In Genesis 22 we read of the supreme act of faith ever required of man – Abraham must kill and offer up his son as a burnt offering. In this story, we are reminded of another Father who offered His Son, Jesus Christ, as the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
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Christ – The Son Offered By The Father
Genesis 22:1-14
This morning we are going to look at what was probably the greatest test of faith that any man ever faced. Abraham is called the father of all who believe in Romans 4:11. Three times in Hebrews 11 we are told “by faith Abraham did such and such (Heb.11:8,9,17). Are you a believer in Jesus Christ this morning? If so, Abraham is your father. All of us need to learn about exercising faith from the example of our father, Abraham.
This morning let’s look at this story in 3 parts: The Test of Faith, The Obedience of Faith, and The Result of Faith.
1. The Test Of Faith:
When Was The Test Given?
22:1, “Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham.” After what things? After all the former tests of faith that God had given Abraham. God had called Abraham to leave his home town of Ur of the Chaldees, and set out on a journey to a place which God would show him. He was called to leave his relatives behind in Ur. And later, he had to separate from his nephew, Lot, and Hagar, and his son, Ishmael. Now, that his own son, Isaac had arrived, Abraham probably figured his tests of faith were over. In addition, after these things applies most specifically to the events of chapter 21 – the birth of Isaac. God had given a promise to Abraham and He had finally fulfilled His promise in Abraham’s old age. Over the previous 25 years, God had promised again and again that He would give Abraham a son. Abraham had waited patiently, and God had finally fulfilled His promise. Abraham and Sarah named him “laughter” because of their great joy. This little boy truly was the joy of his father’s heart.
Who Gave The Test?
22:1, “Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham.” The King James uses the word “tempt”, however God was not tempting Abraham to sin, but testing him to reveal his character. 1 Peter 1:6-7 says, “In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” Abraham is not the only one that God tests. He tests all of His children, by putting them through various trials. These trials are really beneficial for us, because they bring to the surface what our true character really is.
What Was The Test?
When God appeared to Abraham in the past, it was to give him a promise (15:1; 17:1). That’s what he probably expected this time. However, instead of receiving a promise, he was given the greatest command he could ever face. The essence of the test was, “go kill your son!” Every word must have been like a dagger ripping into his heart. This test meant that Abraham must cut his son’s throat, cut him up into pieces, lay every piece in order upon the altar, and then burn the pieces to ashes.
Notice how God identifies the one he must offer up. “Take now your son.” Abraham could have responded, “But, Lord, I have two sons! Which one?” “Your only son”. “But Lord, both of my sons are the only sons of their mother. Which one?” “Whom you love”. “But Lord, I love both of my sons. “Isaac”. Now there was absolutely no doubt about God’s test. Abraham must offer up his son, not a bull or ram or goat. Not a servant or even Ishmael. How willingly would Abraham have offered all of those! But God was requiring him to offer up the son of the promise, the son in whom were all his hopes and dreams. And not only must Abraham kill his son, but he must kill him as a sacrifice to God. In other words, he must kill him as an act of worship to God!
Where Was The Test?
22:2, “the land of Moriah…on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.” This was a three days journey, which must have meant a trip of about 45 miles. Abraham would have had a lot of time to consider what he must do, and if he followed through, to do it deliberately.
Oh, what a painful test! How many of you think that you could have passed this test? I, for one, don’t think I could have, unless the Lord somehow gave supernatural grace.
2. The Obedience Of Faith
There were all kinds of difficulties associated with Abraham’s obedience.
- It Contradicted God’s Law: God had already said in Genesis 9:6, “Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God He made man.” How could an unchangeable God, who condemned murder, now command Abraham to commit it?
- It Contradicted His Natural Affection for His Son: Abraham was being called, not only to be obedient, but to go against his own nature. If God must have a human sacrifice, can there be no sacrifice but Isaac, and no offerer but Abraham?
- It Contradicted All Reason: God gave no reason to Abraham for what He was commanding him to do. When God called him to cast out Ishmael, He gave him a reason. However, in this case, Isaac must die, and Abraham must kill him, and neither one will know why. It would be different if Isaac died as a criminal for justice, or as a martyr for the truth, or as a ransom to set someone else free. But in this case, the heavens were silent.
- It Contradicted God’s Promise: God had already told Abraham, “through Isaac your descendants shall be named” (Gen. 21:12). This new command to slay his son, didn’t make any sense. It completely went against what God had already promised.
- It Contradicted A Good Testimony: Abraham could have reasoned, “What will the Canaanites and Egyptians think when they find out what I’ve done? How can I bear a godly testimony before them ever again, after killing my own son?”
Now, let’s notice the steps in Abraham’s obedience.
- He Rose Early: 22:3. God’s command was probably given in a dream, or a vision of the night. I don’t think Abraham got any sleep the rest of that night. But, amazingly, he didn’t delay, murmur, or deliberate. He rose early.
