Day 24 – Testing and Trust
Faith Refined by Fire
However you can engage today, we’re here. Read, listen or both.
The written portion gives an overview, with verses broken down into smaller bites, and journaling/prayer prompts for reflection. In the podcast, Steve Traylor reflects on today’s passage with Scripture reading, a deeper pastoral teaching, and prayer (about 15 minutes). Perfect for morning coffee, commutes, or when your eyes need a rest.
Genesis 22:1–24
Step into today with reverence and honesty.
This is one of the hardest passages in all of Scripture.
God asks Abraham to sacrifice Isaac—the son of promise, the child he waited decades for, the only path to God’s covenant being fulfilled.
And Abraham obeys.
If you’ve ever felt God ask something impossibly costly or utterly contradictory to His own promises—this passage meets you there.
Because the God who tests faith is also the God who provides.
1. The Test Revealed
Genesis 22:1–2
¹ After these things, God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” He said, “Here I am.”
² He said, “Now take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go into the land of Moriah. Offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I will tell you of.”
The text is clear: God tested Abraham.
Not tempted—tested.
James 1:13 tells us God never tempts anyone to sin. But He does test His people—not to discover what He doesn’t know (God is omniscient), but to demonstrate publicly what He already knows to be true.
The command is staggering: “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love...”
God names every layer of attachment, every reason this command feels impossible.
Isaac is the son of promise, the child Abraham waited 25 years for, the only legitimate heir, the means by which God’s covenant will be fulfilled.
To sacrifice Isaac would seem to contradict everything God has promised.
Yet God gives this command—not to be cruel, but to display Abraham’s faith so that all generations would see what it means to trust God above all else.
And here’s what we often miss: the test wasn’t only about Abraham.
Abraham couldn’t see all that was riding on his faithfulness. He didn’t know his obedience would be recorded in Scripture for millennia. He didn’t know millions of believers would draw strength from his example.
He just knew God had spoken—and he obeyed.
But God was also accomplishing something that would forever distinguish the worship of the One True God from the pagan religions of Abraham’s region.
In Abraham's time, child sacrifice was widely practiced throughout the ancient Near East. The Canaanites, Ammonites, Moabites, and Phoenicians sacrificed children to their gods—Molech, Baal, and others. It was seen as the ultimate act of devotion, the highest offering one could give.
But here, in this moment, God draws a line that will stand for all time:
The God of Abraham does NOT require child sacrifice. Period.
God asks Abraham to demonstrate his willingness—to prove that nothing, not even Isaac, is more important than obedience to God.
But then God stops the knife.
He provides the ram.
And He establishes forever: Human sacrifice is an abomination. The worship of the true God is fundamentally different from pagan worship. The Lord does not delight in the death of children. He is not a bloodthirsty deity demanding innocent victims.
This story becomes a theological marker for all of Israel’s history. When later generations are tempted to follow the practices of surrounding nations, this account stands as witness: Our God is not like their gods.
Centuries later, when Israel falls into idolatry and begins sacrificing children to Molech, the prophets will condemn it as the ultimate betrayal—a rejection of everything God revealed on Mount Moriah (Jeremiah 7:31, 19:5; Ezekiel 20:31).
God never wanted child sacrifice. He wanted Abraham’s heart. And once Abraham’s heart was proven, God stopped the knife and provided another way.
This is the nature of testing: we cannot always see the purposes God is accomplishing through our obedience. Like Job (whose testing we’ll encounter later in Scripture), there may be cosmic purposes at work that we simply cannot see.
Have faith when it makes no sense. Trust when you cannot see the bigger picture.
Journaling/Prayer: What has God asked of you that feels impossibly costly? Where does obedience to God seem to contradict His own promises? What are you holding onto so tightly that releasing it feels like losing everything?
Abraham didn’t argue with God. He didn’t demand explanations. He didn’t say “This feels cruel” or “I don’t understand why You would ask this.”
He simply obeyed.
