The LORD Will Provide – (Genesis 22)

Some time after Abraham had sent Hagar and Ishmael away, the LORD once again spoke to him. This time, the conversation between them was not about a promise or a blessing, but a sacrifice —one that would shake the very foundation of Abraham’s faith. God asked for the one thing Abraham held most dear: his only remaining son, Isaac, the son of whom he loved.

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.” – Genesis 22:2 (NIV)

Many questions pop into our minds when we read this passage. Why would God ask such a thing? How could God command such a sacrifice? And why would Abraham, who had waited so long for this son, be willing to give him up so easily? We say God knows the heart. So why test Abraham at all?

The test, then, was not for God to discover something new, but for Abraham to realise the depth of his faith. It was a trial not for God’s benefit but for Abraham’s. Through this, Abraham would come to know the cost of obedience and the power of surrender. God’s omniscience is never in question. Scripture affirms repeatedly that He sees and knows all,

“I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind.” – Jeremiah 17:10 (NIV)

So this was not a test of information but of transformation. The goal was not to evaluate Abraham’s faith but to reveal and refine it. Until that point, Abraham had waited, hoped, and received—but now he was called to surrender, not in bitterness or defeat, but in trust. It was this very gift that made Abraham complacent, leading him to allow Hagar and his firstborn, Ishmael, to be cast out—now that he had a son of his own. God was asking for the very gift He had given.

The Journey to Moriah

Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. – Genesis 22:3 (NIV)

There is a quiet obedience in what Abraham does after hearing the voice of God. No arguments or delays as he makes the three-day journey to the mountain. Three days walking with his son, knowing what he was being asked to do. Upon reaching the place, he simply tells his servants that he and the boy will go up and worship the LORD.

“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” – Genesis 22:7–8 (NIV)

Abraham does not lie. He doesn’t evade. He points to the only hope he has: that God will provide. In these words is the heart of faith. Trusting when we do not see. Obeying when we do not understand. Believing not in the path, but in the One who leads us. On the mountain, Abraham constructs the altar, binds Isaac, places him upon the wood and reaches for the knife to slay his son.

Jesus is Our Ram

But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied. “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.” – Genesis 22:11–12 (NIV)

The angel of the LORD stopped Abraham at the last moment, affirming that his obedience had proven his reverence for God—he had not withheld even his only son. Go provided a ram to Abraham in Isaac’s place, and Abraham named the mountain The LORD Will Provide. Abraham named the place, not after his own obedience, but after God’s faithfulness.

Centuries later, that very mountain—Mount Moriah—would become the site of Solomon’s temple (2 Chronicles 3:1). And just beyond those ancient walls, God would provide once more—not a ram or a lamb for a temporary offering, but His own Son as the eternal sacrifice upon the cross.

Just as Abraham was called to offer his “only son”, Isaac, whom he loved, so God would one day offer His one and only Son for the sins of the world. Isaac carries the wood for his own sacrifice up the mountain, just as Christ would carry His cross. The location—Mount Moriah—later becomes the site of Jerusalem, linking Isaac’s near-sacrifice with the place where Jesus would be crucified.

Yet unlike Isaac, Jesus was not spared. God did not stay His own hand. Instead, He provided not just a ram in a thicket, but His Son as the final, perfect substitute. The entire scene points ahead to the cross, where the LORD would indeed provide.

The angel of the LORD reaffirmed God’s covenant with an oath, declaring that because Abraham had not withheld his only son, God would surely bless him with countless descendants, victory over enemies, and global blessing through his offspring. Abraham then returned to his servants and settled in Beersheba.

God’s Mountain of Provision

God’s promise was already given to Abraham. But this test brought it to a turning point. It is not that the blessing was conditional, but that the fulfilment required Abraham to walk in obedience. We often speak of trusting God. But what does it mean to trust Him with the things we hold most dear? To walk up the mountain with empty hands and still say, “God will provide”?

Abraham had already sent away Ishmael. Now he is asked to give up Isaac. It seems harsh. Perhaps even like a punishment. But perhaps God wanted to bring Abraham back to the place of surrender, not to strip him of what he loved, but to sanctify it. God had promised Abraham descendants, and now He was teaching him to trust the Promise-Giver more than the promise itself. The true gift is not Isaac, nor the ram, nor even the promised blessing. The true gift is God Himself—the One who sees, who provides, and who invites us to draw near to His mountain of provision.

Discussion Questions

1. Why did God ask Abraham to sacrifice Isaac when He already knew Abraham’s heart?
2. How does this passage foreshadow the sacrifice of Jesus Christ?
3. Was God’s promise to bless Abraham truly unconditional, or was it dependent on his obedience?
4. Why do we often struggle to believe that “the LORD will provide”?