“Now I know that you fear God”

When God told Abraham to sacrifice his son as a burnt offering, what he wanted to know from Abraham was that Abraham feared him. 

Because, again, this was a perfect parallel with Jesus who, “During the days of his life on earth, offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission (or godly fear),” Hebrews 5:7. 

And it was because of his godly fear that Jesus stuck to obeying God perfectly through excruciating physical and mental suffering (verse 8), the result of which was him “becoming the source of eternal salvation,” verse 9.

Godly fear, therefore, was attached directly to Jesus becoming the greatest blessing of all to the human race, pictured perfectly by Abraham sticking to obeying God perfectly through his excruciating suffering too, the result of which, Genesis 22:16, was God “swearing by myself, that because you have done this and not withheld your only son, I will surely bless you….and through your offspring (verse 18) all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”  

So just as Jesus’ obedience resulted in him becoming the greatest blessing for the whole human race, Abraham’s obedience resulted in him becoming the source of blessing for all nations too. And the reason for God enabling them both to be such a massive blessing for us humans was their godly fear.  

And God certainly tested them both on that score, because it was only after he knew that they feared him that he opened up his amazing promises to them. For Jesus the test came in the Garden of Gethsemane when he cried out in agony, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but yours be done,” Luke 22:42. For Abraham the test came in Genesis 22:2, when God told him to sacrifice Isaac as a burnt offering, and Abraham didn’t question it. 

What made them both succeed in their test was their absolute and total reverence for God. When Abraham was told, “Now I know that you fear God,” the Hebrew word for “God” there is Elohim, the great majestic “King above all gods” (Psalm 95:3). That’s the God they both saw. No wonder they both obeyed him without question. 

To the next blog, then: “It all starts with obedience”