Gênesis 22
Bob Utley · Citado em PreceptAustin
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Utley- God changed his name from Abram, which means "exalted father," to Abraham, which means "father of a multitude." God is about to ask Abraham to do something that will jeopardize his new name! The Septuagint doubles God's address to Abraham, but the Hebrew manuscript has only a single "Abraham" in Genesis 22:1, while the double is in Genesis 22:11. Wenstrom - The statement “God tested Abraham” reveals to the reader that which Abraham was unaware of, namely, that God had no intention of letting Abraham kill Isaac. But rather God tested Abraham in order to demonstrate to the angels and men that Abraham valued his relationship with God over his relationship with his beloved son, Isaac. “Tested” is the piel form of the verb nasah (hs*n*), which means, “to test through adversity in order to demonstrate a person’s character” and the testing of Abraham was designed to demonstrate that which was already in the soul of Abraham, namely, that he loved God more than Isaac....The verb nasah does “not” mean “to entice to sin.” (Jas 1:13) This test was “not” to find fault in Abraham. But rather to demonstrate the character that God had developed in Abraham through the years of fellowship together. (cf Jas 1:2-3, 1Pe 1:6-7) This testing of Abraham would glorify God in the sense that God’s love for Abraham would be manifested in Abraham’s love for God since Abraham responded in obedience to God’s command to sacrifice Isaac because of God’s love for him. This testing of Abraham glorified God in the sense that it reflected God the Father and God the Son’s love for each other. This test that God put Abraham through was difficult for a couple of reasons. The obvious difficulty is that Abraham loved Isaac and the other was that Abraham had to deal with an apparent contradiction in the sense that God had promised Abraham that He would establish His covenant with Isaac for an eternal covenant for his (Isaac’s) descendants after him as recorded in Genesis 17:19! Hebrews 11:17-19 records that Abraham resolved this apparent contradiction believing that God would raise Isaac from the dead! (Hebrews 11:17-19) THOUGHT - Have you never prayed, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting”? (Ps 139:23-24) Invite divine inspection, and, if God shall come, and by some extraordinary trial test you, be not cast down on that account, but rather take it as a very choice favour that the King himself should put you to the proof to know whether you are indeed his. (Spurgeon) Henry
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Utley writes that "This is a Hebrew idiom of availability (cf. Genesis 22:11; Exodus 3:4; 1 Samuel 3:4; Isaiah 6:8)
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Utley - SPECIAL TOPIC: GOD TESTS HIS PEOPLE (OT) The term "test" (Piel PERFECT; Gen. 22:1) is used in the sense of "to try." It is used in the sense of bringing someone to the place whereby they recognize and act on their own stated priorities. It is obvious from Genesis 12 through 22 that God is presenting Abraham with a series of situations (the rabbis say ten) in order to focus his love and trust in God and God alone (same procedure possibly in also Job). These tests were not so much for God's sake, but for Abraham's sake and his understanding of the God who called him out of Ur of the Chaldees. Abraham is asked to give up family, home, friends, worship object, inheritance, tradition and even the future (to sacrifice his promised son in Genesis 22) to follow God by faith (cf. Gen. 15:6; Rom. 4:3; Gal. 3:6). God tests all of His children in the area of their priority (cf. Matt. 4:lff; Heb. 5:8; 12:5-13). God tests (BDB 650) in order to know (BDB 393). Israel often tested God by their disobedience and God proved to be true to His word. Now God will give Israel and her people a chance to demonstrate their spoken allegiance and faith. God tested His people corporately (some examples) Exod. 15:25; 16:4; 20:20 Deut. 8:2,16; 13:3 Joshua 3 Jdgs. 2:22; 3:1,4 God tested individual Israelites (some examples) Abraham, Gen. 22:1-12 Joseph, Genesis 37; 39 Moses, Exodus 3-4 Gideon, Judges 6 David, 1 Samuel 17 Hezekiah, 2 Chr. 32:31 The Psalm writers cry out for God to test them so as to remove any hidden flaws (cf. Ps. 26:2; 139:23) The NT people of God are also tested, as was Jesus (Matthew 4; Luke 4; Heb. 5:8). See SPECIAL TOPIC: GREEK TERMS FOR TESTING AND THEIR CONNOTATIONS. Wenstrom has an interesting comment - Genesis 22:1-19 records the seventh and final great crisis in the life of Abraham, which tested his love for the Lord, his faith in the Lord and his obedience to the Lord: (1) God commanded Abraham to leave behind his parents as recorded in Genesis 12:1 and Hebrews 11:8. (2) God commanded Abraham to live among the Canaanites as an alien (see Genesis 12:1-8; Hebrews 11:9-10). (3) Abraham’s faith was tested in that he had to choose between living in the land of Canaan, trusting that the Lord would take care of him even though there was a famine in the land or leave the land of Canaan and go to Egypt. (4) Abraham had to separate from his nephew Lot as recorded in Genesis 13:5-18. (5) God commanded Abraham to send away Ishmael whom he loved dearly as recorded in Genesis 17:18-21 and Ge 21:12- 14. (6) Abraham’s faith was tested in that he had to wait twenty-five years for the birth of Isaac and had to trust that God could deliver on this promise even though he and Sarah were biologically unable to have children together because of their advanced age (see Romans 4:18-22). (7) God commanded Abraham to sacrifice Isaac after he waited so long for him to be born (Genesis 22:1- 19; Hebrews 11:17-19). The seventh and final test in Abraham’s life demonstrates the spiritual maturity of Abraham since the number seven in the Bible is the number of spiritual perfection.
