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 “Abraham.
. . take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest,
and get thee into the land of Moriah and offer him there for a
burnt offering” (Gen. 22: 1,2). What a heart rending command
for a father! Reason cried that it was contrary to God’s
promise —“in Isaac shall thy seed be called” (Gen. 21:12).
Furthermore, God had never accepted such sacrifice.
Nevertheless, Abraham sadly journeys to Moriah. Isaac and his
father leave the servants and ascend the appointed mount. “Where
is the sacrifice?” asks Isaac. From a heart that believes in
God’s power to raise the dead (Heb. 11:19), Abraham replies,
“God will provide himself a lamb.” Rocks are stacked to form
an altar. Wood is laid on it, and the fire is ready. Finally
Isaac is bound on the altar. Now the test! Abraham raises a
knife to slay his son, but an angel stays his hand. God says,
“Now I know thou fearest God.” Abraham then sees a ram
caught in the bushes and offers the ram as a sacrifice.
Now,
did God change his mind about what sacrifice he wanted? No!
Though the ram is offered in sacrifice, the ram is not the
sacrifice of this account. Isaac was laid on the altar, but from
the beginning he was not the sacrifice God sought. Before the
angel appeared, God received his sacrifice. It was Abraham who
was offered to God, and he was completely sacrificed when he
raised the knife to kill Isaac. His will, his logic, his
emotions as a father, his whole being had to be subdued to obey
that command. God received human sacrifice.
The
Jew brought a calf for a burnt offering. It was just as God
commanded, yet it was
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not the calf God wanted. “I am
God,... every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a
thousand hills” (Psa. 50:10). God wanted the man who brought
the calf. He sought the Jew in complete and voluntary submission
to God’s will. He was pleased with such human sacrifice and
satisfied with no less.
Jesus
said, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself,
and take up his cross, and follow me.” (Matt. 16:24). Thus,
discipleship demands self denial. That means putting God
above emotions when you must choose between God and family. It
means putting God before self when you really want to do
something that God forbids. Self denial means blindly obeying a
command though you do not see why it should be necessary. Self
denial is human sacrifice. It is self offered to God on the
altar of unconditional obedience.
“I
beseech you therefore. brethren by the mercies of God, that ye
present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable unto God. which is your reasonable service” (Rom.
12:1). Through the centuries many godly men have offered
themselves as martyrs for their faith in God. All Christians
must first offer themselves to God in simple obedience. We must
love God enough, trust him so completely, submit our will to his
so thoroughly, and anchor ourselves in hope so securely that we
will do anything he says — simply because he says it. “I am
crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but
Christ liveth in me:” (Gal. 2:20) Joe Fitch.
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