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Genesis 22:2         God's Call to Abraham to Give His Best

I. Isaac was the most prized possession of His Father. "Thy Son, thine
   only Son Isaac, whom thou lovest."
        A. God had promised to Abraham that He would give to him a son,
           and that through his seed all of the nations of the earth would
           be blessed.
                1. Abraham waited many years for that promise to be
                   fulfilled.
                        a. It is probably with Abraham in mind that the
                           writer of Hebrews declared concerning the Old
                           Testament saints, "Who through faith and
                           patience inherited the promises of God."
                        b. Sarah finally decided they perhaps needed to
                           help God out, and suggested that Abraham take
                           her handmaiden Hagar that she might become a
                           surrogate mother.
                        c. Abraham seemed to be satisfied with the son
                           that was born from that relationship and
                           accepted him as the fulfillment of the promise
                           of God.
                        d. So when Abraham was about 100 years old, God
                           reconfirmed the promise to give him a son,
                           Abraham responded, let Ishmael live before you.
                           God declared that Ishmael would indeed live,
                           but that through Sarah his seed would be
                           called.
                2. It is interesting that God now called Abraham to take
                   his son, his only son Isaac.
                        a. God did not recognize or acknowledge the works
                           of his flesh, just as he does not recognize or
                           acknowledge the works of our flesh.
                        b. Notice the words "Thy son, thy only son Isaac,
                           whom thou lovest." It reminds us of a scripture
                           in the New Testament that declares, "For God so
                           loved the world that He gave His only begotten
                           Son."
        B. After the many years of waiting for the promise of God to be
           fulfilled you can imagine the joy and blessing that they
           experienced when Sarah by divine miracle gave birth to the Son.
                1. For her to give birth to a Son after that many years of
                   infertility, and having gone through the change of
                   life, was almost as great a miracle as the virgin
                   birth.