Does God Know Where He’s Going?

At the beginning of their story, God had something planned for Abraham and Sarah that went beyond their imagination. A promise was given: nations and families would be blessed by Abraham and his family for too many generations to count. After 100 years of waiting, God's promise was fulfilled, and Isaac blessed Abraham and his wife. Why would it be that some time later, God would ask Abraham to sacrifice Isaac as an offering to God? What kind of God would ask a father to sacrifice his son? One who would do the exact same thing.

It wouldn't have been a foreign idea for a god to ask their followers to sacrifice their firstborn son during Abraham's time. So, when God decided to test Abraham's faith in Genesis 22, Abraham was invited to step into trust with God. Abraham took Isaac, his one and only son, up to the mountains to sacrifice him as a burnt offering. Imagine the types of questions and feelings that would come up during their three-day journey.

Right before Abraham commits to his act, God provides a sacrifice through a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. Spared from this sacrifice, Isaac would be able to complete what God started for Abraham and Sarah long ago. And Abraham was now blessed because he trusted in God. Instead of wondering if God knew where he was going, Abraham decided to fully believe in the fact that God is good because he has been good and will be good.

A son who was promised to enter the world marked for a sacrifice. A three-day journey full of questions. And a son brought back to his father to complete the work that was set out long before. This isn't just Isaac's story, but Jesus' story. The difference: Jesus became the sacrifice, but because of the power of the Holy Spirit, he conquered death so that generations of families and nations would be blessed. What kind of God would ask a father to sacrifice his son? A God who would do precisely that.

DIVE DEEPER

God blesses trust. God wanted Abraham to know his own level of trust in God. God has been good because God is good and will be good. Where is He inviting you to trust him more, even if it looks like it couldn't possibly be true?