April 14, 2023
Just saw the new movie “His Only Son”, from Angel Studios. This is an astonishing portrayal of the life of Abraham – from Ur of the Chaldees, to his journey to “a land that I will show you”.
It really does an outstanding job of portraying the faith that Abraham, such that it is recorded in Scripture that “Abraham was justified by faith”. He believed Gods word, well before seeing any evidence.
Trailer: https://youtu.be/zo2V5CQMuJw
The film depicts one of the most mysterious stories in Scripture, where Abraham hears God tell him to “take his son, his one an only son”, and sacrifice him on Mount Moriah.” This is a very difficult passage for not just skeptics, but believers. How could God ask of Abraham to sacrifice his one and only son? How just is this? What is the meaning of this story? and is there something deeper going on here?
The movie depicts Abraham’s agony as he wrestles with obeying this command from God. He knows that God is good, just and merciful, and always keeps His word. Before this command, God had promised Abraham that all the earth would be blessed through his one and only son. Its been 25 years, and Sarah is getting worried. So she advises Abraham to sleep with Hagar to have this son, and thus fulfill God’s promise. The movie depicts how Abraham is reluctant to do this, but he does it out of love for Sarah.
But God did not need that help. He always keeps his word, and when Sarah became to old to have a child, we read in chapter 21 of Genesis God is at work fulfilling His promise. The verse is interesting: “the LORD visited Sarah as He had said” and “did unto Sarah as He had spoken.” Clearly, the meaning here is that God keeps His word. The movie shows her as incredibly joyful as a result, understandably.
Isaac and his descendants would be God’s chosen people of the promise and they would become a unique people, separate and distinct from all others in the world. That included being separate from his brother Ishmael, the son of the flesh, and his descendants. But when God told this to Abraham, He also promised that He would bless Ishmael because he was Abraham’s child. From Ishmael would also come a great nation. Gen 17:19…
And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad,
and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice;
for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.
And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.
The movie continues with show how that Abraham left Sarah to journey to Moriah, encountering plenty of difficulties along the way, but always believing God would “make a way”. When they get to the mountain, the two servants are left behind, and Abraham and Isaac climb up the mountain to prepare the sacrifice. Its a faithful portrayal of Scripture when Isaac says to his father: “where is the sacrifice?” Its so well done, but yes, as the Word described the event, God pulls through once again. Abraham said, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” (Gen 22:8) At the last moment, a lamb shows up in a nearby thicket of thorns, and substitutes for Isaac and is offered to God.
They are both so relieved, as anyone would be. But isn’t this a foreshadowing of what happened at the cross of Calvary?
This same Mount Moriah would later be known as “the temple mount”, where sacrifices would be made by the Jewish faithful to the Lord. And is was just here that Jesus, in 33 AD, the one true “Lamb of God”, God’s only Son, would be sacrificed for the sins of all mankind, past, present and future. But in the case of Jesus, the ultimate substitute for all of us “who have fallen short”, the Father would not intervene, but had to allow His Son to sacrifice His life for the sins of mankind. Like the lamb caught in the thicket of thorns before Abraham, Jesus would be crowned with thorns as He was being prepared for sacrifice.
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that
whosoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
Like Abraham struggling with God’s command to sacrifice his only son, Jesus prayed to the Father that there might be another way. But in truth He knew there was no other option for us to be rescued from death. For He said, “Not my will, but thy will be done”. He had to give His life “as a ransom for many”.
Go see “His One and Only”. You’ll be glad you did.
References:
Evidence To Believe 