Gen 22:1-2
Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied. Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about."

 

God told Abraham to take his ONLY son. Even though Abraham had another son, Ishmael, by Hagar, Isaac was the son of promise.

Abraham says to the servants who are with him...

Gen 22:5

"Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there.  We will worship and then we will come back to you."

Abraham tells the servants, ..."we (plural) will come back to you." Abraham fully expected that both he and Isaac would return.

Hebrews 11:19

Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.

Notice all the parallels to Jesus in the sacrificing of Isaac. 

*It was a three day journey for Abraham and Isaac. It was a three day journey for Jesus from the cross to the resurrection. 

*Isaac carried the wood for the sacrifice. Jesus carried the wooden cross for His sacrifice. 

*Isaac submitted to the will of his father. Jesus submitted to the will of His Father.

*Isaac was saved by the substitution of another sacrifice. We are saved by the sacrifice of Jesus. 

*The place of Isaac's near sacrifice was Mount Moriah, the same place that Solomon built the temple (2 Chron 3:1), and the same place Jesus was crucified, Jerusalem.

Who was the “angel of the Lord” with Abraham and Isaac? Sounds a lot like the Son of God. Look at the blessings and promises given to Abraham. Only God can make those promises.

Rather a strange way of bargaining when Abraham purchased the field and cave for Sarah's burial.  This was the customary way of arranging for the sale of property.  However, the offer from Ephron was for Abraham to use the cave for a burial tomb, which he may have understood to be temporary.  Another custom then (as it is in some places today) was to place the body in a tomb, seal the entrance, and then return after the flesh had rotted off the bones, gather the bones and place them in a box.

Interestingly, a mosque covers the entrance to this tomb today.

Abraham was certainly obedient to the Lord in his willingness to sacrifice Isaac.  While God probably will never ask us to do such a thing, He still expects us to be obedient, quickly and completely.