Part 1 – Flexibility Training – Reading
There are many short stories written about Abraham sacrificing Isaac. In at least one of them, Isaac was portrayed as a young man who did not want to be sacrificed, didn’t want to die, so he ran around the camp site trying allude capture by his 100+ year old father, who was depicted as weak and feeble. In contrast, this is how the Bible says it went. Isaac was old enough and strong enough that Abraham put the wood for the burnt offering on his back instead of taking it himself. Abraham was still quite spry, as is evident by the fact that he and his son climbed the mountain on foot (the donkeys were left with the servants). This is the Abraham who was able to bind his son and pick him up and put him on the altar. Both men were strong and a confrontation between them could have been lengthy. But again, the Bible does not speak of a struggle.
Read Genesis 22 and notice all the details that are given.
ESV – Genesis 22 – BibleHub
NLT – Genesis 22 – BibleHub
Abraham had lived at least a half-century of obedience to the True God. And in all of Isaac’s life, he had witnessed and been trained by his father and mother to honor God and obey quickly and completely.
With what in your life would God test you? What person or possession or identity are you so bound up with that you would have a hard time giving up if God asked you to give it to Him? Abraham knew that anything valued more than God meant idolatry. If Isaac had become an idol to him, Abraham quickly realized it and chose to value God more. As we’ll see in the New Testament verses below, this was the greatest demonstration of Abraham’s faith.
PART 2 – Strength Training – Memory & Thinking
You’ve made it through your second week. Well done. Keep memorizing and keep reviewing! Test yourself and keep finding ways to improve your accuracy and to expand your collection of verses.
Genesis 22:14 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.”
Deuteronomy 32:31-33 For their rock is not as our Rock; our enemies are by themselves.
For their vine comes from the vine of Sodom and from the fields of Gomorrah; their grapes are grapes of poison; their clusters are bitter; their wine is the poison of serpents and the cruel venom of asps.
Genesis 18:14 “Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.”
Colossians 2:11 When you came to Christ, you were “circumcised,” but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision—the cutting away of your sinful nature.
Genesis 15:6 And [Abraham] believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
Romans 4:13 Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith.
The sacrifice Abraham was willing to make of his son is one of the main reasons Abraham is considered a man of great faith. The two sections below give more insight into why that is true.
Hebrews 11:17-19 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.
James 2:21-23 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God.
Part 3 – Cardio Training – Prayer
Spend some time praying and thinking through those people or things that you hold closer than your relationship with God. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you what those things are, and then ask for help to make your passion for Jesus more important than your passion for those things/people. You will find that when you love God more, there is actually more room in your heart for others. You might try praying something like this:
Father, open my eyes and show me those good things that I have placed above You in importance in my life. Help me give them to You, even as Abraham gave Isaac to You. Help me love You more. Help me grow in faith and obedience. I confess that ______________ is a central part of my life. There are times that _____________ becomes more important to me than You are. Move the focus of my life from __________ to You.
Part 4 – Endurance Training
Abraham is considered a man of incredible faith. But he didn’t become so all at once. He grew his faith one step at a time, one act of obedience at a time, day by day denying his wishes in favor of embracing God’s commands. He also had the encouragement of his wife and his servants who were also evidently committed to serving the True God. Be encouraged to continue day by day. When you fall, ask God to help you get back up and keep going.
And come back tomorrow to read more of how to be people of Faith.
An Extra Lap
Spend a few minutes engaging your imagination again. Climb that mountain with Abraham and Isaac. First, see the happenings through the eyes of Abraham. What must he have been thinking, feeling? Then see it all again from Isaac’s perspective. How was he able to go along with his father? How was he able to trust his father as well as God? Then see it again, this time from God’s perspective. Why do you think God asked Abraham to sacrifice the son of the promise?
Faith Gym 