Bible Story Lessons

God kept His promise and gave a son, Isaac to his father and mother.   How they loved that boy who was so precious in their old age.  Every day they were grateful to God and thanked Him because He had given them such a wonderful son.

When Isaac became a young man, God tested Abraham and called to him, "Abraham!"  Abraham replied, "Here I am."  Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the mountains of Moriah.  When you get there, sacrifice him as a burnt offering to Me at a place that I will tell you about."

Wow!  What would your Daddy have done, if God told him to build a fire, lay you on it, and then burn you up?  Well, Abraham did not shout and scream and run away from God.

Why?  He loved God and knew that God was very wise, powerful and loving, and knew that God would not never make a mistake.  He had great faith and believed that God would make Isaac live again, so that he would have all the grandchildren and descendants that God had promised to him.

So early the next morning, Abraham got up and saddled his donkey.  He cut enough wood for the burnt offering, and then set out with two of his servants and Isaac, for the place God had told him about.  On the third day of travel, Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.

Abraham said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there.  We will worship and then come back to you."   Next morning, Abraham rose very early and took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on Isaac's back, while he carried the fire and the knife.

As they walked along, Isaac spoke to his father.  "Yes, my son?" Abraham replied.  "The fire and wood are here," Isaac said, "But where is the lamb for the burnt offering?"  Abraham answered, "God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son."

You see, Isaac didn't know that he was to be the sacrifice, because his father hadn't told him.  And so the two of them went on until finally they came to Moriah where the sacrifice was to be made on a high mountain.  Abraham built an altar of stones there and arranged the wood on it.

Abraham now told Isaac that he was to be the sacrifice!  Isaac loved God and knew that God didn't make mistakes.  He knew also that his father wanted to do just what God asked him to, so Isaac didn't run away.  He didn't even cry and wiggle and scream.  What would you have done?

No, he let his father tie his hands and feet together.  Abraham then lifted him up and laid him on the altar on top of the wood, all ready to be sacrificed.

You see, God wanted to prove whether Abraham would obey him, even though he could not understand why God wanted him to do such a horrible thing.   Abraham picked up the knife and held it over Isaac's chest.  He was just about ready to plunge the knife into Isaac and take his life, when the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!"

"Here I am," replied Abraham.  "Do not lay a hand on the boy and do anything to him," commanded the angel, "Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from Me your son, your only son."

Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a thicket, so he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.   Later after the sacrifice, Abraham called that place: "The Lord Will Provide."  And Isaac wiped his brow very thankfully that it was the ram that was burnt up and not himself!

The angel of the Lord then called to Abraham a second time, "Because you did not keep back your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, and as the sand on the seashore.  Your descendants will take over the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring, all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed Me."

After this, Abraham and Isaac returned to their servants, and they then journeyed to Beersheba, where Abraham stayed.  What a time they had telling Sarah all about their sacrifice!  Sarah hugged Isaac and exclaimed, "How thankful I am that God keeps his promises and kept you safe!

Abraham obeyed God and did just what God asked him to.  And God blessed him and is known as the friend of God.  If you have asked Jesus to come and live in your heart, then you will be a child of God.  God wants us to obey Him and do what He tells us to do in the Bible.  If we do this, then God will also bless us!  And, like Abraham, we will also be a friend of God.

God bless!