Between chapters 15 and 22, we see some more incidents in the life of Abram. In fact, Abram’s name, which means, “father is exalted,” is changed to Abraham, which means, “father of a multitude.” In addition, Abram’s faith stumbles again. He takes matters into his own hands and has a son with a household slave, which is not part of God’s plan. Abram’s decision is further proof that Abram wasn’t chosen by God due to his moral character. But finally, God gives Abraham a son through his wife, Sarah. The son’s name is Isaac and Abraham sees that God kept his promise. The good news is that somewhere along the way, Abraham’s faith grows.
In today’s chapter, God tells Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. It’s normal for Abraham to sacrifice animals to God, but God never asked for human sacrifice before. This is Abraham’s ultimate test of faith. How could God ask for so much? In the case of Adam and Eve, God gave them everything they needed and only withheld one thing, yet they could not obey. In this case Abraham has only one son and God asks for him, but Abraham obeys. That’s quite a difference in faith between Adam and Eve and Abraham. It’s not the level of sacrifice that makes the difference, but the level of faith. Though Abraham has struggled with his faith over the years, he ends up with exceptionally strong faith!
With faith, we can do the little or the big things God asks us to do. Without faith, we can’t accomplish anything for God.