Abraham’s Obedience

Genesis 22:1-19
Gregory Broderick | Sunday, July 31, 2022
Copyright © 2022, Gregory Broderick

This morning we heard from Genesis 22 about aged Abraham who passed the greatest test of faith ever faced by a mere man. God told him to take his son, his only son, his son Isaac, the son he loved, and offer him as a burnt sacrifice on Mount Moriah. Despite a rather uneven testing record for Abraham, here he passes the test with flying colors. Just as he is about to complete his act of obedience, the angel of the Lord intervenes at the last moment and Isaac, the son of the promise, is spared.

We heard this morning how God did even more than this. God spared the only son of Abraham, but God did not spare His only Son. Indeed, His only Son went willingly to the cross under His plan to rescue a people for Himself. Jesus Christ willingly took on all the wrath due to us and died the death that we deserved, so that we might be delivered over from the power and from the punishment of sin.

No angel came to intervene on behalf of Jesus. His sacrifice was complete. It was the costliest price ever paid for anything—the costliest price even theoretically available, the precious blood of Jesus Christ. And this infinite and unique God-man paid the whole price on our behalf. We did not need to add to it to make His payment complete. And after paying it, He said, “It is finished,” and He rose from the grave, showing that His self-sacrifice was both effective and sufficient. It worked, and it was enough payment. May we never, ever get used to it. Let us forever stand amazed at the indescribable and infinite love of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit for us.

Now, we rightly focused on God’s great gift and infinite love this morning in our consideration of Genesis 22. But tonight we will focus on Abraham’s obedience, how he passed this greatest of tests with an A+.

1. A Ready Obedience

First, it was a ready obedience. Abraham obeyed right away. God gives this jarring command in verse 2, and Abraham goes right to work carrying it out. Verse 3: “Early the next morning . . .” Notice that Abraham does not drag his feet in carrying out this difficult task. He does not give God time to reconsider. He does not make God come and give him a reminder. He does not say, “I am just in the middle of this important project. As soon as I finish these things, I will get right to it.” He does not even say, “I need a few days to mourn over this or to process this command.” He simply goes.

Of course, there are preparations to be made, and we read that in the early verses of Genesis 22. So donkeys must be saddled, wood must be cut, fire must be arranged, and so on. But Abraham makes all the required preparations and then heads out right away. Notice, he does not freeze in paralysis, unsure what to do with this difficult command. But he also does not run off in convulsion without the required supplies. He does what is necessary and goes.

Abraham’s readiness to obey shows his great faith. He has known God for many, many years by this point in our story. And he knows that obeying God is always safe and always best. He has tried other methodologies. He has tried self-help. He had tried some other ideas, adjusting God’s plan. It has not worked out for him. So he knows obeying God is the safe and best thing to do. He may not know everything. He may not know all the details. But he knows God, and he knows for sure that God wants him to go and do this. God told him, and so he sets about the work right away.

We should have such faith as this. Once we know the will of God, we must get to doing it. Psalm 119:60 says, “I will hasten and not delay to obey your commands.” When we know God’s command, there is no reason to delay. There is no need to gather more information. There is no need to “pray on it,” or acclimate to the idea. That is what you do when you do not know what you are supposed to do. But when you know what to do, you go and do it. There is no time required to grieve or to “process” God’s command.

We often forget this, but our mission in life is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. And obedience is a critical, in fact, the critical component of glorifying God and enjoying Him forever. You cannot glorify God if you are not obeying God. Jesus said in John 17:4, “I have brought You glory on earth by completing the work You gave me to do.” In John 14:15 He says, “If you love me, keep my commands.” There is more to glorifying God than simply obedience, but obedience is a critical component. Without that, you cannot glorify God.

In all the other uncertainties and mysteries of our lives, we often make things more complicated than they need to be. We are always, or we should always, only be trying to figure out what is the will of God in this situation. You go into Pastor Mathew’s office and there is an old raggedly paper taped on the white board that says, “What is the will of God in this situation?” In other words, in all your questions, in all your finding out of details, which there is a lot of in the office, don’t forget this is the question we are trying to answer: “What is the will of God in this situation?” And then we do it, big or small. The purpose of finding out the will of God is to do it in things big or small, right? First Corinthians 10:31 says, “whether we eat or drink.” We often get tripped up in some of the small details. But we have to keep this big picture question in mind.

