Genesis 22 has one of the craziest stories in the Bible. God tells Abraham to take his son Isaac and sacrifice him. Abraham, without questioning God, begins gathering wood for the burnt offering and takes his son Isaac to be sacrificed. Right before Abraham takes his son’s life, the Angel of the Lord stops him and says, “Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”

This isn’t the craziest part. Before Isaac is taken by his father Abraham, he asks his father in verse 7, “‘The fire and wood are here,’ Isaac said, ‘but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?’” Abraham responds in verse 8, saying, “‘God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.’”

However, after the Angel of the Lord stops Abraham, Abraham sacrifices an animal instead of his son—but it is not a lamb. It is a ram. So why did Abraham say that God will provide a lamb? Because hundreds of years later, God did provide a lamb—the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.

Now, one of the craziest parts: although not completely agreed upon by all, some scholars believe that the location of Jesus’ crucifixion was the same, or at the very least near, the same spot Abraham was going to sacrifice his only son, Isaac—just as God would later sacrifice His only Son.

This is such a good reminder of how amazing the Bible is—the cross-references from one story to another, and how everything in the Bible points to Jesus. Lastly, it’s an ultimate reminder that Jesus was the Lamb who was sacrificed for all of our sins, that we may be saved by believing in Him.

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