Genesis 22:1-19 tells the moving account of God asking Abraham to offer his only son Isaac as a sacrifice. Abraham had waited decades for this miracle child. When my Bible study discussed this scene, several called it a cruel test. Since God is never sadistic, we know God had good reasons for this test. I believe one of those was to give us a picture of what His great love for us would cost Him.
How could anyone ever doubt Abraham’s love for God after he offered up his only son to him? Here’s a more pertinent question: How can we ever doubt God’s love for us when He gave His only Son for us (John 3:16)?
Abraham's Call and a Promise
Abraham’s walk with God began when God found him living in a pagan land and called him to leave his home and family to go to the place God would show him.
“The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you’” (Genesis 12:1-3).
God promised to bless Abraham and to make his name great. He promised to bless the whole world through his descendants. “God promised him that he and his descendants after him would possess the land, even though at that time Abraham had no child” (Acts 7:5).
But there was a problem. Sarah was barren. All of God’s promises hung on Abraham producing an heir, and, after decades of waiting, there was still no son.
Sarah decided to help God’s plan along. She convinced Abraham to follow the custom of the day and to sleep with her maidservant. After all, God had promised Abraham an heir, He hadn’t mentioned Sarah. Hagar became pregnant. Wonderful, they’d be one big happy family. Not.
Ishmael was not the son God had promised. And trouble began the moment Hagar discovered she was pregnant. More than a decade later, when Abraham was one hundred years old, Sarah gave birth to a son, the promised heir. They named him Isaac which aptly means, “he laughs.” Imagine the joy this miracle child brought to Abraham and Sarah.
However, trouble escalated with Ishmael, and God had Abraham send teenaged Ishmael and his mother away. This pained Abraham. Isaac became Abraham’s only son and heir to God’s promise.
Abraham Tested By God to Sacrifice Isaac
After decades of walking with God, Abraham’s small faith grew through each high and low. He learned to trust God with his dreams and disappointments, gains and losses, successes and flops. In each stage, God proved faithful, and Abraham’s faith took root. When his faith was firmly established in the Lord, God tested Abraham in the most profound way: “Then God said, ‘Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you’” (Genesis 22:2).
The gravity of this command is hard to grasp. Isaac was the child of promise, the son through whom God had said Abraham’s descendants would be as numerous as the stars (Genesis 15:5). Yet, Abraham rose early the next morning and set out with Isaac, two servants, and the wood for the burnt offering. His obedience was immediate and unwavering, reflecting a faith that had been refined and deepened over many years.
As they approached the mountain, Isaac, unaware of the intended sacrifice, asked his father, “The fire and wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham’s response was filled with faith: “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son” (Genesis 22:7-8). This statement wasn’t just a hopeful wish but a declaration of trust in God’s provision.
When they reached the place God had specified, Abraham built an altar, arranged the wood, and bound Isaac. As he raised the knife to slay his son, the angel of the Lord called out, “Do not lay a hand on the boy... Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son” (Genesis 22:12). At that moment, Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. He sacrificed the ram instead, and named the place Jehovah-Jireh, meaning "The Lord Will Provide" (Genesis 22:14).
This story is not just about Abraham’s faith, but also about God’s faithfulness. It foreshadows the ultimate sacrifice God would make in offering His own Son, Jesus Christ, for the salvation of humanity. Just as Abraham did not withhold his son, God did not withhold His only Son, providing the ultimate sacrifice for our sins (John 3:16).
Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Isaac teaches us that true faith often involves radical trust and obedience. It challenges us to reflect on our own faith and our readiness to trust God with our most cherished aspects of life. Through Abraham's example, we learn that faith in God’s promises, even when they seem impossible, will always be rewarded with His provision and faithfulness.
As God describes Isaac to Abraham, I hear Him describe His only Son, Jesus. This story, like no other, gives us a glimpse into what it cost the father heart of God to sacrifice His only Son for us. Let’s explore some of the parallels between these two fathers and sons.
