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Exodus 15:25,26
And he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD shewed him a tree,which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them, …

Exodus 16:4
Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.

Deuteronomy 8:2
And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee,and to prove thee, to know whatwas in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.

tempt.

Behold, here I am.

Genesis 22:7,11
And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Heream I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but whereis the lamb for a burnt offering? …

Exodus 3:4
And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Heream I.

Isaiah 6:8
Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Heream I; send me.

God tested Abraham
The concept of testing is significant in Scripture, often used to refine and prove the faith of God's people. This test is not for God's knowledge, as He is omniscient, but for Abraham's growth and the demonstration of his faith. It foreshadows the testing of faith seen in the lives of other biblical figures, such as Job and the Israelites in the wilderness. This test is a precursor to the ultimate test of faith and obedience seen in Jesus Christ's life and sacrifice.

and said to him, “Abraham!”
The direct address by God highlights the personal relationship between God and Abraham. It echoes previous divine encounters, such as God's call to Abraham inGenesis 12. The use of Abraham's name signifies the importance of the message and the intimacy of the communication. This personal call is reminiscent of God's calling of other key figures, such as Moses at the burning bush and Samuel in the temple.

“Here I am,” he answered.
Abraham's response indicates readiness and willingness to listen and obey. This phrase is a common biblical expression of availability and submission to God's will, seen in the responses of other faithful servants like Moses, Samuel, and Isaiah. It reflects a heart posture of obedience and trust, setting the stage for the profound act of faith that follows. Abraham's readiness is a type of Christ's obedience to the Father's will, culminating in His sacrificial death on the cross.

God does not hurry the growth of His children. After Isaac’s birth and the covenant with Abimelech (Genesis 21:1–34), Scripture simply says “Some time later.”

• This open-ended phrase reminds us that faith matures in real time—years, seasons, ordinary days (Hebrews 6:12).

• The Lord had already promised descendants (Genesis 15:5) and proved Himself faithful (Genesis 21:1–2). Now He allows space for Abraham to live in that promise before the next step.

• Similar pauses appear elsewhere: Israel wandered forty years before Jordan’s crossing (Deuteronomy 8:2), and Jesus waited thirty years before beginning public ministry (Luke 3:23). Each gap underscores God’s perfect pacing.

Testing is not tempting (James 1:13); it is the refining of genuine faith (1 Peter 1:6–7).

• The test comes from God, affirming His sovereignty and purposeful intent (Exodus 16:4).

• Abraham’s prior obedience—leaving Ur (Genesis 12:1–4), believing the impossible for a son (Romans 4:18–21)—sets the backdrop. Now the Lord will deepen that obedience.

• Passing the test will showcase faith in action, demonstrating that works complete belief (James 2:21–23).

• God’s tests are never for His information but for the believer’s transformation and for future generations to witness (Psalm 66:10;1 Corinthians 10:11).

The Almighty addresses Abraham personally, affirming relationship.

• From the earliest call (Genesis 12:1), God spoke directly. The pattern continues (John 10:27).

• Calling a name twice in Scripture often signals urgency or significance—though here it begins with a single, tender summons later echoed when the knife is raised (Genesis 22:11).

• The personal address assures Abraham that this directive is not a vague impression but the unmistakable voice of the covenant-keeping God (Hebrews 1:1–2).

Abraham’s immediate response reveals trustful readiness.

• The phrase echoes the servant heart of Moses (Exodus 3:4), Samuel (1 Samuel 3:4), and Isaiah (Isaiah 6:8).

• “Here I am” signals availability before details are given—faith that says yes in advance (Acts 9:10).

• Such availability grows out of relationship; Abraham knows God’s character and therefore answers without hesitation (Psalm 25:14).

• This response sets the stage for the ultimate act of obedience that follows (Genesis 22:3), illustrating that surrender begins with an open ear.

Genesis 22:1 opens with a deliberate pause, a purposeful test, a personal call, and a ready reply. The verse shows that God shapes faith over time, refines it through testing, speaks with clarity, and delights in the willing heart that says, “Here I am.”

THE OFFERING OF ISAAC ON MOUNT MORIAH.

(1)God did tempt Abraham.--Heb.,provedhim, put his faith and obedience to the proof. For twenty-five years the patriarch had wandered in Palestine, and seen the fulfilment of the promise perpetually deferred, and yet his faith failed not. At length the long wished for heir is born, and, excepting the grievous pain of parting with Ishmael, all went well with him, and seemed to presage a calm and happy old age. He was at peace with his neighbours, had quiet possession of ample pasture for his cattle, knew that Ishmael was prosperous, and saw Isaac fast approaching man's estate (Genesis 22:12). In the midst, nevertheless, of this tranquil evening of his days came the severest trial of all; for he was commanded to slay his son. The trial was twofold. For, first, human sacrifice was abhorrent to the nature of Jehovah, and Abraham's clear duty would be to prove the command. Could such a deed really be enjoined upon him by God? Now no subjective proof would be sufficient. In after times many an Israelite was moved by deep religious fanaticism to give his firstborn in the hope of appeasing the anger of God at his sin (Micah 6:7); but instead of peace it brought only a deeper condemnation upon his soul. Had Abraham been moved only by an internal and subjective impulse, his conduct would have deserved and met with similar condemnation But when, upon examination, he became convinced that the command came from outside himself, and from the same God with whom on former occasions he had so often held converse, then the antecedents of his own life required of him obedience. But even when satisfied of this, there was, secondly, the trial of his faith. A command which he had tested, not only subjectively by prayer, but objectively by comparison with the manner of previous revelations, bade him with his own hand destroy the son in whom "his seed was to be called." His love for his child, his previous faith in the promise, the religious value and worth of Isaac as the appointed means for the blessing of all mankind--this, and more besides, stood arrayed against the command. But Abraham, in spite of all, obeyed, and in proportion to the greatness of the trial was the greatness of the reward. Up to this time his faith had been proved by patience and endurance, but now he was bidden himself to destroy the fruit of so many years of patient waiting (Hebrews 11:17-19), and, assured that the command came from God, he wavered not. Thus by trial was his own faith made perfect, and for Isaac too there was blessing. Meekly, as befitted the type of Christ, he submitted to his father's will, and the life restored to him was henceforth dedicated to God. But there was a higher purpose in the command than the spiritual good of these 'two saints. The sacrifice had for its object the instruction of the whole Church of God. If the act had possessed no typical value, it would have been difficult for us to reconcile to our consciences a command which might have seemed, indirectly at least, to have authorised human sacrifices. But there was in it the setting forth of the mystery of the Father giving the Son to die for the sins of the world; and therein lies both the value and the justification of Abraham's conduct and of the Divine command.