- He Prepared for the Sacrifice: 22:3. Abraham saddled his donkey, summoned his servants and his son, split the wood, and took the flint for the fire. Of course, he didn’t tell anyone. If Abraham had told his servants or Sarah what he was about to do, surely they would have stopped him. Abraham knew God had spoken, and that he must obey, and that he couldn’t tell a living soul!
- He Journeyed to the Place: 22:3-4. God had told Abraham that He would show him the spot where He must offer up Isaac. All he knew was that it was somewhere in the land of Moriah. Evidently, once they arrived in Moriah, God made it clear to Abraham where he was to go. Perhaps God showed him which mountain by appointing some sign in the sky or a pillar of fire above it.
- He Walked On With Isaac: 22:5-8. He had to leave his servants behind, because he knew that if they went along, they would try to stop him from killing his son. At one point Isaac said, “My father!” Oh, what melting words! They would have struck deeper into the breast of Abraham than the knife into the heart of Isaac. Perhaps Abraham thought, “You shouldn’t call me your father. I’m about to become your murderer! Can a father act so cruelly toward his own son?!” Isaac asked him, “where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” It was a perfectly reasonable question. They had the wood and the fire, but the one thing they absolutely had to have was missing. There was nothing to sacrifice! Abraham responded that God would provide the lamb. Now, whether he was speaking as a prophet here, or just sidestepping the issue, I’m not sure.
- He Prepared to Offer Isaac: 22:9-10. Abraham must have went on with a heavy heart and many weary steps. When he arrived, he built the altar, laid the wood on it, bound his son, and laid him on the wood. I imagine him weeping, saying good-bye to his son, and kissing him one final time. Then he brushed aside the feelings of a father and assumed the posture of a sacrificer. With a fixed heart he looked up to heaven and took the knife and stretched out his hand to plunge it into his own son. Matthew Henry says of this scene, “Be astonished O heavens at this, and wonder O earth! Here is an act of faith and obedience, which deserves to be a spectacle to God, angels, and men. Abraham’s darling, Sarah’s laughter, the church’s hope, the heir of promise, lies ready to bleed and die by his own father’s hand, who never shrinks at the doing of it.”
3. The Results Of Faith
So far the story has been very sad and heavy, but at this point the sky clears and the sun breaks out. It begins with a pronouncement from “the angel of the Lord.” Who is this angel? Well, verses 15-18 make it clear that it is God Himself. So, why would He be identified as an angel? The word angel simply means “messenger.” I believe we have here the Lord Jesus Christ speaking to Abraham from heaven.
- Isaac is Rescued: 11-12a. Abraham had now proved that he loved God more than he loved Isaac. God often rescues us when we are brought to our greatest point of need.
- Abraham is Approved: 12b. God knew that he feared God. Of course, God knew all along, but now his faith was manifest outwardly to all – God, himself, Isaac, and all of us who read this story. We are taught here that our best evidence that we fear God is our willingness to sacrifice that which is dearest to us for His sake. Does God have your greatest love and devotion? Are you willing to let go of anything should He ask it of you?
- God Provides Another Sacrifice: 13-14. Just as Abraham had told Isaac, God provided for Himself a lamb. In honor of God’s wonderful provision, Abraham renamed the mountain to Jehovah-Jireh which means “The Lord Will Provide.” In effect, Abraham was saying, “As God has provided for me, so He will for all that trust Him!” It became a catchword. The people that used the name of that mountain were prophesying and didn’t even know it. In the mount of the Lord a far greater sacrifice than Isaac one day would be provided!
Life Application:
There are two strands of application we need to see from our text today. The Holy Spirit included Genesis 22 in our Bibles, because He wants us to see something about the Death of Christ and something about the Devotion of the Christian.
The Death of Christ
This entire narrative screams Calvary! This chapter is to me one of the greatest proofs of the divine inspiration of the Bible. It is granted unanimously that the book of Genesis was written far before Jesus Christ ever appeared on the earth. However, this chapter in Genesis perfectly anticipates and prefigures the cross of Jesus Christ.
- Your Only Son Whom You Love: 2 things are stressed here. 1) that Isaac was Abraham’s only son; and 2) that Isaac was Abraham’s beloved son. Both are true of Jesus Christ, aren’t they? “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” (Jn. 3:16). “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Mt. 3:17).
- Isaac Bore The Wood on His Back: 22:6. What a remarkable foreshadowing of Christ, who would bear on His back the wood upon which He would be crucified!
- The Two Walked On Together: 22:6,8. This is repeated twice for emphasis, but how was this fulfilled in the cross of Christ? This speaks of the agreement between the Father and Son before the creation of the world to redeem sinners. From eternity past the Father and the Son had been walking on together toward the cross. All events had been moving toward the cross, and all culminate there. Just as Abraham and Isaac left everyone else, and walked on alone, so too the cross was a transaction between the Father and the Son only. No one was permitted to see what took place between Abraham and Isaac at the altar, and no one but the Father and the Son saw all that took place on Calvary. In a very real sense, when Jesus died on the cross, it was between Him and His Father alone.
