Abraham walked with his son Isaac up the mountain before he put him on the altar to be the sacrifice. Abraham was the one holding the knife; he had to be the one to strike the death blow.
"Everything was ready. Abraham took the knife. Tears were filling up his eyes. Pain was filling up his heart. His hand was shaking. He lifted the knife high into the air--" *
But God told Abraham to stop just in time.
On the other hand, God the Father, our Daddy, walked with his Son Jesus up the hill before he put him on the altar as the sacrifice. God was pouring out his wrath on his Son; He had to be the one to strike the death blow. And He didn't stop just in time.
Our great High Priest, our Good Shepherd, says to us with confidence: "When you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, you will fear no evil for I am with you." He walked a death march once but he did not walk alone, and he does not leave us to walk ours alone either.
And what do we have to look forward to on the other side of that long walk? "Abraham felt his heart leap with joy. He unbound Isaac and folded him in his arms. Great sobs shook the old man's body. Scalding tears filled his eyes. And for a long time, they stayed there like that, in each other's arms, the boy and his dad."*
*The present from The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones.
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