Isaac’s Substitute

The Story in a Nutshell

“Child” – Genesis 21:1-7

God had promised Abraham a son, and he did exactly as promised.  Sarah, his wife, became pregnant and gave Abraham a son in his old age (100 years).  Abraham named his son Isaac.

“Sacrifice” – Genesis 22:1-19

One day God decided to test Abraham’s faith.  God told Abraham to take his son Isaac, travel to the distant mountains, and sacrifice him as a burnt offering.  Abraham took Isaac and some wood and traveled three days to the place God told him.  When they got there, Abraham placed the wood on Isaac’s shoulder while he carried the knife and fire to where the sacrifice would be made.  As they walked, Isaac asked, “Where is the lamb for the sacrifice?”  Abraham answered that God would provide the lamb. When they arrived at the location, Abraham built an altar, tied up Isaac, and placed him and the wood on the altar.  Then, Abraham raised the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice to God.  But at that moment an angel of the Lord told Abraham to stop and not hurt the boy.  Abraham looked up, and he saw a ram caught by his horns in a bush.  Abraham took the ram and sacrificed it on the altar in place of his son.  Then the angel of the Lord gave Abraham a message. God says, “Because you have obeyed me and were willing to kill your only son, I will bless you richly.”  And the blessing was that God would multiply Abraham’s descendants into millions and they would conquer their enemies.  All the nations of the earth would be blessed because Abraham had obeyed God.

Review Questions

What promise did God make to Abraham?

How did God fulfill the promise?

How did God test Abraham?

What stopped Abraham from killing his son, Isaac?

What happened after the angel of the Lord spoke to Abraham?

What message from God did the angel of the Lord give Abraham because he had obeyed God?

How was God going to bless Abraham?

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