Day 10: Genesis 21-14

This is Day 10 in my Daily Walk Journey. I'm following along with Your Daily Walk, by Bruce H. Wilkinson. Today's reading was about Isaac's Birth, Sarah Death, and Isaac's Bride.

Genesis 21: "Isaac's Birth" (Abraham's Faith Vindicated)
Genesis 22: "Isaac's Sacrifice" (Abraham's Faith Vindicated)
Genesis 23: "Sarah's Death" (Abraham's Faith Verified) 
Genesis 24: "Isaac's Bride" (Abraham's Faith Verified) 
                 
The heart of today's passage lies in Genesis 21:1-22:19.

Thanks to http://www.free-stories.net/children-bible-stories/ for this image.

Overview:
Twenty faith-stretching years later, Sarah gives birth to Isaac. Abraham is tested as God commands him to sacrifice Isaac. Abraham obeys, God intervenes, and rewards Abraham's faithfulness. After Sarah's death, Abraham finds a wife for Isaac - Rebekah. His servant led the quest and is the perfect example of a man of faith. He prayed to God to show him the perfect bride for Isaac, and praised Him when his job was complete.

Daily Walk:
Genesis 21:1-2
"Now the LORD was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what he had promised. Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him."

My understanding of this passage:

• God answers our prayers in His perfect timing!
• Unfortunately, we don't have a countdown to God answering our prayers. We just have to trust that He will!

Insight:
God was testing Abraham's faith in His Covenant promise:

Hebrews 11:17-19
"By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death."

My understanding of this passage:

Abraham trusted God's promise to make a great nation from Isaac (who he and Sarah had conceived miraculously through God in their old age), and he believed that if he had to sacrifice Isaac, God would resurrect him.

James 2:21-23
"Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God’s friend."

My understanding of this passage:

Abraham's faith was perfected when he demonstrated it to God in this way.

Salvation is determined by faith alone, and demonstrated by faithfulness to obey God's will alone.

Your response:

So what are your thoughts about Abraham's test? Is your faith as strong as Abraham's? I can't imagine how hard that moment had to be for him. But I can only hope that my faith in God grows stronger daily.

 Disclaimer: These are just my thoughts and insights from my own time studying the Bible. I hope to encourage others to spend time reading the Bible every day. I am not trying to teach, instruct, or push my thoughts on others. Please feel free to share your own thoughts and opinions.