And they came to the place which God had told him of…
This was a divinely ordained place, a sacred spot chosen for a sacrifice. God must have led Abraham in such a way that he knew as soon as he saw it that it was the right place. Many believe the place of sacrifice was on Mount Moriah in the same location as the temple’s altar in Jerusalem built by Solomon (2 Chronicles 3:1). This is the current site of the Muslim’s Dome of the Rock temple. However, we do not have sufficient evidence to prove that the location of Solomon’s temple was the exact location of Abraham’s altar.
…and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. (Genesis 22:9)
God gives us the exact order of how Abraham set up his altar. This binding of Isaac is known in Jewish tradition as the Aquedah and is an example of the need to place faith in God above all else. We can only imagine what was going through Abraham’s mind (and Isaac’s as well) during this preparation.
Isaac’s trust in his father was quite amazing, allowing Abraham to bind him. Remember, Abraham was over 100 years old at this time. Even as a young lad, Isaac could have easily escaped from his father, yet he didn’t.
And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. (22:10)
Abraham shows ultimate obedience to God. He had the knife in his hand, ready to slay his son simply because God told him to do it. However, we know that God never actually intended for Abraham to slay his son. Later in the Old Testament, God makes it very clear that child sacrifice is an abomination to Him (Leviticus 18:21, 20:1-5; Deuteronomy 18:10; 2 Kings 16:2-3; Isaiah 57:5; Jeremiah 32:35).
God wanted Abraham to sacrifice his own will and give it to God. When it came time to back up his words with actions, Abraham proved that he was willing to slay his son in total obedience to God, with complete faith that God would raise him again. At this point, God intervenes:
And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. (22:11)
Isaac was bound and vulnerable; Abraham’s hand was on the knife. Then, a voice from Heaven rings out, stopping Abraham. We can see the sense of urgency in the intervention through the repetition of Abraham’s name.
Many times in the Bible, we see a person’s name repeated, always to draw attention to important questions or commands: God called twice to Jacob (Genesis 46:2), to Moses (Exodus 3:4), and to Samuel (1 Samuel 3:10). Jesus called Martha’s name twice (Luke 10:41), and He called Simon Peter’s name twice when Satan desired to sift him (Luke 22:31). We also see that Jesus called to His Father twice when He was forsaken on the cross (Mark 15:34). Jesus called to Saul twice on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:4).
It is obvious that the angel of the LORD’s repeating Abraham’s name was intended to make him stop immediately. Abraham’s response of “Here am I” shows Abraham’s humility and willingness for God to do as He pleased with him.
And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him…
The test from God had accomplished its purpose. No doubt, Abraham dropped the knife immediately, full of relief to be freed from the prior command. Then the angel goes on to explain:
…for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. (22:12)
This was the purpose of the test. Abraham’s actions proved that he feared God. The most important thing God wanted to know was to whom Abraham gave priority: himself or God.
This entire ordeal was not to provide God with information about Abraham but to examine Abraham’s obedience to God. God knew that Abraham feared Him because he was willing to give everything God commanded, even his son’s life. Abraham determined it was in his best interest to fully comply with all God had required. He had learned to trust God through many years of obedience, and now he had determined that God would fully deliver on His promises.
The Bible tells us in Proverbs 1:7, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge…” Furthermore, Proverbs 9:10 tells us, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom:” God makes it clear in this account in Genesis that it is in our best interest to hold all our possessions with open hands, including the stewardship of children and family. Following God in all things is always for our best.
Isaac represented God’s promises to Abraham. Without Isaac, Abraham would have no heir, no nation, no promises, and no blessings. By asking Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, God was asking Abraham to demonstrate his complete trust in Him. Abraham trusted that God would raise Isaac from the dead. By willingly giving his only son, Abraham gained a multitude of offspring. Truly, the only way to have is to give.