GOD COMMANDS ABRAHAM
22 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. 2 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.
vs 1 Likely several years had passed since Hagar and Ishmael were asked to leave, and Abraham and Sarah had journeyed to Gerar. Isaac is likely at least a teenager if not older. God will test not only Abraham but also Isaac. God does not tempt anyone, Satan does that. "Here I am" can be seen as, "I am here and will obey you God". I wonder if, prior to the incarnation, God the Father and God the Son had a similar exchange.
vs 2 Isaac, Gods supernaturally conceived child of Abraham and Sarah. Ishmael was Abrahams naturally born child was born outside of the promise that God had given to Abraham. I believe that God is seeing Jesus when He makes this statement. Moriah is the area that the temple will be built. What?? That is not what Abraham asks though. God has asked for Abrahams faithfulness to obey, and Abraham will obey. Again I believe God the Father sees God the Son in this action.
Let's look at some of the similarities of Christ and Isaac
1) Supernaturally conceived.
2) Innocent of anything deserving death.
3) Submit to the will of his father.
4) Carry the instruments of his death, both of which were wood.
5) Willingly lay down his life.
vs 2 Isaac, Gods supernaturally conceived child of Abraham and Sarah. Ishmael was Abrahams naturally born child was born outside of the promise that God had given to Abraham. I believe that God is seeing Jesus when He makes this statement. Moriah is the area that the temple will be built. What?? That is not what Abraham asks though. God has asked for Abrahams faithfulness to obey, and Abraham will obey. Again I believe God the Father sees God the Son in this action.
Let's look at some of the similarities of Christ and Isaac
1) Supernaturally conceived.
2) Innocent of anything deserving death.
3) Submit to the will of his father.
4) Carry the instruments of his death, both of which were wood.
5) Willingly lay down his life.
THREE DAY JOURNEY
3 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. 4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.
vs 3 Abraham does not waste any time, nor does he ask anyone else to help prepare for the journey. He will split the wood and saddle the beast of burden. I wonder what was going through Abraham and Isaac's thoughts at this point. God himself has a special piece of property that will be used for this test. Most scholars believe this to be the future site of the temple, however Chuck Missler thinks it could have been on Golgotha.
vs 4 Can't help but see the similarity to Jesus and the third day. For three days Abraham knows he will sacrifice Isaac, therefore he is a dead man walking. On the third day, when he is to sacrifice Isaac, God will deliver him. Moriah is around 40 to 60 miles from Beersheba.
vs 4 Can't help but see the similarity to Jesus and the third day. For three days Abraham knows he will sacrifice Isaac, therefore he is a dead man walking. On the third day, when he is to sacrifice Isaac, God will deliver him. Moriah is around 40 to 60 miles from Beersheba.
ABRAHAM AND ISAAC
5 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. 6 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. 7 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? 8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. 9 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. 10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
vs 5 Abraham sees the act of sacrificing his only son in obedience to God as an act of worship. He tells the servants that they will come again to them. Hebrews 11:17-19
17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac. He received the promises and he was offering his unique son, 18 the one it had been said about, Your seed will be traced[g] through Isaac.[h] 19 He considered God to be able even to raise someone from the dead, and as an illustration,[i] he received him back.
vs 6 Isaac will carry all the instruments of worship. He is strong enough to bear this burden.
vs 7 Isaac asks the question that all of us want to know. Abraham acknowledges he is listening. Well we came all this way, prepared all that is needed for an offering, and yet we have no offering other than you or me.
vs 8 Bill Creasy in his commentary points out that punctuation is absent in the original Hebrew, thus "my son" could refer to Isaac as the sacrifice. Abraham has a lot of experience with God now and is confident that God can and will protect the covenant of promise.
vs 9 Abraham bound his son. It is astounding to me that Isaac is willing to be bound. Abraham is old and Isaac is young, if he wanted to leave he could have. Isaac's faith has grown along with his fathers.
vs 10 Up until nothing has been done that can not be undone. This is the moment of truth and testing. Both Abraham and Isaac trust God completely.
17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac. He received the promises and he was offering his unique son, 18 the one it had been said about, Your seed will be traced[g] through Isaac.[h] 19 He considered God to be able even to raise someone from the dead, and as an illustration,[i] he received him back.
vs 6 Isaac will carry all the instruments of worship. He is strong enough to bear this burden.
vs 7 Isaac asks the question that all of us want to know. Abraham acknowledges he is listening. Well we came all this way, prepared all that is needed for an offering, and yet we have no offering other than you or me.
vs 8 Bill Creasy in his commentary points out that punctuation is absent in the original Hebrew, thus "my son" could refer to Isaac as the sacrifice. Abraham has a lot of experience with God now and is confident that God can and will protect the covenant of promise.
vs 9 Abraham bound his son. It is astounding to me that Isaac is willing to be bound. Abraham is old and Isaac is young, if he wanted to leave he could have. Isaac's faith has grown along with his fathers.
vs 10 Up until nothing has been done that can not be undone. This is the moment of truth and testing. Both Abraham and Isaac trust God completely.
GOD INTERVENES
11 And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. 12 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. 13 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. 14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.
vs 11 Just in case Abraham was not listening God called his name twice, I believe in quick succession. Abraham stops immediately and states he is willing to here God's will.
vs 12 Bill Creasy points out that it is this verse that is seen as the birth of Judaism. God is not a god that requires human sacrifice, but just the opposite. God will not withhold His only Son.
vs 13 This is the first instance of substitutionary sacrifice. Jesus is foreshadowed in this entire story.
vs 14 Jehovah Jirah means "the LORD will provide".
vs 12 Bill Creasy points out that it is this verse that is seen as the birth of Judaism. God is not a god that requires human sacrifice, but just the opposite. God will not withhold His only Son.
vs 13 This is the first instance of substitutionary sacrifice. Jesus is foreshadowed in this entire story.
vs 14 Jehovah Jirah means "the LORD will provide".
BLESSING ABRAHAM
15 And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, 16 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: 17 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; 18 and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. 19 So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beer-sheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beer-sheba.
ISAAC'S FUTURE BRIDE
20 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; 21 Huz his firstborn, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram, 22 and Chesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph, and Bethuel. 23 And Bethuel begat Rebekah: these eight Milcah did bear to Nahor, Abraham’s brother. 24 And his concubine, whose name was Reumah, she bare also Tebah, and Gaham, and Thahash, and Maachah.