Good morning and happy Wednesday. I woke up this morning and opened God’s Word to encounter these three words…”God tested Abraham.” Chapter 22 of Genesis is possibly my favorite chapter in all of God’s Word. It’s definitely in my top 5 and even in my top 2. Genesis chapter 22 can move me to tears every time I sit and experience it. There are lessons on top of lessons for us here and it beautifully and powerfully mirrors the work of Christ on the cross. I could spend weeks writing here but alas, for time’s sake, we’ll look at just a few powerful points.
So, we saw in chapter 21 yesterday, the birth of Isaac as God delivers on his promise to Abraham and Sarah for a son to fulfill His covenant. But here in the very next chapter we see God use that very son to test Abraham to his very limits. This will be the 7th and last time God will appear to Abraham and considering the scope of this test, God fully saw the faith of Abraham displayed. By this time Abraham has endured 4 great testings from God. Each was a great crisis in his life, a real strain upon his heart. But each time, He passes the test using one great tool…faith in God. Let’s review the four tests:
1) Leaving his home and all of family and relatives in Ur of the Chaldees. What a test, to leave your family and all that you know to go for God. I’ve experienced this and it’s near impossible to describe.
2) Splitting with Lot. Abraham loved his nephew dearly and had committed to care for him. The riches they accumulated in Egypt caused them to split. He had to dismiss his nephew, another great heartbreak.
3) Sending Hagar and Ishmael away. We looked at this yesterday and I can’t imagine the deep despair and sorrow this caused Abraham. God’s commands continue to test Abraham’s faith in powerful ways that are hard for us to fathom.
4) The sacrifice of his only son, Isaac. We see this today in chapter 22 and it is one of the most powerful passages in God’s Word. It gives us a human picture of the sacrifice of Christ as a father prepares to give up his only son.
So back to those three words that greeted me early this morning even before I got coffee in my system.
“God tested Abraham”
So, what’s with the test? Why would God need to test Abraham and why would God test us? Well, why does anybody take a test? We attempt to accumulate knowledge or wisdom on a certain topic and then in order to prove to someone or some organization that we have mastery of that topic, we take a test. If we pass the test, we are deemed proficient in that subject matter. I’ll never forget the day I took the SAT. For high schoolers the pinnacle of all tests. Hours and hours of testing that leaves you brain dead and physically exhausted. I also think about other great tests that try the mental limits of humans. The Bar exam for attorneys, the master sommelier wine test, PHD level thesis defenses, the CPA exam, etc. But all of these tests examine the candidate’s mental knowledge. God wasn’t giving Abraham the SAT here, so what exactly was God testing Abraham for?
When God tests us, it can be for several reasons but ultimately, God is simply testing us to see what we have learned. To see what we have gleaned from our walk with Him. Have we been paying attention, are we listening and are we in fact, learning the material He is giving us? Now, if you’re like me, you despise taking tests. The studying, the pressure, the anxiety, the grades. To me, it’s just not that fun. And if we’re honest, it’s not any fun when God tests us either. It’s hard, it tries us emotionally and it stretches us to boundaries we are usually uncomfortable with. But at the other end of the test, the reward is great. Passing a test from God is one of the greatest feelings in the world.
So back to why God tests us. Any person whom God calls, any person whom God saves, any person whom God uses is going to be tested. God tests Abraham here in chapter 22 and God just may be testing you even today. Let’s look at a few of the many reasons God test us throughout our life.
1) To strengthen our faith. Faith is like a muscle, the more you use it the stronger it gets. If you lift dumb bells every day your biceps will get stronger and as a result will be able to lift more. They offer greater strength and are able to do more than they did before. What had a limited use, has now been transformed through regular use to be able to do more. This is faith. And sometimes if we don’t use that faith on our own, God will out of His love move us into a situation that will force us to rely on our faith in Him. Through the tests of God, we are forced to rely on His goodness, His provision and His promises. As we do this over and over, our faith grows strong as we more easily learn to rely on Him.
2) To make us more serviceable to Him. God wants to use us but are we usable? If we are available and obedient, God can and will use you. But you might need a little work in order to be what God needs at the moment. God will use tests in your life to transform you into the servant heart that He needs for the specific task at hand. This is like the potter and the clay. (Jeremiah 18) Jesus will mold us into his desired shape but sometimes, we get broken and reshaped. It can be a painful process, but in the hands of the Potter we will become what He wants us to be. Testing promotes this process.
3) Improves our resiliency to the attacks of satan. Recall the book of Job. God allowed satan to bring numerous trials and tests into Job’s life to test him. Through this process Job was greatly transformed in how he talked to, dealt with and prayed to God. Satan is a fact of life and of this world and the better we can deal with his attacks the better equipped we will be to serve God. Through repeated attack from satan we can formulate a plan to better deal with him through the power of Jesus Christ and through the power of God’s Holy Word.
4) Shows the world our walk. How do we deal with tests from the Lord? God knew the heart of Abraham on that mountain, but men could not know his heart, they had to see it. Sometimes the tests in your life is also meant to show your faith to the world. How do you handle the trials and tests of the Lord? I got news for you, no matter what you’re doing or where you live, you are being watched. Closely. If you call Jesus your Lord and Savior, the world is watching you closely. They are waiting to see how you handle the situations God has put in front of you to test you. The way that you react to the tests of the Lord could very well have eternal impact on those around you that are watching closely.
Imagine the scene. God had given Abraham a son. His only true son from God under the covenant. What a love he must have had for Isaac. He was a promise from God and Abraham must have loved him ever so deeply. But out of a greater love, a love for God, he marched up that mountain with Isaac, a bundle of wood, some rope and a knife. A test lied before Abraham and He was determined in his obedience to the Lord…at any cost, to pass this test. And what a cost passing this test would be to him. To sacrifice his only son, in person, with his own two hands. I cannot imagine the moment. But in possibly the ultimate test from God, Abraham places Isaac on the altar, and raises the knife high. But before he could bring it down into his son’s chest to take his life, the Lord calls out. He provides a sacrifice, a ram. In that moment, God met Abraham on that mountain. In the pinnacle of Abraham’s obedience and faith, God met him on that mountain. You see, the God that met Abraham on that mountain is the same God we serve today. God will meet us on the mountain.
As God tests us in life, it will sometimes be a lonely walk up that mountain. Our minds are racing with what God has asked us to do. We can stop, we can pause, we can even turn around and go back down. That’s part of the test. To endure for the Lord. But we stay the course. God has asked and we react out of utter obedience. We continue up the mountain. As we near the peak, our task close at hand, the pressure is insurmountable. Will we be able to deliver for God? Through prayer, and the power of God, we press on. The peak is high, the journey was difficult and lonely but here we stand. A pilgrim called to this place by our God. And as we stand on that peak in obedience to our Lord, our heart in our hands, God will meet us there. Just as he met Abraham. You see God didn’t meet Abraham at the bottom of the mountain, not half way up. It was at the end of the test. When God offers us tremendous tests and trials in our life, He is waiting. He is waiting for us at the end of the test. He will meet us on the mountain.
If you are in the midst of a test today, do not despair. Only out of great love and purpose will God test His children. He has a purpose for you. His testing will ensure that you can serve Him with all that you are. Rest assured that He will be with you for the entire journey and just as you feel you can go no further, He will meet you. He will meet you on the mountain.
Praise God for the power of His Word.
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