On the Mount of the Lord It Will Be Provided

After these things, God tested Abraham. God's command is stated with painful precision: Now take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love. God was not tempting Abraham to sin; God's word elsewhere forbids child sacrifice. This was a test to reveal and refine Abraham's faith. Would he cling to the gift, or to the Giver who had promised that through Isaac his offspring would be named?

Abraham rose early and obeyed. On the third day he told his servants, The boy and I will go over there. We will worship, and come back to you. Isaac carried the wood up the mountain. When he asked where the lamb was, Abraham replied, God will provide himself the lamb. Hebrews 11:17-19 says Abraham considered that God was able to raise Isaac from the dead.

When Abraham was about to act, the angel of the Lord called from heaven and stopped him: Now I know that you fear God. Abraham saw a ram caught in a thicket and offered it as a substitute. He named the place Yahweh Will Provide. God swore by Himself to bless Abraham and to bless all nations through his offspring. Moriah is later linked with Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 3:1). There, God did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all (Romans 8:32). Christians have read this as a picture: Isaac was spared, but Jesus was not.