Reading
- Gen. 22:1-23:20
Devotional
Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham…
(Gen. 22:1 NKJV)
GOD told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac upon the altar at a mountain called Moriah. What specifically was the test here? The test was to see how strong Abraham’s faith would be. Would Abraham love GOD more than he loved his own son? Would Abraham trust GOD enough to not withhold from GOD his son Isaac, whom he loved so much, whom GOD had promised?
Abraham passed the test, and GOD blessed him for it.
Then the Angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, and said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son—blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
(Gen. 22:15-18 NKJV)
Jesus said that the greatest commandment is to "love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind" (Matt. 22:37). This means that we love GOD with everything that is in us and everything that we have at our disposal. In other words, we are to hold nothing back from GOD. That is precisely what Abraham did. He gave his most cherished possession to GOD.
This is exactly what GOD did for us as well! He gave His most cherished possession—Himself—upon the cross to be our sacrifice and allow us to have a relationship with Him. GOD would never ask us to do something that He Himself would be unwilling to do.
Like Abraham, we will also face various tests in life. Let us remember the example of Abraham and of Jesus as we strive to ensure that we also hold nothing back from GOD when the test comes.
