A Walk of Faith Based on Covenant

I have read the story of Abraham and Isaac many times. But never have I understood so clearly before today just how a father could offer up his only son as a sacrifice.

I understand he did it by faith.

I understand that he believed God would raise his son from the dead.

I understand that it was a test of Abraham’s faith in God.

But what I could never understand is, how could he just obey so quickly, so completely.

The text doesn’t say that there was any hesitation or doubt, although many have speculated that the 3 days journey most likely brought much turmoil in his thinking.

But if Abraham was human, like me, and I believe He was, then 3 days of thinking about what I was about to do would have caused me to become very fearful. The text does not say anything about Abraham being fearful at the end of those 3 days, in fact he said that “I and the boy WILL return”.

If it were me, by the time we would arrive at the place God wanted me to sacrifice my son I would have been a wreck. Yes I might have thought God would raise him from the dead or something, but honestly I don’t think I could have actually gone through with it without being a blubbering idiot!

Abraham obeyed. It’s all the text says. It doesn’t give us any indication of his emotions or if he had any doubt or was fearful.

I always wondered HOW he knew, HOW could he believe by faith so fully that God would save Isaac?

How? Covenant.

Abraham understood that his God was a covenant keeping God. God had made a covenant with Abraham. God said that his descendants would out number the stars and those descendants would come from Isaac.

It was a covenant. Blood had been cut, a promise made.  Abraham knew that God would not, could not go back on a covenant.

Abraham was able to offer his son up to God as a sacrifice because Abraham had faith in a God that keeps His promises.

God does not change. He still keeps His covenant. As a believer in Christ I can stand firm and walk in obedience because I am in a covenant relationship with God.

By faith I KNOW He WILL do as promised.

When we read the below verses we can walk by faith that they are true. We can walk by faith because God keeps His covenant with us. He keeps His promises, He can not and will not break them.

 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matt 11:28-30).

“Whoever receives Christ becomes a child of God, is given eternal life, is no longer under condemnation, and has crossed over from death to life” (John 1:12; 3:16; 5:24).

“He who believes in Jesus Christ will live, even though he dies, and whoever lives and believes in him will never die” (John 11:25-26).

“When we abide in Christ, we are given the power to bear lasting spiritual fruit that will glorify the Father”(John15:1-8).

God has given us the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit to enable us to be witnesses of the good news of forgiveness and life in Christ (Acts 1:8; 10:40-43).

Our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us (Rom 8:18).

In all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose, which is to be conformed to the likeness of his Son (Rom 8:28-29).

God’s will for us is always good, pleasing, and perfect (Rom12:2).

It is by grace we have been saved through God’s gift of faith (Gal 2:8).

We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Gal 2:10).

God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us (Gal 3:20).

Our new identity in Christ was created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (Gal4:24).

There are so many more promises of God and every one of them is TRUTH. You can stand firm knowing that you are in covenant with God and God’s covenant is an everlasting promise to you as a child of God.

Dear one you can walk by faith knowing God will perform that which He promised because blood was shed and a covenant made. The blood of God’s precious Son was shed so that we could be in a covenant relationship with God.

(For the story of Abraham, the covenant made and Isaac see Gen 17, 21, 22)