Read Genesis 22:1–19

Many parents make sacrifices for their children, but Milwaukee father Eulos Rounds Sr. went beyond what most parents have to do. When his son was diagnosed with liver disease, Rounds volunteered to donate 30 percent of his liver. Rounds not only saved his son’s life but also became the first African- American live transplant donor in the state of Wisconsin.

Abraham was asked to make a different kind of sacrifice. God asked him literally to sacrifice his son Isaac. The demand must have seemed strange to Abraham. Isaac was the child through whom God had promised to make Abraham a father of many nations. Yet as far as we are told in Scripture, Abraham did not argue with God. The author of Hebrews tells us why: because of faith in God’s trustworthiness, not mindless obedience. Abraham believed that God was able to raise his son from the dead (Heb. 11:19). God never intended that Abraham would go through with the slaughter; instead, He wanted to make a point: “Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son” (Gen. 22:12).

Is it possible to love God’s promises more than God Himself? We can be so distracted by the things God provides that we lose sight of God. When this happens, God may ask us to choose. The language God uses to describe Isaac reveals the importance of this test for Abraham. God calls him Abraham’s “only son” in verse 2. This was not technically true; as we have already seen, Abraham had another son by Sarah’s maid Hagar. But this designation underscored the uniqueness of Isaac both in Abraham’s affection and in God’s plan. Isaac was Abraham’s unique son. He was the child of promise.

APPLY THE WORD

Our love for God must supersede even the legitimate affection we owe to those around us. The love we have for our spouse, child, or friend must not surpass the love we have for God. God blesses us with the gifts of loved ones and relationships, but they should never outweigh the gratitude and obedience we offer to the Giver.

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