Final Exam

Introduction

Biblical Timeline

We are in the second age, The Patriarchs.

PATRIARCHS The generations of Israel’s founders whose lives are recounted in Gen 12–50. The covenant made by God with Abraham forms the basis of the Mosaic covenant. “Patriarchs” (“fathers”) is the name given to Abraham, his son Isaac, and his grandson Jacob—the major characters in Gen 12–50. This family became the ancestors of the nation of Israel.”

Abraham

Abraham was called out by God and through His covenant relationship with him, God pointed out the family line that He would redeem mankind from their sins. Abraham is called a friend of God.

James 2:23 (ESV)

23 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.

Abraham is pointed to as the one prime example of a life of faith in God. Abraham is never shown to question that God would remain faithful to His promise.

God’s Test (Genesis 22:1-2)

God’s speaks to Abraham (1)

Genesis 22:1 (ESV)

1 After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”

Tested - to test v., to put to the test in order to ascertain the nature of something, including imperfections, faults, or other qualities. (The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible 2017: n. pag. Print.)

Moses, author of Genesis, points out that this next event in Abraham’s life is a test from God.

God’s Test (2)

Genesis 22:2 (ESV)

2 He said, “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.”

One and Only

lone adj., being the only one; single and isolated from others (The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible 2017: n. pag. Print.)

“Take your beloved son” (Greek Septuagint)

Moriah

Mountain of the future capital city of Jerusalem.

This will be that same mountain Jesus will be crucified on.

Burnt offering

whole burnt offering n., a kind of sacrifice that included the acceptable parts of the sacrificial animal being completely burnt up (The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible 2017: n. pag. Print.)

Abraham’s understanding?

Joshua 24:2–4 (ESV)

2 And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Long ago, your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates, Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor; and they served other gods. 3 Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan, and made his offspring many. I gave him Isaac. 4 And to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. And I gave Esau the hill country of Seir to possess, but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt.

Abraham was raised in a home that was involved in worshiping other gods. Then God called Abraham out to be in a covenant relationship with Him only.

I don't know how much Abraham understood about God’s character, but what we get from the text of Genesis is that he believed that God would do what he promised.

Abraham’s Obedience (Genesis 22:3-10)

Immediate Obedience (3)

Genesis 22:3 (ESV)

3 So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.

Early in the Morning, Abraham prepared for his journey to Mount Moriah. He prepared the donkeys, cut the wood and grabbed his Son and 2 servants, then headed out.

This shows the love and trust Abraham had in God. Nowhere in the text are we showed any hesitation or struggle on Abrahams side to obey the Lords command.

Travel to Destination (4-8)

Abraham and the young men (4-6)

Genesis 22:4–6 (ESV)

4 On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. 5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.” 6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together.

Says to the young Men

“Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you." (ESV)

Genesis 22:5 (NIV)

5 He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”

Almost all translations in English emphasis the idea that Abraham expected both he and Isaac to return to the young men.

“It is impossible to know what Abraham was thinking when he said, “we will … return to you.” When he went he knew (1) that he was to sacrifice Isaac, and (2) that God intended to fulfill his earlier promises through Isaac. How he reconciled those facts is not clear in the text. Heb 11:17–19 suggests that Abraham believed God could restore Isaac to him through resurrection.” (Biblical Studies Press. The NET Bible. Second Edition. Denmark: Thomas Nelson, 2019. Print.)

Hebrews 11:17–19 (ESV)

17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, 18 of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 19 He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.

This is consistent to the trust Abraham had to the faithfulness of God to His promises.

Abraham and Isaac (7-8)

Genesis 22:7–8 (ESV)

7 And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” 8 Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.

Isaac’s Question (7)

“Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”

Isaac is putting the pieces together and realizing that a major part of the sacrifice is missing, the lamb. I am sure by this time he would have seen whole burnt offerings before and knows that a lamb or a goat was needed.

Abraham’s Answer (8)

“God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.”

“Heb “will see for himself.” The construction means “to look out for; to see to it; to provide.” (Biblical Studies Press. The NET Bible. Second Edition. Denmark: Thomas Nelson, 2019. Print.)

to provide v., to give what is desired or needed, especially support, food, or sustenance. (The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible 2017: n. pag. Print.)

This event

Isaac is provided for the offering.

Or God will provide another.

Future fulfilment

Jesus is the ultimate provision from God.

No other biblical author connects what Abraham says as a pointing to Jesus. There is no biblical author making this prophetic connection. We can see connections between this and Jesus (Moriah, Only Son, Crucifixion, etc)

John 1:29 (ESV)

29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

1 Peter 1:19 (ESV)

19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.

Arrival at Destination (9-10)

Genesis 22:9–10 (ESV)

9 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. 10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.

Prepare for Sacrifice (9)

Be careful not to over dramatize the text. The text is very straight forward without a lot of details. Looking at artist renditions of this event can cloud our understanding of the text. (Moses and Charleston Heston)

“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.”

How did Isaac end up on the alter? Force or willingly?