Notable Parallels between Isaac and Jesus, Abraham and God the Father
This story of sacrifice parallels Jesus in many ways—only for Jesus there was no ram in the thicket to take His place. He is the Lamb of God. As you read some of the parallels, don’t miss the emotions these fathers and sons must have felt.
Jesus said, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad” (John 8:56). I wonder if it was this event where Abraham saw Jesus.
Both Were Dearly Loved Only Sons
Notice how both sons were deeply loved by their fathers.
Isaac: “Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering” (Genesis 22:2).
Jesus: “And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy’” (Matthew 3:17).
Third-Day Hope
Both sons would be delivered on the third day.
Isaac: “On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. He said to his servants, ‘Stay here… We will come back to you’” (Genesis 22:4-5).
Jesus: “He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life” (Matthew 16:21).
Wood for the Sacrifice
Both sons carried the wood on which they would be sacrificed.
Isaac: “Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac” (Genesis 22:6).
Jesus: “Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull” (John 19:17).
Father and Son Working Together
Both fathers never left their sons’ sides.
Isaac: “As the two of them went on together” (Genesis 22:6).
Jesus: “For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself” (2 Corinthians 5:19).
Where Is the Lamb?
Both sons understood the need for a sacrificial lamb.
Isaac: “Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, ‘Father? . . . The fire and wood are here, . . . but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?’” (Genesis 22:7).
Jesus: “‘Abba, Father,’ he cried out, ‘everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine’” (Mark 14:36).
God Would Provide the Lamb
God provided a ram as a substitute for Isaac. Jesus is God’s lamb who as our substitute died to take away our sin.
Isaac: “God himself will provide the lamb … Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns” (Genesis 22:8, 13).
Jesus: “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’” (John 1:29).
The Thorns
Thorns encircled the head of both sacrifices.
Isaac: The ram’s head was caught in a thicket of thorns (Genesis 22:13).
Jesus: Jesus wore a crown of thorns (Matt. 27:29).
The Lord Will Provide
Abraham offering his beloved son humanizes the story of God offering His only Son and reveals how much God loves Jesus—and us. A cruel test? God stopped Abraham from sacrificing Isaac, but He watched Jesus die on the cross.
Isaac: The ram was sacrificed on Mount Moriah instead of Isaac (Genesis 22:2, 9). “So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, ‘On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided’” (Genesis 22:14).
Jesus: God provided His Son. “But now, once for all time, he [Christ] has appeared at the end of the age to remove sin by his own death as a sacrifice” (Hebrews 9:26).
He Loves You Intensely
After reading this story of Abraham and Isaac, no one can doubt Abraham’s devotion to God. When you question God’s care for you, remember
- As Abraham so loved God that he gave his only son, God so loved you that He gave His only Son (John 3:16).
- As Isaac trusted his father and climbed onto the altar, so Jesus trusted His Father and stayed on the cross (John 10:17–18).
If we can’t doubt Abraham’s devotion to God, then how can we question our heavenly Father’s love for us? Jesus knew there would be times we’d ask, “Lord, how much do You love me?” So He stretched out His arms on the cross and answered, “This much!”
Has something caused you to question God’s love for you? Bring that to Him now. Choose to believe He will work your losses and mistakes together for your good and His glory. Receive His love.
Adapted from Little Faith, Big God by Debbie W. Wilson.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/gordonimages
Debbie W. Wilson is an award-winning author, Bible teacher, and former Christian counselor who speaks and writes to connect fellow sojourners to the heart of Christ. Her books include Give Yourself a Break, Little Women, Big God, and Little Faith, Big God.
She and her husband lead Lighthouse Ministries, a non-profit Christian counseling and Bible teaching ministry. Despite time in Boston, the Midwest, and Southern California, Debbie still says y’all. Her family, which includes two mischievous standard poodles, calls North Carolina home. Connect with Debbie, find free resources, and learn about her books at debbieWwilson.com.