Daily Thought

Genesis 22 proves that Abraham was ‘a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work’, 2 Tim. 2. 21. When God spoke to him, he was ready to hear, and ready to act. ‘And it came to pass after these things that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am‘, v. 1.

In Genesis chapter 21 verses 23 and 24, Abraham had sworn to deal kindly with another man’s son. Now he is told to sacrifice his own son. Whatever his mental turmoil, we see only his ‘obedience of faith’, for he ‘rose up early in the morning and went unto the place of which God had told him’, cp. Rom. 16. 26. He was persuaded that ‘the Judge of all the earth’ would ‘do right’, Gen. 18. 25, even if this meant raising Isaac from the dead, Heb. 11. 19.

If we are prepared to say, with Abraham, ‘here I am’, we must also be prepared to be tried and tested. Devotion to God often involves the sacrifice of things that we dearly love, and sometimes the sacrifice of precious relationships. How much are we prepared to sacrifice for God? If we have any reservations or hesitancy, remember that God ‘spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all’, Rom. 8. 32.

But then God spoke to Abraham again: ‘And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I‘, v. 11. Once more, Abraham stood ready to hear, and ready to act. Three days before, he had received a command, but now he receives commendation. ‘Now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, from me’. Obedience brought rich blessing. If Abraham had not said ‘here I am’ in verse 1 and submitted to the will of God, he would not have had the opportunity to say ‘here am I’ in verse 11, and receive the blessing of God.

Centuries later, God censured His people for their empty ordinances, and urged them to practise true godliness, with the promise, ‘then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am‘, Isa. 58. 9. If we are prepared to say to God, ‘here I am’, and make ourselves available to Him, He will say to us, ‘here I am’, and make Himself available to us. ‘Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you’, Jas. 4. 8.