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Utley has an interesting note on the verb go (halak) - "This verb (halak) in this form is found only here and Genesis 12:1+, which links these two tests as promise and fulfillment." (Note the similar statement in Genesis 22:18 and Genesis 12:3). Utley makes statement that is interesting but I cannot definitively substantiate it - Also Moriah seems to relate to the city of Melchizedek, Salem (Genesis 14:18), later called Jebus, which became Jerusalem. And offer him there as a burnt offering (olah) on one of the mountains of which I will tell you." - Again offer in the Septuagint is aorist imperative so the idea is "Just do it" Offer your son as a whole burnt offering, a voluntary offering by fire, the smoke of which would ascend as a soothing aroma to the Lord. Nothing was to be held back. It is also worth noting that in Leviticus when the person offering the sacrifice laid his hand on the head of the sacrifice, it was accepted as an substitutionary atonement on his behalf. The Greek or Lxx translates burnt offering (olah) with holokautoma meaning wholly consumed (root of our English "holocaust" - think of Jewish Holocaust!) Utley on burnt offering - Not only did it involve ritually cutting his throat, but also ritually butchering him. What a shocking command from the Deity who promised him a son and caused him to send Ishmael away! Abraham must trust God without understanding, much like the Numbers 21:6-9+ incident alluded to in John 3:14+. Ryrie - Human sacrifice was practiced (though not by the godly) in OT times, and Abraham would have been acquainted with it in Mesopotamia. God's intention here was to see if Abraham loved Him more than he loved Isaac and to try Abraham's faith in His promise concerning descendants. Moriah was a general area that included the hills on which Solomon later built his Temple in Jerusalem (see 2Chr 3:1). NET NOTE - A whole burnt offering signified the complete surrender of the worshiper and complete acceptance by God. The demand for a human sacrifice was certainly radical and may have seemed to Abraham out of character for God. Abraham would have to obey without fully understanding what God was about. Always guard against self-chosen service for God. Self-sacrifice may be a disease that impairs your service. Oswald Chambers warns us that "Abraham did not choose what the sacrifice would be. Always guard against self-chosen service for God. Self-sacrifice may be a disease that impairs your service. If God has made your cup sweet, drink it with grace; or even if He has made it bitter, drink it in communion with Him. If the providential will of God means a hard and difficult time for you, go through it. But never decide the place of your own martyrdom, as if to say, "I will only go to there, but no farther." God chose the test for Abraham, and Abraham neither delayed nor protested, but steadily obeyed. If you are not living in touch with God, it is easy to blame Him or pass judgment on Him. You must go through the trial before you have any right to pronounce a verdict, because by going through the trial you learn to know God better. God is working in us to reach His highest goals until His purpose and our purpose become one." (The Supreme Climb - My Utmost For His Highest) The great lesson to be learned from Abraham’s faith in God is that he was prepared to do anything for God. Chambers - A person’s character determines how he interprets God’s will (see Psalm 18:25-26). Abraham interpreted God’s command to mean that he had to kill his son, and he could only leave this traditional belief behind through the pain of a tremendous ordeal. God could purify his faith in no other way. If we obey what God says according to our sincere belief, God will break us from those traditional beliefs that misrepresent Him. There are many such beliefs which must be removed– for example, that God removes a child because his mother loves him too much. That is the devil’s lie and a travesty on the true nature of God! If the devil can hinder us from taking the supreme climb and getting rid of our wrong traditional beliefs about God, he will do so. But if we will stay true to God, God will take us through an ordeal that will serve to bring us into a better knowledge of Himself. The great lesson to be learned from Abraham’s faith in God is that he was prepared to do anything for God. He was there to obey God, no matter what contrary belief of his might be violated by his obedience. Abraham was not devoted to his own convictions or else he would have slain Isaac and said that the voice of the angel was actually the voice of the devil. That is the attitude of a fanatic. If you will remain true to God, God will lead you directly through every barrier and right into the inner chamber of the knowledge of Himself. But you must always be willing to come to the point of giving up your own convictions and traditional beliefs. Don’t ask God to test you. Never declare as Peter did that you are willing to do anything, even “to go …both to prison and to death” (Luke 22:33). Abraham did not make any such statement— he simply remained true to God, and God purified his faith. (The Supreme Climb) Love (friend) (0157) aheb/ahab means to love and can convey the idea of liking things (like bribes - Isa 1:23, wisdom - Pr 4:6, wine - Pr 21:17, peace and truth - Zech 8:19, food - Ge 27:4, 9, 14). The most important uses in the OT are as an expression of God's love of people (Dt 4:37, Hosea 3:1), man's love for God (Ex 20:6, Ps 116:1) and man's love for his fellow man (Ge 29:32, Ru 4:15-note, 1 Kings 11:1 = a forbidden love by backslidden King Solomon!!!) The first use of aheb in the OT is instructive as it is found in Ge 22:2 where Yahweh instructed his servant Abraham to "“Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah; and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.” Notice that at the outset, we see that an inherent quality of this love (in many contexts) is that it is costly. God wants us to love Him above EVERYTHING, even our own flesh and blood. Matthews writes that Ge 22:2 "is the final test of the man’s faith, the closing bookend to his discovery of God’s sufficiency to achieve the promises made at Haran." (New American Commentary) As an aside God frequently "tests" His people to reveal their trust and obedience (cp Ex 15:25, 16:4, Judges 2:22+ - in this last one they failed repeatedly). In Ge 25:28 there is a hint that Isaac's love was at least somewhat conditioned on the fact that Esau provided game for him to eat (cp Ge 27:4, 9, 14 of Isaac's love for the savory dish). In addition, Isaac's love for Esau is contrasted with Rebekah's love for Jacob (not to say of course that