Genesis 22.6- 8 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
Abraham is cited, and rightfully so, as being the father of the faithful. His belief in God was demonstrated when he offered his only son Isaac, the son of promise, on the altar. However, what about Isaac’s example of faith and submission to God? Put yourself in his sandals. He is much younger and stronger than his elderly father. And here he is, allowing him to place him on a pyre of wood that he is about to ignite as a burnt offering unto God. Doesn’t Isaac also know that he is the son of promise?
Did he not think, even for a second, that father Abraham was thinking a bit senile and irresponsible?
Isaac also exercised great faith in the promise of God by submitting to God’s sovereign will that had him placed on that altar by his father. This teaches us that saving faith submits to the will of God, even when it doesn’t make sense to the natural mind. Faith submits. It doesn’t calculate or manipulate circumstances. To submit means that your faith is in the wisdom of God, the power of God and the love of God. May God help both writer and reader alike to submit, or commit themselves to God today. In 1 Peter 4.19 we see the word “commit.” That is a banking term. It means to deposit something of value with someone else, to keep it safe. He will take care of you. You can bank on it.
