Genesis 22 Revisited

I find a lot of confusion about Abraham’s near-sacrifice of Isaac in Genesis 22. I believe there’s a tendency to put ourselves in Abraham’s shoes and say “Oh, no, I’d never do that! I’d tell God to get lost.” I agree with that response but I think it’s irrelevant. The passage is not asking us to do the same thing. It would be a grave error to discard the great importance of this chapter as it is one of the most important stories of the OT. Here is my point by point analysis of what was really happening way back when. After that, I added excerpts from my bible lesson from a year ago on this chapter.


1) Abraham could not have been happy with the command to take his son on a three-day journey to sacrifice him. But he trusted that God had a greater plan that he would one day understand.
2) Abraham believed contrary things. He told his servants that he and his son would go up to Mount Moriah alone, and that "we" will return. So he believed that Isaac would not die. However, as he prepared for the sacrifice, he noticed nothing was changing. No lamb was coming out of hiding to be the sacrifice, as he'd told Isaac "the Lord will provide the lamb." The moment arrives that he raises the knife over Isaac to perform the sacrifice. At that moment there were two thoughts in his head; one, my son's gonna die, and two, he's going to give birth to a great nation. Thus he believed his son was going to die because of God's command and that he was going to live, because of God's promise.
3) Stop for a second and think about what we believe. We believe we are going to die, and yet we're going to live. Somehow. We have no idea how, yet we trust that God has a way to make anything possible. It's not that alien to our own future at all.
4) At that point, Abraham was still listening to God. Fortunately he hadn't gone into "Allah u Akbar!" mode. He continued to listen for God's voice even in the worst moment of his life. When God ordered him to "not lay a hand on the boy!" he then realized that a lamb was stuck in a thicket only a few feet away. Abraham proved his faith in God's promise.
5) God provided the lamb, along with a place and an image of what was to come. Centuries later, God inspired King David to plan the temple on that very site. Centuries after that, Jesus of Nazareth was sent from that very place to die on the cross.

God speaks to us where we are, in natural terms in our own language. But I disagree that mankind has changed with the times. Mankind is constantly changing in one sense, but we are merely rearranging the same grotesque inventory of sins! We are not fundamentally different than people in Abe's time. That's why the OT and NT are so relevant today. Every issue we face is covered.
Genesis 22 - The Sacrifice
Bible Lesson to 7th and 8th graders.

Div. A
Gen 22:1-9

Have you ever sat down in front of a test at school and realized that you might not be ready to take it? That you weren’t sure you’d even be able to pass the test? You really wanted to do well on the test but now it doesn’t look like the test that you prepared for. Have you ever spent more time studying a specific chapter and then realized the test focused more on a chapter you weren’t as familiar with? God gives difficult tests to believers. He still wants us to pass the test, but God gives the test that we most need to make us mature in our faith. In this lesson we’ll take a close look at what happens when God tests Abraham by telling him to sacrifice his son, Isaac. We will learn that faith is believing God and our faith is proven by doing what He asks us to do.

Last week we saw that the long-promised son was born to Sarah when she was 90 years of age. We know that Abraham had another son with Hagar the maidservant, and Abraham loved Ishmael as much as Isaac. Abraham must have been very upset when God told him to send Hagar and Ishmael away. That was a difficult enough test for Abraham. Now, we see kin verse 1 that “some time later God tested Abraham”. God calls Abraham, and Abraham responds “Here I am!” God has spoken to Abraham before and he recognizes God’s voice. Even though what God is about to say is surprising, Abraham doesn’t need to question whether it’s God or not. He has grown in his relationship with God from the first call to leave the city of Ur and from the many promises of a son even when he was as good as dead. Abraham has learned God’s voice even when He says something Abraham doesn’t expect. The more we grow in our faith, the more clearly we will hear the voice of Jesus Christ and the better we will be at spotting an impostor.

God has been everywhere with Abraham. He has blessed Abraham with wealth, especially from the Pharaoh and King Abimelech, even when Abraham sinned and caused God to be seen in a negative light. God has blessed Abraham through years of training even testing him by forcing him to send Ishmael away. Abraham trusts God to a great extent. God is now going to test Abraham. He’s not going to offer him a new blessing but He’s going to take away the greatest of all the blessings, Isaac. (Read Gen 22:2) God knows how much Abraham loves his son Isaac. Note that God calls Isaac A’s “only son”. The covenant, the promised seed, is with Isaac. Ishmael has been sent away literally and figuratively. Now, God makes an unthinkable request, sacrifice your only son, Isaac. We can only imagine how devastating this must have been for Abraham. Yet Abraham doesn’t argue with God as he did when God judged Sodom and Gomorrah. He needs no other evidence of God’s goodness and he obeys without thinking. He says, “Here I am!” and proceeds to follow God’s orders with unquestioning obedience. Abraham knows that God always keeps his promises and Isaac is one of those promises.

(Read Gen 22:3-8) “God Himself will provide the lamb for the offering.” I couldn’t help but think of Jesus Christ when I read that verse this time. Christ is referred to many times in the Bible as the lamb, the perfect sacrifice. Isaac going up the mountain is an image of Jesus Christ, isn’t he? His father straps the wood to his back and he carries it up the hill, the same wood that’s going to be used for his sacrifice. Just as Jesus carried the very cross upon which He was going to be sacrificed. We get an idea of what’s going on in Abraham’s mind here. He believes that God will provide a lamb at the last minute, that’s his Plan A. Even though God would be changing His mind at least from Abraham’s point of view, Abraham is betting everything on God’s unchanging goodness. God has shown His love for Abraham by providing for all his needs again and again. He does not doubt that God is good in this difficult test. Note how Abraham says “we will go up, and WE will come down”. Abraham has an unusually passionate love for his son, Isaac. He comforts him by assuring him that God will provide the lamb for the sacrifice and he makes this pledge that he is not coming down without Isaac.

