Genesis Chapter 22
(Hebrews 11:17-18 [KJV])
By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,
Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:
(Genesis 22:1 [KJV])
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.
- Abraham had no idea what was coming.
- He might have figured it would be another promise, blessing
(Genesis 22:2 [KJV])
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.
- Abraham was promised a son
- He waited for fifteen year to get Isaac
- Now God wants him to kill him!
- God calls Isaac his "only son"...........never mentions Ishmael.
- Abraham does not respond, or expect anything in return, nor is he promised anything for this work
- This temptation will show what is in Abraham, and what will come out.
- This has to have sounded either crazy to Abraham, or...he understood the promise of the Messiah
- He has a three day walking journey to think about it, changes his mind or go through with it.
- 2 Chronicles 21: David numbers troops, Gad the seer relays three choices, (three months of slaughter by their foes, or three days pestilence,)
- God stops at the threshingfloor of Ornan, Mt. Moriah
- No sacrifice for Abraham there of a man, none for God to kill during David's time
- The place was reserved for the Sacrifice on the Cross for Jesus Christ
MT. MORIAH
(1 Chronicles 21:18-26 [KJV])
(1 Chronicles 21:18-26 [KJV])
Then the angel of the LORD commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up, and set up an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite. And David went up at the saying of Gad, which he spake in the name of the LORD. And Ornan turned back, and saw the angel; and his four sons with him hid themselves. Now Ornan was threshing wheat.
And as David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David, and went out of the threshingfloor, and bowed himself to David with his face to the ground. Then David said to Ornan, Grant me the place of this threshingfloor, that I may build an altar therein unto the LORD: thou shalt grant it me for the full price: that the plague may be stayed from the people.
And Ornan said unto David, Take it to thee, and let my lord the king do that which is good in his eyes: lo, I give thee the oxen also for burnt offerings, and the threshing instruments for wood, and the wheat for the meat offering; I give it all. And king David said to Ornan, Nay; but I will verily buy it for the full price: for I will not take that which is thine for the LORD, nor offer burnt offerings without cost. So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold by weight. And David built there an altar unto the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called upon the LORD; and he answered him from heaven by fire upon the altar of burnt offering.
(2 Chronicles 3:1 [KJV])
Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where the LORD appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.
(Hebrews 11:17-19 [KJV])
By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.
(Genesis 22:3 [KJV])
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.
- There is no record of any argument, any complaint. Abraham just complies with God's command
(Genesis 22:4 [KJV])
Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.
- After walking there for three days, he still is not repenting
- The same applies to Isaac
- What do we do when God asks a ton from us?
- What do we do when God asks us to sacrifice something we love?
- What do we expect in return?
(Genesis 22:5 [KJV])
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.- "I and the lad" "will come again to you." ????????
- Abraham wanted no spectators to do this; it was not a show
(Hebrews 11:17-19 [KJV])
By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.
******************************************************(Genesis 22:6 [KJV])
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.
- This is not a dry run. If God does not stop him, Isaac is a dead lad.
- At what point does Abraham believe that would God have raised him? After he was sacrificed, or burnt to ashes?
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?
- Apparently Abraham told Isaac it would be "A" burnt offering, as in a lamb sacrifice, before the Law, which says they did not bring a lamb with them
- Lambs would not be found out in the wild, so this was something you would have to bring along with you.
- Apparently the walking put them a distance apart, either because of the wood on Isaac or the old age of Abraham walking slowly
And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
- This is the Gospel message in the Old Testament again.
- This is also proof that Abraham understood all that God had promised him, up to the blessing and lineage of way to the Messiah
- He still was willing to sacrifice Isaac, knowing that Isaac was not the "himself"
- Modern versions remove "Himself", removing the best, direct, Old Testament reference to the Gospel
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.
- By this point, Isaac sees no lamb, the wood for the burnt offering, himself tied up
- Still he is obedient
(Genesis 22:10 [KJV])
And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.- At this point it is the moment of truth for both He took the knife "to slay his son"
- It has to be remembered that God is not asking Abraham to sin in committing murder at all, but rather testing him is all
- Abraham does not know this
And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.
- THE Angel of the LORD..........Jesus
- He called out of Heaven.........twice. Why did God say his name twice? IS it possible that he did not stop the first "Abraham"?
- He appeared to Hagar personally (Genesis 16), but here the LORD stays in Heaven-Hagar NEEDED that personal touch and Abraham only need to HEAR the words?
(Genesis 22:12 [KJV])
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.
- It is not as though God did not know this........it is more like "Now it is visibly shown to my eyes and yours"
- Again, Isaac is called "thine only son" (verses 2, 12,16 all say it)
By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
(Genesis 22:13 [KJV])
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 ram is a male sheep.......the perfect representation of Jesus Christ
- This is a provision, since either God either placed it there right then or had it remain immobile until just then so that Abraham did not hear it or see it.
- The substitutional death of the Ram for Isaac is the picture completed of Christ's substitutionary death for us.
And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.
- Jehovahjireh means, "The LORD who Provides" or "The LORD my Provider"
And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, 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:
- "The Angel of the LORD" is used again, signifying it is none other than Jesus Christ speaking to Abraham.
- The trust of Abraham towards God's promises listed here is all Abraham had to do to accept them. He needed to offer no sacrifices of the Ram or his son, the Ram was done in submission to God and for the purpose of worship.
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; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
- Again it is repeated to Abraham, which signifies its importance
- Blessing(s) upon Israel
- Multiplication of the people
- Land from the enemies
- Extends to the Gentiles
- Because he trusted God to raise Isaac and was willing to sacrifice him
So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba.
- Like nothing happened!
- Imagine the talk around the campfire that night!
- Not a word from Isaac of Abraham recorded here, all just matter of fact!
- Isaac was obviously relieved that he was not sacrificed!
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;
- Abraham has been away for a while, and many nieces and nephews were born to his brother Nahor and Milcah his wife
- He may not have seen Nahor at all in up to about sixty years or so
And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram's wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah.
(Genesis 22:21-23 [KJV])
Huz his firstborn, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram, And Chesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph, and Bethuel. And Bethuel begat Rebekah: these eight Milcah did bear to Nahor, Abraham's brother.
- The entire purpose of this lineage is one: Rebekah, future wife of Isaac
- It is his cousin, and God allowed it for several reasons:
- His Sovereignty over all genetics
- Only way to keep it "in the family"
- Effect of sin on inbreeding were not as bad as today
- No law given yet as is was
- This solves Abraham's problem of finding a wife for Isaac from among his pagan neighbors the Hittites, Amorites,
And his concubine, whose name was Reumah, she bare also Tebah, and Gaham, and Thahash, and Maachah.
- Concubines existed but not allowed by God in the Law at all
- This shows His Mercy and Grace
- TWO are to become ONE, signifying the Church being Bride and Christ being the husband
Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