Now, sometimes it is harder to discern the will of God for a situation than at other times, but not here. Abraham knew for sure, from the word of God Himself, that it was God’s will for him to make those preparations, take Isaac, and then offer him as a burnt sacrifice on Mount Moriah. So no further inquiry is required. No further information is required. No further discussion or explanation or analysis is required. He knows what he is supposed to do. He has got to go and do it.

You may be excusing yourself even at this moment, thinking, “Abraham heard it directly from God. And if I hear something directly from God, I too will set about doing it right away. But I will need time, more time myself, to really make sure what God wants me to do, whether A or B.” And that can be the case sometimes. Sometimes it does take time to know. Sometimes it is not clear to us. But often it is clear to us. Often it is not murky what is the will of God for us in some situation. Many times we know God’s will for us, but we are afraid to do it. Or we don’t like it. Or we don’t see the whole picture of how this is going to work out for our good. So we cloak our fear and distrust in the veil of uncertainty, spiritualizing our fear and distrust. “If God wants me to do X or Y, He will make me really sure.” How sure do you have to be? Is it 51%? Is it 61%? Is it 91%? 99%? 99.9%? 100%? How sure do you have to be? Beware of this approach. It can become a license to disobey or delay or to put ourselves above God. “If He wants me to do something, He has to really prove to me that it is a good idea.” In other words, “I must agree.” Beware.

Moreover, if you are thinking that, if God should appear to you and give you a direct command, you will follow it just like Abraham, I would say that his situation is not unique. You see, God is speaking all the time. The form changes, but God is speaking to us all the time. We have God’s objective written word for us. As far as we know, Abraham had no such objective written word.

If we read something in the Bible and it is properly understood, then we know that we can obey it immediately and without further question. I will give you some examples in case you doubt. “Should I commit adultery?” This is not a difficult question. You know the will of God for you in that situation. The answer is “No.” Deuteronomy 5:18 says, “Do not.” No further inquiry is needed. “But I am really attracted to this person, and I fell out of love with my wife or husband.” No. It says, “You shall not.” Therefore, you shall not. I can obey this command today, regardless of what my lust or emotions or whatever else is telling me.

“Should I abort my unborn child?” This is the issue of today. There is a lot of noise out there. Things can get confusing. Or I imagine it can get confusing. Say you have sinned by committing sexual immorality outside of marriage, and you thought that it was covered. You thought that no one would find out. But you become pregnant, and it is going to show. So you have fear and shame and hardship, and those things will conspire to suddenly confuse you on this very clear point. But what does God’s word say? It is very clear. Deuteronomy 5:17: “You shall not murder.” End of analysis. There are no complicating factors: “You shall not murder.” “How will I raise this child?” Irrelevant. “How will I afford it?” Irrelevant. “How will I face everyone?” Irrelevant. “How will I tell my mom or my dad?” Irrelevant. Oh, abortion might seem easier or at least less messy in that circumstance. I promise you that it will not be easier or less messy. God said, “You shall not,” so do not. And come and get help; we will help you. The former 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh, the head coach at the University of Michigan, was criticized this week because he said to his players, “If you get a girl pregnant and you don’t know what to do, don’t abort that child. Bring her to my house, and my wife and I will raise the child.” He is criticized for that promise. He is called ignorant, actually, for that. But we would make the same offer, by the way. If you become pregnant and you do not know what to do, bring your baby here. We will raise that baby.

My point is that God is speaking all the time. He speaks by His Spirit. He speaks by His delegated authorities. He speaks by His preached word. He speaks by godly counsel. He speaks through godly parents, godly pastors, and godly other authorities. You must listen. If you listen, you will hear Him speaking. And once you know God’s will, once you hear His voice speaking to you in one of those ways, stop thinking about what you should be doing and start doing what God said to be doing

2. A Willing Obedience

Abraham was eager to obey God. That is part of the reason he did it right away, because he was willing to do it. But there is more to willingness than just doing it right away. Notice what does not happen here. In verse 2 comes a command: “Take your son.” In verse 3 comes the obedience: “Early the next morning.” So what is missing here? The dog that does not bark. Abraham does not argue. Abraham does not complain or grumble. Abraham does not accuse God or harbor ill will towards God in his heart. Instead, he goes willingly.

