Abraham scooped up a handful of straw and held it in front

of one of his camels, which began to slowly churn the food

around in his mouth.  Abraham smiled as he looked down at

his little boy Isaac, who carefully eyed his father while

attempting to feed another camel.  Isaac tried to duplicate

his father’s feat, but he struggled.  Eventually, Isaac’s

hands would grow large enough to handle a straw snack for

the camels.  For now, he just imitated his father.

Abraham wondered it if was possible to love a human being

more than he loved his son, yet serving God brought

Abraham even more satisfaction.  Isaac, born to Abraham at

age 100, was the fulfillment of God’s promise:  Abraham

would become the father of many nations. (Genesis 17:5)

He was Abraham’s only son born of his wife, Sarah.

The fact that Isaac even existed was a testament to the

power of God and His faithfulness to keep His promises.

We can forgive Sarah for laughing when God told her at age

65 that she would bear a son.  But God wasn’t laughing—He

was planning the start of a great nation.  And with Sarah at

age 90, she and Abraham conceived Isaac.

So we can understand the confusion Abraham felt when God

told him to sacrifice Isaac.  Abraham surely wondered,

“God, let me get this straight--You want me to sacrifice my

only son whom you gave me 25 years after You promised him

to me?  However, Abraham obeyed the Lord and gained a

tremendous reward.

Abraham was mighty in spirit because he understood the

importance of obedience to God.

He knew that apart from God life was empty;

 therefore, obedience to the Lord was

the only decision for him to make.  God had promised that

Abraham would be the father of many nations, and Abraham

believed the Lord.  Even if it meant sacrificing his only son,

so be it.  Obeying God was all Abraham desired to do.

With a torch in one hand and a knife in the other, Abraham

climbed the mountain with Isaac, who carried the wood

necessary for the sacrifice.  This time when he looked down

at his son, it’s doubtful Abraham was smiling.  Perhaps he

brushed a tear off his cheek and kept walking.  Obedience

to God was of utmost importance to Abraham; it even came

before Isaac.

Isaac knew nothing but trust and love for his father.  His

dad always knew the right thing to say and was always there

for him, so why should he question what they were doing?

Isaac’s only question was, “Where is the lamb?”

That’s when Abraham taught his son one of two life

founding principles.  “God will provide,”  answered Abraham,

as the pair continued climbing.

God’s provision—what a lesson to teach his son!  Abraham

knew of the impending doom on Isaac, yet he reassured him

that God would provide.  With time running out and Isaac on

the sacrificial altar, God did indeed provide.  Isaac saw his

father’s trust in the Lord rewarded right in front of their

very eyes as a ram became ensnared in a nearby thicket.

It wasn’t until years later that Isaac fully understood his

father’s actions that day.  But it was then that Abraham

shared with his son another life-founding principle:

complete obedience to God.

F. B. Meyer writes of Abraham’s obedience, “There is

nothing that God will not do for a man who dares to step out

upon what seems to be the mist; who then finds rock

beneath him as he puts his foot down.”  Isaac saw that truth

unfold in front of him  He saw how God would provide in

even the most unlikely of circumstances—if he would just

obey Him.

God promised Abraham he would be the father of many

nations, but He called Abraham to be a father to Isaac

first.  One of the greatest callings on any man’s life is to

father his children in a way that is pleasing to God, to teach

them the importance of obedience to God and reliance upon

Him and Him alone.

No, Abraham wasn’t called to be a king.  he wasn’t even

called to be a governor.  He was called to be a father, to

teach Isaac to seek earnestly after God.  As Abraham

neared death after 175 years on earth, he recognized this

was the greatest call God placed on his life.  The reward for

Abraham was eternal.  “It came about after the death of

Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac…”(Genesis 25:11)