If you’re struggling with what God is asking of you, the question is not “Why is God asking this?” The question is: “Do I trust Him enough to obey even when I don’t understand?”
That’s the question at the heart of this passage.
And if you cannot yet answer “yes”—if you’re wrestling, doubting, afraid—then ask God for what you truly need: “Give me faith to obey. Help my unbelief. Strengthen my trust in You.”
That is a prayer He will answer.
2. Obedience in the Dark
Genesis 22:3–8
³ Abraham rose early in the morning, and saddled his donkey; and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son. He split the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went to the place of which God had told him. ⁴ On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place far off. ⁵ Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there. We will worship, and come back to you.”
⁶ Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. He took in his hand the fire and the knife. They both went together. ⁷ Isaac spoke to Abraham his father, and said, “My father?” He said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Here is the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”
⁸ Abraham said, “God will provide himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they both went together.
Abraham rises early.
He doesn’t delay. He doesn’t debate. He doesn’t try to negotiate with God or find a loophole.
He obeys.
But notice verse 5: “We will worship, and come back to you.”
Not “I will come back.” Abraham somehow believes that both he and Isaac will return.
Hebrews 11:17-19 tells us Abraham reasoned that God could raise Isaac from the dead if necessary. He knew God had promised descendants through Isaac—therefore, Isaac could not permanently die.
This is faith anchored in God’s character and promises, even when circumstances seem to contradict them.
And when Isaac asks, “Where is the lamb?” Abraham answers with prophetic truth:
“God will provide Himself the lamb.”
This statement carries multiple layers:
Immediate: God will provide a lamb for this sacrifice
Prophetic: God will one day provide His own Son as the Lamb
Theological: Salvation is God’s work, not ours—He provides what we cannot
Abraham trusted that God would either prevent the sacrifice, provide a substitute, or raise Isaac from the dead—but in every scenario, God’s promise would stand.
Journaling/Prayer: Where are you being asked to obey even though you don’t see how God’s promises can be fulfilled? Can you follow Abraham’s example—reasoning through to faith based on God’s character and promises?
Abraham didn’t complain or demand explanations. He reasoned: “God promised descendants through Isaac. God cannot lie. Therefore, even if Isaac dies, God must raise him up.”
This is what mature faith looks like—reasoning through to obedience based on what you know to be true about God’s character.
If you’re struggling to reason your way to obedience, ask God: “Help me think clearly about who You are and what You’ve promised. Give me faith to obey even when I don’t understand the ‘how.’”
And God met him there.
3. The Altar and the Angel
Genesis 22:9–14
⁹ They came to the place which God had told him of. Abraham built the altar there, and laid the wood in order, bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar, on the wood. ¹⁰ Abraham stretched out his hand, and took the knife to kill his son.
¹¹ The LORD’s angel called to him out of the sky, and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” He said, “Here I am.” ¹² He said, “Don’t lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.”
¹³ Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and saw that behind him was a ram caught in the thicket by his horns. Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering instead of his son. ¹⁴ Abraham called the name of that place “The LORD Will Provide”. As it is said to this day, “On the LORD’s mountain, it will be provided.”
Abraham builds the altar. He binds Isaac. He raises the knife.
And at the last possible moment—God intervenes.
“Now I know that you fear God.”
This doesn’t mean God didn’t know before—He is omniscient and knew Abraham’s heart from the beginning. Rather, God is speaking in terms we can understand: “Now it has been publicly demonstrated. Now the evidence is visible. Now all creation can see what I already knew—that you fear Me supremely.”
Abraham’s faith has been tested and proven genuine—not for God’s sake, but for ours. This story stands as a witness through all generations of what it means to trust God above all else.
And God provides a ram—caught in the thicket, prepared beforehand, waiting to be discovered.
Abraham names the place Yahweh Yireh—“The LORD Will Provide.”
Not “The LORD Might Provide” or “The LORD Sometimes Provides.”
“The LORD Will Provide.”
