Lessons from the Patriarchs Abraham & Isaac: A Picture of Faith in Action

Genesis 22:1-19

Theme: God reveals the authenticity of our faith by testing it, and we authenticate our faith by being obedient to the will of god.

Date: 06/01/14 File name: Patriarch_Lessons_04-2022.wpd ID Number: 60

This morning we look at the Binding of Isaac. You will notice that this portion of Scripture is really just as much about Abraham as it is Isaac. In fact, this is the only glimpse of Isaac that we are going to examine in this series on the Patriarchs. This event, by far, is the most important story in the life of Isaac; and it doesn’t take much thought to figure out why.

To our modern minds this passage is, at the very least confounding, and at the very worst offensive. In this account, Abraham is told by God to sacrifice his son Isaac as a burnt offering. Immediately everything inside of us wonders how God could demand such a thing. This is one of those stories that unbelievers and atheists pounce on in order to attack belief in God as unreasonable superstition. Richard Dawkins is an evolutionary biologist at Oxford University, and perhaps the most outspoken atheist of our time. In 2006 he authored a book entitled The God Delusion in which he contends that a supernatural creator almost certainly does not exist and that religious faith is a delusion. Based partly on the passage before us he concludes: “The God of the Old Testament is jealous, petty, unjust, unforgiving, revengeful; a bloodthirsty racist, a hater of women, fearful of homosexuals, a baby killer, a mass murderer, someone who commands people to kill their own children, having an inflated ego while enjoying watching others endure pain. He is a mean-hearted, evil bully and loves himself for it.

I cannot imagine a more twisted and erroneous understanding of God. But that’s what certain intellectuals believe about our God. And this story is one of the accounts they use to justify their view. So we must take great care in understanding, interpreting, and applying it. Let’s read the passage first, then we will see if the God Dawkins sees is really there. And if not (and most of us are already assuming not), what does this actually tell us about God?

[Genesis 22:1-19]

What I want you to notice right off the bat here is that God never intended for Abraham to kill Isaac. Even Abraham seems to recognize this. In verse 8 Abraham tells Isaac, “God will provide for himself the lamb ... .” The word provide is the Hebrew word to see to or to reveal. Here’s what Abraham is saying, “My son, you can’t see the lamb. I can’t see the lamb. But God will see to the lamb.

God has no desire for Abraham to commit filicide. In other words, He doesn’t want to see Abraham kill his own son. Jewish theologians believe the Binding of Isaac actually demonstrates to the Jews that human sacrifice is abhorrent to God.

What God wants to see is Abraham’s faith, which was credited to him as righteousness, in action. So he asks Abraham to do the most unimaginable thing we could think of in order to reveal the genuineness of Abraham’s faith. And that is the first thing we should notice about this passage:

I. GOD REVEALS THE AUTHENTICITY OF OUR FAITH BY TESTING IT

“Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. 2 Then God said, “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 22:1–2, NIV)

1. the first verse of Genesis 22 is very important

a. it says that God tested Abraham

2. Moses, the author of this account gives us an explanatory statement before the story begins

a. it’s almost as if Moses knows the story is going to raise eyebrows, so he helps us out

1) he gives us information that Abraham didn’t have

b. he tells us that what God is doing is testing Abraham’s faith

3. that’s comforting for those who read the story, but there is no such explanation from God to Abraham

a. but when the command comes, Abraham goes

1) why?

b. Abraham took refuge in the character of God

“Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?”” (Genesis 18:25, ESV)

1) that’s Abraham speaking to God back in Genesis 18

2) Abraham knows Who his God is ... he knows what His promises are ... Abraham knows Yahweh’s character and he knows Yahweh’s record and says, “OK. I’ll do it”

A. TESTED FAITH IS A PERFECTED FAITH

“Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.” (2 Corinthians 7:1, NIV)

1. in both Old and New Testaments, God demands holiness in the lives of His followers

a. “Be ye holy because I am holy” is God’s admonition to all those who would call upon His grace and seek His face

2. God makes us holy through the redemptive work of his Son

a. but sanctification remains a continuous process in which believers must assiduously apply themselves to fostering practical holiness of heart and life

