Preparing for Easter: Breaking Free From Our IdolsSample

"After these things God tested Abraham." (Genesis 22:1)

These six words introduce one of the most challenging passages in Scripture. God's test for Abraham seems almost unimaginable: "Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you."

The language is precise and piercing. "Your son." "Your only son." "Whom you love." God knew exactly what He was asking. This wasn't just any sacrifice - this was Abraham's most precious possession, the fulfillment of decades of waiting, the embodiment of all God's Promises to him.

To grasp the magnitude of this request, we need to understand Abraham's cultural context. In his world, a firstborn son represented everything - the family's future, security, and legacy. The oldest son would inherit the father's property through primogeniture and carry on the family name. Without a son, a family's lineage would die out, regardless of the father's wealth or accomplishments.

This explains why Abraham was willing to father a child with Hagar when Sarah couldn't conceive. The need for an heir was so desperate that it justified creating conflict within his household. (A conflict whose repercussions continue in Middle Eastern tensions.)

Now, God was asking Abraham to sacrifice this long-awaited son. The request must have seemed not just cruel but contradictory. How could God fulfill His Promise to make Abraham's descendants as numerous as the stars if Isaac died?

Yet Abraham's response is astonishing. Genesis 22:3 says, "So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two young men with him, and his son Isaac." No argument. No negotiation. No delay. Just obedience.

For three days, Abraham traveled toward Mount Moriah with his son. Can you imagine the thoughts that must have tumbled through his mind during that journey? The questions? The doubts? The grief? Yet he continued walking.

When they reached the mountain, Abraham told his servants, "Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you." Notice his words: "We will come again to you." Even in this crisis, Abraham maintained some hope that God would provide an alternative.

When Isaac innocently asked, "Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" Abraham replied, "God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son."

Hebrews 11:19 offers insight into Abraham's thinking: "He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead." Abraham's faith had matured to the point where he trusted God completely, even when God's Commands contradicted God's Promises.

This test revealed where Abraham had placed his Ultimate Hope. Was it in Isaac - the Gift? Or was it in God - the Giver?

We face similar tests, though rarely as dramatic. When God asks us to loosen our grip on something precious - a relationship, a dream, a position, a possession - our response reveals where our true hope lies.

Think about what you would find most difficult to surrender to God. What makes you say, "Anything but that, Lord"? That's likely where an idol lurks in your heart.

Tomorrow, we'll see how God responded to Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his most precious possession - and what it teaches us about breaking free from our idols.