THROUGH THE BIBLE IN THREE YEARS
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A pickpocket was gloriously saved. He joined a local church, was baptized and got a new job. He was doing well in the job and wanted to thank the Lord. So he went to the church to pray.
As he sat down on the first pew, he dropped his head to pray. There, on the floor near his feet, was a billfold laying open, and the corners of two $100 bills were sticking out.
He looked up toward the baptistry, above which was a huge cross. Then he asked, "God, is this a GIFT or a TEST?"
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Gen 22:1-3
1 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.
2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
3 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.
KJV
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It's important to understand that the Hebrew word nacah (naw - saw') means to tempt, prove or to try. Here, God is not tempting Abraham to do something wrong; instead, God is testing Abraham's allegiance to Him and obedience to His Word.
You see, God never "tempts" a person to do wrong. The Bible says, "...God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:" (James 1:13)
Let us be aware, though, that God tests our trust and obedience; not for His need, but for our need. Sometimes we may not see the reasoning for the tests that God gives us; but we should always OBEY.
Do you suppose that Abraham believed God enough to SLEEP between verses 2 and 3? No. But he believed God enough to obey. He got started on the journey the very next morning.
At times, we may be uncomfortable when God tests us. A little discomfort will help us to maintain awareness.
When God "tests" us, we always grow. We may not even pass the test, but we will grow from the experience. After this test, Abraham never again wavered in his faith and obedience.
We'll see more about this "test" tomorrow.
Love ya,
Bruce