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The promises which God makes to Abraham first begin to appear in Genesis twelve, and it is here where the simple faith of a rather ordinary man slowly transforms into one of the great faiths of all time. At this juncture, Abraham's name is Abram. The Lord has not yet changed it. God directs Abram to leave the home of his youth and the home of his family so as to occupy a new land which He would provide. As Abram sets forth on the journey, God promises him that He will "make [him] a great nation" (Gen. 12:2). In order for God to make the childless Abram into a great nation, it goes without saying that He must first protect his life long enough for him to have a son. Essentially, then, God's promise to make Abram a great nation, is also a promise to preserve his life. Abram, however, twice falters in his understanding and belief of this promise. In both instances he displeases the Lord by lying and showing no trust in God's sovereign provision. As a traveler Abram fears for his life on account of his beautiful wife. In his mind, it is better to proclaim her his sister than his wife, lest an admirer should seek to end Abram's life so as to gain access to Sarai. Both times the Lord is displeased and both times turmoil results. Abram's faith still has a ways to go.
The happenings of Genesis fifteen are instrumental to the spiritual growth of Abram. The Lord comes to him and promises him in verse five that, just as the stars of the heavens cannot be counted, "so shall [his] descendants be". Abram, however, having no son, is still not sure. He needs more than just the Lord's declaration to convince him that he could possibly have a son in his old age. He wants a sign before he can bring himself to believe in such an inconceivable reality. The Lord, realizing that Abram's faith is not what it will someday be, accommodates him and gives him the requested verification. He has Abram prepare a sacrifice which the Lord himself lights. He then reaffirms not only the certainty of Abram's offspring but also reveals that to these descendants, He has "given this Land" (Gen. 15:18).
After receiving God's spoken promise and observing a miraculous sign of affirmation, Abram again wavers. He and his wife Sarai, still have no children and so they try and solve the offspring problem themselves. "Go in to my maid", Sarai urges "perhaps I shall obtain children through her" (Gen. 16:2). Abram does so and has a son through Sarai's servant but this son, Ishmael, brings only grief and heartache. God comes again to remind Abram of His promise and it is at this point which the Lord gives him the name Abraham, father of a multitude. He gives Sarai the name Sarah, and reminds Abraham that it is through her that the covenant will be fulfilled. Abraham responds by laughing in disbelief for he is one hundred years old and Sarah, ninety-nine. He pleads that maybe the Lord might extend his family thorough Ishmael. The Lord, of course, rejects this plan, and for the first time, in Genesis 17:19, God specifically names Isaac as the vessel for which the everlasting covenant will be established.
Abraham waits and still Sarah does not conceive until one day the Lord appears to make His promise even more specific. Coming in the form of a man, He reveals to Abraham and his wife that when He returns next year, the couple will have a son. This time it is Sarah who laughs, for she is well 'past childbearing" (Gen. 18:11). With this, God responds "Is anything to difficult for the Lord?" (Gen. 18:14). Finally, after all of Abraham's failings and all of his attempts to fulfill the promise himself, "the Lord [does] for Sarah as He had promised". She, in her old age, conceives and bears the proverbial son, Isaac. The Lord's covenant is based not on Abraham's faith, but on His own unwavering character. If the promise had been conditional, based on Abraham's obedience, it never would have come to pass. Isaac's arrival, of course, does not mark the end of God's plans for testing Abraham's faith. It is really only the beginning.
Understanding all that leads up to the offering of Isaac, it becomes very clear that there is much more riding on these events than just the relationship and well-being of a father and his son. God has promised to Abraham that he will establish him as a father of a great nation. He has promised to do so through the son Isaac. Therefore, the entire credibility of the Creator God rides on these events. If Isaac is to perish, then God is a liar. His promise would have gone unfulfilled, his perfection would have been compromised, and His very Godhood would have broken down. With so much on the line, one can only imagine what must be going through the head of Abraham. The decree issued seems to directly contradict the promise which God has so often affirmed. At this stage, however, Abraham has the advantage of experience, and he knows that God is one to be trusted. Is there anything, he is reminded, which the Lord cannot do?
When the fateful day arrives, Abraham resolutely begins his journey, and when questioned about his lack of a sacrificial lamb, he simply replies, "The Lord will provide". (Gen. 22:14). What specifically is going on in Abraham's mind, the Bible does not reveal. Whatever his doubt and apprehension may have been, he continues his course. He can believe in the impossible, because he has seen the impossible happen before. Romans four tells us that in "hope against hope he believed" in a God who could even "[give] life to the dead" (4:17,18). Abraham knows better than anybody that the very character of God lies in the balance of Isaac's well-being and this reality assures him that even if Isaac should perish, he would be raised from the dead to flourish again. Isaac, however, is not raised from the dead because the Bible goes on to reveal, that just as the son was tied down and the knife extended, the Lord's angel intervened. Isaac is spared and a ram is provided. The whole of the Old Testament, then, goes on to tell the story of Isaac's descendants who did indeed multiply to become like the dust of the earth, uncountable.
Once things are examined at some length, it becomes very clear that the concerns surrounding these events are multi-faceted. They deal not only with the nature of extreme faith but also with the very credibility of God. Though a single portion of a two-thousand year old text may seem insignificant to some, the implications are really quite profound. Only by understanding the context which this story is placed can one begin to understand the full scope of the turmoil taking place. When all is said and done, faith can be a marvelous thing, even faith that is a long time coming.
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