After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.” And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.
When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”
And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.” So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba. And Abraham lived at Beersheba. (Genesis 22:1-19)
What Won’t We Do for God? Will We Sacrifice What’s Most Precious to Us?
Genesis 22:1-19
A Dr. Pepper commercial featuring the Meat Loaf song, “I Would Do Anything for Love,” showed a young man doing a yoga class, holding a purse, and all sorts of other boyfriend activities that men might consider embarrassing. He’s willing to do all these things for his girlfriend until she reaches for his Dr. Pepper; that’s where he draws the line. This funny interpretation is not exactly what Jim Steinman had in mind when he wrote the tune that won Meat Loaf a Grammy Award in 1993, but I think it does reflect the approach of many Christians to faithfulness. People pledge all sorts of things through songs and prayers in worship on Sundays. If I had a nickel for every time someone said, “Pastor, call me if you need anything,” and then wasn’t able to reach their phone in time when I called, the church would never again struggle to make budget. Those grandiose pledges of commitment must sound to God’s ears like Meat Loaf faithfulness: “I would do anything for love, but I won’t do that.” So many times we are saying, “I would do anything, God, except for this simple thing you are asking me to do right now.” That is the opposite of the kind of commitment Abraham showed on Mt. Moriah as he trusted God to provide and showed himself willing to sacrifice that which was most precious to him obediently. I doubt that Isaac ever went on another camping trip with his dad after this experience, but the LORD provided and blessed Abraham and his descendants for that no-holds-barred faithfulness. Through Abraham’s seed, we were blessed when the Father sent His only begotten, beloved Son as our “ram in the thicket.” In response to that great sacrifice, will we return to Him that which is most precious to us? Will we trust Him to provide? Will we follow wherever He leads? Hopefully our response will end with “I will do anything for love” when it comes to answering those questions.