When I was a little boy I was fascinated by the mailman. Every day Mr. Richard walked our neighborhood dropping letters into mailboxes at the front doors. I loved to see him coming because you never knew what he might bring. And his daily walk blazed a trail. In spite of the incredible rain and sunshine on the Gulf Coast, the grass could never erase his tracks.
Stories do the same thing. Each plot carves a path, and similar plots can turn a path into a highway. If enough police officers on TV are corrupt, audiences assume officers in real life are corrupt. If enough sit-com characters sleep together on the first date, audience members facing that choice may consider it normal. To give a positive example, if fathers in the movies make sacrifices for their families, perhaps dads facing tough choices will choose to put their families before themselves. Stories are maps that make certain options appear better than others.
Similarly, God gave us Old Testament stories in part to prepare us for the truths of the New Testament. The sacrificial system helped God’s people understand the crucifixion. But why does God ask Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, the Son of Promise? Particularly knowing He will stop him at the last minute, and provide a sacrificial lamb instead? Yes, it is a test. Yes, God reveals He is our Provider. But there is more.
When Abraham places Isaac on the altar, He illustrates what God the Father would experience with His Son. The near-sacrifice of Isaac creates a mental path helping us understand the death of the Son of God—who is both the Son of Promise AND the Sacrificial Lamb. Down through the centuries, surely countless Jewish people have heard of the death of Jesus and understood that it was the Abraham and Isaac story all over again—only ‘for real’ this time. Abraham’s obedience is an illustration, probably responsible for an incredible harvest of souls.
“All the nations of the earth will be blessed by your offspring because you have obeyed My command” Genesis 22:18.
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