“You can almost sense the apprehension as it steals across Abraham’s face, the anguish that presses upon his heart, as words come from the mouth of God. “Take thy son … Isaac … whom thou lovest … the land of Moriah.” What is it that God wants with Isaac? What can He be asking? “Offer him there for a burnt offering!” Each word crushes the heart of Abraham. The “when,” “where,” and “what” are carefully given. The only missing element is the “why.”
“It is Abraham and not Lot who is tested. It is Isaac and not Ishmael who is demanded for the altar. It is the aged patriarch, and not the youthful, exuberant Abraham who is called upon to face the test. It is frequently the choicest of saints who pass through deep waters. It is at times the most prized object of a parent’s love or a spouse’s heart, the tenderest part of their entire world which is crushed. It is to the mature saint that God can entrust the fiercest trials. We should never sit in judgment on those who are passing through trial. The likelihood is that they are far more spiritual than we; that their lives are more pleasing to God than ours.”