Thou…Hast Not Withheld

Genesis 22:16-17, “And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord , for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;

This passage of Scripture is taken from the chapter of God testing Abraham. God tells him to take Isaac and offer him as a sacrifice to God. Abraham did so even though Isaac was the son that God had promised to him to carry his seed. As we know, Abraham was about to kill Isaac when God stopped him. Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught in the bush.

God told Abraham that because he did this and because he did not withhold from God the thing most precious to him, God could bless him. God blesses complete obedience. We ought not to hold anything back from God. The blessings of God are contingent on our obedience to Him. God’s blessings are only hindered by our lack of obedience and surrender. Abraham did not hold anything back from God, and God blessed him greatly for it. Let us be completely surrendered and obedient to God, so God can bless us for it.