Now, we might forgive Abraham if he responded, “But, Lord,” and there are all kinds of good arguments that you could make against this:

“Isaac is the son of the promise. How can I kill the son of the promise?”
“You said You would have a covenant with Isaac’s descendants (Gen. 17). There are no descendants to have a covenant with. You cannot kill him yet.”
“You said, ‘Thou shalt not murder,’ and You cursed Cain for murdering. I cannot murder.”
“You said Isaac would become a great nation, and I would too. But if Isaac is wiped out, neither one of us can become a great nation.”
“What happened to all that sand on the seashore and stars in the sky business? You are God; You cannot lie. You have to do it.”
“You cannot do this to me. I have done everything else You have asked me to do. I have done everything else for You. I left my home and my family. I sent Ishmael, my firstborn son, away. This is not fair. This is too far.”
“Are You against me, God? Sending off one son is difficult enough. But both sons? All these things I longed for. I didn’t ask you for these things. All these things I longed for, and You make me send them away. Are You against me?”
“How will I explain this to Sarah? When we get home from the trip, she will ask, ‘Where is Isaac?’ Well . . .”
“I will need some time to get used to this idea.”

None of that. We don’t hear any of that. Instead, early the next morning, he got up and went. Now, Abraham may or may not have had his doubts or fears or concerns. Maybe he had these; maybe he did not. Nothing is recorded. Whatever he may have thought or felt, he does not give place to the Devil by letting those things fester. He does not fuel the fire of any doubt that might have been planted there. Instead, he just obeys. In fact, there is strong evidence that he had no real doubts, no real concerns. Look at the confidence. In Genesis 22:7–8 Isaac asks him, “Father, where will we get the lamb for the sacrifice?” And Abraham says, “God Himself will provide the lamb.” Notice the confidence. Or in verse 5, he says to his servants—he leaves them there with the donkey—he says, “We will worship and then we will come back to you.” Confidence.

Abraham does not let any of these things get in his way. He may not have known how it would all work out, but he knows God, who will work it all out. And his faith in God is unshakable. He has decades of experience with this God, and that God has delivered every time. Even when Abraham screwed it up, that God has delivered every time. So Abraham can say, like David, “The Lord who has delivered me from Pharaoh and Abimelech and four kings and from my own messy plans will also deliver me from or through this.” It is not just book knowledge about God. He has lived with this God. He has talked with this God. He has walked with this God. He does not just know about this God; he knows this God. And therefore Abraham is confident: I can obey. I must obey. Everything will be all right. Why? Because God.

Thus, he willingly obeys this hardest of commands, and so should we. Even when we don’t understand everything, we understand that God works all things together for my good. So when I know His will for me, I can do it and be confident it will work out for my good.

3. An Overcoming Obedience

There were many obstacles to Abraham’s obedience here. You need to cut a bunch of wood. You need to walk forty-five miles to get to the place God is sending you. It took him nearly three days to make that walk. You need fire. That is easy in our time; not so easy in that time. “How will I bind Isaac? Isaac, come over here for a minute. I have to tie you up for a second.” “What?” How will I bind him? How will I stab him or cut his throat? How will I bring myself to do this? What will the rest of my household say or think about this? I am going around for ten years with my son. I am extolling the virtues of God. He gave me a promised son. Then I go away and I kill him. How am I going to explain this? And, as I said earlier, what in the world am I going to say to Sarah when I get home?

Abraham is not deterred by any of these challenges. He does not stop and he does not quit. Abraham is not delayed by any of these challenges. He knows the will of God, and so the challenges, which are real, are not obstacles. They are challenges all right, but they are just things to be dealt with. “Go get the wood, get the fire, get the donkey, and get going.” As we say around here, “Solve problem.”