Isaac did not love Jacob but that he seemed to have a greater degree for Esau because he was as they say "a man's man!" Compare Jacob's greater love for Rachel than Leah - Ge 29:30, Jacob's greater love for Joseph - Ge 37:3,4) In Ex 21:5 we see one of the great examples of man to man love where a slave willingly stays with his master because he loves him -- now that is surely sacrificial love! In Dt 4:37 we see the first use of aheb to describe God's unconditional love for His chosen people Israel -- He loved them then, He continued to love them in their unfaithfulness (because that is the nature of true love) and He will bring them "from Egypt" (so to speak) at the end of this age when Messiah returns and all the believing remnant are saved (Ro 11:25-27+)! In short, God's love transcends time and endures throughout eternity for His chosen people and for every Gentile that has been grafted into "the rich root of the olive tree," (Ro 11:17+). In the Shema Israel is instructed ""You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might." (Dt 6:5) Ahab/aheb in the Pentateuch - Gen. 22:2; Gen. 24:67; Gen. 25:28; Gen. 27:4; Gen. 27:9; Gen. 27:14; Gen. 29:18; Gen. 29:30; Gen. 29:32; Gen. 34:3; Gen. 37:3; Gen. 37:4; Gen. 44:20; Exod. 20:6; Exod. 21:5; Lev. 19:18; Lev. 19:34; Deut. 4:37; Deut. 5:10; Deut. 6:5; Deut. 7:8; Deut. 7:9; Deut. 7:13; Deut. 10:12; Deut. 10:15; Deut. 10:18; Deut. 10:19; Deut. 11:1; Deut. 11:13; Deut. 11:22; Deut. 13:3; Deut. 15:16; Deut. 19:9; Deut. 21:15; Deut. 21:16; Deut. 23:5; Deut. 30:6; Deut. 30:16; Deut. 30:20; Burnt offering (05930) 'olah from 'alah = to ascend and thus the picture of going up in smoke) refers to a whole burnt offering (one which goes up in smoke), which was voluntary, was understood as a sacrificial gift to God, resulting in a pleasing aroma acceptable to Jehovah (Lev 1:9). The presenter laid hands on the sacrifice which many feel signifies they saw the animal sacrifice as their substitute. The blood was sprinkled on the altar (Lev 1:6) When this offering was properly carried out (including a right heart attitude not just a "going through the motions," [which was not pleasing to God - Jer 6:20, Jer 7:21, 23, 24, see David - Ps 51:16-17+] not just an external "work," but an internal submission and obedience to Jehovah), they made atonement and were acceptable before Jehovah. The total burning indicated (or should have indicated) total consecration of the presenter's heart and soul and life to Jehovah. As noted a key feature of 'olah appears to be that among the Israelite sacrifices only 'olah is wholly burned, rather than partially burned and eaten by the worshipers and/or the priest. Thus, the whole animal is brought up to the altar and the whole is offered as a gift (minha) in homage to Yahweh. Whole offering would be a better rendering in English to convey the theology. It is indeed burned, but the burning is essentially secondary to the giving of the whole creature to Yahweh. Olah in the Pentateuch - Ge 8:20; Ge 22:2; Ge 22:3; Ge 22:6; Ge 22:7; Ge 22:8; Ge 22:13; Ex 10:25; Ex 18:12; Ex 20:24; Ex 24:5; Ex 29:18; Ex 29:25; Ex. 29:42; Ex 30:9; Ex 30:28; Ex 31:9; Ex 32:6; Ex 35:16; Ex 38:1; Ex 40:6; Ex 40:10; Ex 40:29; Lev. 1:3; Lev. 1:4; Lev. 1:6; Lev. 1:9; Lev. 1:10; Lev. 1:13; Lev. 1:14; Lev. 1:17; Lev. 3:5; Lev. 4:7; Lev. 4:10; Lev. 4:18; Lev. 4:24; Lev. 4:25; Lev. 4:29; Lev. 4:30; Lev. 4:33; Lev. 4:34; Lev. 5:7; Lev. 5:10; Lev. 6:9; Lev. 6:10; Lev. 6:12; Lev. 6:25; Lev. 7:2; Lev. 7:8; Lev. 7:37; Lev. 8:18; Lev. 8:21; Lev. 8:28; Lev. 9:2; Lev. 9:3; Lev. 9:7; Lev. 9:12; Lev. 9:13; Lev. 9:14; Lev. 9:16; Lev. 9:17; Lev. 9:22; Lev. 9:24; Lev. 10:19; Lev. 12:6; Lev. 12:8; Lev. 14:13; Lev. 14:19; Lev. 14:20; Lev. 14:22; Lev. 14:31; Lev. 15:15; Lev. 15:30; Lev. 16:3; Lev. 16:5; Lev. 16:24; Lev. 17:8; Lev. 22:18; Lev. 23:12; Lev. 23:18; Lev. 23:37; Nu 6:11; Nu 6:14; Nu 6:16; Nu 7:15; Nu 7:21; Nu 7:27; Nu 7:33; Nu 7:39; Nu 7:45; Nu 7:51; Nu 7:57; Nu 7:63; Nu 7:69; Nu 7:75; Nu 7:81; Nu 7:87; Nu 8:12; Nu 10:10; Nu 15:3; Nu 15:5; Nu 15:8; Nu 15:24; Num. 23:3; Num. 23:6; Num. 23:15; Num. 23:17; Num. 28:3; Num. 28:6; Num. 28:10; Num. 28:11; Num. 28:13; Num. 28:14; Num. 28:15; Num. 28:19; Num. 28:23; Num. 28:24; Num. 28:27; Num. 28:31; Num. 29:2; Num. 29:6; Num. 29:8; Num. 29:11; Num. 29:13; Num. 29:16; Num. 29:19; Num. 29:22; Num. 29:25; Num. 29:28; Num. 29:31; Num. 29:34; Num. 29:36; Num. 29:38; Num. 29:39; Deut. 12:6; Deut. 12:11; Deut. 12:13; Deut. 12:14; Deut. 12:27; Deut. 27:6 ULTIMATE SURRENDER—Genesis 22:2 NASB I’ve always been fascinated by the requirement God made of Abraham when He asked him to sacrifice his son as an act of obedient worship (Genesis 22:1–2). From Abraham’s perspective, this was an unreasonably wrenching request. God had already asked Abraham to leave the security of his affluent surroundings to travel to a distant land where He would give him a son. This son was to become the father of a great nation through whom all the earth would be blessed. Isaac embodied the heartbeat of what God had planned for Abraham and the whole reason Abraham had left Ur of the Chaldeans in the first place (Genesis 11:27–31; 12:1–5). And, if that weren’t enough, this was the miracle child, born to Sarah after she was too old to conceive (Genesis 21:7). Yet God was now asking Abraham to place this son whom he loved on an altar of sacrifice. In an unprecedented stroke of unflinching obedience, Abraham agreed. So unshaken was his confidence in God that he believed that God would raise Isaac from the dead if necessary (Hebrews 11:17–19). But as he lifted the knife with trembling hands, God stopped him and provided a substitute sacrifice (Genesis 22:10–14). It was a test. Would Abraham love the gift more than the Giver? Would the center of Abraham’s affections be his son or his God? Abraham lived in a Canaanite civilization that practiced child sacrifice as the supreme expression of consecration to gods of wood and stone. Would Abraham be willing to love the true God with the dedication pagans felt toward their gods? He passed the test! He had more confidence in the promises of the provider than in the pleasure of the provision. There will be times that we face similar tests. These tests will prove how loosely we hold what God has supplied. When God requires a dearly held commodity, will you give it up for Him? Could your money be His? Could your children be sacrificed to the front lines of global evangelism if they were called? Could He have your business? Could He have your heart? Is there anything that stands between you and unconditional loyalty to God? (Joe Stowell) P G Matthew - God said, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there.”