By this time Abraham had reached maturity. When he heard that God wanted him to offer up Isaac, he did not feel that this was a difficult thing to do. He told his servant, "Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you" (Gen. 22:5). He did not even mention the word sacrifice. To him this was a worship! Nothing was more precious than God Himself, not even the most important work that He had assigned. Whenever God wanted him to drop something, he willingly dropped it. Everything was for God, and he did not argue with God.
Hebrews 11:19 shows us that at the time Abraham offered up Isaac, he knew that God is the God of resurrection. He obeyed God's command to offer up Isaac, "from which he also received him back in figure." It is true that he did not kill Isaac and that Isaac did not die, but Hebrews 11:19 says that "from which [that is, death] he also received him back in figure." He considered God not only to be the God of creation, but also the God of resurrection. He believed that even if his son died, God would resurrect him. He knew God as the Father, the Initiator of everything, who calls things not being as being and gives life to the dead. He knew that God is the Father, and he believed in God and looked to Him. In Genesis 15 Abraham was justified by faith. God justified him once more because of this act of faith in Genesis 22. James 2:21-23 speaks about this matter. At this point everything with Abraham was directly related to God; he was not related to Isaac in any direct way.
Before the Lord, we have to realize that even the commission we have received, the work we are doing, and the will of God that we know, must be dropped. There is a big difference between what is natural and what is of resurrection. Everything that we do not want to let go of is natural. Everything that comes from resurrection is preserved by God, and we cannot hold on to it with our fleshly hands. We have to learn to thank the Lord for calling us to His work and also learn to thank Him for calling us to not work. We are not directly related to God's work, but to God Himself. Everything should pass through death and resurrection. What is resurrection? Resurrection is anything that we cannot put our hands on, that we cannot hold on to. This is resurrection. Natural things are the things that we can grasp hold of, while we cannot grasp hold of the things in resurrection. We have to see that everything we have is of God and that anything that is of God cannot become our own private possession. We must put it in God's hand. God gave Isaac to Abraham, but Isaac still belonged to God. He did not belong to Abraham. When Abraham reached this point, he became a completed vessel.
When Abraham reached this point, God 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 seashore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice" (Gen. 22:16-18). The ultimate goal for which Abraham was called at the beginning was fulfilled. God had called Abraham for three purposes. First, He wanted to give the land of Canaan to Abraham and his descendants. Second, He wanted to make him and his descendants a people of God. Third, He wanted to bless all the nations of the earth through him. Abraham was tested concerning Canaan and concerning his descendant. He became God's vessel, and God was able to say, "In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed." God's goal was now fulfilled.
Gifts do not constitute God's vessels and ministers. God's vessels and ministers must be those who are before the Lord, who have passed through His dealings, and who have much experience. The greatest misunderstanding we have in our service to God is to think that God's workers are built upon the foundation of knowledge and gifts or even natural cleverness. If a man is naturally clever and has a good memory, others will say that he is quite good and promising in God's service. They will say that he is useful in spiritual matters. Man thinks a vessel is "useful to the Master" as long as he is clever, quick, and eloquent in his natural constitution, as long as he acquires more teachings, theologies, and Bible knowledge, and as long as he has some amount of spiritual gift and eloquence. But we have to say an honest word. The first vessel that God called did not become one because of these things. He was brought through one way. God repeatedly showed him his weaknesses and uselessness and that his fleshly energy was not pleasing to Him. God dealt with him step by step until he truly knew God as the Father. Finally, he offered Isaac to God. By that time, he had become a vessel, and God was able to say, "In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed."
It is true that there are different levels in our service to God, and we can serve Him wherever we are. But the real question is, "What kind of service should we have in order to satisfy Him?" Those who satisfy God know the cross on the negative side and know God as the Father on the positive side. If our service does not have this knowledge, it lacks spiritual value. May the Lord be gracious to us to show us that everything God did with Abraham was to reveal Himself as the Father and the Initiator of everything. Because Abraham knew God as the Father, he is the only one in the whole Bible who is called "father." Only those who know God as the Father can be a father. What we know of God determines what kind of vessel we are before Him. The God that we know determines the kind of vessel that we are. May the Lord deliver us from dead doctrines and knowledge. We can only be God's vessels and ministers according to our knowledge of Him. God's vessels and ministers are those who know God.