Do You Trust God This Much?
“For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him...that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.”
What does it look like when God has first place in your life?
Genesis 22 gives us one of Scripture’s clearest and most challenging examples. Abraham is asked to offer Isaac, the son God had promised would carry the covenant into the future. From Abraham’s perspective, God’s command and God’s promise could have appeared impossible to reconcile.
Abraham obeyed anyway
Dr. Rocky Ramsey points to three ways Abraham demonstrated that God was first: he did what God asked, he trusted God when he did not understand, and he obeyed.
Abraham already knew what God had promised concerning Isaac. Romans 4 describes Abraham as a man who became fully assured that what God had promised, He was also able to perform. Abraham could not see how God would fulfill His promise, yet he trusted that God remained faithful.
Abraham becomes a picture of the Father who was willing to give His Son. Isaac’s willingness points toward Jesus, who voluntarily laid down His life in obedience to the Father. The ram provided in Isaac’s place points toward Christ becoming our substitute. Jesus suffered for sinners, bearing what we deserved so that we could be reconciled to God.
The story also teaches an important lesson about walking with God: we are responsible for walking faithfully in the light God has given us. Abraham did not know everything God was going to do. He simply obeyed what God had made clear.