The Test of Abraham’s Faith (Hebrews 11:17-19)

 It is probably true to say that the account of Abraham’s offering up of his son Isaac is one of the best-known stories in the Bible. Although it is so well-known, it is one of the most difficult incidents to understand because God asked Abraham to perform an action that was costly for him, that would be regarded as unnatural by all, and which affected what was most precious in his life – the son he had been promised by God and for whose birth he had waited so long.

Why Abraham?

In the list of heroes that the author refers to in this chapter, Abraham is given a more prominent place than most of the others (the other hero that receives great prominence is Moses). No doubt, one reason for this is that more details are given of Abraham in the Old Testament than are recorded of individuals such as Abel and Enoch. Yet a lot of information is given in Genesis about Jacob and Joseph, yet they are only mentioned briefly in Hebrews 11.  Both Jacob and Joseph endured prolonged periods of trials and these occasions give helpful lessons as to how to cope with times of spiritual adversity. But the author does not refer to these periods, which suggests that he is not focusing on trials in general.  I suspect that the author, under the Spirit’s guidance, selected occasions that displayed the triumph of faith as well as the trial of faith. In Abraham’s case the trial and the triumph coincided; in other people their greatest triumph of faith was not at the moment of deepest trial, but happened later on.  

Another reason that can be suggested is that Abraham is almost an exact example of what it means to be a follower of God while living in an uncongenial environment. Abraham is our example in his original act of faith when he left the comforts of the earthly city of Ur in order to begin his journey to the heavenly city. He is our example in the way he interceded with God on behalf of others and in his willingness to live in peace with his neighbours. But he is also like us in his failures – at times he adopted worldly advice (as from his wife over the birth of Ishmael) and at other times he was guilty of self-centredness (when he placed Sarah in a position of potential danger by pretending she was his sister). So perhaps the author was saying to his readers, ‘You have concluded that God has called you to endure something that is too much for you. Think of Abraham’s triumph in this occasion of God’s calling even although he had failed in the past.’   

The character of God and Abraham’s faith

As we think about this incident in Abraham’s life, perhaps the first question that comes to mind is whether or not it was right of God to give this command. After all, it is not right for any creature authority to make such a demand. We would rightly insist that our government could not make such a requirement. The answer to the question is that God decides the rules. There is not a set of rules that hold sovereignty over God. Of course, all the rules that he makes are in line with his character, and his character is righteous and good. Therefore, when we come to this passage we must not think that God has become unrighteous or now has malicious intentions in making this demand.

Having said that his will is always righteous and good does not mean that there will be no surprises in it for his people, even such a prominent one as Abraham. As far as Abraham’s life was concerned, God had included this test in his plan for his servant. It was not a sudden change of heart on God’s part to include this demand. When God had visited Abraham and Sarah to inform that Isaac was about to be born, he knew then that this future test would come. Yet it was a great surprise, a sudden surprise to Abraham.

At the same time, it has to be stressed that this demand of God was not sinful. The Lord was not asking Abraham to engage in child sacrifice (a practice that was common in the Middle East at that time). Isaac was not a young boy; he was probably in his early twenties and could easily have resisted his father in a physical sense.

The challenge of God to Abraham’s faith

The author’s point is that faith is always tested. His readers were being tested by the persecution that they were going through. Peter informs his readers that they should ‘not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you’ (1 Pet. 4:12). Our faith will not be tested in the particular way that Abraham’s was. But the point is that it will be tested.

In fact, we can say that testing is not only certain, it is also frequent. This was not the first test that had come Abraham’s way. His spiritual journey had been one of consecutive tests. Some of these, as we noticed already, he had failed, others he had passed.

As with all tests, some are more demanding than others. Although this was not the last test that Abraham faced (he would yet deal with the issue of a wife for Isaac), it was probably the most crucial one because it was the one that truly tested his priorities. Some writers have conjectured that Abraham faced the spiritual danger of giving to Isaac the place in his heart that only God should have. Isaac was now a young adult and had given two decades of pleasure to his parents. Whether or not Abraham had made too much of Isaac, we cannot say. But it is the case that often believers give a place to a fulfilled promise that they should not give. Perhaps it is an answer to prayer or an experience of deliverance. They know that God helped them in that place and they think about it a lot, almost to the point that they forget to think about God himself.