This is a declaration of God’s character: He is the God who sees the need and meets it. Not always before the crisis, not always in the way we expect—but always at the right time, in the right way.
And this moment points forward to another mountain, another sacrifice, another “only son.”
Centuries later, on a hill called Golgotha—just outside Jerusalem, near the very place where Abraham raised the knife—God would provide His own Son as the ultimate sacrifice.
But this time, no angel would stop the knife. This time, the Son would die.
Because Jesus is both the obedient Son (like Isaac) and the provided Lamb (like the ram).
He is the fulfillment of Abraham’s prophetic words: “God will provide Himself the lamb.”
Journaling/Prayer: Where have you seen God provide—not necessarily before the crisis, but at exactly the right moment? Where are you waiting for Him to provide now?
If you’re in a season where God’s provision feels absent, tell Him: “I don’t see the ram yet. I’m still holding the knife, and I don’t know what You’re doing.”
That honesty is acceptable.
But also remember: God intervened at the last possible moment for Abraham. Not early. Not when Abraham first set out. But at the exact moment when obedience had been fully demonstrated.
Your provision may be coming at the last possible moment too.
Trust His timing.
4. Blessing and Multiplication
Genesis 22:15–19
¹⁵ The LORD’s angel called to Abraham a second time out of the sky, ¹⁶ and said, “’I have sworn by myself,’ says the LORD, ‘because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son, ¹⁷ that I will bless you greatly, and I will multiply your offspring greatly like the stars of the heavens, and like the sand which is on the seashore. Your offspring will possess the gate of his enemies. ¹⁸ All the nations of the earth will be blessed by your offspring, because you have obeyed my voice.’”
¹⁹ So Abraham returned to his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beersheba. Abraham lived at Beersheba.
God reaffirms His covenant—but with even greater emphasis.
“I have sworn by myself.”
When God swears by Himself, there is no higher authority to guarantee the promise. His own character is the guarantee.
And He promises:
Blessing beyond measure
Offspring like the stars and sand (innumerable)
Victory over enemies
Blessing to all nations through Abraham’s seed
This last promise is the heartbeat of the gospel: through Abraham’s descendant—Jesus Christ—all nations will be blessed.
Abraham’s obedience didn’t earn the promise. But it demonstrated the faith through which God works.
And notice: Abraham returns to his young men and to Beersheba.
Life continues.
The test is over. The crisis has passed. And God’s promises remain.
Journaling/Prayer: What blessings have you seen come after seasons of costly obedience? Where do you need to trust that God’s promises still stand—even after the hardest tests?
If you’re still in the test—if you haven’t yet seen the resolution—bring that struggle to God.
Say: “I obeyed. But I’m still waiting for the provision, the breakthrough, the fulfillment. Help me trust that You haven’t forgotten.”
He hasn’t.
The promise still stands.
And one day—perhaps not today, but one day—you will look back and see how He provided at exactly the right moment.
5. Family and Future
Genesis 22:20–24
²⁰ After these things, Abraham was told, “Behold, Milcah, she also has borne children to your brother Nahor: ²¹ Uz his firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel the father of Aram, ²² Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.” ²³ Bethuel became the father of Rebekah. These eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham’s brother. ²⁴ His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.
This genealogy might seem like an odd ending to such a dramatic chapter.
But it’s not filler.
It’s a quiet reminder that while Abraham was being tested on Mount Moriah, life was continuing elsewhere. Families were growing. Children were being born.
And tucked into this list is a name that will become crucial: Rebekah.
She will one day be Isaac’s wife—the mother of Jacob and Esau, continuing the line of promise.
God’s plan is always bigger than the moment we’re in.
While Abraham was facing the hardest test of his life, God was already preparing the next generation.
Journaling/Prayer: What if God is preparing something in the background—something you can’t see yet—while you’re in the middle of your hardest season?
If you feel like your obedience hasn’t produced visible results, remember this genealogy.