Because he was ready and willing to obey God’s clear revelation, these challenges were simply obstacles to be overcome, not reasons to quit and not bars to doing the job. We must have the same outlook. After all, we know from our experience that when we want to do something, we will find a way. Your innovative children will find a way out of that crib, into the kitchen, pull that chair over by the counter, get up on the shelf, and get those chocolate chips out, all without waking you up from your nap, for example. When we want to do something, we will find a way. This church sits here as a monument to “We will find a way.” This was an old cornfield. I have heard from older people who were around in those days that Pastor said, “We are going to raise a million dollars and buy this land and build this church.” And everyone said, “What is he talking about?” Well, here we are, years later. When you want to do something, there is a way. This Academy over here is a monument. There is a way. The high school program. There is a way. When we want to do something, we are going to find a way to do it.

But when we don’t want to do something, suddenly the smallest obstacle, real or imagined, becomes an impassable barrier. Can’t do it. Tax problems. Legal problems. Regulatory problems. The sluggard says, “There is a lion outside,” or “I will be killed in the streets.” Or, “The land devours all who are in it. It is full of giants. We saw Anakites there. It is too hard. I don’t want to do it.” To the unwilling, nothing is easy. But as Christians, we can do all things. We can do all things through Him who strengtheneth us. “What God commands by His word,” Calvin tells us, “He empowers us to do by His Spirit.” Paul said, “He gives more grace”—sufficient grace, abundant grace. Everything we need for life and godliness He gives us.

When we know God’s will for us and when we understand God’s sovereignty, we will not falter at any obstacle. We will not look for excuses to quit, but we will look for the way that God provides for us to overcome. “Yes, my wife is a strong personality, but I will be the head and lead her because God commands it” (Eph. 5 and 1 Cor. 11:3). “It is hard for me, as a wife, to submit to my husband’s authority. But I will find a way today because God commands me to do it” (Eph. 5; 1 Pet. 3). “It is hard for me to obey my parents or my boss or the police.” “It is hard to resist that strong temptation to sin or to a particular sin.” “It is hard to overcome my fear of this or that, or of evangelism.” “It is hard to forgive that person for the sin that they committed against me.” “It is hard to accept that word of rebuke or to submit to the authority or the counsel of the pastor and the elders.” That may be true. But all these things are God’s will for us to do and are set forth clearly in His word, as clearly as if He came down and spoke directly to Abraham.

So it is hard to do, but I will go out and do it. I will overcome my fear. I will overcome my bitterness or dissatisfaction. I will overcome every obstacle. I will overcome the world and the flesh and the devil who tempts me to sin. In my flesh, I would fail—I would fail at it all. But I can do all things God wants me to do through Jesus Christ, who has overcome the world. “Not by might, not by power, but by my Spirit,” says the Lord. His Holy Spirit will help us.

I can go out and take my son, my only son, my son whom I love, and offer him as a sacrifice to God. He makes me able if I am willing. Let us trust and obey our God and be His willing people.

4. A Faith-filled Obedience

Notice that this is not an obedience of timidity or grudgingness or fear. Abraham does not seem to be “grinding it out” in Genesis 22. He is full of faith, optimistic even, shining as light. He sets right about the work, as evidence of his faith. He has to sit with this knowledge in his head for three days as he walks along next to Isaac. And yet from what is recorded, he never seems to waver. It is unbelievable. In verse 5 he says 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.” Confidence. And in verse 8, again, when Isaac asked, “Where is the lamb for sacrifice?” Abraham replied, “God Himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” He does not have an emotional breakdown. Would you be able to bear it if you knew that you had to go and slice your son’s throat and burn him up and he says, “Where is the lamb?” Do you think we would blurt out, “You are the lamb”? I think we might. But Abraham does not have an emotional breakdown. He does not have a crying jag. He does not have a lashing out. As far as we can tell, he did not even talk to anyone else about this. He was not sharing the burden with others by jabbering along about it for three days.

