Did Abraham actually have to kill Isaac?
No. In Genesis 22, the account of the ram caught in the thicket shows Abraham did not have to kill Isaac after all. When Abraham realized the Sovereign God had provided the sacrifice, he named the place Jehovah Jireh, meaning the I Am is your provider.
Les teaches that Genesis 22 contains the account of the ram caught in the thicket, and therefore Abraham did not have to kill Isaac after all. Abraham realized that the Sovereign God provided the sacrifice, and in verse 14 he called the name of that place Jehovah Jireh. As it is said to this day, in the mount of the LORD it shall be seen. Jehovah Jireh meant, I am your provider. Jehovah contracted is the I Am, and Jireh means provider in the Hebrew. So the event points to God's provision rather than Isaac's death.