Genesis 22:10

Genesis 22:10 says, And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.  Abraham was committed to following God's command, no matter if it cost him his son.  We must be willing to lay everything on altar of God, in that nothing, even family, should ever come between God and us.  Verse eleven states, But the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.  One of the angels of God called out to Abraham from heaven.  The angel did not appear to Abraham, but simply called out to him, and Abraham heard and responded.  We, like Abraham, must recognize when God is speaking to us, no matter how He chooses to do so, and we must respond.  Abraham simply said, "Here am I," and that is really all we can say.  Verse twelve says, And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.   Abraham was told to not harm Isaac, since God now saw that Abraham was willing to follow God no matter the cost.  Though Isaac really wasn't Abraham's only son, he was the son of the promise of God.  We really cannot successfully follow God if we allow anything or anyone to come between God and us.  Verse thirteen declares, And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.  Abraham had told Isaac that God would provide the sacrifice when they started up the mountain, and He did.  God will always provide whatever we need to accomplish His plan if we will only obey in faith.  God has provided the only sacrifice that we need or can have to restore our relationship with Him, and that is the sacrifice of Christ on the cross.  Verse fourteen states, And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.  Abraham named the place Jehovahjireh, which means the LORD will be seen.  Wherever we go today should be a place where God is seen if we are living in obedience to Christ.  Verse fifteen declares, And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time,  Verse sixteen adds, And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:  Verse seventeen continues, That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;  Verse eighteen concludes, And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.   Abraham was once again promised that he would be the father of a great nation because he was willing to put God above everything else in the world, even his only son, as Isaac is called.  All nations would be blessed because of Abraham's obedience to God.  Through the life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son, a descendant of Abraham through His human nature, the whole world is truly blessed.  Verse eighteen says, So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba.  I am sure the trip down the mountain was more joyous than the trip up the mountain.  If we have what is referred to as a mountain top experience, the we should rejoice even as we go back down the mountain spiritually.  Verse twenty states, And it came to pass after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying, Behold, Milcah, she hath also born children unto thy brother Nahor;  Abraham had left his family, but God now revealed to him facts about Abraham's brother and his brother's wife and children.  Verse twenty-one states, Huz his firstborn, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram,  Verse twenty-two adds, And Chesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph, and Bethuel.  Verse twenty-three continues, And Bethuel begat Rebekah: these eight Milcah did bear to Nahor, Abraham’s brother. And verse twenty-four concludes, And his concubine, whose name was Reumah, she bare also Tebah, and Gaham, and Thahash, and Maachah.  God was still at work in the lives of other members of Abraham's family, whether they knew it or not.  God has never abandoned anyone, even if they refuse to accept His gift of salvation.  When they do refuse, they abandon God.  The verse introduce Rebekah, who will have a big part in carrying out God's promise to Abraham.