No, Abraham has great confidence in God that everything will be okay. The same God who took him from Ur to the place he did not know would lead him to the right outcome here. God said, “Go.” Abraham said, “I didn’t even know where I was going. I didn’t know how I was going to get there. I didn’t know what would happen. But God brought me to a good land, settled me there, and prospered me there. I didn’t know how it was going to work out before, but it worked out for my best, and God will do it again here.” Abraham’s great faith in God spanned the gap in his understanding. He did not know how God would resolve the apparent tension in his two promises: Isaac’s offspring and a Savior to come from Isaac versus sacrifice him and burn him up. He doesn’t know how God is going to work this out. (GTB) He did not know, but he knew that God would resolve it, that both of those things could be true. He knew that God does not lie and that God does not fail. So he would do the next right thing and offer Isaac as a sacrifice. Then, later, he would see how God still provided offspring and a great nation and a Savior through Isaac.

That is exactly what happened. Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice and burnt offering, and God made Abraham into a great nation. He provided countless descendants through Isaac, and He provided the great Messiah through the line of Isaac. So he knew God would do it, and that is exactly what happened. God did it.

May we have such faith as Abraham. Let us stop worrying about how God will work it all out, and let us set about obeying His revealed will to us. Let us be confident that He will work out all things for our good as He promised to do in Romans 8:28. Let us know that He will provide what is required. He will give us a way out of our temptation to sin. He will give us food and clothing and work to be productive in for six days. He will give us time to worship on the seventh day, no matter how demanding that work might be. He will provide a Samuel to sacrifice on the seventh day as He promised, even if it comes at the last second. We don’t need to take things into our own hands. He will provide grace to obey His commands. He will provide a Savior in the midpoint of time. And He will provide a rapture and an eternal glory when all else is fulfilled.

Our job is to obey today: to do that next right thing. His job is to deal with tomorrow and eternity. Let us do our job and let us be full of faith that He will do His.

5. A Personal Obedience

God gave the command to Abraham, so Abraham went and did it himself. Abraham did not send someone else to do it. He did not say, “It is too hard for me to do this,” or, “I have too much grief.” He did not merely cause it to be done, but he did it himself, personally. A personal assignment requires personal obedience. You take your son. You sacrifice him. Abraham was in it every step of the way. He went along on the trip. He cut the wood. He saddled the donkey. He walked three days. He built the altar. He arranged the wood. He found the boy. And then he laid Isaac on the altar, and he took the knife to slay his own son.

When God gives us a job to do, we must get in there and do it. He has his reasons for giving that particular assignment to you or to me. Maybe He is building you up or preparing you for what is to come. Maybe you have a special skill or way of dealing with another person who is involved. Maybe it will build others up to have you do it. They may look at you and say, “If she can, then I can, with God’s help.”

It does not really matter why He picks you; it matters that He picks you. So go and do what He told you to do. And as we just discussed, you may not think you can do it, but God thinks you can do it. Now, which of the two of you do you suppose has it right? You can lead your home, husbands. I promise, and God will help you. As you obey, He will give you the grace like those lepers who were healed as they went along (Luke 17). You can take the land that God has assigned to you. Gideon and the three hundred went and did it. They did not know how they were going to defeat this huge army. All they did was hold the torches and break the jars. Then they just stood there, and the rest of the men killed each other. God will make you able.

Or think of the Israelites before Pharaoh’s army. They saw this huge army coming, and they were trapped. They did not know what to do. And God says, “You don’t need to do anything. Just walk over there and wait, and I will take care of the rest of it.” Like those people, you may just have to stand there while God does His amazing work. Or, like David, you may have to go out and face the giant warrior Goliath one-on-one with no armor, no spear, and no shield. If you are obeying God’s will—His will in assigning that job to you—then He will be with you, and you will succeed. This is the guaranteed outcome of God. Goliath will fall. You will overcome your fears. You will overcome even the devil. Submit, resist, and he will flee from you. You can do it; God will help you.

So again I say: Men, you can lead, even though you are passive and she is domineering. Young mothers, you can discipline your children for their good as God instructs you, even though as you go to discipline them, you have feelings. We can stick to the diet and overcome obesity (1 Cor. 10:31). As employees, we can work as to the Lord and obey the boss with sincerity. We can all share the gospel to all nations. God commands us to do it. He will make us able to do it (Matt. 28). We can say “No” to sin and “Yes” to righteousness in the moment. We can confess and renounce our sins and find mercy. Proverbs 28:13 tells us so. And we can persevere to the end. We do not have to give up at the end of the race.