- Isaac Submitted To Death: The Hebrew word for lad has a wide range of meaning. It can be used of an infant (Ex.2:6), but also for a 56 year old man (Ex.33:11). It was used of Ishmael at 17 years of age (Gen.21:12), Shechem who was of marrying age (Gen.34:19), Joseph when he was 17. It usually means a young man – either a teenager or someone in their early 20’s. In fact it is used in Gen. 22:3,5 for the two “young men” or servants that Abraham chose to come with him on this trip. It is highly likely, therefore, that Isaac is not a baby or even a young boy, but a young man at this point. Abraham, on the other hand is probably 115 or 120 years old. The point is that Isaac could have easily resisted and overpowered his father, if he had chosen to do so. I believe that Abraham told Isaac what God had commanded him to do, but also that God is able to raise the dead. And instead of fighting, Isaac humbly submitted to His Father’s will. Oh, what a beautiful parallel! Jesus said in John 10:17-18, “For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.”
- Abraham Offered Up Isaac: This more than any other type pictures how God must have felt in giving His Son! “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all…” (Rom.8:32). God didn’t spare Him! It must have been just as difficult for the Father to give His Son, as for the Son to suffer and die.
- The Ram Became the Substitute: This is where the type breaks down, because there was no substitute for Jesus Christ. He prayed, “Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Nevertheless, not My will, but Thine be done.” However, it wasn’t possible. There was no other substitute who could take His place. The blood atoning sacrifice must be both God and Man, and Jesus is the only one who ever matched that description.
- Isaac Was Received Back From the Dead on the Third Day: Abraham reckoned Isaac as good as dead from the moment God gave him the command. Three days later he received him back safe and sound. Listen to the words of Hebrews 11:17-19, “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; it was he to whom it was said, “In Isaac your descendants shall be called.” He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type.” It was faith in God’s resurrection power that enabled Abraham to go through with all of this.
- Abraham Offered Isaac on Mt. Moriah: According to 2 Chron. 3:1, this is where the temple was built. I don’t think it is any coincidence that Jesus was crucified in the same general location as where the temple was built. Probably on that same mountain, another Father offered His only Son as a sacrifice for our sins. That saying, “in the mount of the Lord it will be provided” was truly prophetic.
Oh, in all of this we see something of the glory of the cross, don’t we? We see the love of God for sinners to be willing to deliver up His own Son rather than to deliver the entire human race over to His inflexible justice. We see the preciousness of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. It is so true that “God will provide for Himself the lamb.” God alone could supply what would satisfy Himself. Nothing of man could ever meet the Divine requirements. Yes, Christ died for sinners, but He also died for God! Sinners are like Isaac – delivered over to death, bound in sin, with the knife of Divine justice ready to fall. But Christ is God’s offering for sin. Look to Him. Flee to Him. Trust Him and you are saved!
The Devotion of the Christian
Believer, what does this passage teach you?
- God Requires Supreme Devotion: He will not permit idolatry in our lives. He will require us to kill and sacrifice anything that we love more than Him. The greatest commandment is to “love the Lord our God with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our mind, and with all our strength” (Mk.12:30). Jesus said, “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worth of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me” (Mt.10:37).
- God Requires Immediate Obedience: Abraham is a wonderful example of immediate obedience. Delayed obedience is disobedience. When our children were small, we taught them the principle of “first time obedience.” If we told them what to do, and they didn’t do it, they got a little swat. If God has made known to you His will, set about to do it immediately! While we delay, time is lost, and our hearts are hardened. If God tells you to stop watching trashy TV, don’t tell him you’ll get around to it after that sizzling mini-series this week. If you know His will is to exercise self-control in your eating, don’t tell him you’ll get to that once the holidays are over.
- God Requires Us To Lay Aside Hindrances to Obedience: Abraham left Sarah at home, and the servants at a distance. When God commands us to do something, we must not let other people hinder us from obeying. If you are convinced you should be using more of the money God has entrusted for evangelism and mercy, and less on yourself, don’t let anyone talk you out of it. If you believe it is bad stewardship to spend the bulk of your time in amusements and recreation, rather than in serving others, using your spiritual gifts, and bringing the gospel to the lost, don’t listen to anyone who would try to persuade you otherwise.
- God Requires Us To Obey Even When It Is Painful: Sometimes we think, “I’ll know if this is something God wants me to do because if it is He will give me a desire to do it.” Not necessarily! I don’t think Abraham wanted to kill his son. Jesus shrank from bearing God’s awful wrath and prayed that the cup might pass from His lips. We must determine God’s will from His Word, not from our feelings. Then, when we know it, we must obey by His grace.
Those who are outside of Christ, come to Jesus, surrender to Him, and trust in His finished work. Believers, follow in the steps of Abraham, and obey God in faith.
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