Why did God test Abraham by asking him to sacrifice his son, Isaac?
The reason that God did that was to prepare the world for what he, himself, would do thousands of years later in sacrificing his own Son.
How do we know that? Well in Genesis 22:8, Abraham tells Isaac that "God will provide himself a lamb" for the burnt offering. Notice he did not say "for himself," but "himself"! It would be God, himself, who would be the sacrificial Lamb thru his Son. We also know that this is about God's Son because in Psalm 2, the heathen gentiles and "the people" of Israel will someday deal with the wrath of God because of their rebellion against him and his anointed Son. In verse 12, God says to the gentiles and "the people" of Israel to "kiss the Son, lest he be angry."
In Isaiah 7:14, this Son would be born of a virgin, and his name shall be called Immanuel (GOD with us). This Son born of a virgin would be born in Bethlehem, and would be Divine because in Micah 5:2, he says "…yet out of thee [Bethlehem-Ephratah] shall He come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from old, from everlasting." only God himself is from everlasting! It would be that "Son" that would exact God's vengeance on the heathen and "the people" of Israel.
We also know that before that time of wrath, the Son would suffer, die, be buried, and raised again for the sins of the people of Israel according to Isaiah 53:1-12. His death would be one in which He was "pierced" in His hands and His feet....Psalm 22:16. In Zechariah 12:10, the LORD says about Himself that after Israel's rebellion for "piercing" him, he would once again pour out his grace upon them if they repent. He is "That Prophet" like unto Moses that the people of Israel are to hearken unto or be cut off from the covenant.
Deuteronomy 1:15-19
The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken; According to all that thou desiredst of the LORD thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not. And the LORD said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken. I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.
Please check these references out yourself in a King James Bible. What you will see is that all these references (and many more) point to one person and one person only....Jesus Christ! It is Jesus Christ who was born in Bethlehem of a virgin (Mary), and then later, as a man, laid upon the "wooden altar" (the Cross) like Abraham laid Isaac, and he was the "lamb that God will provide Himself." He was the Son from "everlasting" who was…
Isaiah 53:3-7
…despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. We hid as it were our faces from Him and esteemed Him not. Surely He hath born our grief, we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep are gone astray, we have turned everyone our own way, but the LORD hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted and led like a LAMB to the slaughter, yet He opened not His mouth.
Jesus Christ died on that Cross to pay for our sins against God, the type is foreshadowed in Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac:
God the Father ([Abraham]), sacrificed his only Son (Jesus Christ [Isaac]) as a "burnt offering" for your sins.
That's the picture/type.
“God commendeth His love towards us, in that, while we are yet sinners, Christ died for us.” [Romans 5:8] This is the message of salvation for today. By simple faith in this without any works of our own [Romans 4:1-5], God will give us forgiveness of sins and eternal life right now as a free gift. It is thru faith in Jesus Christ's shed blood on the Cross that God gives eternal life to those that believe! This was foreshadowed in all the lambs without blemish (representing the sinlessness of Jesus) sacrificed by the Israelites under the Law of Moses century after century.
Ephesians 2:8-9
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Hopefully this
helps!
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