1) this is what the Apostle Paul refers to when he writes perfecting holiness out of reverence for God

b. our holiness is accentuated when we respond by faith to the life-situations we providentially find ourselves in

c. God uses all kinds of day-to-day experiences to test our faith

1) some trials are small, even trivial events

ILLUS. Flying is an experience that always tests my faith. I can’t say that I’m afraid of flying, but neither can I say it’s my favorite experience in life. There is that moment in every flight when my heart sings “My Faith Looks up to Thee” because my rational mind is saying, “If we were meant to fly, God would have given us wings!” The faith-moment for me comes when that Boeing 737 begins hurtling down the runway and 87 tons of metal, plastic, fuel and human beings begins to lift up into the air when it reaches 160 mph. Some of you know that moment of hesitancy when the thrust of the engines begins to lift the plane, but the moment those wheels leave the ground, gravity says, “No you don’t!” and you can ever-so-briefly feel the reluctance of that huge object to actually defy gravity. At that moment — and usually just for a few seconds — my mind contemplates the Newton’s primary law, and my faith says, “Lord, I’m in your hands.”

2) other trials can be serious, life-altering events

3. this test of Abraham’s faith is an example of a serious, life-altering event

a. having sent Ishmael away with Hagar, Abraham now has only one son, Isaac; and the future of the covenant promise rested with him

1) he was the promised child that God gave to Abraham and Sarah in their old age by a supernatural work

b. all of the promises of God were to come to pass, according to God himself, through Isaac and his seed

“Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.” (Genesis 17:19 (NIV)

4. killing Isaac would, seemingly, ruin everything

a. so there IS no greater thing God could have asked Abraham to do than to sacrifice his son Isaac

ILLUS. Dr. Warren Wiersbe writes this in his commentary on the Pentateuch: “Our faith is not really tested until God asks us to bear what seems unbearable, do what seems unreasonable, and expect what seems impossible. We need to understand that God does to us what he did here to Abraham. He tests us through various difficulties and trials. He does this, according to James 1, in order to perfect our character and our faith. And according to 1 Peter 1, that perfected, genuine faith will glorify Jesus Christ when he returns to this earth.”

b. for most of us, this is not a new concept, but it is one we quickly forget or fail to apply

1) we want the good life 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

2) we want our lives to be the big easy; indeed some pastors will actually promise you ‘your best life now’ ... all you have to do is buy their book from Amazon.com at $15.99 to find out how

a) and sometimes life is easy ... sometimes it flows peaceably along

b) sometimes we go through periods when it seems like nothing is going wrong

c. but most of us know, that’s just temporary, because our lives will be flipped upside down at some point

1) but we learn more about who we are and what our faith is all about when the big easy is flipped upside down

B. A TESTED FAITH IS A PERSEVERING FAITH

“Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.” (Genesis 22:3–4, NIV)

1. the extent and perseverance of Abraham’s faith and trust in God is revealed in this test

a. Abraham immediately obeys

1) the text tells us early the next morning

b. Abraham perseveringly obeys

1) the text tells us on the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place

2) three days — 72 long hours — to think about what God has asked him to do

3) at any time, Abraham could have turned toward home, disavowing God and doting on the Son of Promise

4) he does not — he perseveres in his faith

2. consider just how much Abraham trusted God in this situation

a. up to this point Abraham’s trust has gone up and down like the world’s best roller coaster

1) now his faith is unwavering

2) he is convinced God is going to provide a way to save Isaac and thus preserve the promised seed

b. he was so convinced that Hebrews 11:17-19 says this: “By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18 even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” 19 Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.”

c. even if, for some unthinkable reason, God allowed Isaac to die Abraham believed God would bring him back from the dead

1) whatever happened, Abraham knew Isaac wasn’t going anywhere

3. this is what authentic faith looks like in real life

a. this is putting your money where your mouth is, so to speak

b. like Abraham, the perseverance of our faith in God is revealed when God allows tests into our lives

1) maybe it is the test of sickness, or financial loss, family problems, or issues on the job

4. when people watch us going through our “Isaac test”, whatever it is, with unwavering faith in Jesus Christ the Holy Spirit uses that to draw some to repentance and faith

a. the greatest gospel testimony we can give to the people around us is not merely following God when life is good, but relentlessly pursuing God when life is horrible, or when we must endure a test of faith

b. when people see that, they know we’re the genuine article

1) and they wonder where it comes from because if they know us at all they know it doesn’t come from us

