“Abraham set out for the place God had told him about. On the third day he saw the place…” (Genesis 22:3b-4).
What did this ancient patriarch feel as he marched toward the dark rendezvous on the looming crag in Judea? His mission had come from Elohim, the God who had brought a miraculous birth long past his (and Sarah’s) prime. This task was illogical, sinister, even delusional: sacrifice Isaac! A whirlwind of emotion must have tossed him through the daily march and sleepless nights. He knew his countrymen had done such things to please their wrathful gods—but never had Elohim been like that. What? Why? Then what?
Have you ever trudged toward the unknown, your faith tested with every step? The dread can be defeating, the worry wearying. Our gut aches as every hour moves us deeper into the sacred uncertainty. We struggle with all our fears against the gravity of discouragement and despair.
Yet, if our heart could see beyond the moment, we would glimpse unnumbered believers on this same journey—the path of testing. Though the narrator tells us in verse 1 that Elohim had this very purpose in it all, Abraham didn’t know it. He just kept marching to follow the instructions, with his heart open to receive further guidance. His determination to trust his God helped him put aside the feelings and questions. Then came the angelic voice of deliverance—the ram in the thicket, the provision of God, the declaration of a stone altar that “The Lord will see it through.” (22:14). The test proved the nature of God and the faith of a stalwart believer. Isaac would become a man and generations later a Savior would become a greater sacrifice for us all.
Just keep walking.