—Genesis 22:2 This command from God was the hardest test Abraham ever faced. It is the hardest test that any human father could face. Yet Abraham obeyed God without wavering. With his servants and Isaac and the wood, he set out for Mount Moriah, a journey of three days. Abraham was resolute to obey God’s command. We must ask, “How could he do this?” The answer is found in Hebrews 11:17–19, where we read: “By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, ‘It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.’ Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.” Abraham exercised his spiritual reasoning capacity. There is a right way of reasoning and there is a wrong way. Only a true Christian who believes in the God of glory, the God of miracles, can reason correctly and consistently. Divine reasoning places the God of the Scriptures at the center—the God of truth, the God who cannot lie, the God for whom all things are possible. Those who reason falsely refuse to believe in this God. Authentic Christianity is the only reasonable faith in the whole world. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. So Abraham reasoned based on God’s word to him: “The Lord promised me a son when I was seventy-five. And God promised that it is through this son that the Messiah, the Savior of the world, will come. God is truth; he has never lied to me. God is now demanding that I must kill Isaac and sacrifice him in worship, a demand that seems to contradict his promise. But there can be no real contradiction in the true and living God; therefore, I am sure this apparent inconsistency can be resolved when thought through correctly.” What was Abraham’s final line of reasoning? He concluded that God must raise Isaac up from his ashes. So he told his two servants, “We will go up the mountain, we will worship God, and then we will come back to you.” We too must exercise our God-given faith, and God will bless us. James Scudder - Walking By Faith 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. Genesis 22:2 Imagine the thoughts running through Abraham's head after God gave His instructions for the special sacrifice. Though he trusted God, in his heart he must have been in anguish. He probably didn't sleep very well that night. Abraham knew, however, that the outcome would be worse if he didn't follow God's instructions completely. Abraham understood the secret to walking by faith: putting everything in God's control. Even though Isaac was a God-given gift, that gift couldn't be placed higher in importance than God. God was testing Abraham's loyalties. Was it to God or to his beloved son? Abraham passed the test in that he was willing to sacrifice his own son. It was the hardest decision he had ever faced, but Abraham did it. Of course, God provided an alternative sacrifice. To truly walk by faith, we must be willing to put God above anything—even the things we cherish the most. Our children, though we love them dearly, must be given to the Lord. Often, I talk to parents who are almost afraid that their son or daughter might be called to a foreign mission field. But, if God calls them there, they should willingly give them up as Abraham was willing to do. Similarly, husbands and wives hold each other back from God's Will, because they are afraid to give them over to the Lord. Is there something in your life that you are holding on to? Is there something special that you cherish more than God? I challenge you to have the faith of Abraham. Christians believe the promises of God enough to venture an eternity on them. In his wonderful book, Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life (BORROW),Charles Swindoll makes these observations about the startling sacrifice that God commanded Abraham to make in Genesis 22. “We are often hindered from giving up our treasures out of fear for their safety. But wait. Everything is safe which is committed to our God. In fact, nothing is really safe which is not so committed. No child. No job. No romance. No friend. No future. No dream.” QUESTION - Why did God command Abraham to sacrifice Isaac? WATCH THE VIDEO ANSWER - Abraham had obeyed God many times in his walk with Him, but no test could have been more severe than the one in Genesis 22. God commanded, “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” (Genesis 22:2). This was an astounding command because Isaac was the son of promise. God had promised several times that from Abraham’s own body would come a nation as multitudinous as the stars in heaven (Genesis 12:2–3; 15:4–5). Later, Abraham was specifically told that the promise would be through Isaac (Genesis 21:12). Given that God’s testing of Abraham involved a command to do something He elsewhere forbids (see Jeremiah 7:31), we must ask, “Why did God command Abraham to sacrifice Isaac?” The Bible does not specifically address the answer to this question, but in our study of Scripture we can compile a few reasons: God’s command to sacrifice Isaac was to test Abraham’s faith. God’s tests prove and purify our faith. They cause us to seek Him and trust Him more. God’s test of Abraham allowed His child—and all the world—to see the reality of faith in action. Faith is more than an inner spiritual attitude; faith works (see James 2:18). God’s command to sacrifice Isaac was to validate Abraham as the “father” of all who have faith in God. “Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness” (Romans 4:9). And we today “who have the faith of Abraham” also find that “he is the father of us all” (verse 16). Without Abraham’s response to the command to sacrifice Isaac, we would have difficulty knowing all that faith entails. God uses Abraham’s faith as an example of the type of faith required for salvation. God’s command to sacrifice Isaac was to provide an example of absolute obedience. After God gave the command, “early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey” and headed out with his son and the wood for a burnt offering (Genesis 22:3). There was no delay, no questioning, no arguing. Just simple obedience, which brought a blessing (verses 15–18). God’s command to sacrifice Isaac was to reveal God as Jehovah-Jireh. On the way up the mountain to the place of sacrifice, Isaac inquired as to the animal to be sacrificed, and his father said, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son” (Genesis 22:8). After God’s provision of a ram to take Isaac’s place on the altar, “Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide” (verse 14). Thus we have another character-revealing name of God: Yahweh-Yireh. God’s command to sacrifice Isaac was to foreshadow God’s sacrifice of His own Son. The story of Abraham prefigures the New Testament teaching of the atonement, the sacrificial offering of the Lord Jesus on