Genesis 22:2: “Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”
Where exactly are you going?” Sarah asked sleepy-eyed, poking her head out of her tent. Abraham had risen at the crack of dawn to wake up his son and two servants and was in the process of loading up his donkey. “We are going to worship the Lord in the mountains.” Abraham spoke evasively. “The Lord has not disclosed the exact location as of yet, but I expect to return in a week or so.” Sarah nodded as she took in the scene. Their servants were getting their animals ready and Isaac had already packed and loaded his donkey. The hasty departure seemed a bit odd. “Come here Isaac!” she called her son tenderly. “Give your mother a hug before you leave. “But Mom”, Isaac protested, “I’m not a baby anymore.” – “Look at you – all grown up and manly!” Sarah retorted, “Are you too old to kiss your mother goodbye?” And Isaac smiled at her and gave her a quick hug. “Bye Mom!” he said, “I’ll be home soon.” Abraham stood at a distance and listened to the playful exchange between mother and son. Just for a split second he wanted to step in and cancel the trip. This was absolutely crazy! But then he caught himself and said his goodbyes before they hit the road.
Leaving the campground, they followed an ancient trail that negotiated a fault dividing the desert plateaus to the east from the coastal plains of the Mediterranean Sea to the west. For the next couple of days the group headed northeast. A weekend trip! Isaac was excited. He loved spending time with his dad. Their overnight camps were in remote spots, surrounded by wildlife. Through their thin tent walls they could hear the laughter of hyenas from a distance. Early the next morning, before they broke camp, Isaac spotted a desert lynx stalking her prey. The winding trail they followed was interspersed with a variety of desert woodlands. Abraham gathered fire wood along the way and added it to the donkey’s load. The road gradually ascended to the southern slopes of the Hebron Hills.
On day three of their trip Abraham looked up and all of a sudden realized which place the Lord had in mind. The large mountain range in question loomed right in front of them. Abraham stopped and said to his servants: “Stay here while my son and I will go up this mountain and worship the Lord.” His men looked a bit puzzled and so did his son Isaac. “But Dad”, he ventured. “We’ve got the wood and everything else, but where is the animal we are going to sacrifice?” Abraham opened his mouth to say something, but then his mind went blank. What good answer could he possibly give to his son? Suddenly peace washed over him and clarity formed in his mind; looking Isaac squarely in the eye he said: “The Lord will provide, my son.” Turning to his servants, Abraham instructed them: “Wait here until my son and I come back. In the meantime please set up camp. We will spend the night here and tomorrow we’ll head back home.” His two servants obeyed and immediately began unloading the animals and starting a camp fire. Abraham lit one of their torches and placed a sharp knife in his holster. He picked up the wood he had previously gathered and placed it on his son. “Let’s go!” he said and the two of them took off.
The mood had decisively changed from exciting adventure trip to a somewhat gloomy affair. Isaac could not put his finger on it, but it almost seemed that his father was hiding something from him. Now that he thought about it, he noticed that he had been acting secretive all throughout their trip. And presently they were climbing a strange mountain to offer a mysterious sacrifice to the Lord. Normally they were well-prepared. Only the best animal of their herd would do. “We present our finest gifts to God”, his father had taught Him. “God has given us everything, our lives included. The gifts we bring are not meant to pay Him back but to show our devotion.” Isaac wondered: “What kind of gift are we going to bring to the Lord today?” He hadn’t found a satisfying answer to his question yet when the two of them reached a plateau and his father said: “This is the place the Lord has told me about.”
Isaac watched his father go to work. He gathered large rocks and took the wood Isaac had carried and arranged it on top of the boulders. Abraham had worked with his back towards his son as if to avoid eye contact. But now his father turned around and with two short steps walked towards him, grabbed him, bound his hands and feet and laid him on top of the wood. Isaac was shell-shocked. The ropes were tight and cut into his arms and ankles. “That hurts!” Isaac cried and he wasn’t sure what hurt more – the ropes or the painful realization that his dad was going to kill him. Isaac caught a glimpse of his father’s rigid face before his big and burly hand covered his eyes. Abraham betrayed no emotions and lifted the knife to slay his young son.
A loud voice called out, “Abraham, Abraham”, and interrupted the action. Startled, Abraham staggered backwards and dropped his knife. Out of the blue a Heavenly Being had appeared and stood between him and the altar [Genesis 22:12]:
“Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”
And Abraham noticed a ram trapped in the thicket behind them. He went straight to the animal and bound its legs with the remaining rope he had. The ram bleated pitifully while Isaac sobbed. Abraham stooped down to unbind his son. “The Lord will see to it and the Lord provides”, he softly whispered to Isaac as tears streamed down his own cheeks. He stood up, lifted his face to the sky and with a stronger voice added: “On the mount of the Lord there is vision.” Then he placed the bound animal on top of the wood and moved his knife swiftly to slice the ram’s throat. Presenting the sacrifice as a burnt offering to the Lord, Abraham used his torch to light the fire. The air was filled with smoke, loud crackling noises and spitting sparks while the sun went down in the west. Abraham and Isaac stood by the fire under the sinking sun, worshipping the Lord. It was dark by the time the fire had completely consumed the sacrifice. All that was left were hot, red ashes. Meanwhile Isaac was still in shock and couldn’t stop crying. Abraham tenderly hugged his son, dried his tears and said: “Let’s go home!” Together they poured water on the ashes and headed back to the camp.
Both Abraham and his son were deeply moved by the events on the mountain of the Lord – but probably for very different reasons. Abraham was extremely relieved that God gave him his son back while Isaac’s feelings were more of a mixed bag. He felt like a survivor who had narrowly escaped death at the cost of someone else’s life. As he watched the ram burn to ashes, he was acutely aware that it died in his stead.