Abraham's "sacrifice" of Isaac (Genesis 22) - Would God ask me to do that?

Has God ever asked you to do the previously unthinkable?   If He did, how could you be sure you were getting it right?  hearing Him correctly? 

"Did God really ask me to do that?" you might wonder.

These kind of questions arise when you study and apply Genesis 22, God's command to Abraham to "take your son, your only son (Isaac), the son whom you love, and offer him as a burnt offering on the mountain I will show you" (vss. 1-2). 

The surprising response from Abraham?  He went and did it.  And would have followed through had God not stopped him even as he lifted the knife.

"Now I know that you fear God," the Lord said to Abraham, "seeing that you did not withhold your son, your only son, from Me" (vs.12).  God knows that we truly fear Him when we fully obey.

DOES GOD MAKE SIMILAR REQUESTS TODAY?

Some recoil at this story from Abraham's later years.  "How could God require child sacrifice from His friend Abraham?  Wasn't that wrong?"

In my view, there was no way God was going to let Abraham follow through, even though Abraham was fully prepared to do so.  But God did ask Abraham to obey even this extraordinary, repulsive request to "test him."  Abraham's faith was immediately enrolled in a graduate-level course in trust.  Abraham was prepared to offer up his son, believing God would still fulfill His promises to him through raising Isaac from the ashes of the offering (cf. Hebrews 11:17-19).  No matter what God asked him to do, Abraham believed God would be absolutely true to His promise. 

Abraham passed the test.

There was something uniquely non-repeatable about the request God made of Abraham.  No where else in Scripture was any other saint asked to do such a thing--to make one's child go through the slaughter and burnt offering process.  So from this standpoint, the answer to the above question is "No."

On the other hand, God does make similar requests of his tested children.  He routinely asks us to obey His word in ways that push the envelope.  That call from us an obedience not based on feelings or preferences or a negotiated outcome.  He calls us on to love Him with "all your heart, soul, mind and strength."  He asks us to "love our neighbor" with the very same focused love "as we love ourselves."  Any application of these directives from God -- if we take them seriously -- will require a greater personal sacrifice than we have since imagined.

So, in this sense, God does make similar requests.  He also tests us, and wants to know if we fear Him, and desire a closer friendship with Him through obedience.

HOW DO I KNOW IF IT IS GOD'S VOICE ASKING?

Here is how this works for those who give their hearts and ears to God's voice in God's word on a daily basis.  You are reading and reflecting in a passage of Scripture.  You're asking God, "What does this mean?" and "How do you want this to express itself in my life today?"  You are dialoging with God about His word.

As you reflect, the Holy Spirit (essentially) says, "OK...here's what I want.  Take this verse, and _________________________________ today."  Something comes to your mind, a specific application.  A way to live that out in the routine of your day, or with those you are going to interact.  You say, "Lord, really?  You want me to do that?"  And (quite often), the Spirit will confirm it to your thinking.

It is in those moments that you and I check the "No" box or the "Yes" box in our hearts.  Perhaps we talk about what God has said with our spouses, or a trusted friend.  "You know, in my reading and praying this morning, I sensed God's Spirit saying, 'I want you to __________________.'  What do you think (you ask your friend)?"

It's a great exercise.  It builds both of you up in the Lord.  And, you're starting to experience life with God...especially if do what Abraham did.  You actually DO what the Spirit directed you to do from the Word.

Oswald Chambers said it, "Never try to explain God until you obey Him.  The only bit of God we understand is the bit we've obeyed."

Go ahead.  Read.  Reflect.  Ask God's Spirit to prompt you to a step of obedience.  Then Nike it.  Just do it.

You'll find yourself understanding God...and becoming God's friend (James 2:23).