the cross for the sin of mankind. Here are some of the parallels between the sacrifice of Isaac and the sacrifice of Christ: • “Take your son, your only son, whom you love” (Genesis 22:2); “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son” (John 3:16). • “Go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there” (Genesis 22:2); it is believed that this same area is where the city of Jerusalem was built many years later. Jesus was crucified in the same area that Isaac had been laid on the altar. • “Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering” (Genesis 22:2); “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3). • “Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac” (Genesis 22:6); Jesus, “carrying his own cross,” walked to Calvary (John 19:17). • “But where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” (Genesis 22:7); John said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). • “God himself will provide the lamb” (Genesis 22:8); Jesus is likened to a spotless lamb in 1 Peter 1:18–19 and a slain lamb in Revelation 5:6. • Isaac, who was likely a young man at the time of his sacrifice, acted in obedience to his father (Genesis 22:9); before His sacrifice, Jesus prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39). • Isaac was resurrected figuratively, and Jesus in reality: “Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death” (Hebrews 11:19); Jesus “was buried, and . . . was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:4). Many centuries after God’s command for Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, Jesus said, “Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad” (John 8:56). This is a reference to Abraham’s joy in seeing the ram caught in the thicket in Genesis 22. That ram was the substitute that would save Isaac’s life. Seeing that ram was, in essence, seeing the day of Christ, the Substitute for all of us.| GotQuestions.org Related Resource: Why does God test us? | GotQuestions.org Who was Isaac in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org QUESTION - What is a burnt offering? ANSWER - The burnt offering is one of the oldest and most common offerings in history. It’s entirely possible that Abel’s offering in Genesis 4:4 was a burnt offering, although the first recorded instance is in Genesis 8:20 when Noah offers burnt offerings after the flood. God ordered Abraham to offer his son, Isaac, in a burnt offering in Genesis 22, and then provided a ram as a replacement. After suffering through nine of the ten plagues, Pharaoh decided to let the people go from bondage in Egypt, but his refusal to allow the Israelites to take their livestock with them in order to offer burnt offerings brought about the final plague that led to the Israelites’ delivery (Exodus 10:24-29). The Hebrew word for “burnt offering” actually means to “ascend,“ literally to “go up in smoke.” The smoke from the sacrifice ascended to God, “a soothing aroma to the LORD” (Leviticus 1:9). Technically, any offering burned over an altar was a burnt offering, but in more specific terms, a burnt offering was the complete destruction of the animal (except for the hide) in an effort to renew the relationship between Holy God and sinful man. With the development of the law, God gave the Israelites specific instructions as to the types of burnt offerings and what they symbolized. Leviticus 1:1-17 and Lev 6:8-13 describe the traditional burnt offering. The Israelites brought a bull, sheep, or goat, a male with no defect, and killed it at the entrance to the tabernacle. The animal’s blood was drained, and the priest sprinkled blood around the altar. The animal was skinned and cut it into pieces, the intestines and legs washed, and the priest burned the pieces over the altar all night. The priest received the skin as a fee for his help. A turtledove or pigeon could also be sacrificed, although they weren’t skinned. A person could give a burnt offering at any time. It was a sacrifice of general atonement—an acknowledgement of the sin nature and a request for renewed relationship with God. God also set times for the priests to give a burnt offering for the benefit of the Israelites as a whole, although the animals required for each sacrifice varied: Every morning and evening (Exodus 29:38-42; Numbers 28:2) Each Sabbath (Numbers 28:9-10) The beginning of each month (Numbers 28:11) At Passover (Numbers 28:19) With the new grain/firstfruits offering at the Feast of Weeks (Numbers 28:27) At the Feast of Trumpets/Rosh Hashanah (Numbers 29:1) At the new moon (Numbers 29:6) The ultimate fulfillment of the burnt offering is in Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. His physical life was completely consumed, He ascended to God, and His covering (that is, His garment) was distributed to those who officiated over His sacrifice (Matthew 27:35). But most importantly, His sacrifice, once for all time, atoned for our sins and restored our relationship with God.GotQuestions.org Related Resource: Why would the aroma of a sacrifice be important to God? | GotQuestions.org Walter Kaiser in Hard Sayings of the Bible page 96 - Genesis 22:2 Sacrifice Your Son? What can be said of such an astonishing demand? Does God really demand or approve of human sacrifice? This chapter has been linked with the blind obedience operative in the tragedy at Jonestown, Guyana. But God did not command Abraham to commit murder. This incident is not to be classed with the foolish sacrifice of Jephthah’s daughter (Judg 11:30–40); Gibeon’s demands (2 Sam 21:8, 9, 14); or the practices of Ahaz or Manasseh (2 Kings 16:3; 21:6, 2 Chron 33:6). It was this practice of human sacrifice that Josiah abolished (2 Kings 23:10) and the prophets condemned (Jer 19:5; Ezek 20:30–31; 23:36–39). Indeed, the law clearly prohibited the sacrifice of individuals and spoke scornfully of those who offered their eldest sons to Molech as human sacrifices (Lev 18:21; 20:2). In the abstract, human sacrifice cannot be condemned on principle. The truth is that God owns all life and has a right to give or take it as he wills. To reject on all grounds God’s legitimate right to ask for life under any conditions would be to remove his sovereignty and question his justice in providing his own sacrifice as the central work of redemption. However, our God has chosen to prohibit human sacrifice. It is this dilemma of the forthrightness of the command to Abraham versus the clear prohibition against human sacrifice that must be solved. From the chapter, it seems clear that God never intended that this command be executed. The proof of this is that God restrained Abraham’s hand just as he was about to take his son’s life. “‘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’” (Gen 