A Sacrifice on Mount Moriah

Mount Fuji—or “Fuji-san” in Japanese—is the highest mountain in Japan at 12,380 feet. A dormant volcano, it is considered a treasured symbol of the nation. More than 200,000 tourists climb it every summer. The name Fuji originally meant “fire mountain” but also carries a traditional meaning of “immortality” or “everlasting life.”

In today’s narrative, Mount Moriah became a life-giving mountain. God tested Abraham to find out what was in his heart and whether he would obey or not. Did he value the Lord above his son? Did he value the One who had given the promise of an impossible child more than the fulfillment of the promise? Could he give up something he had waited so long for? Did he trust that God would keep His covenant regardless?

Abraham passed the test with flying colors. He had a three-day journey to change his mind, but he held fast to God’s instruction. He told Isaac, “God himself will provide the lamb” (v. 8). He even believed that God could and would resurrect Isaac if necessary (Heb. 11:17–19). He bound his son, put him on an altar, and raised the knife before God intervened. He had withheld nothing from the Lord. There were no limits to his faith and obedience (v. 12). This provided an occasion for the covenant to be renewed (vv. 15–18).

This all happened at Mount Moriah, a mountain in the region of Moriah that God showed Abraham (vv. 2, 9). He named it, “The Lord Will Provide” (v. 14). Solomon would later build the temple on this same mountain (2 Chron. 3:1). Indeed, this is where we started this month—Mount Moriah became “the mountain of the Lord” (Isa. 2:2–3)! Today in Jerusalem, the Dome of the Rock is built on this same site.

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Focus your prayers on our students today who come to Moody from across the country and from overseas. Pray that their time of studies would be rich and fruitful—in knowledge, spiritual growth, and friendships—leading to lifelong devotion to Christ.

BY Brad Baurain

Dr. Bradley Baurain is Professor and Program Head of TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) at Moody Bible Institute. Bradley has the unique privilege of holding a degree from four different universities (including Moody). He is the author of On Waiting Well. Bradley taught in China, Vietnam, the United States, and Canada. Bradley and his wife, Julia, have four children and reside in Northwest Indiana.