CHAPTER 22:1-19, ABRAHAM'S FAITH IS PUT TO A SEVERE TEST
IN THE OFFERING OF ISAAC.
A.This story will highlight God's supreme faithfulness, His grace, and His sovereign power (in giving Isaac, and then providing a ram to die in Isaac's place).
B.The only way it can be understood is to view it by faith, looking back from the cross: Abraham's faith becomes a patern for our faith, as we must trust God alone to provide the perfect sacrifice for our sins.
C.We know from Heb 11:19 that Abraham expected God to raise Isaac from the dead; so his actions reflect his trust in God to take care of the present problem and fulfill His promises.
D.About 40 years had passed since God first promised to give Abraham a son, but God had not forgotten His promise, nor changed His mind.
22:1 AND IT CAME TO PASS AFTER THESE THINGS, THAT GOD DID TEMPT ABRAHAM, AND SAID UNTO HIM, ABRAHAM: AND HE SAID, BEHOLD, [HERE] I [AM].
A.GOD DID TEMPT ABRAHAM: Not entice him to do evil, but test him, after all these years of preparation, to see if he loved Isaac more than he loved God.
B.The severity of that test was about to be made known.
C.He might not have withstood the test if he had not spent a long time learning patience and trust (trust that God will provide for His own, in His way, and at His time).
D.Is it possible that God causes (or allows) us to suffer in order to test our faith? Remember Job.
22:2 AND HE SAID, TAKE NOW THY SON, THINE ONLY [SON] ISAAC, WHOM THOU LOVEST, AND GET THEE INTO THE LAND OF MORIAH; AND OFFER HIM THERE FOR A BURNT OFFERING UPON ONE OF THE MOUNTAINS WHICH I WILL TELL THEE OF.
A.WHOM THOU LOVEST: This is the first time LOVE is mentioned in the Bible.
B.LAND OF MORIAH: The only other time MORIAH is mentioned is 2Ch 3:1, where the name is applied to the mount in Jerusalem on which Solomon's Temple was built. The identification is not positive, but it might have been on or near the spot where God would later offer His Own Son for our sin.
C.This was an unexpected, difficult request; Abraham believed that all of God's promises concerning the coming Deliverer were to be fulfilled through Isaac and his descendants.
D.But Abraham did not waver in his faith. He believed God was able to raise Isaac up, even from the dead - Heb 11:17-19.
22:3 AND ABRAHAM ROSE UP EARLY IN THE MORNING, AND SADDLED HIS ASS, AND TOOK TWO OF HIS YOUNG MEN WITH HIM, AND ISAAC HIS SON, AND CLAVE THE WOOD FOR THE BURNT OFFERING, AND ROSE UP, AND WENT UNTO THE PLACE OF WHICH GOD HAD TOLD HIM.
**Because Abraham believed and trusted in God, he immediately made preparations, without question, to go north to the place where God had promised to lead him.
22:4 THEN ON THE THIRD DAY ABRAHAM LIFTED UP HIS EYES, AND SAW THE PLACE AFAR OFF.
**Three days of travelling and thinking about what God had said in Verse 2 (how he must have thought!)
22:5 AND ABRAHAM SAID UNTO HIS YOUNG MEN, ABIDE YE HERE WITH THE ASS; AND I AND THE LAD WILL GO YONDER AND WORSHIP, AND COME AGAIN TO YOU.
A.THE LAD: The same word is translated YOUNG MEN in Verse 3; we do not know how long it had been since Isaac's birth, but ob-viously he is now strong enough to carry the wood - Verse 6.
B.We do not know his age, but many conservative scholars think he was about 25 at this time.
C.Note Abraham's confidence that both of them would return.
22:6 AND ABRAHAM TOOK THE WOOD OF THE BURNT OFFERING, AND LAID [IT] UPON ISAAC HIS SON; AND HE TOOK THE FIRE IN HIS HAND, AND A KNIFE; AND THEY WENT BOTH OF THEM TOGETHER.
22:7 AND ISAAC SPAKE UNTO ABRAHAM HIS FATHER, AND SAID, MY FATHER: AND HE SAID, HERE [AM] I, MY SON. AND HE SAID, BEHOLD THE FIRE AND THE WOOD: BUT WHERE [IS] THE LAMB FOR A BURNT OFFERING?
22:8 AND ABRAHAM SAID, MY SON, GOD WILL PROVIDE HIMSELF A LAMB FOR A BURNT OFFERING: SO THEY WENT BOTH OF THEM TOGETHER.
A.Isaac puts a searching question to a loving father.
B.Abraham could only reply, "GOD WILL PROVIDE...."
