We are nearing the end of our study of Abraham\u2019s life, and we\u2019ve left out as much as we\u2019ve discussed. We could spend a year teaching on the historical and spiritual significance of Abraham\u2019s life. The most prominent story of Abraham in the bible is probably the most troubling to modern readers. It\u2019s the story of God asking Abraham to offer Isaac on Mount Moriah.
If you summed the whole account up in one word, it\u2019s a story of total and complete surrender. Most Christians know how the story ends. Abraham proceeds to Moriah, preparing an offering to the Lord. As he\u2019s getting to a place of no return, an angel of the Lord stops him, and God provides a ram for the offering.
God asked for Isaac, but He never really wanted Isaac. He was after Abraham\u2019s heart. We don\u2019t know to what depths, but somewhere deep within Abraham\u2019s heart, there was a war over who was going to sit on the throne of Abraham\u2019s heart: God or Isaac.
God\u2019s gift to Abraham was becoming an idol of his heart. And Abraham\u2019s entire future, including all the promises that God gave him, depended on Abraham having his heart right. This experience of surrender in Mount MOriha was a test to get Abraham\u2019s heart back.