“Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”
“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.
“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said,
“but where is the lamb or the burnt offering?”
Abraham answered,
“God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.”
And the two of them went on together.”
Genesis 22:7-8
I was reminded of the story of Abraham the other evening, as I was catching the first part of the Bible mini series (a five-part mini series, shown on Sunday evenings on the History Channel … but I watched it on YouTube).
Maybe it is the pictures, the artwork that has been created, but I envision Isaac to be thirteen (like my own son), and Abraham to be in his mid-seventies (like my father-in-law).
Together they had taken a three day trip that was announced by Abraham’s heavenly, and Isaac’s Earthly fathers.
Once the servants were left behind, it was just Abraham and Isaac … father and son … beginnings of a nation that could end on top of the very mountain they were climbing.
Isaac knew that blood, innocent blood, must be spilled and poured out, for their offering to be worthy of the One who would forgive them. This was the only way that their sin-filled lives could be made clean.
The sacrifice of a pure and spotless … perfect … lamb was not something that the people of the time (or any time) relished. The spilling of the blood of one of God’s creatures was not something that the people took joy in doing. The did it because they knew that they were sinful, they knew that they needed forgiveness, they knew that their every opportunity for survival was in the hands of their Creator.
When Abraham responded to Isaac, with assurance and confidence, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son,” I think he was revealing something important about two relationships …
He had faith in God, that He would provide the lamb, just as He had provided all that was in Abraham’s life. His continued steps forward tells us that if the lamb that God provided was the son at his side, he was still willing to move toward that alter.
His response to Isaac did not result in Isaac asking the question “how would God provide?” To me, this tells us that the father and son relationship between these two was deeper than just a blood relationship, but that Isaac trusted his earthly father …
much like Abraham trusted his heavenly Father.
They reached the place that God had told Abraham about, and he built an alter.
Then they lay the wood for burning on top of it.
Everything was ready for the sacrifice …
Except
the lamb.
I can imagine Abraham looking around, eyes searching for something, anything else to sacrifice, except for his son.
I can imagine Isaac also searching …
and maybe wondering …
At some point the truth would have been revealed … how I wish that the Bible tells us of that conversation.
I do know, from what I have read, that up until little more than a hundred years ago, or so, people did not expect long lives, filled with ease and comfort. Life was hard, it was common for death to come early, and in tragic ways … and that was just life.
Isaac was thirteen’ish
Abraham was seventy-five’ish
Although the Bible does say that he laid Isaac on the alter, I do not think that he, in his older age, could have done so if Isaac was squirming and fighting, and moving around. My son of similar age to Isaac, certainly could put up a good physical fight against his grandfather, of similar age to Abraham!
Isaac had to have submitted to his father’s authority, and
allowed his father to tie him up
to lay him on the alter
I can only imagine the look in their tear-filled, fear-filled eyes.
I can only imagine their hearts,
beating in unison
praying in unison
for another pure, spotless lamb to be provided
I can only imagine the trust that this young man has in his father to lay there
I can only imagine the trust that this old man has in his Father-God to take hold of the knife
“But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven,
“Abraham! Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
“Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said.
“Do not do anything to him.
Now I know that you fear God,
because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”
Genesis 22:11-12
And there, caught up in a thicket, was a ram.
He provided the lamb …
Freeing the responsibility of Abraham, of us, to provide it.
And He still provides the lamb,
blood spilled out on a cross
A God who knows that it is only by the spilling of the blood of the pure, and spotless … perfect that our sins could be erased.
And there was only one lamb who was
pure enough
spotless enough
perfect enough
His Son.
itsawonderfilledlife 
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