22:9 AND THEY CAME TO THE PLACE WHICH GOD HAD TOLD HIM OF; AND ABRAHAM BUILT AN ALTAR THERE, AND LAID THE WOOD IN ORDER, AND BOUND ISAAC HIS SON, AND LAID HIM ON THE ALTAR UPON THE WOOD.
**Also give Isaac credit for faith; he was strong and could have resisted; but he obeyed his father, and he seemed to believe everything would work out according to God's plan.
22:10 AND ABRAHAM STRETCHED FORTH HIS HAND, AND TOOK THE KNIFE TO SLAY HIS SON.
A.God is holy and righteous; He demands death as the payment for sin.
B.So there was no escape in sight for Isaac. See the spiritual application -- There is no way we can save ourselves from death and everlasting punishment for our sins; none can es-cape without Divine intervention.
C.But God can provide (Verse 8); He did for Isaac, and He has provided His own Son to redeem us.
22:11 AND THE ANGEL OF THE LORD CALLED UNTO HIM OUT OF HEAVEN, AND SAID, ABRAHAM, ABRAHAM: AND HE SAID, HERE [AM] I.
22:12 AND HE SAID, LAY NOT THINE HAND UPON THE LAD, NEITHER DO THOU ANY THING UNTO HIM: FOR NOW I KNOW THAT THOU FEAREST GOD, SEEING THOU HAST NOT WITHHELD THY SON, THINE ONLY [SON] FROM ME.
A.Abraham had passed the test of faith - cf Jas 2:20-24.
B.And so also had Isaac passed the test of faith!
C.But Isaac could not be saved unless there was another suit-able sacrifice, and Abraham and Isaac had no other; So God graciously provided - Verse 13.
22:13 AND ABRAHAM LIFTED UP HIS EYES, AND LOOKED, AND BEHOLD BEHIND [HIM] A RAM CAUGHT IN A THICKET BY HIS HORNS: AND ABRAHAM WENT AND TOOK THE RAM, AND OFFERED HIM UP FOR A BURNT OFFERING IN THE STEAD OF HIS SON.
A.Remember Abraham's faith - Verse 8.
B.Note the detail: CAUGHT IN A THICKET BY HIS HORNS. Had he been caught some other way he would have injured himself in trying to get free, and God later emphasizes in the Law of Moses that He would accept only a healthy strong animal as a sacrifice -- He is Perfect, and He requires perfection.
C.God had promised Abraham that he would have many descendants through Isaac; He is faithful, and He keeps His promises.
22:14 AND ABRAHAM 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.
A.JEHOVAH-JIREH means "the Lord will provide."
B.He provided a substitute to die in the place of Isaac, and He is now going to be clear in His promise to Abraham that later God will provide a Descendent of Abraham as the substitute to die in the place of all mankind.
22:15 AND THE ANGEL OF THE LORD CALLED UNTO ABRAHAM OUT OF HEAVEN THE SECOND TIME,
22:16 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]:
22:17 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;
A.Before invention of the telescope, scientists (including those in Egypt in Moses' time) said there could be no more than 3,000 stars.
B.But here Moses compares STARS to SAND; this is another of the many marks of inspiration in the Book of Genesis.
22:18 AND IN THY SEED SHALL ALL THE NATIONS OF THE EARTH BE BLESSED; BECAUSE THOU HAST OBEYED MY VOICE.
A.This was to be (and is) the everlasting result of Abraham's great faith.
B.See Paul's discussion of this - Gal 3:8,14,16,26-29.
22:19 SO ABRAHAM RETURNED UNTO HIS YOUNG MEN, AND THEY ROSE UP AND WENT TOGETHER TO BEER-SHEBA; AND ABRAHAM DWELT AT BEER-SHEBA.
22:20 AND IT CAME TO PASS AFTER THESE THINGS, THAT IT WAS TOLD ABRAHAM, SAYING, BEHOLD, MILCAH, SHE HATH ALSO BORN CHILDREN UNTO THY BROTHER NAHOR;
22:21 HUZ HIS FIRSTBORN, AND BUZ HIS BROTHER, AND KEMUEL THE FATHER OF ARAM,
22:22 AND CHESED, AND HAZO, AND PILDASH, AND JIDLAPH, AND BETHUEL.
22:23 AND BETHUEL BEGAT REBEKAH: THESE EIGHT MILCAH DID BEAR TO NAHOR, ABRAHAM'S BROTHER.
22:24 AND HIS CONCUBINE, WHOSE NAME [WAS] REUMAH, SHE BARE ALSO TEBAH, AND GAHAM, AND THAHASH, AND MAACHAH.
A.Of all these names, the one who emerges as a major character is REBEKAH, who would become Isaac's wife.
B.She was the daughter of Bethuel (Verse 23), who was the son of Nahor (Verse 22), who was the brother of Abraham (Verse 20); so she was Abraham's great-niece.
Return to Genesis