1 Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”  “Here I am,” he replied.  2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah.  Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.”  3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey.  He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac.  When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about.  4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.  5 He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there.  We will worship and then we will come back to you.”  6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife.  As the two of them went on together, 7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”  “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.  “The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”  8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.”  And the two of them went on together.  9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it.  He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.  10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.  11 But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”  “Here I am,” he replied.  12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said.  “Do not do anything to him.  Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”  13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns.  He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.  14 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.”  15 The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time  16 and said, “I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son,  17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore.  Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18 and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”
- Genesis 22:1-18, The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984.

In the name of Christ Jesus, dear friends:

If you have ever driven in the mountains, you know that it can be a frustrating experience.  The only safe way to make your way to a higher elevation is also the most time consuming.  You have to drive back and forth, back and forth up the slow gradual incline.  And while you are climbing up the side of the mountain, it is difficult to see much of anything.  At best, you might be rewarded with a view of the dense forests on both sides of the road and maybe if you are really lucky, the license plate of the big truck in front of you.

But then it finally happens.  You finally come to a clearing, and a panoramic view unfolds before your eyes.  At the top of the mountain, everything is different because you can see so much more.  You can see the tiny shapes of cars winding their way up the path below. Snow topped peaks once hidden from sight are now visible hundreds of miles a way.  At the top, the awe-filled observer sees everything from a totally different point of view.

This morning we are going to climb two mountains located in and around the city of Jerusalem.  The first is Mt. Moriah, the place where God led Abraham to sacrifice his son, the place where Solomon laid the foundations of the temple a thousand years later.  The second is Mt. Calvary, also known as Golgotha, the place of the skull, the place where Jesus gave up his life on the cross.

Geographically speaking, these two mountains are within walking distance of each other, but the events that took place on them are separated by a period of about two thousand years. These mountains may be separated by time and distance, but they are intimately connected to each other and to God’s plan of salvation.  On this first Sunday in Lent, God’s Word gives us a spectacular view of our Savior’s love,

Abraham is often described in glowing terms in the Bible.  He is recognized as the first of the patriarchs, the father of the nation of Israel.  In the New Testament, Abraham is called the father of all believers.  He is listed among the "Heroes of Faith" in Hebrews 11.  About one fourth of the book of Genesis tells the story of Abraham’s life.

But a closer look at Genesis reveals that Abraham was not always the rock of faith we like to remember.  Abraham was the one who obeyed God’s call to leave his family and his homeland, but he was also the one who told Pharaoh that his wife Sarah was his sister because he was afraid.  Abraham was the one who pleaded with God to spare Sodom and Gomorrah from destruction, but he was also the one who had a child with Hagar, his wife’s servant, because God had not given the couple any children of their own.  Abraham was a man of faith, but he was also a man of sin.

Very late in life, the Lord gave Abraham and Sarah a son of their own, Isaac.  This child was a miraculous blessing, but God wanted Abraham to keep things in perspective.  God wanted Abraham to remember that God was the top priority in his life.  This is where we pick up the text.  God told Abraham: "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about" (22:2).  What was the purpose of this test?  Did God want Abraham to sin?  Scripture plainly tells us that this is not the case (James 1:13).  With this test, the Lord was giving Abraham the opportunity to strengthen his faith and demonstrate the depth of his love for his God.

How did Abraham respond?  Did he pass or fail?  Let’s examine the evidence, based on his action and his words.  We are told that Abraham set out early the next morning.  There was no hesitation.  There were no questions.  God’s command was followed by immediate action.

Abraham got everything ready for the journey: the servants, the animals, the wood, even the unknowing sacrifice.  Then the group set out on a three day journey, three days that Abraham had to think about his mission, three days in which he had plenty of time to come up with good reasons not to follow through on God’s command.  But the text gives us no reason to doubt Abraham.  In fact, these verses do not even hint that he wavered in his faith.

Abraham’s willing actions were matched by his willing words.  When Abraham and Isaac parted company with the servants, he said: "We will worship and then we will come back to you" (22:5).  God was in control, and Abraham knew it.  He trusted that God would bring both of them down from that mountain, even though he didn’t know how.

As Abraham and Isaac went on, Isaac noticed that they had everything they needed, everything except the sacrifice.  This was Abraham’s loving response: "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son" (22:8).  Again, this is a statement of faith, an answer that trusted in God’s ability to provide, even if it would take a miracle.

Do you fully realize what God was asking Abraham to do?  If you are a parent, you may be thinking on a certain level.  You may be thinking about what you would do if you were asked to kill your own child.  You may also conclude that you just couldn’t do it.  A parent’s love runs too deep.  You would rather die than even witness the death of your own son or daughter.

But what God was asking Abraham to do had even greater consequences.  God had promised Abraham: "through Isaac…your offspring will be reckoned" (21:12).  Isaac was to be a link on the chain that connected Abraham to the promised Messiah.  But if Isaac was dead, that chain would be broken.  The sacrifice of Isaac meant more than the death of a single person.  It would have spelled the eternal death of all people.  If Isaac died, then the promised Messiah would never be born.

