One day, God spoke to Abraham, a very special man. God had given Abraham and his wife Sarah a son, even though they were very old. This son was called Isaac. Abraham loved Isaac above all else.
God wanted to see if Abraham trusted Him. That is why God said to Abraham: “Take your son Isaac, whom you love so much, and go with him to a mountain. There you shall sacrifice it to me as a token of your love.”
Abraham was sad and afraid. He didn’t understand why God wanted that. But Abraham trusted God. So the next morning he woke Isaac and they set off.
They walked for three days. The sun shone hot on their heads. Finally they reached the mountain. Abraham laid wood on Isaac’s shoulders, and they went up together. Isaac asked, “Father, we have the wood and the fire, but where is the sacrificial lamb?”
Abraham answered, “God will give us a sacrificial lamb, my son.”
At the top of the mountain, Abraham built an altar out of stones. He put the wood on it and tied Isaac tightly. Just as he was about to sacrifice Isaac, an angel of the Lord cried out from heaven, “Abraham! Stop! Do not harm your son Isaac. Now I know that you love God more than anything else.”
Abraham looked up and saw a sheep in the bushes that had become entangled with its horns. Full of gratitude, he offered the sheep as a sacrifice instead of his son.
God spoke to Abraham again, “Because you have shown me that you trust me, I will greatly bless you and your family. As many people will descend from you as the stars in the sky.”
Abraham and Isaac went home happy because God was so good to them.
Message of history
God wants us to trust Him, even if we don’t understand everything. He has a good plan for our lives and always cares for us!
Bible passage
The story of the sacrifice of Isaac is found in Genesis 22:1-19. Here is the text from Schlachter 2000:
“After these events, God tested Abraham; and he said to him, “Abraham! And he answered, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Take your son, your only one whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there for a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I will name to you.” So Abraham got up early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his servants with him and his son Isaac; and he split wood for a burnt offering, and got up and went to the place that God had told him. On the third day, Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. Then Abraham said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey; But I and the boy will go there and worship, and then we will come back to you. And Abraham took the wood as a burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac; but he took the fire and the knife in his hand, and they both went together. Then Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father! And he answered, “Here I am, my son!” And he said, “Behold, here is fire and wood; but where is the sheep for a burnt offering? Abraham answered, “God will see the sheep for a burnt offering, my son.” And they both went together. And when they came to the place that God had told him, Abraham built an altar there and piled the wood on it. And he bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. And Abraham stretched out his hand and took hold of the knife to slaughter his son. Then the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he answered, “Here I am!” And he said, “Do not stretch out your hand against the boy or do him any harm.” For now I have come to know that you fear God, because you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me. Then Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a ram behind him had caught in the thicket with its horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in the place of his son. And Abraham gave this place the name ‘The Lord will see to it’, so that even today it is said: On the mountain of the Lord it will be taken care of. And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven, saying, “I have sworn by myself,” says the Lord, “Because you have done this, and have not withheld your son, your only son, from me, I will surely bless you, and I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the sky and as the sand on the shore of the sea; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. And in your seed all the peoples of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice. Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they arose and went together to Beersheba. and Abraham continued to dwell in Beersheba.”
