Read Genesis 22
Abraham Tested
1 Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”
3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about.4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.5 He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”
6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”
“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.
“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.
9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”
13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”
15 The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16 and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18 and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”
19 Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set off together for Beersheba. And Abraham stayed in Beersheba.
Nahor’s Sons
20 Some time later Abraham was told, “Milkah is also a mother; she has borne sons to your brother Nahor: 21 Uz the firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel (the father of Aram), 22 Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph and Bethuel.” 23 Bethuel became the father of Rebekah. Milkah bore these eight sons to Abraham’s brother Nahor. 24 His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also had sons: Tebah, Gaham, Tahash and Maakah.
Go Deeper
This is one of the more difficult stories to read in Scripture. On the one hand, we know how this chapter ends. We know that even though God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, He stops him before Isaac gets hurt. But it’s hard to read this story because we place ourselves in it. We ask questions of the text as we read it. Would we be willing to sacrifice our children like Abraham was? Would God ever ask us to do something like this? Would we do it even if He asked? Do we have that kind of faith? But, what if we aren’t supposed to read ourselves into this particular story? Maybe this story isn’t about us. What if it’s honestly not even about Abraham and Isaac (although their faith is worth celebrating here)? What if this is a story foreshadowing what happens 1800 years later on the cross–what if this is a story about God and His Son, Jesus?
In this text, Abraham is a representation of God and Isaac is a picture of Jesus. Like God, Abraham was willing to sacrifice his one and only son, whom he loved. In fact, in this chapter, we see the first use of the word “love” in the entire Bible, and it’s used in reference to a father’s sacrificial love for his son. Abraham’s love for Isaac is a visual of God’s love for His only beloved Son, Jesus. In this passage, we also see Isaac submit to the will of his father. Abraham was over 100 years old and Isaac was around 30 at this time. Isaac could easily have fought off his old man, but he didn’t; he did what was asked of him. In that same way, Jesus submits to His Father’s will and goes to the cross willingly. Also, Isaac carried the wood up the hill for the sacrifice and Jesus carried His own cross up the hill before the crucifixion. In fact, the hill that Isaac was almost sacrificed on is believed by scholars to be the same exact hill Jesus was crucified on in modern-day Jerusalem.
As you can see, the parallels between Abraham and Isaac and God and Jesus are numerous in this story. Except for one really crucial part. At the last second, God provided another sacrifice for Abraham, in place of Isaac–a ram caught up in a thicket. But God didn’t provide a way out for His own Son. Jesus was the ram in the thicket that God provided for us. You see, God would never ask Abraham to do something that only He could do. Isaac’s sacrifice would’ve been worthless. The only sacrificial blood God needed was the blood that He Himself would shed through Jesus. The reason we can’t read ourselves into today’s text is because God doesn’t want us to. There’s no part for us to play there; there’s no cost left for us to pay. He’s already filled that role and paid that price through Jesus’ death on the cross. Praise Jehovah-Jireh, the God who provides, for providing His very own self as the ultimate sacrifice, because we couldn’t have done it on our own.
Questions
This chapter shows us just how much Abraham’s faith has grown. He is quick to do what God asks and trusts that God will provide. Evaluate your own faith. How has God been growing it this past year? Month? Week?
Abraham had to trust and obey God without seeing the full extent of His plan. Why do you think God typically only reveals His plan one step at a time? Do you obey and walk with God even when you can’t see where He’s leading you, or do you wait to obey until you see the fullness of His plan?
How has God provided for you?
Did You Know?
Many scholars believe Mount Moriah, the mountain God led Abraham to in order to sacrifice Isaac, is the same mountain that Jesus was crucified on, in modern-day Jerusalem. In between the time of those two sacrifices, they also believe that Solomon built the temple on that same mountain, where people sacrificed animals on the altar in order to pay for their sins. That mountain, named “The Lord will Provide” by Abraham, signifies God’s provision–first with animal sacrifice, and then eventually with His own Son, the ultimate sacrifice.