Even though Abraham’s own eternal life depended on his son’s physical life, he was willing to make the supreme sacrifice.  In Hebrews we are told that Abraham "reasoned that God could raise the dead" (11:19).  Abraham had God’s firm promise, and he trusted in that promise.  Even if it would take another miracle, even if that meant that God had to raise Isaac from the dead, Abraham believed that God would not go back on his Word.  Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Isaac reminds us of another father and another willing sacrifice.  "God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son," Jesus, on Mt. Calvary.

Abraham is the central figure in this narrative, but he is not the only "hero of faith."  We can also learn from the example of Isaac.  As we look at these two mountains, Mt. Moriah and Mt. Calvary, we are given a clear view of a son’s unquestioning obedience.

It is safe to say that Isaac learned to trust his father.  Isaac believed Abraham when he told him that the Lord would provide the lamb for the burnt offering.  We have to remember that Isaac didn’t have the advance knowledge that Abraham had.  He was not aware of God’s plan.  Isaac had no idea that he was the intended sacrifice.

Without much explanation or detail in the text, Abraham deliberately began to carry out God’s command: "Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood" (22:9).  When we study this text, we have to take note of what we do not read as much as what we do. Where was the struggle?  Where were the questions?  Where were Isaac’s pleas for his father to stop before it was too late?  All we have are the bare facts, and these facts lead us to one conclusion.  On Mt. Moriah, we are given a wonderful example of a son’s unquestioning obedience.

One could argue that there are two examples of obedience in this text.  Isaac was obedient to his father.  Abraham was obedient to his God.  What can these examples teach us?  It is not difficult for us to point out all the disobedience in the world, all the sin, all the greed, all the corruption.  But what about the people who have gathered here today?  What does God have to say to us?  God makes it clear to us in his Word that he wants us to obey him.  He has given us the ten commandments as a guide.  When we compare ourselves to the outside world, we may not look so bad.  At least, we take God’s commands seriously.

But there is one little word that changes everything.  That word is "unquestioning."  God is not satisfied with any kind of obedience.  God is not satisfied with obedience that is grudgingly offered.  God demands perfect obedience, complete obedience, obedience that does not question.  Now examine your life against this standard.

I’m not talking about the many times that we fail miserably, the many times in a day when we break God’s law.  I’m talking about the times when you were given a choice and you did the right thing.  Why did you obey?  Was it because you wanted to give all honor and glory to God? Or was it because you didn’t want to face the consequences of a sinful choice?  Was your motivation: "How can I serve God?" or "How can I look good?"  Did you do the right thing because you wanted to or because you thought you should?  Unquestioning obedience is a quality that is easy to admire in others, but it is very difficult to put into practice.

When we look at the events that transpired on Mt. Moriah, we are reminded of another mountain, another son, another example of unquestioning obedience.  Isaac carried the wood for the sacrifice on Moriah.  Jesus was forced to carry his own wooden cross to Calvary.  Isaac obeyed Abraham in quiet submission.  Isaiah prophesied about Jesus: "As a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth" (53:7).  On both mountains, God’s will was done.  The second sacrifice was made possible because the first sacrifice was aborted.  And as we look at these two mountains, one striking similarity remains: a divinely provided substitute.

This account reaches a climax in verse 10: " Then [Abraham] reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son."  Abraham was not bluffing.  He was prepared to carry out this divine command, but at the last possible moment the angel of the Lord intervened: "Do not lay a hand on the boy.  "Do not do anything to him.  Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son" (12).

Abraham passed the test.  He passed with flying colors.  Abraham loved God more than anything else, even more than he loved his only son.  God gave Abraham and Isaac the opportunity to worship him: "Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns.  He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son" (13).  Abraham and Isaac did not make this three-day journey for nothing.  There was going to be a sacrifice after all.  That burnt offering was made possible because God provided it.

To mark the importance of that place, Abraham called it: "The Lord Will Provide."  On that mountain, the Lord provided Abraham with a substitute, an animal to be sacrificed in place of his son.  But that was not the only thing that God provided.  God had provided Abraham with a son and heir.  God promised Abraham that he would be the father of a great nation.  Most importantly, God provided Abraham and his descendants with a Savior who would take away the sins of the world.

Theologians and Bible commentators are quick to point out that this comparison between Isaac and Jesus only goes so far.  There are some similarities, but there is also one fundamental difference.  Isaac’s life was spared because God provided a substitute.  Jesus came to be our Substitute.

The sacrifice offered on Mt. Moriah was a ram.  The sacrifice offered on Mt. Calvary was the Son of God.  The sacrifice God provided on Mt. Moriah was a substitute for one person.  The sacrifice God provided on Mt. Calvary was a substitute for all people.  The first sacrifice did not atone for any sin.  The second sacrifice atoned for the sins of the whole world.

Moriah and Calvary.  The events that transpired on these two mountains changed the course of history.  But more importantly, these events have changed our lives forever.  We thank God for men of faith like Abraham, who clung to God’s promises on Mt. Moriah and whose faith was rewarded.

During Lent, we focus our thoughts on the second mountain, Mt. Calvary.  We stand in awe of God the Father, who did not spare his only son, but gave him up for us all.  We marvel at the unquestioning obedience of God’s Son, who prayed in the Garden: "Not my will, but yours be done" (Luke 22:42).  We get down on our knees and thank God for providing a substitute to die in our place.  Because God has created faith in our hearts, because we know that our sin and guilt has been removed forever, we can see another mountain on the horizon:  "… Mount Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God" (Hebrews 12:22), our eternal home.  Amen.