What Will You Give Up For God?

What Will You Give Up for God?

Q: What did God ask Abraham to sacrifice on the altar in Moriah?

• a. his best lamb
• b. his son
• c. the firstborn of his flock

Abraham and Sarah rejoiced because God kept his promise and gave them a son—Isaac. But then the Lord asked Abraham to do something difficult. God asked Abraham to take a trip to Moriah and sacrifice Isaac on an altar there.

God again asked Abraham to step out in faith, but this time God was asking him to give up the child he’d waited so long for. Did God really want Abraham to kill his own son? No. God is against human sacrifices. But Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son for God, and that’s what God wanted. God wanted to know that Abraham loved him more than his own son. When God saw how much Abraham loved him, he sent an angel. “‘Don’t lay a hand on the boy!’ the angel said. ‘Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son.’”

Abraham had set out on that journey very sad and full of grief. He had expected to come home alone. But God provided a ram for the sacrifice. God had a special plan in mind for Isaac because, like Abraham, Isaac also had complete faith in God.

God wanted to know that Abraham was willing to give up his only son for him, and Abraham didn’t hold back. Are there things in your life God might want you to give up for him? Are you willing to do it?

For You

What things are most important to you? Friends? Sports? Popularity? Money? Are any of those things more important to you than God? If so, it might be time to rethink what is most important to you.

Answer: b

[God said to Abraham,] “Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.”   Genesis 22:2

(The Whole Story: Genesis 22:1-19)