Who is Isaac?
What sort of teenage person would allow his father to place him on an altar for animal sacrifices, tie him up, and hold a knife over him?
Preparing the Bride for GOD’s Story
How do we prepare as the Bride of Christ? One aspect is to learn GOD’S STORY. He created us in His image…. Piece by piece, and peace by peace, we learn to walk as He has walked. And we learn His perspective.
Genesis 22:7-10
“But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!”
“And he said, “Here I am, my son.”
“Then he said, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”
“And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went together.
“Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.”
What is going on here?
Although there has always been much comment on Abraham and his faith, what about Isaac in this part of the story?
He seems to have an awful lot of faith — in his life, in his dad, in GOD.
It is a calculated estimate to say that Isaac is about 14 years old at this point. A 14 year old allows himself to be placed on a sacrificial alter. Why? Because he trusts his father and he trusts his GOD.
Isaac is passive. We see it after his mother dies and a wife is sought for him (Genesis 24). We see it here in Genesis 22.
Isaac is surrendered
Isaac is a model of surrender: he is full of trust, he is full of obedience, he is full of peace. He becomes one of the Patriarchs and is immortalised for all time — which is a true irony, having laid his life down at such a young age.
There are many figures in our lives…
Don’t we cross paths with many people throughout our lives? How many of them do we notice? Some friends, some family, a few teachers, colleagues and professionals.
How many do we remember? Are any of them passive, introverted or reclusive?
Isaac lay down his life
There are many ways we can demonstrate our faith. Isaac peacefully and quietly seems to walk simply and graciously through life without making huge demands. He obeys his father. He accepts his blessings. He reaps the reward: a long and fruitful life.
We can take a lot from Isaac’s inspirational story.