22:12). God’s purpose was simply to test Abraham’s faith. Since the deed was not carried out, there is nothing unworthy of divine goodness in having instituted the trial of his faith. The testing may have been of greater benefit to Abraham than we often suppose. Some, such as the ancient Bishop Warburton, supposed that Abraham wanted to know how it was that God would bless all the families of the earth through his seed as promised in Genesis 12:3. On this supposition, it is conjectured that our Lord designed a way to teach him through an experience what he had already communicated to him in words. He was given a prefiguration, or a type, of the sacrifice that the last in the line of the seed, even Christ, would accomplish. John 8:56 substantiates this claim when Jesus said, “Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.” The reply of the Jewish audience, “You are not yet fifty years old, … and you have seen Abraham!” (Jn 8:57), indicates that they understood the verb to see in a most literal way. Our Lord does not correct them in this notion. But it must be noticed that it was not he himself that Christ asserted that Abraham rejoiced to see, but his day, by which he meant the circumstance of his life which was of the greatest importance. That the term day will permit this interpretation is clear from the parallel words hour and time. Throughout the Gospels we read, “his time has not yet come” (Jn 7:30); “he … prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him” (Mk 14:35); or “the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified” (Jn 12:23). In all of these instances it is not merely a portion of time that is being referred to but some particular life circumstance unique to Christ and his mission. But if day functions in the same manner as hour, and the peculiar circumstance referred to is the one in which Jesus became the Savior of the world, where is it recorded in the Old Testament that Abraham saw anything pertaining to the death of Christ? Nothing in the Old Testament says in so many words that Abraham saw the death of Messiah as the Savior of the world. It is possible, however, that what our Lord is referring to is the transaction in Genesis 22 when Abraham was asked to sacrifice his only son on Mount Moriah. In offering his son, Abraham would have had a lively figure of the future offering of the Son of God as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. Several factors point to this conclusion: (1) the place where the binding of Isaac took place was “the region of Moriah” (a land which included the site of Jerusalem and a well-known mountain by the same name); (2) the distance to which Abraham is asked to go is most unusual if the purpose was simply to test his faith (a test which could have been accomplished many miles closer to home than the Jerusalem area where he was sent by God); and (3) the fact that Isaac was the promised seed who bore in his person and in his life the promise of all that God was going to do in the future. There were two kinds of child or human sacrifice known in the Old Testament. First there were those sacrifices of children or older individuals offered as a building sacrifice at the laying of the cornerstone of a city and its gates (1 Kings 16:34) or in a particular time of crisis, such as when a city was under siege or in imminent prospect of being captured (2 Kings 3:27; Mic 6:7). Probably this category should also include sacrifices of individuals as a gift to the pagan gods for granting victory (Judg 11) and the taking of prisoners of war for sacrifice. But this is separate from the sacrifice required in the Old Testament of all the firstborn (Ex 13:12–13; 34:19–20; Num 3:44–51). Of course it must be hastily added that nowhere in Scripture did God require the sacrifice of persons as he did of animals and the produce of the field; instead he took one Levite for service at the temple for the eldest son in each household as a substitute for the life which was owed to God. As stated earlier, God has the right to require human sacrifice. All biblical sacrifice rests on the idea that the gift of life to God, either in consecration or in expiation, is necessary to restore the broken fellowship with God caused by sin. What passes from man to God is not regarded as property belonging to us but only what is symbolically regarded as property and thus is the gift of life of the offerer. However, the offerer is in no shape, because of sin, to make such a gift. Thus the principle of vicariousness is brought into play: one life takes the place of another. Accordingly, Abraham is asked by God to offer life, the life that is dearest to him, his only son’s. But in the provision of God, a ram caught in the thicket is interposed by the angel of the Lord, thus pointing out that the substitution of one life for another is indeed acceptable to God. But this in no way gives comfort to the devotees of nature-worship systems whose alleged deities were subject to life and death and who therefore wrongly required their worshipers to immolate themselves or their children to achieve fellowship with these nonbeings. QUESTION - What is the significance of Mount Moriah in the Bible? ANSWER - Mount Moriah in Old City Jerusalem is the site of numerous biblical acts of faith. It is also one of the most valuable pieces of real estate and one of the most hotly contested pieces of real estate on earth. This is a profoundly sacred area to Christians, Jews, and Muslims. Sitting atop Mount Moriah today is the Temple Mount, a 37-acre tract of land where the Jewish temple once stood. Several important Islamic holy sites are there now, including the Dome of the Rock – a Muslim shrine built thirteen hundred years ago – and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Mount Moriah’s history begins in Genesis. In the twenty-second chapter, God commands Abraham, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I will tell you” (Genesis 22:2). The place God led Abraham was Mount Moriah. Abraham didn’t fully understand what God was asking him to do in light of God’s previous promise to establish an everlasting covenant with Isaac (Genesis 17:19); nonetheless, he trusted God and by faith offered Isaac as a sacrifice. Of course, God intervened and spared Isaac’s life by providing a ram instead. Abraham thereafter called this place “The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, ‘On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided’” (Genesis 22:14). Because of Abraham’s obedience on Mount Moriah, God told Abraham that his “descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed because you have obeyed me” (vv. 17, 18). About a thousand years later at this