Of course, a test not only deals with our priorities, sometimes it focuses on our need to continue making progress in our spiritual lives. Perhaps Abraham had assumed that he had reached the point in his rich and varied experience where God had done all that was possible, this side of heaven. I think that is a danger that we can face as Christians, and particularly those who have been Christians for a long time. They have had great experiences, but fail to realise that God has more for them.

A common feature of such tests is that they suggest that God’s providence is against the promises of God. This would have been the case with Abraham. He knew that all of God’s promises of the future were connected to Isaac. It seemed that now God was asking him to do something that meant the end of the fulfillment of his promises. Sometimes we can feel like that as well. We expect God to move in a certain way and instead he seems to do the opposite.

Of course, the difficulty here is that God’s providence for Abraham was not a deduction that the patriarch had made by assessing a number of different factors and making a reliable conclusion. Instead his providence was the consequence of a divine command.

These aspects of assessing priorities, exercising patience, and balancing providence and promises are obviously a tough test. Yet we have to remind ourselves that God does not test his people in order to see them fail. This principle is true in everyday life – a person does not get a test until his instructor believes he is ready for it. There is no point in giving tests to those who have not developed. It would be absurd to ask a seven-year-old pupil to sit a university entrance exam. God’s way of treating his people is similar; he does not give hard tests until they are ready for it. And he sends the test with the expectation that they will pass it.  

Is there any evidence that Abraham had matured so as to be fit for this test? He had faced a similar situation before when he was commanded by Sarah to put away Ishmael, his other son. On that occasion, Abraham had objected and only did so because he was assured that God would take care of Ishmael. On that occasion, he needed a promise from God to bear the providence of God. But with regard to putting away Isaac he was not given a promise by God.

In a very real sense, ‘Trials are God’s vote of confidence in us’ (F. B. Meyer). One of the clearest examples of this is the story of Job.  But it is the case with every trial God sends.

The confusion faced by faith in God

Abraham’s experience highlights for us some other details that we should remember when we face times of crisis of faith. One such detail is the solitude or loneliness of such a call. There was no one with whom Abraham could share his task. If he had mentioned it to Sarah, she would have stopped him; if he had mentioned it to the servants, they would have stopped him; if he had mentioned it to Isaac, probably he would have not gone on the journey; if he had mentioned it to his neighbours they would have been appalled.

In addition to the solitude of God’s call, there is also the silence of God regarding the outcome. Abraham did not know that God would provide the way of escape that he did. All he had was God’s revealed will; he did not know God’s secret will.

These two features help us see what is a crucial feature of Abraham’s faith, which is his submission to God. There are many aspects of faith and often we stress dependence, commitment, embracing as important elements of faith. Often these particular responses of faith are done when our appreciation of God’s promises is clear. But what about faith when things are not clear? When these times arrive, faith involves submission to God’s will.

Along with submission to God’s revealed will, Abraham considered how God would resolve the dilemma. His conclusion was that God would raise Isaac from the dead. In a sense, his conclusion was wrong because God had another provision. Nevertheless, Abraham’s example is one that we should imitate in times of trial, which is to focus on God. Abraham did not rebel but looked for a way in which God’s glory would be displayed. So should we. Bring God’s abilities into the situation.

The compensation given to faith in God

The point that we have just made indicates one of the benefits that Abraham experienced. As a consequence of his trial, he knew God more intimately. A second benefit was that his understanding of God’s previous promises was repeated and enlarged (Gen. 22:15-24).

I think also, although it is denied by some commentators, that in this incident God gave to his servant an insight into what God would later do with his Son. In any case, whether Abraham realised it or not, we can see that there is a clear parallel between what Abraham went through in partially sacrificing his son and what God would do on Calvary when his own eternal Son would become a complete sacrifice. For Isaac the son there was a substitute in the trapped animal. For Jesus the Son he was the substitute who took the place of sinners. The message of this detail is that God the Father was prepared to do what he prevented Abraham from doing. God gave to Abraham an insight into the experience that he would undergo at Calvary.  

In conclusion, we can say these three things about Abraham’s experience. Firstly, he was taught that in his heart there must have no rivals to God. Secondly, he learned that God was the God of the resurrection; I suspect he realised that the fulfilment of all God’s promises of the future inheritance depended on the resurrection of the Messiah. Thirdly, Abraham was taught that God gives great rewards to those who pass the test of faith.