16 – The Trial of Abraham
Genesis 22:1-24
When Isaac was a young man, God came to Abraham and said, “Abraham, take Isaac, the son you love so dearly, and go to a place I’ll show you. There, I want you to sacrifice him as a burnt offering.”
So the next morning, Abraham got up early and cut wood for the sacrifice. He saddled a donkey, took two servants, and started on the journey.
Three days later, Abraham saw the place God had selected. He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey. Isaac and I will go and worship the Lord. We’ll come back after the sacrifice.”
He told Isaac to carry the wood. Abraham took the hot coals and the knife. Isaac looked around and asked: “Father, we have the wood and the re, but where’s the lamb for sacrifice?” Abraham looked at his son and finally said, “God will provide Himself a lamb for the sacrifice.”
When they got to the place God had selected, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on top. Next, he tied up his son and put him on top of the wood. He then reached for the knife to kill his son.
With that, the angel of the Lord called to him out of heaven. “Abraham, Abraham! Don’t kill your son! Don’t do anything to him! For now I know you fear God, since you were willing to give me your son!”
Abraham looked off to the side and saw a ram with his horns caught in a bush. He took the ram and used him as the sacrifice instead of his son. Abraham named the place “The Lord Will Provide”.
Afterward, God said to Abraham, “Because you have obeyed me, I’ll bless you and your descendants. I’ll make your descendants as hard to count as the stars. They’ll be as hard to count as the sand on the seashore. On top of that, I’ll make them prominent, even in the cities of their enemies! And the whole earth will be blessed because of them.”
Then Abraham went back to where the servants were waiting, and together they went home.
Group Discussion
- Tell about a time that you “laughed” when you realized what God wanted you to do.
- Tell of a time when something seemed impossible, but God caused it to happen anyway.
- To whom have you quietly admitted your doubts, and how did they respond?
- Describe a time when God unexpectedly provided something you deeply longed for.
- Tell of a time when you or your parents hosted a spiritual team or a godly person for a meal, and tell what impact it had on you.
- What should we learn from Abraham’s hospitality? How can we be more hospitable in our lives?
