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Spiritual Gifts, Volume 3
her son. Abraham did not suffer paternal feelings to control him, and
lead him to rebel against God. The command of God was calculated to
stir the depths of his soul. “Take now thy son.” Then as though to probe
the heart a little deeper, he adds, “thine only son whom thou lovest.”
That is, the only son of promise, “and offer him as a burnt-offering.”
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Three days this father traveled with his son, having sufficient time
to reason, and doubt God if he was disposed to doubt. But he did
not distrust God. He did not now reason that the promise would be
fulfilled through Ishmael; for God plainly told him that through Isaac
should the promise be fulfilled.
Abraham believed that Isaac was the son of promise. He also
believed that God meant just what he said when he bid him to go offer
him as a burnt-offering. He staggered not at the promise of God; but
believed that God, who had in his providence given Sarah a son in her
old age, and who had required him to take that son’s life, could also
give life again, and bring up Isaac from the dead.
Abraham left the servants by the way, and proposed to go alone
with his son to worship some distance from them. He would not permit
his servants to accompany them, lest their love for Isaac might lead
them to prevent him from carrying out what God had commanded him
to do. He took the wood from the hands of his servants and laid it upon
the shoulders of his son. He also took the fire and the knife. He was
prepared to execute the dreadful mission given him of God. Father
and son walked on together.
“And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father,
and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and
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the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt-offering? And Abraham
said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt-offering, so
they went both of them together.” Firmly walked on that stern, loving,
suffering father by the side of his son. As they came to the place which
God had pointed out to Abraham, he builds there an altar, and lays the
wood in order, ready for the sacrifice, and then informs Isaac of the
command of God to offer him as a burnt-offering. He repeats to him
the promise that God several times made to him that through Isaac he
should become a great nation, and that in performing the command of
God in slaying him, God would fulfill his promise; for he was able to
raise him from the dead.