Genesis
22:1-18
Abraham
Sacrifices Isaac as Burnt Offering
After much ordeal, Abraham finally received God’s
promise of a descendent through Sarah at the age of one hundred. The son’s name
was Isaac. But what was about to happen proved to be the greatest test of his
life.
Genesis chapter 22 records the event that God tested Abraham by giving him a command,
“Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of
Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of
which I shall tell you” (Gen. 22:2).
This echoes the first-time God called Abraham, “Go
from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I
will show you.” (12:1)
In the first call, God requested that Abraham gave up
his old identity and culture so that he would embrace a new identity—father of
many nations and the promise of possessing land.
Fast forward twenty-five years to our present story,
God wanted Abraham to give up that very promise. Abraham was now being asked to
give up his blessed future.
Dear brothers and sisters, following God is not just a
matter of one-time commitment. For Abraham it means life-long commitment with
more than a few unexpected demands along the way.
How could Abraham be the father of many nations if he
sacrificed Isaac?
In the past, Abraham experienced God as just, loving,
and faithful. Has God now changed that he wanted Isaac to be killed and offered
as burnt offering?
The pagans of Canaan did sacrifice their sons to the
gods. Could Abraham’s devotion to the LORD match the pagan’s devotion to the
gods?
Would Abraham let go of his God-given precious son as
God has commanded?
God does test people so that they can become stronger
in faith and the depth of their reverence and obedience to Him can be shown
(Exod. 16:4; 20:20; Deut. 8:2). This test also reveals God’s distinctive character.
Scripture does not indicate whether Abraham had an
internal struggle. It only documented his actions. We will try to see his
internal condition through his actions.
Abraham “rose early in the morning” (22:3).
This shows that Abraham was determined to act
promptly. But, at the same time, his past hurt was brought back to mind,
because he also “rose early in the morning” previously to send Ishmael away
into the wilderness (21:14).
Abraham could not tell his wife and son regarding this
unreasonable request from God. He was all alone as he faced such a sad and
tragic moment!
Abraham cut the wood for sacrifice, gathered two
servants and his son, saddled his donkey and set out on the journey.
The narrator details each action here, slowing down
the narrative pace. The “slowing down” heightens the tension of the scene and
alludes to the internal struggle of Abraham.
Father and son travelled for three days.
“Three days” is ample time for Abraham to consider all
the consequences of what he has been asked to do. What kind of conversations
did Abraham have with his son? Along the way, did Abraham waver and think of
turning back? This was a struggling journey!
On third day, Abraham saw Mount Moriah from afar. He
told his servants, “I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again
to you.” (v.5)
Apparently, Abraham’s resolve does not weaken!
“We will come again to you” reveals Abraham’s
extraordinary faith—a faith that believes to the end, a faith that is unafraid
of death. Hebrews 11:19 says, “Abraham considered that God was able even to
raise Isaac from the dead.”
I think, Abraham believed that God had a way to honor
His promises that he would anyhow have many descendants through Isaac. He
accepted that the future is in the safe hands of God, even though God’s
decisions and requests do not always make sense.
And then Abraham placed the wood of the burnt offering
upon Isaac and held the fire and the knife in his own hands. Isaac carrying the
wood up the mountain as a “type” of Jesus carrying the cross up the hills of
Golgotha. The difference is that Jesus knew His mission but Isaac was ignorant
of it.
“Behold, the fire and the wood,” said Isaac to his
father. “But where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”
Abraham could not tell Isaac what he was told by God
but he showed great faith. He said, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for
a burnt offering, my son” (v. 8).
The word “provide” means “see” in the Hebrew original.
On the dark road toward sacrificing his own son in response to God’s call, Abraham
used the eyes of faith to “see” that God will “see” him. He is a father of
great faith!
When they finally came to Mount Moriah, Abraham built
an altar, set the wood in place, tied up Isaac, and placed him on the wood of
the altar. He was willing to forgo every aspect of the promised blessing for
the sake of his obedience to God.
So, he raised his arm, ready to plunge the knife into
his son…
At that instant, an angel of the LORD called out to
him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham! Do not harm your own son!”
Abraham said, “Here am I.” And he lifted up his eyes
and saw a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. He took the ram and offered it
up as a burnt offering instead of Isaac.
Abraham named that place “Jehovah-Jireh”—the LORD will
provide, as a memorial to the God who “sees” humanity so that humanity may see
Him, experience Him, and truly know Him.
Abraham’s action of taking up the knife to plunge into
Isaac shows that he was ready to offer the sacrifice. In fact, the sacrifice
was already made and God had accepted it.
By this too, the reader also understands that God was
not at all interested in the practice of child sacrifice of the Canaanites.
God said to Abraham, “Now I know that you fear God,
seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” (v. 12) This
echo verse two, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love.” This forms
an inclusio. The tension of the
narrative is finally resolved here.
For the faith and obedience of Abraham shown through
this test, not only did God prepare for Abraham a ram, He also proclaimed
blessings upon Abraham, and renewed his promise to Abraham.
