February 24 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

During the night Abraham made his decision to obey. He rose early in the morning. That's strange, for we would expect him to dread the new day. But apparently the only thing Abraham dreaded was second thoughts. "Early the next morning, Abraham got up" (v. 3).

Then follows a detailed description of what Abraham did after he had gotten up. (Again, this seems strange for a writer who usually overlooks the details.) We get a description of Abraham's saddling the donkey, getting the servants, cutting the wood, calling Isaac. It's almost like a film. The camera gives us a close-up of all these little events. And when Abraham comes to the end of a three-day journey (what opportunities to have second thoughts!), we have a similar careful listing in verses 9 and 10, which are quoted on this page—building the altar, arranging the wood, binding Isaac, laying him down, reaching for the knife.

These little details are suddenly important, and every one of them must be noted. In these step-by-step preparations, Abraham is showing his decision to go, to obey, to set his feet on the highway of obedience. A decision that is not translated into obedient action is worthless. Big decisions must be followed through in bigger and smaller acts of obedience. Some people think faith is big talk without the details of work. When James, the servant of God, got to know some people like that, he wrote: "Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?" (James 2:21).

The two of them climbed the mountain. The boy was burdened with the wood for his own sacrifice. The father had the flint and the cleaver. "The two of them went on together." Theirs was the most eloquent silence ever reported.

REFLECTION

Reflect on how God may be testing you. What can you learn from Abraham's test that applies to your situation?

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.