Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 

—Genesis 22:10-11

I recently started reading through the book of Genesis again. It’s always been one of my favorites because it’s a book of the Bible that’s full of stories rather than laws or hard-to-understand theology. Not that there’s anything wrong with the books that lean into law and theology, but sometimes it’s a relief to go back to a book of stories.

The challenge I found in reading a book that’s so familiar to me was that I was often tempted to skim over the parts I remembered the best instead of studying them closely. One of the stories that I was tempted to skim was Genesis 22. This is the chapter where God tells Abraham to sacrifice Isaac.

Abraham’s Radical Obedience

It’s a story known by everyone who grew up in church. God decides to test Abraham. He tells him to offer Isaac as a sacrifice. Abraham obeys until God stops him just short and provides another way. No wonder he made it into the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11! With the amount of faith he showed just in this one test, it makes sense that the Jews should look up to him as more than just a founding father to be remembered.

And as I made myself slow down and read through this chapter again, I noticed something that’s left me with a much deeper sense of respect for the father of the nation of Israel.

He was willing.

What “Hinneni” Really Means

The very first verse of this chapter tells us that God decided to test Abraham and then called him by name. Of course, Abraham didn’t know what God was going to ask of him, but when he heard God’s call, he responded with the word hinneni. In the text, it’s translated as Here I am.

Several men throughout the Old Testament are called by God and respond by saying hinneni. Isaiah. Samuel. Moses. Jacob. And of course, Abraham.

The [hinneni meaning in the Bible] wasn’t as simple as saying “I’m over here.” Hinneni, often used to direct someone to look in a certain direction, was like saying, “Look. I’m right here, ready to hear what you have to say and obey.” It was a response that communicated readiness. Willingness.

Abraham’s Steadfast Heart

When God’s command comes in verse two, we might expect that readiness and willingness to wane. I’m sure it was an agonizing choice that Abraham wrestled with through the night. But what we see in verse three is that he gets up early in the morning and doesn’t waste any time in hitting the road. I’m not even a parent yet, and I can confidently say I’d have been hesitating a bit after that command.

I also think it’s amazing that nowhere in the Bible do we see any evidence that Abraham complained about the situation. In Hebrews 11, we get to see a little of his thought process, and instead of complaining or fearing or getting angry, he reasons that he can trust God, even in a situation that makes so little sense to human brains.

A Pattern of Readiness

Just the fact that Abraham moved in the right direction after such a command is impressive, but if we keep looking, it gets even better.

Later in chapter twenty-two, Abraham uses the word hinneni two more times. The first is when Isaac calls him to ask why they don’t have a lamb for the sacrifice. I love that this conversation is recorded in Scripture. Not only does it point to the Lamb God would send to be our sacrifice, but it also lets us know a little about what was going on in Abraham’s heart as they walked up the mountain.

Knowing what he was required to do, it would have been easy for Abraham to be distant and try to compartmentalize his love for his son. To turn off that part of his heart for the time being. But instead, we see a father who is still ready to listen to and serve his son.

The last time Abraham responded with hinneni is the one that gets me the most. It comes in verse 11 as he is about to sacrifice Isaac. God calls him, and again—despite the gut-wrenching situation the last call has put him in—Abraham says he is ready to hear and obey what God has to say. It could have been a command to use something other than a knife. It could have been a command to do something else that was even more challenging to his faith. But he still said, hinneni—I’m here to obey.

What If We Responded Like Abraham?

So often I find myself deciding to ignore the tug of the Holy Spirit when He’s trying to teach me something. If you’re anything like me, you feel Him tug one way, and promptly find something interesting to look at in the other direction. But what if we started responding with hinneni when we sense His leading?

When Abraham did, the result was one of the most impactful foretellings of Christ’s sacrifice in the Bible. I can’t imagine how it would change the world if the body of Christ made it a habit of being willing to follow His leading, just like Abraham.