Genesis 22:9-13
And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. 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. 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.

Did they share their normal fellowship as they walked up the mountain? Was Abraham somber as he considered what he would shortly have to do? Did Isaac see his father as distracted and withdrawn? Was there any joy to be found on this trek to the altar of sacrifice? But then they come to this moment when Abraham bound his beloved son to that altar in preparation for a sacrifice. Isaac prepared himself to be an offering. And Abraham prepared himself to slay the son of promise. And then God stepped in with His substitute, and what relief must have flooded their hearts, what joy, what thankfulness for what God had done for them.

Of course, Abraham and Isaac present a picture of God giving His beloved Son, the Lamb of God slain for the sins of the world, and Jesus, the only begotten Son willingly laying down His life in obedience to His Father. But that story went a little differently. No one stepped in to intervene when Jesus was there to be crucified. A ram was not offered in His stead. He was not spared an agonizing death and the shedding of His blood. That was the true cost of our salvation. There was no other way. And so despite all that it did cost and all that it meant, God the Father slayed Jesus Christ the Son as a sacrifice of atonement for us.

But that was not the end of the story. Jesus did not die a martyr’s death. He did not die for a cause or give His life in vain. His death gave way to victory. He rose from the grave in power and glory. And so by His death and resurrection, He gives that same life to those who believe on Him, to those who will accept that substitutionary sacrifice as He died the death that we actually deserve. Oh, what love it took. Oh, what grace He has shown to us. Oh, what a Savior we have.