The Most Incredible Love Story

 “And He [God] said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah, and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.” (Genesis 22:2)

He dares not to tell Sarah of God’s instructions. Abraham wanted no one or nothing to dissuade nor stop him from God’s appointed mission. He was rich with herds of bulls and flocks of sheep, yet God told him to sacrifice his most precious possession, his beloved Isaac, the son of promise. Why would God ask for such a horrific act from him?

First, know this: God will never need any of us to sacrifice a human life. The sacrificial death of His Son was the only one necessary for all time. Secondly, God knew Abraham’s heart; He knew he would not withhold Isaac. So, why this mission? Abraham needed to see his faith and total devotion to God carried out and that he was no longer the weak, bendable, truth-twister he once was. The grief-filled father had a three-day journey to mull over God’s instructions, plenty of time to turn around and go home, but he continued. After arriving at his destination, Abraham passed the test by binding his son, putting him on the altar of sacrifice, and raising the knife to slay him. God intervened, supplying a ram in Isaac’s place.

Genesis 22 is the account of Abraham’s unshakable faith. Knowing that after he sacrificed his only son as instructed, the God he served, depended on, and loved more than anything or anyone else, would bring his Isaac back to life (Hebrews 11:17–19). That’s faith! That’s genuine love and true devotion of God! It is notable here that Solomon would later build God’s temple, the place of sacrifice, on this mount Moriah and Calvary was not far away.

This biblical account of Abraham’s confidence in God foreshadowed the day when God the Father sacrificed His beloved and blameless Son for all of humanity’s sins. There was no substitutional ram caught in the bushes; He loved the world so much that He summoned His only Son as the one-time-for-all sacrifice (Hebrews 10:6–12). Jesus, the spotless Lamb of God, willingly died in our place on the cross at Calvary and paid the impossible-to pay-sin-debt for us.

Do you believe God’s Son came to Earth, died for you, victoriously rose from the dead, and now reigns as King of kings and Lord of lords? If you believe in Jesus and called on His name for salvation, you have the promise of everlasting life with the Father. God’s love story is the most incredible love story ever told: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16).