Honoring Your Father

Peyton Johnston

June 18th, 2017

Genesis 22

Isaac was not alarmed when his father, Abraham, instructed him to prepare to make a sacrifice. Making a sacrificial offering to the Lord was nothing out of the ordinary. It was a custom that Isaac’s family had practiced for generations in order to properly pay respect to God.

But this time was different. This time Abraham knew something Isaac did not. This time God had instructed Abraham that the sacrifice was not to be of an animal, but of Isaac. And at some point during the trek to the top of the mountain, Isaac probably started to get a little suspicious. I mean, taking a three-day journey with your dad to make a sacrifice without anything to actually sacrifice and ditching the servants at the bottom of the mountain?

Sketchy.

But the Bible never makes any note of Isaac doubting or complaining. It doesn’t even say anything about him resisting his father when the moment came for Abraham to bind him up and raise his knife to sacrifice his own son. (Disclaimer: the angel of the Lord stopped Abraham before he actually sacrificed Isaac!)

Isaac showed such an incredibly deep love and respect for Abraham through simply obeying.

God gives us the commandment to honor our parents (See Ephesians 6:1-3). This greatly includes obeying them even when we don’t entirely comprehend their direction or decisions. This holds true for those of us who may not have a biological father to guide us in truth, but can look to a Godly father-figure to instruct us in the way we should go.

So without realizing it, in honoring his earthly father Isaac was also honoring his Heavenly Father. And in turn, God honored the obedience of both Abraham and Isaac with blessings beyond compare. God’s not going to tell your father to lead you to the top of a literal mountain and use you as a sacrifice, but he may instruct him to lead you up a spiritual mountain where you have to make some sacrifices yourself that you may not agree with. It’s important to trust the God-given wisdom your father or father-figure holds. So the next time you’re asked to blindly follow your father’s Godly guidance, remember that honoring him means honoring God.

Pray: “God, as I follow Your instruction through Your Word, help me to also heed the counsel of the father you have placed in my life. Give him wisdom to pass on to me. Let my life always honor You and my father through my every word and action. And help me to be obedient even when I may not see the reason behind the instruction.”