2) then we point them to God, the giver of life

5. So God Reveals the Authenticity of Our Faith by Testing it; and secondly:

II. GOD REQUIRES OUR WILLINGNESS TO DO WHATEVER HE ASKS OF US

“Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” 8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together. 9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.” (Genesis 22:6–10, NIV)

1. have you ever wondered “Where is Isaac in this story? What is he thinking and what is he feeling as he makes his way to Mt. Moriah with his father?”

a. there is very little commentary on Isaac in the story of the Binding of Isaac

b. but his part of the story must also be told

ILLUS. In much of Jewish literature, Isaac is portrayed as the prototype of the voluntary and joyful martyr, willing to go bravely to his death. The first-century C.E. Jewish historian Flavus Josephus describes Isaac as a 25-year-old who rushes to the altar, knowing that he is to be the victim. In later rabbinic collections, Isaac is portrayed as an adult of 37 years, fully aware of what is going to happen to him. He not only accepts the role he is to play, but begs Abraham to bind him lest he struggle in fear, thus invalidating the sacrifice.

1) I think there is some truth in these conjectures, but they remain conjectures

c. I don’t want to be guilty of inappropriate conjectures either, but I think there are a few things we can conclude from the text

2. 1st, Isaac is a grown man

a. much of the art work depicting the binding of Isaac, shows Isaac as a child of ten or even younger

ILLUS. Catholic theologian Jerome believed Abraham's son was five at the time.

b. when you look at the Biblical time line in chapters 21-23 we know that Isaac was at least a teenager and very like a young man of about twenty-five years old (Josephus pretty much got it right)

1) in Genesis 22:5 Abraham refers to Isaac as the boy, but the Hebrew word that it translates means anything from an infant to a young man

ILLUS. At my age, anyone under the age of 35 is a “kid”. When I talk to my brother, one of the first questions is always, “How are the kids doing?” Sheila, the oldest, is 40! When Abraham, now 125 years old, looks at 25-year-old Isaac, yes ... he sees a boy!

c. we know from the text that Isaac is certainly old enough and strong enough to carry enough firewood to consume a sacrifice up the steep sides of Mt. Moriah

3. 2nd, Isaac is going along to worship God

a. as Abraham’s first born son, Isaac stood in line as the primogeniture — the one who would inherit the parent's entire or main estate

b. but more than that, the primogeniture also served as the family’s primary spiritual leader ... the one who offered sacrifice to God on behalf of the family

c. if Isaac has not already learned how to build an altar and offer the appropriate sacrifice to God, this will be his moment of learning

4. 3rd, Isaac perceives he is to be the sacrifice and willing surrenders to it

a. we can only imagine what kind of look passes between Isaac and Abraham as Isaac asks one last time, “Father, where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” and he sees a tears well up in Abraham’s eyes ... and he knows ... he is to be the sacrifice ... and he allows himself to be bound

b. the story is one of the narrative high points of the Old Testament — Abraham’s faith is resolute, but so is Isaac’s

“When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.” (Genesis 22:9, ESV)

1) he doesn’t flee, he doesn’t protest, he doesn’t resist — certainly a 25-year-old man could have resisted an supercentenarian who attempts to bind him

2) Flavus Josephus describes Isaac as a 25-year-old who rushes to the altar

a) I don’t know that Isaac rushed to the altar, but as you read the story it seems apparent that he assented to the altar as the will of God

5. every indication is that Isaac becomes a willing sacrifice

A. GOD DEMANDS A LIVING SACRIFICE

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:1–2, ESV)

1. the testing of our faith comes in many different ways at different times

a. the question is are we willing to be obedient to the express will of God when the testing comes?