very location, King David bought the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite and built an altar to the Lord so that a “plague may be held back from the people” (2 Samuel 24:18, 21). After David’s death, his son King Solomon built a glorious temple on the same site. Solomon’s temple lasted for over four hundred years until it was destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar’s armies in 587/586 B.C. Seventy years later the temple was rebuilt on the same site by the Jews who returned to Jerusalem following their Babylon captivity. Around the first century, King Herod made a significant addition to this structure, which then became known as Herod’s Temple. It was this temple that Jesus cleansed (John 2:15). However, in A.D. 70, the Roman armies led by Titus, son of the Emperor Vespasian, once again destroyed the temple. All that remains of the Temple Mount of that era is a portion of a retaining wall known as the “Western Wall” or the “Wailing Wall.” It has been a destination for pilgrims and a site of prayer for Jews for many centuries. The God who first called Abraham to Mount Moriah still has plans for that place. The Bible indicates that a third temple will be built on or near the site of Solomon’s temple (Daniel 9:27). This would seem to present a problem given the political obstacles that stand in the way: the religious activities on the Temple Mount are currently controlled by the Supreme Muslim Council (the Waqf). Yet nothing can put a wrinkle in God’s sovereign plans. Thus, Muslim control of this area simply fulfills the prophecy of Luke 21:24 that “Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” GotQuestions.org Related Resources: How old was Isaac when Abraham almost sacrificed him? | GotQuestions.org What is the Dome of the Rock? | GotQuestions.org What is the meaning and significance of the Temple Mount? | GotQuestions.org On a Hill Far Away Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love. —Genesis 22:2 Today's Scripture: Genesis 22:1-12 I often find myself thinking back to the years when my children were young. One particular fond memory is our morning wake-up routine. Every morning I’d go into their bedrooms, tenderly call them by name, and tell them that it was time to get up and get ready for the day. When I read that Abraham got up early in the morning to obey God’s command, I think of those times when I woke up my children and wonder if part of Abraham’s daily routine was going to Isaac’s bed to waken him—and how different it would have been on that particular morning. How heart-rending for Abraham to waken his son that morning! Abraham bound his son and laid him on an altar, but then God provided an alternate sacrifice. Hundreds of years later, God would supply another sacrifice—the final sacrifice—His own Son. Think of how agonizing it must have been for God to sacrifice His Son, His only Son whom He loved! And He went through all of that because He loves you. If you wonder whether you are loved by God, wonder no more. By: Joe Stowell Lord, I am amazed that You would love me so much that You would sacrifice Your Son for me. Teach me to live gratefully in the embrace of Your unfailing love. God has already proven His love for you. The Father's Love - In his autobiography, a well-known TV personality describes the time when he asked, "If God the Father is so all-loving, why didn't He come down and go to Calvary?" That comment reveals how little he understood the love of a good earthly father and the depth of love revealed in the Trinity. Consider the love an earthly father has for his son. In Genesis 22, we read that God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. We can only imagine the agony in his heart as he and the boy climbed the mountain. Surely Abraham must have wished he could take Isaac's place. As a father and grandfather myself, I would choose to die in place of my offspring, if given the choice. Our love as earthly fathers is but a faint reflection of our heavenly Father's love for His Son and for us. Because of the close relationship between the Father and the Son, Jesus could say, "I and My Father are one" (John 10:30). And the Bible tells us that "God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself" (2 Corinthians 5:19). Without a doubt, therefore, the Father did share His Son's pain at Calvary. Died He for me, who caused His pain? For me, who Him to death pursued? Amazing love! How can it be That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me? —Wesley The Father's love knows no limit. In a sermon titled Faith Tested and Crowned on Genesis 22 Alexander Maclaren distinguished between being tempted and being tried. He said that… the former word conveys the idea of appealing to the worst part of man, with the wish that he may yield and do the wrong. The latter means an appeal to the better part of man, with the desire that he should stand. "Temptation says, 'Do this pleasant thing; do not be hindered by the fact that it is wrong.' Trial or proving says, 'Do this right and noble thing; do not be hindered by the fact that it is painful.'" Satan tempts us to bring out the worst in us. God tests us to bring out the best, which is exactly the result in Abraham's life in his supreme test in Genesis 22. Not Taken, But Given - All of us hope that we will be the exception to Jesus' words, "In the world you will have tribulation" (Jn. 16:33, cp Acts 14:22, 2Ti 3:12+, Php 1:29+). But if we realize that hardship may be our Father's wise plan for our lives, we will not be surprised and shocked when painful difficulty or tragedy occurs. William Sangster (1900-1960), the noted English preacher, visited a young girl in the hospital at a time when doctors were struggling in vain to keep her from becoming blind. With sadness she said to him, "God is going to take away my sight." He listened but at first made no reply. Then he answered compassionately, "Don't let Him, Jessie. Give it to Him." "I don't understand," she responded. So he explained, "Try to pray this prayer: 'Father, if I must lose my sight, help me to give it to You.'" Some through the waters, some through the flood, Some through the fire, but all through the blood, Some through great sorrow, but God gives a song, In the night season and all the day long. --Young God designs what we go through; we decide how we go through it. Promises And Commands- Author and pastor Steve Lawson says he often hears a disturbing statement from people involved in a lifestyle that directly contradicts a command of Scripture. In order to justify their actions, they say, "Hey! God wants me to be happy, and this will make me happy." Apparently these people want to believe God's promises to bless them, but they