When they arrive at the place God told Abraham to go to, the top of Mount Moriah, he builds an altar and places the wood on it. Now, Isaac is a bit older now, maybe even a teenager. We see he’s big enough to carry the wood for the sacrifice. His father is now terribly old, and Isaac could escape this situation fairly easily, but he does not resist his father. Isaac is also being tested. So far both have followed God’s test in complete faithfulness to God.

The truth here is that testing provides opportunities to reveal your faith. God won’t command you to offer someone you love as a burnt offering. But He will allow circumstances in your life that are far from pleasant. These challenging circumstances will show us where we are in our faith. If we do not face difficulties, how do we know our faith is real? God doesn’t want to just be popular, He loves us with an unconditional, agape love and He wants us to love Him the same way. He tests us to make us stronger. He tests us because He wants us to pass the ultimate test so that we can live with Him forever. Here are some questions to ponder: What person or thing would be a real test for you to give up? Remember that Abraham got up the very next day and left on his trip. Are you serious in obeying God or do you delay your obedience to God? How do you show like Abraham that you believe the results of obeying God will be good, no matter what the circumstance is? How sure are you that God will provide what you need when you obey Him?


Div B
Gen 22: 10-14

They have traveled 3 days to Mount Moriah as God commanded. Abraham sets up an altar for burning the sacrifice. He places the wood on the altar, and binds Isaac so he can’t run away and lays him down on the pieces of wood. Abraham seems to be wasting no time in following this very hard command. He prepares to kill Isaac and give his promised son back to God. We know he believes that God will provide a lamb, but they don’t see one around and time is running out. Abraham grabs his knife, and raises it up. We can only imagine the terror in Isaac’s face as Abraham tightens his hands around the handle of the knife.

But wait a minute. You might be tempted to think that this sort of thing just doesn’t happen. Sometimes God calls children back home. Children die too. My friend Jojo is very sure that this sort of thing happens in our day and age. You see, Jojo had a baby 10 years ago that was born with permanent brain damage, she was severely retarded. Kristin spent her life going in and out of hospitals. Three months ago, she passed away in her mother’s arms. Her mother says that she knows that little Kristen is in Heaven, she says that her mouth that would hang open all the time in life is now perfectly formed and her teeth that were always crooked are now a perfect smile. Jojo believes that it’s too not impossible for God to restore her daughter. Do you believe that?

Abraham obviously believed that, because his plan B was the same, if God lets him go ahead and kill his son, He will restore him. Abraham trusted that God would bring Isaac back to life were he to die. You can bet that God was looking deep into Abraham’s heart to see how strong his faith really was. Hebrews 11:19 says “Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.” So many Christians don’t understand how completely the Old Testament foretells the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Later in Genesis we’ll see how the life of Joseph mirrors Jesus Christ as well. The more we learn about the Old Testament the more we see a clear picture of how these prophecies would be fulfilled through Jesus Christ. Now, back to the mountaintop. Fortunately for Isaac, Abraham passed the test. (Read 22:11-14). God did not change His mind here. He was not going to let Abraham kill his son. Instead, God’s desire was to test Abraham and reveal his faith. You get an idea here of what we’re asking for when we pray for a faith like Abraham’s! God gave Abraham a mountaintop experience. Have you ever stood on the top of a mountain? You can see everything for miles and miles. God took Moses to the mountaintop to show him the Promised Land. The Bible is our “Mapquest” guide to the mountaintop. By studying it and believing it, the Bible opens our eyes so that we can see who God is, who we are, and the way the world really is. Have you ever had a mountain top experience?

Abraham sure did. Abraham looks up and sees a ram stuck in a bush, and sacrifices the ram instead. Abraham always takes God seriously so he doesn’t delay in making the sacrifice of the lamb. He names the place “The Lord Will Provide”. Since this was one of the pivotal stories of our faith, the site was considered sacred. We see in Second Samuel that King David made sacrifices to God on this spot and that the Temple was built at that same location by Solomon. Also, the place where Jesus was crucified was very close by.

What great lesson did Abraham learn on that day long ago? God provides for those who trust Him. God not only provides the simple daily things like food and clothes, but God also understands our deepest needs and desires including the things and people we value most. To God we are fully known.

Abraham knew God, knew His voice, and His character. How are you listening for God’s voice in the Bible? God watches Abraham’s obedience from Heaven. What does He say as He watches from Heaven each day? What do your daily activities demonstrate about your faith? Have you recognized your own sin before God and your need for someone to save you from God’s punishment? Have you received the substitute for your sacrifice in your life, the lamb of Jesus Christ?

Div C
Gen 22:15-23:20

(Read 22:15-18) We see Abraham’s blessing being confirmed with a little more detail this time. Each time we mature in our faith, God shows us a little more about what He has in store for us, doesn’t He? The angel of the Lord calls a second time from Heaven. God swears to God, “I swear by myself”, that because Abraham didn’t hold back his only son, he will surely be a blessing to all nations. Again, there’s the promise that his descendants would be more than the stars in the sky. His descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies. These prophecies have come true through Jesus Christ. We talked last week about how there are only 15 million Jewish people in the world but there are over 2 billion Christians. There may be something to the fact that stars in the sky are lights. And Jesus is the light of the world and His followers are like little lights (Christian means both belonging to Christ and more literally “little Christs”).

[We can be thankful that Abraham passed the test and that God eventually provided the Lamb.]