But we must do it personally. Mr. Swickard cannot do it for us. Pastor Mathew cannot do it for us. Rev. Buddingh’ cannot do it for us. We must get in there and do it. God’s purposes will always prevail. Think about this way: That job that God assigned you to do is going to get done one way or the other. If we remain paralyzed, relief and deliverance will arise from some other place. But we will perish. If you refuse to share the gospel with that elect person that has crossed paths with you, God will get someone else to go and share the gospel with him, and that elect person will be saved. But you will be ashamed. You see, God gives us those jobs. It is like Esther. And He says, “For who knows but that you have come to your position for such a time as this?”

Remember that this same God determined the exact times and places men should live (Acts 17:26). So you are always where you are supposed to be. God has determined to put you in that place at that time for a reason. You are always assigned what you are assigned to do. It may seem like a mistake to you, but God determined the exact times and places men should live. Embrace His assignment.

Now, surely Abraham did not want this assignment. Nor Moses—remember, “I am slow of speech,” and all of that. Nor Esther, nor Paul, nor Peter, nor Pastor Mathew, nor me. I don’t want this job. It is too big of a job. I was happy with lesser things that I had in mind. But God calls us, and so we must go. He calls us, and He equips us to do the work that He has assigned.

So as I have said, you can lead your home. If you are a husband, you don’t need to know anything else but that God has assigned you to lead your home. It is all over the Bible. You can command and demand. You can manage your household well. You can teach your class, if God made you a teacher. You can preach the word, if God calls you to preach. You can share the gospel on campus or at work or at home or in whatever field God has placed you. God gave the assignment, and He will make you able to do it. So go personally and get to it. Don’t shrink back or freeze.

6. An Attentive Obedience

Abraham listened for God. Verse 1: “Abraham!” God calls. And what is Abraham’s response? “Here I am,” he replied. He was ready. He was listening. Then he gets to the tough assignment. He determines what was needed and he gets going with the task. But, notice, he keeps on listening for God. Maybe it was a hopeful listening, maybe not. But he was tuned in to whenever God was speaking.

Remember verse 10. He has the knife. He is ready to go. God had given the clear command. He knows what he is supposed to do. Up goes the knife, and then he is still listening. What does he hear? “Abraham! Abraham!” And what is his response? “Here I am.” He is always ready, always listening to what God is speaking to him. He is not stuck in tunnel vision. He is not deafened by pride: “I know what to do. I can stop listening for what God is speaking.” He is not deafened by grief or even resentment against God for this tough assignment. No, he stands ever ready, like the boy Samuel in the temple, ready to hear and do and run in the path of God’s command, for He has set our hearts free.

Just as we do not know better than God when He gives us an assignment we do not like, we must remember that we do not know all of God’s will. And we must never pretend that we know 100% of God’s will in some circumstance. We must remain ever obedient, but ever ready to hear further instructions from God.

7. A Reasonable Obedience

Abraham is not a robot, nor is he operating under some kind of compulsion from God, where God grabs him and drags him. No, he exercised his God-given reason. God is a God of order, and that includes logic. And God’s people are a thinking people. We do not engage in a blind or a foolish obedience. It is a thinking and reasonable obedience. So as Abraham went along there on the forty-five mile walk for three days, he is reasoning in his own mind. “Now, God said you would be reckoned through Isaac’s offspring. Okay. God said to sacrifice Isaac. God cannot lie. The only logical conclusion is that I am missing some piece of this puzzle. I don’t have all the information.”

So he reasons, he concludes, as we read in Hebrews 11:19, “God can raise the dead.” I don’t think it has happened yet. At least, I don’t anything is recorded before Genesis 22 of God raising the dead. But he reasons it out. “God must be able to raise the dead. So perhaps I will kill Isaac and I will burn him up and he will somehow be reanimated or rise out of those ashes.” He didn’t get it quite right, but he was not too far off.