God is always working—not just in the crisis, but in the ordinary, behind-the-scenes unfolding of His purposes.
The ram in the thicket was provided before Abraham arrived. Rebekah was born before Isaac needed a wife.
God’s provision is often already in place before we know we need it.
Trust that He is working—even when you can’t see it yet.
Summary
Today we witnessed the hardest test of Abraham’s life—and the clearest demonstration of his faith.
God asked for the unthinkable. Abraham obeyed—not because he understood, but because he trusted. God provided—not early, but exactly on time. And the promise was reaffirmed with God’s own oath.
This passage reveals profound truths:
God tests faith to demonstrate it publicly, not to discover it privately
Trusting God may require releasing what we love most
God always provides—sometimes at the last possible moment
Obedience is never wasted in God’s economy
The ultimate provision is Jesus—God’s own Son, the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world
Abraham trusted God with Isaac. God trusted the world with Jesus.
And because Jesus was not spared—because the knife fell on Him—we are spared.
That is the gospel.
Action / Attitude for Today
As you move through your day, ask yourself this question:
What am I holding onto so tightly that I’ve made it more important than trusting God?
For many of you reading this, the answer is: your children.
This is not a small thing. This is perhaps the most dangerous temptation facing Christian parents today.
You love your children. Of course you do. God made you to love them. But when that love becomes so strong that you compromise obedience to God to keep the relationship intact—when you tolerate their sin, enable their rebellion, or dilute your own faith to avoid losing them—you are repeating the sin of Adam and Eve.
They chose to compromise obedience for the sake of relationship. The results were disastrous, far beyond what they could see.
And here is the tragic irony: what your children need most is not your compromise—it’s your authentic faith.
When they see you hold your convictions loosely, when they watch you bend your beliefs to keep them close, when they observe you prioritizing the relationship over obedience to God—they learn that faith is not real. It’s negotiable. It’s a preference, not a conviction.
And that makes it exponentially harder for them to ever come to authentic faith themselves.
You think you’re holding onto them. But you may be losing them in a far deeper way—putting their eternal souls at risk for the sake of temporary peace.
This may be why God chose to test Abraham with Isaac specifically. Not wealth. Not land. Not even his own life. But his child—the relationship most likely to become an idol, the love most likely to eclipse love for God.
God is merciful. He doesn’t ask this lightly. But He does ask it clearly:
Do you love Me more than you love your children? Do you trust Me with them more than you trust your ability to hold onto them?
If the answer is anything other than “yes,” then your children have become your god.
But here is hope: God gave Isaac back to Abraham. Not because Abraham grasped tightly, but because Abraham released him.
Trust God with your children. Obey Him even when it costs you the relationship. Love them enough to let your faith be real—even if they walk away from it, even if they walk away from you.
That is the hardest call a parent will ever face. But it is also the most faithful.
For those of you facing other tests:
Maybe it’s not children. Maybe it’s:
A relationship you’re afraid to surrender
A plan you’re unwilling to release
A dream that’s become an idol
A provision you’re demanding on your timeline
Whatever it is—choose today to loosen your grip.
Not because God will necessarily take it away. But because He wants you to trust Him more than you trust His gifts.
This is exactly what God asked of Abraham: “Do you love Me more than you love Isaac? Do you trust Me more than you trust My promise?”
The answer for Abraham was yes—and God honored that faith.
Say this simple prayer:
“God, I release this into Your hands. Not because I want to, but because I trust You more than I trust my ability to control this. Provide what I need, when I need it. Help me trust Your timing.”
That’s enough.
You don’t have to feel peace about it. You don’t have to understand how it will work out. You just have to release it—and trust that the God who provided for Abraham will provide for you.
And if today you’re on the mountain, knife raised, wondering when God will intervene—hold on.
The ram is in the thicket. The provision is already prepared. God sees. God knows. And God will act.
At exactly the right moment.
The Bible for the Broken is published by Aurion Press LLC. © Aurion Press LLC. All rights reserved.