Because Abraham was the extraordinary prophet with whom God would share His plans (Gen. 18:17), God entered Abraham´s human sphere and shared with him, to some degree, His plan of salvation through the sacrifice of His Son.

 “Isaac was a figure of the Son of God, who was offered a sacrifice for the sins of the world. God would impress upon Abraham the gospel of salvation to man. In order to do this, and make the truth a reality to him as well as to test his faith, He required him to slay his darling Isaac. All the sorrow and agony that Abraham endured through that dark and fearful trial were for the purpose of deeply impressing upon his understanding the plan of redemption for fallen man. He was made to understand in his own experience how unutterable was the self-denial of the infinite God in giving His own Son to die to rescue man from utter ruin. To Abraham no mental torture could be equal to that which he endured in obeying the divine command to sacrifice his son.” — Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 3, p. 369.

 “Abraham had become an old man, and expected soon to die; yet one act remained for him to do in securing the fulfillment of the promise to his posterity. Isaac was the one divinely appointed to succeed him as the keeper of the law of God and the father of the chosen people, but he was yet unmarried. The inhabitants of Canaan were given to idolatry, and God had forbidden intermarriage between His people and them, knowing that such marriages would lead to apostasy. The patriarch feared the effect of the corrupting influences surrounding his son ... In the mind of Abraham the choice of a wife for his son was a matter of grave importance; he was anxious to have him marry one who would not lead him from God ... Isaac, trusting to his father´s wisdom and affection, was satisfied to commit the matter to him, believing also that God Himself would direct in the choice made.” — Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 171.

 1. In class, talk about Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Isaac. Try to imagine the kind of faith that this account reveals. What is so astonishing, and yet at the same time troubling, about this story?
 2. What about free will? Why does our faith make no sense without it being a reality? What examples do we have in the Bible of free will and how, despite the wrong choices people make, God’s will ultimately is accomplished?