ignore His commands to be holy. Consider Abraham's response to a difficult situation. He had been promised that he would father a nation of innumerable people. What joy this must have held out for him! Then God commanded that Abraham sacrifice his only son. In the patriarch's mind, the command was in obvious conflict with the promise (Gen. 15:5; 22:2). How could God's promise be fulfilled if Abraham obeyed the command? If he would have reacted like the people Steve Lawson was talking about, he would have told God to forget it. Yet he didn't. He obeyed God's command, and he saw God provide a substitute sacrifice. Abraham obeyed God and the promise was kept. Obeying God at first seems hard Until we come to see That all He asks is for our good And makes life full and free. --DJD The way of obedience is the way of blessing. Genesis 22:3 So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son; and he split wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. Ge 17:23 21:14 Ps 119:60 Ec 9:10 Isa 26:3,4 Mt 10:37 Mk 10:28-31 Lu 14:26 Ga 1:16 Heb 11:8,17-19 Genesis 22 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries ABRAHAM'S IMMEDIATE OBEDIENCE So Abraham rose early in the morning - This alone is an amazing statement and testimony to the faith of this man Abraham. It almost sounds like he is eager to obey God! It does not say he "arose early in the morning after a sleepless night (like most of us would have had if God had told us to sacrifice our only son!)"! THOUGHT - Do you hesitate when you sense God is calling you to something difficult? Do you "sleep in" or make excuses, or do you arise early in the morning eager to obey your Lord? (I am once again convicted as I write these words!) Lord God, let it be true of us that by Thy Spirit we might be able to confidently say "I hastened and did not delay To keep Your commandments." (Ps 119:60) and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son; and he split wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him - Notice Abraham did not confer with others, not even his own "thoughts" on what was God's will in the matter. When you know God's will, then do it! He never asks us to do what He does not enable us to accomplish. In this way truly it is from Him, through Him and to Him! And so we can rightly exclaim, "To Him be all glory, honor, power and dominion in this age and throughout eternity. Amen!"
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Utley - Isaac's question must have cut Abraham to the heart, to which Abraham expresses his faith in God so beautifully in Genesis 22:8. The fact that Isaac was acquainted with sacrifices shows that the sacrificial system predates the Mosaic legislation. This can be seen (1) in Cain and Abel (Genesis 4:0); (2) in Noah (Genesis 8:20); and (3) in Job (Job 1:5). Theodore Epp - A SUBMISSIVE FAITH Genesis 22:7-9; Colossians 2:6-7 Isaac probably knew that he was the sacrifice. He could have resisted because he was no longer a child; he was probably between 17 and 25 years of age. Physically, all the advantages were his. His father was old; he was young. Here the Word of God introduces us to the submissive trait that seems to have been the strong factor in Isaac's life. He was characterized more by submissiveness than by aggressiveness. Abraham was the one with an aggressive faith, but Isaac had a submissive faith--willing to be what God wanted him to be. Even when he was offered as a sacrifice, Isaac submitted himself to his father because God had so willed it. Isaac's submission was a picture of Christ's submission to the Father. Jesus Christ was the sacrifice for the sins of the world so that the holy standards of the Heavenly Father might be satisfied. Concerning Christ, 1 John 2:2 tells us that "he is the propitiation [satisfaction] for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." Jesus was submissive to the Heavenly Father's will. The purpose of the Father and the Son was one. God the Father willed the sacrifice to be made, and the Son willed to be the sacrifice. The life of the Lord Jesus Christ is summed up in the statement "I come ... to do thy will, O God" (Heb. 10:7). What a wonderful God we have! "Yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God" (Rom. 6:13). Genesis 22:8 And Abraham said, "God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." So the two of them walked on together. Ge 18:14 2Ch 25:9 Mt 19:26 Joh 1:29,36 1Pe 1:19,20 Rev 5:6,12 Rev 7:14 13:8 Genesis 22 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: Romans 8:32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? ABRAHAM SPEAKS LIKE A PROPHET And Abraham said, "God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." Some translations such as KJV say "God will provide Himself"! RSV translates it as "God will provide Himself the Lamb" [Ro 8:32] ("how shall he not freely give us all things?") parallels this OT truth perfectly in the provision of Christ. Some have pointed out that the text does not say "God will Himself provide a lamb," but "God will provide Himself." M R De Haan writes "Translated freely Abraham says God Himself is going to be the Lamb of sacrifice." Certainly interesting and worth pondering. Utley - The phrase "God will provide" later becomes a name for God in Genesis 22:14 ("YHWH," BDB 217 and "see," BDB 906). We have seen how common it is for the acts of God to result in a new name to describe His character and actions. The Hebrew term "will provide" is really "will see to it" (BDB 906, KB 1157, Qal IMPERFECT), but it came to be used in this specialized sense (the One who sees is the One who provides).
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Utley on fear - This "fear" should issue in worship and obedience. It is a lifestyle relationship, not a set of isolated events, places, creeds, or rules. Obedience flows from respect and love, not fear of reprisal. Disobedience is primarily against love, as well as law! One's relationship with God becomes the priority of life! The "Abraham believed God" (Genesis 15:6) has been demonstrated in life! The following note is included only for illustration to show how one must be careful even with "evangelical" sources as this is from the NET Bible OT note: "Some theologians call this an anthropomorphism because, they reason, an omniscient God cannot learn new facts since he already knows everything. Others take the language at face value and reason that the God who created human beings with some degree of freedom has placed certain limitations upon himself. (ED: SEE open theism)" I think this latter statement is incongruous with a sovereign God Who is in total control of everything (which He is!). Be a Berean in these treacherous days of drift from the truth.