even though I was afraid of the answer. He gave me Proverbs 31:10-31.

In this particular instance, I felt God was telling me that He wanted me to support Richard in whatever decision he felt was best. So, with fear and trembling, I asked Richard which job he thought he should take. You can imagine my dismay when he said he thought it should be the job in FL. His reasoning for this was sound. I knew he was right, even though I felt my heart would shatter into a million pieces. So off to Florida we went.

On the surface, it would appear to have been an absolutely horrendous experience, and actually, it was. But on a deeper level, it couldn’t have been sweeter.

I found myself once again in an unfamiliar place with no family and no friends. I didn’t work, so I didn’t even have the option of meeting people that way. I did try finding a church, but that didn’t go so well either. However, God put a small Christian bookstore around the corner from the apartment where we lived. I went there and wandered around nearly every day. As a matter of fact, the manager finally asked me if I would like a job working there! I didn’t take it, and a good thing, too, because we only lived there for three months.

Everything about the location and even Richard’s job turned out to be disastrous! I can’t even tell you how awful it was.

But I found God in the midst of that. I walked so closely with Him during that three months. He was my strength and my shield. I’m not going to tell you I walked around with a smile on my face all the time..far from it, but God held me up.

I still look back on that time and remember how strongly I experienced the fullness of His presence. I didn’t just know that He was there. His presence was palpable.

Ultimately, the move to Florida brought us back to North Carolina. But I had to step out in faith and trust Him first. I had to leave everything and everyone I knew and venture to the place He showed me.

We may have made it back to North Carolina eventually. I don’t know. But I am thankful for the time that I had in Florida to experience God Almighty the way that I did. It was awesome, and so is He.

Is He calling you out of your comfort zone? Have you answered? And if so, what was your answer?

God met with me this morning. He’s always there. We are the one’s who wander off.

It was such a sweet time. I began Beth Moore’s updated study, A Woman’s Heart: God’s Dwelling Place. The study begins…well…with the beginning. The beginning of man’s existence, the fall of man, and how God was walking in the Garden of Eden come to fellowship with Adam and Eve, and through their sin, they had now been separated from Him.

Still, God made a way. He created us for the purpose of having a relationship with us. In the book of Exodus, He directs the Israelites to build a Tabernacle so that He may dwell among them, and that they may come and meet with Him.

And now, through the sacrifice of Jesus, His presence is still with us. He lives inside of us in the person of the Holy Spirit when we ask Him to come and dwell there. Our sin no longer separates us. Praise Him!

I asked Him for a revolution yesterday. I asked Him again this morning. It has begun. I look forward with anticipation to how it’s going to continue.

I have to participate, though. God has made a way for me to meet with Him, just like He did with Adam and Eve, and just like He did with the Israelites.

He has made a way for you as well. If you don’t know Him, if you’ve never confessed Jesus as Lord and Savior of your life, but you are in desire of a revolution, then click on the red button with the word Ready? in my sidebar. Do it now. Begin your revolution today.

If you make a decision for Christ today, would you please email me and let me know? I would love to rejoice with you in your revolution!