Genesis 22:12

Genesis 22:12

I. There come times in human life when men must undergo a crucial test. A man can have but one trial in his lifetime; one great sorrow, beside which all other griefs dwindle into insignificance.

II. The crucial test can only take place in relation to that which we love and value most. The question here is, Do we so hold that which is dearest to us upon earth that we could surrender it at the Divine bidding?

III. Abraham's answer, "My son, God will provide Himself a lamb," is the sum of all mediational history; it is the main discovery of love. After all, what has the world done but to find an altar? It formed the cross; it never could have found the Saviour.

IV. The narrative shows what God intends by His discipline of man. He did not require Isaac's life; He only required the entire subordination of Abraham's will.

Parker, The Pulpit Analyst,vol. ii., p. 265.