We are not to turn off our brains which God gave us to use. We have to be careful. The temptation in our time is to exalt our reason and our brain above God. We don’t want to do that. But we don’t want to demote or abandon our reason either. We must reason correctly and in view of Genesis 1:1: “In the beginning God.” If you screw that up, you will not get anything else right. Reason in view of the Bible as the word of God. Be certain in its truth. Reason in view of your personal experience with this God. Reason with your renewed mind by the Holy Spirit’s guidance, thinking God’s thoughts after Him.

Remember that the devil is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44). When he comes and starts to tell you things, don’t believe anything he says. He went to Jesus and said, “If you bow down to me and worship me, I will give you all these kingdoms and all these splendors. For it has been given to me to give to anyone I want.” He was lying. It wasn’t true. In fact, Jesus received all authority and power and so on from God later. It was never the devil’s to give. He lies all the time. Don’t believe his lies and don’t accept the hidden premises behind his lies. Remember that the devil is trying to destroy you, and don’t listen to him. Remember that God is good, and His love endures forever. So even when we are going through something difficult, we can understand that God loves us, and His love endures forever. He did not change His mind. He did not love me yesterday only to change His mind today. He loves me today too. This thing I am going through today is for my good. It is part of His love to me.

Reason that God is sovereign and in control. Nothing is beyond His grasp. He did not forget something. He did not lack information. Something did not get out of control. Reason that God does not lie. Reason in view of His sure second coming in glory, which He promised. Reason in view of our God-guaranteed glorification in the future. And discipline your mind. Take every thought captive and reason in faith. Remember that God is trustworthy and almighty, and that He can and will do infinitely more than what we ask and imagine. And reason in view of our final end and His final purpose: His own glory. As Pastor Mathew says, it is not to retire well with a big 401(k) and take 56 cruises. The purpose of our life is to go to God in glory, to glorify Him, and then to enjoy Him forever in glory with Him.

If we reason like this and with these principles in mind, as Abraham did, then we will always obey and we will never be disappointed.

8. A Blessed Obedience

God always gives blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience. So it was here. Beloved son Isaac is spared. God provides a ram so that they can worship and have fellowship with God in worship. The Lord sent Abraham a special envoy with a special message. He swore by Himself, the greatest possible guarantee—God swore by Himself. He confirmed the promises—“sand on the seashore” and all of that (v. 17). He expanded some of those promises (vv. 17–18): “Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and all nations on earth will be blessed through your descendants.” This is in reference to the Messiah. He is getting further confirmation or expansion of this idea that God is going to do something great through one of Abraham’s descendants and bring salvation to all nations.

Those promises were confirmed and expanded, and they all came true. All of those things that God promised to Abraham happened—all of them. And we continue to benefit today. We are among the “all nations” to whom that Messiah was sent.

On top of that, Abraham is further blessed. Abraham is in glory today (Luke 16). Perhaps he has a prominent position, as described in Luke 16. He is resident in glory. Abraham is not dead. Abraham is alive today in heaven in glory with God. No tears, no crying, no mourning, no pain, no sin, and no more tests for Abraham—just joy unspeakable and full of glory.

Abraham enjoys today great and glorious blessing due to his great obedience and faith in God. Verse 18 says, “Because you have obeyed me.” Obedience is a product of great faith. It is a result of the great faith of Abraham.

Conclusion

In conclusion I ask: Do you want to be blessed? Then be like Abraham. Have great faith and exercise your great faith. Go all-in for God. Do not withhold anything from Him—not your beloved son, not your money, not your time, not your ease, not your emotions. Obey our great God in great faith, for this is the path to blessing. It is the way to glorify our God and to enjoy Him forever, which is our chief end.

And it will be worth it all. Seek Him first above all else, and He will add to you every other good thing, everything that is good for you. And if you begin to waver, which we will—we are weak people, we are normal people, the sin nature is still in us—if we begin to waver, recall our father Abraham. He obeyed readily, willingly, overcomingly, faithfully, personally, attentively, and reasonably. And he received great blessing.

So let us be his sons and daughters. His son was spared. He had fellowship with God. He is a hero of the faith. He is resting in eternal glory. That is all available to us. It is not just for Abraham. It is for us too. So let us be his true sons and daughters in the faith. Then let us remember him, emulate him, and receive all the same, to the glory of God. Amen.