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                       THE SACRIFICE
                             By Linda Edwards

               Julia took one last peek into her backpack. Towel
          . . . sandals . . . sunscreen . . . comb . . . snack .
          . . . Yep!   She was sure everything was in there. She
          placed the bag beside the door, then ran to help Mom
          pack the babyÕs things. She had always loved little
          Jared from the first day he was born, but now that he
          could walk and was old enough to play with her, it was
          even more fun having a little brother.

          While Mom made sure they had enough diapers and all the
          important things, Julia rummaged through the toy box to
          find the shovels, buckets, and other beach toys. 
          Finally, they piled everything into the car and were on
          their way.

               Jared jabbered and giggled as she made sand castles 
          and he knocked them down. Julia held his hand tightly 
          and they squealed with glee as they tried to outrun the 
          ocean waves. When Jared became tired and started 
          getting fussy, she took him to Mom, who always knew 
          just what to do.

          After having a small snack, Jared fell asleep, so Julia
          walked along the waterÕs edge picking up seashells. She
          was careful to choose only the larger shells, and she
          knew she would have to keep them away from Jared,
          because he would put them in his mouth. Jared always
          tried to eat EVERYTHING!

               Julia liked being the big sister. She liked to
          help take care of Jared. She knew she would never, ever
          do anything on purpose to hurt him, because she loved
          him so very much.

                                  * * *

               Abraham and Sarah dearly loved their new baby boy.
          They cuddled him and fed him. They played with him and
          giggled when he wrapped his little hand around one of
          their fingers. They laughed when he smiled for the
          first time, and they were absolutely thrilled when he
          spoke his first word. Somehow, before they even knew
          what had happened, he was walking and talking and had
          grown to be a young man. Isaac was the joy of their
          lives.

               Abraham spent a lot of time with Isaac, teaching
          him to love and obey God. He told Isaac the story about
          how God had talked with him and told him to count the
          stars. He made sure that Isaac knew he was a special
          child that had been promised by God. As Isaac grew, he
          learned to worship God just as his father Abraham did.

               One day God spoke to Abraham: "A--bra-ham . . . ."

                    "I am here," Abraham replied.

                         "Take your son Isaac,
                         whom you love so much,
                         and go into the land of
                         Moriah, and offer him
                         there as a burnt
                         offering. I will tell you
                         which mountain when you
                         get there," God
                         commanded.

               Abraham loved Isaac more than anything else in the
          whole world and would never do anything to hurt his
          son, but he knew he had to obey the voice of God.

                                  * * *

               Early in the morning, Abraham got up and put a
          saddle on his donkey. He called for Isaac and two of
          his young servants. They all went together to chop wood
          for the sacrifice. Then they started on their journey
          toward the place God had told Abraham to go.

               For three days they traveled, eating food they had
          taken with them and sleeping on the ground. On the
          third day, Abraham looked into the distance and saw the
          place where God was leading him.

                    "You stay here with the donkey
                    while I take Isaac with me to go
                    worship God," Abraham said to his
                    servants.

               Abraham picked up the wood and gave it to Isaac to
          carry. Then he picked up his torch in one hand and his
          knife in the other, and they started toward the
          mountain together. While they were walking, Isaac began
          to wonder about some things. Finally, he just had to
          ask.

                    "Hey, Dad. I have the wood, and you
                    have the fire, but we didnÕt bring
                    an animal. DonÕt we need a lamb for
                    the sacrifice?"

               Abraham, fully believing that God had everything
          under control, spoke quietly:

                    "Yes, Isaac. God will provide
                    himself a lamb for the burnt
                    offering."

                                  * * *

               When they finally arrived at the exact place God
          had told him of, Abraham started looking for large
          rocks to build the altar. Carefully he placed one rock
          on top of another until the job was done. After that,
          he placed the wood, which Isaac had carried, on top of
          the altar. Then, after looking around one last time, he
          had to do the very hardest thing he had ever done in
          his whole life.

          He gave Isaac one last, long hug, and, with tears in
          his eyes, he tied up his son and placed him on the
          altar. Of course, Isaac didnÕt want to be sacrificed as
          a burnt offering, and Abraham, as a loving father,
          didnÕt want to do it, but they both knew they had to
          obey God, so there was no struggle between them.

               Abraham picked up his knife. . . .

                    He raised it high in the air above
                    his head. . . .

                         Just as he was
                         getting ready to 
                         kill his own son, 
                         he heard the
                         voice of the
                         angel of the Lord
                         cry out from
                         heaven:

                              "ABRAHAM . . .
                              ABRAHAM!"

                    "I am here," Abraham replied.

                         "DONÕT KILL YOUR SON!
                         DONÕT HURT HIM! Now I
                         know that you love ME
                         more than anything else,
                         even more than your own
                         son."

               Abraham looked up, and there -- right in front of
          him -- was a ram caught in the thick bushes. Abraham
          quickly untied Isaac, then caught the ram and put it on
          the altar. Abraham used his knife to kill the
          sacrifice, then used the torch to light the fire.

          There on the mountain, Abraham and Isaac worshipped the
          Lord together. They called the name of that place
          "Jehovah-jireh," which means, "God is my provider."

                       The angel of the Lord called from heaven
                  to Abraham a second time, saying:

                    "Because you have done this and
                    have not withheld even your son
                    from me, I will bless you, and you
                    will have many descendants, and all
                    the nations of the earth will be
                    blessed because of you."

               Abraham and Isaac walked down the mountain
          together, rejoicing that the Lord had provided the ram
          and made another great promise to them. They met the
          servants at the bottom of the mountain, and they all
          started on their three-day journey back home.

                                  * * *

     THINK!

          Where did God tell Abraham to take Isaac?
          How many people went on the journey?
          What did Isaac notice that was missing?
          Did God want Abraham to kill his son?
          What did God provide for the sacrifice?

     REMEMBER:

          Always obey God and believe in Him to provide your needs.

     A VERSE TO LEARN

          "Abraham believed God . . . and he was called the friend of
     God" (James 2:23b).

     LET'S PRAY

           ****************************************************
              Dear God, thank You for all the wonderful things
               You have provided for us. Help us to remember
                 that if we always obey and believe in You,
               You will meet our needs. In Jesus' name. Amen.
           ****************************************************

     CAN YOU FIND THIS STORY IN THE BIBLE?
     Genesis 22:1-19

     BIBLE STORY ARCHIVE
     misslink.org/children/bibstory2.html


                Copyright © 2006 by Barbara Wilmerton Haas.

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                                JUST FOR FUN

                                 [crayons]

                   Abraham and Isaac Online Coloring Page
                 Abraham and Isaac Print Out Coloring Page
                      Abraham and Isaac Coloring Page
                      Abraham and Isaac Coloring Page
                             Ram Coloring Page

                               CRAFT PROJECTS

                           Make A Cotton Ball Ram
                         Make A Bible Verse Puzzle

                                  STORIES

                          Abraham and Isaac Story
                        Abraham and Isaac Story Card
                       Abraham's Great Test of Faith
                             Abraham's Big Test
                             Birth of a Nation

                             TEACHER RESOURCES

              Gleanings In Genesis - The Offering Up of Isaac
                                 Genesis 22
                         Kidzwebbin - Lesson: Isaac
               Abraham and Isaac Climbing the Mountain Part 1
               Abraham and Isaac Climbing the Mountain Part 2
                        Abraham and Isaac Questions
         Abraham and Isaac - Coloring Page, Word Search, Crossword,
                                 Questions

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