Time has gone on and now Isaac is a young man. Abraham is now given the greatest challenge of his life (v1-2). Can you imagine being given such a test?

Abraham is being tested to see if he loves God more than anything, even more than his own family. God challenges us to love Him more than our closest family members (see Luke 14 v26). How much do you love God?

How could God ask Abraham to do this? God is asking Abraham to do what He Himself would do at Calvary. Moriah (v2) would be the very mountain that Jesus would be put to death on. Abraham is being given an insight into what it would cost God to bring salvation.

Abraham sets about his task quickly (v3). When called to do a difficult task we’re best at doing it quickly before we waver in our willingness to obey. When Abraham approaches Moriah he goes alone with Isaac, leaving the servants behind (v4-5). Probably he does this because if they knew what he had in mind they would have tried to stop him.

In seeking to follow Christ we need to be watchful of what might hold us back and seek to deal with any obstacles at the earliest appropriate time.