Watch This
For a deeper dive into the story of Abraham and Isaac (as well as how it ties into the story of Jesus), check out this sermon from Harris Creek’s series “Till He Appears.”
6 thoughts on “Genesis 22”
We see a major shift in Abraham as the one who twice used his wife as a pawn before a king now demonstrates an amazing faith in an excruciating circumstance. Through his unwavering obedience, he is promised that “through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.” Oh, the ripple effect of one man’s “yes” to God. I don’t want to miss the mercy of God in this narrative that even in our imperfections God still calls us to follow him. He alone qualifies those he calls. The scarlet thread of the ultimate redemption story is beautifully displayed here.
Obedient faith that overcomes in the trials of life
Inscribed on a clock-case in Chester Cathedral, England, is a poem, Time’s Paces, attributed to Henry Twells. It reads:
Time’s Paces
When as a child I laughed and wept, – Time crept.
When as a youth I dreamed and talked, – Time walked.
When I became a full grown man, – Time ran.
And later as I older grew – – Time flew.
Soon I shall find when travelling on, – Time gone.
Will Christ have saved my soul by then? – Amen.
Abraham’s life teaches us how to face and handle tests of life to the glory of God. God will grow us. “Temptations are used by the devil to bring out the worst in us, but trials are used by the Holy Spirit to bring out the best in us (vv.1-6) Temptations seem logical while trials seem very unreasonable.” (Wiersbe). He goes on to say that, God’s testing is taylor made for each child of God and experiences are unique. BUT GOD give us promises. Is He purifing our faith, perfecting our character or maybe protecting us from sin? Abraham stood on God’s promise “in Isaac shall they seed be called” (Gen 21:12. God provides for us and we have the advantage due to Christ’s resurrection power (Eph). We are to glorify God in all we say and do. There is always a light at the end of the tunnel. God’s LOVE HESED Love, meaning the unending, completely complete, permanent, commentment, unfailing, faithful, steadfast, loyal, undeserved, commpassionate, enduring, reliable, cherished, everlasting, flowing out of eternity, essential, abounding, covenant and more kind of LOVE our Father.
God for this reason I bow my knees before You Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of Your glory, You may grant me to be strengthened with power through Your Spirit in my inner being, so that Christ may dwell in my heart through faith—that I am being rooted and grounded in love, so that I have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that I may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to God who is able to do far more abundantly than all that I ask or think, according to the power at work within me, to You God, be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen(Eph 3:14-21) God thank You for all the minutes of this day that I can glorify You. Thank You for ears to hear, love goggles to see, and Your words coming out of my mouth in Jesus name amen.
WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
“Here I am,” he replied.
I’ve never noticed that this response is used twice in this very troubling chapter. Abraham is listening very carefully for God’s calling at all times. I need to bee better going about my days saying “Here I am!”.
On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.5 He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”
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Is this an indication(hope) that they (Abraham and Issac} will both return? I never noticed this before.
Through further research, I found this:
True faith is:
1.tested so you can trust it.2. responsive to God’s calling 3. submits to His will, 4. trusts in His Word, 5. obeys Him. .6. perfected by Jesus’ sacrifice.7. blessed by Jesus here and in heaven.
What God wants most of all is me, just as I am. There is room for mistakes, growth and joy along the way.
What a cool story and I didn’t know how deep the reflection went for Jesus’ life. What’s interesting though is that what god seams to ask of Abraham seams demonic. (I know that might sound far fetched but hear me out).
That was my first reaction to reading the story. Why would god ask adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply the earth (give birth, and now he’s asking to kill him?). God talks about isaac being the lineage of how he will do everything and then he asks Abraham to kill him? If I were in that position. Unless god was obviously clear with speaking, it seams demonic. Like someone is trying to blow up gods original plans.
What a great story though about reflecting Jesus! So strange to be called to sacrifice your own child for a second
The fact that I literally have asked ALL those questions listed at the top when I read this before, I absolutely only looked at me. God was LOUD today lol!