1) nothing ever happens by accident in the life of a follower of Jesus Christ — everything is Father filtered

2) if you’re a child of God nothing comes into your life — nothing — without God’s permission

b. God wants us to be followers who do whatever He asks of us; not people who obey when it’s convenient or who justify our disobedience when things seem unreasonable

“Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. 3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” (Deuteronomy 8:2–3, NIV)

2. those familiar with the story of the Binding of Isaac, know that God asks a hard, hard thing of Abraham

a. we fail to recognize, however, the even harder thing He asks of Isaac

1) it’s one thing to obey God and offer a sacrifice, it’s altogether another thing to obey God and become the sacrifice

2) Isaac's faith and obedience when Abraham bound him as a sacrifice is exemplary, for he must have truly believed what his father had told him: "God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son" (Gen. 22:8)

c. Isaac becomes the Old Testament illustration of what the New Testament calls all believers to — to become a living sacrifice

3. this is nothing unreasonable — becoming a “living sacrifice” is not for “super-saints” but for everyone who calls upon the name of Jesus

a. from the beginning of the Christian movement the Christian ... all Christians ... every-day believers ... are called to “take up the cross and follow Jesus”

b. what does it mean to “take up the cross?”

1) it means the same to us as it meant to Jesus

2) it’s giving God an “eternal yes” to control our lives and determine our course in life

c. we do this because, like Abraham, we take refuge in the character of God — Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just ... in my life?”” (Genesis 18:25, ESV)

1) we know Who his God is ... we knows what His promises are ... we know Yahweh’s character and we know Yahweh’s record because we’ve seen it manifested in the life of the Son, and therefore we say, “OK. Wherever he leads I’ll go.”

III. LESSONS FROM THE BINDING OF ISAAC

1. why are the events of Mt. Moriah important to us today?

a. God doesn’t change

b. the events on Mt. Moriah and the lessons they provide us are applicable in our own relationships with God

A. GOD WILL TEST US

1. the story with Abraham and Isaac on Mount Moriah is a demonstration of a future event pointing to Jesus and God’s plan of salvation for mankind

a. however, it also reveals how God tests His children

2. chances are good that our testing will not involve anything quite as dramatic, but it will be difficult because a test is not a true test unless it’s hard for us

a. maybe God has been working in our lives trying to get us to trust Him regarding money

1) the test may be that we lose our job.

2) will we trust His provision through job loss?

3) will we desire His will in our lives even if it involves moving us to another place of employment?

3. passing the test will involve peace

a. we go with the flow of God – knowing He has our best interest at heart and is in control of everything

“Fear not, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10, NIV)

B. GOD’S TIMING IS PERFECT

1. when Abraham was about to slit his son’s throat, God provided a ram for the sacrifice instead

a. God’s timing is perfect

1) the ram happened to be caught in a thicket nearby just when the substitute sacrifice was needed to save the life of his son, Isaac

2. our testing is the same

a. God is all-knowing and has a plan for us to get through the testing he’s placed us into

b. if we lose our job to test our faith in God’s provision, He already knows where we’ll be employed next

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heavens.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, NIV)

C. GOD’S PLAN IS BEST

1. honestly? ... death doesn’t seem like a good plan

a. but God sees things differently than we do

b. death was part of His perfect plan of salvation for us

2. the death, and resurrection of His one and only beloved Son is how He made a way for us to have a right relationship with Him again

a. you’ll never understand what is happening on Mt. Moriah, if you don’t understand what happened on Mt. Calvary

1) Jesus lived the perfect life none of us are capable of living

2) he was the fulfillment of the perfect sacrifice required by God that Abraham demonstrated in Genesis with his son, Isaac

3. the binding of Isaac is the greatest and most terrible story in the Bible

a. the terror and the awe and the horror of Abraham’s slow journey up the mountain are unlike anything else in scripture, or out of it

4. it resists easy interpretation and neat categorization; it is a mystery in the deepest sense of the word

a. the only way to make sense of it is to connect it with Jesus on the Cross

1) remember what Jesus cries out? “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

b. the Apostle Paul writes, “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”

5. like Isaac this other Son also willingly laid his life on the altar, but in this case there was no intervention because Jesus was and is the Lamb slain from the before the beginning of the world who takes away the sins of sinners

“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.” (1 Peter 3:18, NIV)

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21, NIV)

CONCLUSION

So think about these things as we close: how might God be testing your faith in order to reveal it as authentic? Maybe you don’t sense any testing or stretching of your faith right now. How have you seen God test your faith in the past? And how has that strengthened you and enabled you to show your faith to others in a real life situation?

And we should ask ourselves: “Are we willing to do whatever God asks of us?” Will we obey His Word even though in certain situations it may not make the most sense to us? Isaiah the prophet reminds us with these familiar words: For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.