Origins | The Sacrifice

In Genesis 21 and 22, we see two separate stories of Isaac that both deal with faith.  One story is one of celebration and laughter after a long time in the waiting room of life for the promise the promised heir of Abraham.  The other story is one of sacrifice, faith and the ability to do hard things even when they may not make sense to us.  
 
Genesis 21:1-7 | Son of Laughter  
Isaac means Laughter.  Abram laughed in Genesis 17 when God said a child would come through Sarai. Sarah even laughs when he she hears at 90 she will have a child (Genesis 18).  And now Sarah says God has made her laugh because He has given her a child in her old age. He has done the impossible.  She says others will laugh in disbelief because of this crazy story of God making what seem impossible possible.  After 15 years of waiting, God has given them the promised child through Abraham and Sarah.  This is will not be the last time God makes a promise that another child you come through what seems an impossible birth through a couple named Mary and Joseph.
 
Genesis 22:1-2 | Only a Test
Over a decade later we see God command Abraham to offer Isaac as a burnt sacrifice.  Now this doesn’t make sense because God had made a promise to Abraham he would have a son and now he wants him to kill this child. In verse 1, we see that this is only a test.  In no way did God intent for anything to happen to Isaac, but this was a test of Abraham’s faith and his love for the Father.  
 
Genesis 22:6-14 | Christ as the Substitute.
Abraham does as God instructed. As they get to the top of the mountain Isaac looks for the lamb but sees none.  His father grabs his hands and ties him to the altar.  Isaac cries out in desperation asking why he is doing this.  In the last moment an angel stops Abraham and tells him not to harm Isaac.  The Lord has seen that Abraham fears the Lord.  Isaac is unbound and grabs hold of his father, thanking him for listening to voice from heaven.  In that moment Isaac knew that his father loved God more than him.  We have to ask ourselves the same question: do our children know we love Jesus more than them?  The best way we show our love for our kids is to point them to Jesus through our obedience. God is giving us a foreshadowing of what is to come in Christ.  A father gives his only promised son on the altar in love.  Jesus takes our place on the altar.  Jesus is the substitute for our sins.  God will give us his son so that we could have eternal life (John 3:16).  The redemptive history clock is beginning.  Remember what happens in the Old Testament is pointing to the New Testament – the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross.  And what happens in the New Testament is pointing back to the Old Testament – a loving father willing to sacrifice his son, but a substitute is given in his place.  
 
Big Idea: Abraham’s willingness to put his only promised son on altar was a foreshadowing of God’s love for us in putting his only promised son on the cross.