In that, Abraham is assured that his descendants will
be as “numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore”, and
through them all nations of the earth will be blessed (vv.17-18).
Pay Any Price to Cling on God
This story tells us that the greatest test in life
does not come from difficulties in life, adversities, loss, and pain, but come
from carry out God’s will with sacrifices made.
Or put it in another way: God often leads us into risky,
incomprehensible or impossible situations. Do we then submit to God’s leading
or run away?
One who passes such a test is worthy to be called a
“God fearer” and meets the requirement of loving the LORD with all his or her
heart, mind, soul, and strength.
Abraham’s sacrificing of Isaac is akin to sacrificing
himself and his own future because Isaac was his only legacy. He is ever ready
to “let go, and let God” in doing God’s will.
But this story does not suggest that we can test God
by putting our own or someone else’s life at risk to prove a point.
Actually, if we truly believe that God is love, just,
and dependable, we will resolutely obey his command. Abraham told his servants,
“I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.” (v. 5)
“We will come again to you” reveals his extraordinary
faith – a faith that believes to the end, a faith that is unafraid of death,
and a faith that even transcends death, a faith that transcends blessing, a
faith that produces sacrifices.
How could Abraham become the father of many nations through Isaac if he died? Abraham must now
decide between God’s promises and God Himself. The LORD is both hidden and
majestic. Abraham did not try to solve the mystery. Instead, he strove to
accomplish God’s command, because allegiance to God is the highest
manifestation of faith.
Abraham was loyal to God and decided that offering
everything up to God was more important than insisting upon God’s promises. He revered
God and was therefore not fearful of losing his most beloved Isaac.
Today, God is also calling us to obey His command. He
wants us to worship and serve Him reverentially and sacrificially. Are we
willing even if what He wants us to give up includes money, ambitions, the
things we love, and our direction in life? Are you willing to pay the cost of
faith?
Let’s cling on to God, revere Him, and be unafraid to
lose our beloved “Isaacs.”
The NT authors emphasize the point that Jesus is the
descendant of Abraham. Indeed, the Abrahamic promise in Genesis 12:1-3, which
states that “all nations are blessed through Abraham’s descendants” is
fulfilled through Jesus Christ’s salvation accomplished on the cross.
Romans 8:32 alludes to this story of sacrificing Isaac,
“God who did not spare His Own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not
also with Him graciously give us all things?”
God unreservedly sacrificed His Only Son Jesus on the
cross for us. And Jesus is perfectly obedient to the Father, to die on the
cross, to bear the penalty for our sins so that we can be delivered from sin and
death. When we place our faith in Christ, and persevere through in Christ, we
will be saved and receive bountiful blessing from God.
In response to such great love of God to us, we ought
to cling on God, and offer ourselves up to be used by God even at a great price!
A grace that is taken for
granted or that is not treated seriously is a cheap grace! The salvation of
Christ is not a cheap grace. The precious life of the Son of God deserves our allegiance and service at any cost.
Let Go and Let God, Then Experience Jehovah-Jireh
When Abraham once again has faith in God till the end,
he experienced the marvelous grace of God – he “saw” the substitutionary burnt
offering ram. God will provide! “Jehovah-Jireh”
shifts the focus from Abraham’s obedience to God’s action.
The emphasis is, first of all, God provides for those
who obey Him with what is needed to fulfill those demands. He also will bless
them with so much more than what they have lost.
And through God’s providence and blessings, He reveals
Himself so that human beings may meet Him; know how true and gracious He is.
2 Chronicle 3:1, records that the Temple was built on
Mount Moriah in Jerusalem. For God’s people, the story of Abraham sacrificing
Isaac was the prototype of Temple offerings.
“Abraham offers Isaac” reminds the people that they
should come to offer sacrifices to God, to serve Him, and to worship Him.
The lives of those who come to worship and serve God
are characterized by continual obedience to God as they overcome unreasonable
encounters in life. They believe that God will certainly “see” them through the
adversaries and finally reveal Himself to them.
Faith, obedience and sacrifices to God are
inseparable.
James 2:21-23 says, “Was not Abraham our father
justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that
faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works;
and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was
counted to him as righteousness’ —and he was called a friend of God.”
Today, let’s trust God
and obey his will in our lives as he directs us, and also be committed in
worshipping, serving and giving to the Lord.
What is your struggle now?
It could be: entering full time seminary study or full
time ministry; choosing a field of study; taking up or stepping down from a
ministry; marrying a life-long partner; changing new job; migrating overseas; receiving
baptism or not; giving to the church (tithes or pledge) and etc.
God is truly loving, faithful and gracious. Let’s
submit to his leading. Doing God’s will require us to pay a great price or
venture into, or remain in a risky, uncertain or incomprehensible situation.
But don’t run away from him; “let go and let God” of
our “beloved Isaac”, i.e.: parting with loved ones, sacrificing our time,
energy and money, or even our preferred plan for the future.
In this way, we will be set free from the chains and
burdens in our lives, and experience Jehovah-Jireh! This is the promise given
by God to every worshiper: you will see God’s work and bountiful blessing pouring
onto your lives.