As I understand the text, there seems to be a willingness by Isaac to be bound and laid on the alter. I see the trust of Isaac in His father and submitted to his will.

It is Time (10)

Be careful not to over dramatize the text. The text is very straight forward.

“Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.”

God’s Provision (Genesis 22:11-14)

Angel (11-12)

Genesis 22:11–12 (ESV)

11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 12 He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.”

The Angel of the Lord

angel n., a supernatural being created by God to serve Him; often functions as a messenger (The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible 2017: n. pag. Print.)

Angel of the Lord. (67X) Angelic being mentioned in the Bible, more properly translated the “messenger” of the Lord. In the OT the angel of the Lord, as God’s personal emissary, performed special functions at particular times in the history of Israel.” (Elwell, Walter A., and Barry J. Beitzel. “Angel of the Lord.” Baker encyclopedia of the Bible 1988: 90. Print.)

Angel’s Message

“Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me."

fearing adj., having fear and profound respect for something; typically used of a person in regards to God. (The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible 2017: n. pag. Print.)

“While it may seem strange that the all-knowing God learned something about Abraham, in this case we should understand God as adopting the position of the senior partner in a covenant, such as a mighty king speaking to his vassal. His language is not simply informative; that is, it is not simply saying what God has learned. Rather, this is evaluative and performative language, stating a conclusion about Abraham’s actions and in effect declaring that the patriarch’s actions demonstrate that God is justified in bestowing his promise on Abraham and his descendants (cf. vv. 16–18).” (Steinmann, Andrew E. Genesis: An Introduction and Commentary. Ed. David G. Firth. Vol. 1. London: Inter-Varsity Press, 2019. Print. The Tyndale Commentary Series.)

Abraham (13-14)

Abraham spots the Ram (13)

Genesis 22:13 (ESV)

13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son.

Abraham proclaims “God will Provide” (14)

Genesis 22:14 (ESV)

14 So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”

“sn God will provide is the central theme of the passage and the turning point in the story. Note Paul’s allusion to the story in Rom 8:32.” (Biblical Studies Press. The NET Bible. Second Edition. Denmark: Thomas Nelson, 2019. Print.)

“A true worshiper of God holds nothing back from God but obediently gives Him what He asks, trusting that He will provide. The key idea of the entire passage is summarized in the name Abraham gave to the place: Yahweh Yir’eh, The LORD will provide (or, “see”; v. 14)... In naming the place Abraham of course was commemorating his own experience of sacrifice to the Lord. But an animal was provided by God’s grace as a substitute for the lad in the offering. Later all Israel would offer animals to the Lord. Worship involved accepting God’s sacrificial substitute. But of course in the New Testament God substituted His only Son for the animal, and the perfect Sacrifice was made. John certainly had this in mind when he introduced Jesus as “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29) Yet the main point of Genesis 22:9–14 is not the doctrine of the Atonement. It is portraying an obedient servant worshiping God in faith at great cost, and in the end receiving God’s provision. Abraham did not withhold his son. Similarly Paul wrote that God “did not spare [epheisato] His own Son, but gave [delivered] Him up for us all” (Rom. 8:32). ” (Ross, Allen P. “Genesis.” The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures. Ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck. Vol. 1. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985. 65. Print.)

Abraham’s Blessing (Genesis 22:15-19)

Angel speaks a blessing over Abraham (15-18)

Genesis 22:15–18 (ESV)

15 And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven 16 and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, 18 and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”

Angel speaks to Abraham a second time. This time is a specific message of blessing from the Lord. God reaffirms his covenant promise to Abraham.

Bless Him

Multiply his offspring

Strength of the nation that will descend from him.

Promise to bless all people through him. (Christ)

God is very pleased with the obedience and trust of Abraham.

Abraham returns home (19)

Genesis 22:19 (ESV)

19 So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba. And Abraham lived at Beersheba.

Lessons from Abraham

Example to follow - Abraham

Obedience to the Lord - Abraham was obedient to the Lord in whatever He asked. Abraham believed that God loved him and would provide for him. He also had an understanding of God’s authority over him and that He had the right to command him to do anything.

Trust in God’s faithfulness to His Character and Word - Abraham believed that God was going to be faithful to the promises he made to him, that even if He commanded him to do something that would jeopardize the fulfilment of the plan, God would somehow intervene. (Heb 11)

Something to be Thankful for - God

God will provide - God will provide for our needs.

Salvation and our needs.

Romans 8:31–32 (ESV)

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He 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 is trustworthy - We can trust in the character of God and rely on the trustworthiness of His Word.

Attitude to Change - Testing of our faith.

God used this situation to test the faith of Abraham. Abraham’s faith in God was tested genuine.

God may use situations in our lives to strengthen our faith and test the genuineness of it.

1 Peter 1:6–8 (ESV)

6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory,

Benediction

Jude 24–25 (NET 2nd ed.)

24 Now to the one who is able to keep you from falling, and to cause you to stand, rejoicing, without blemish before his glorious presence, 25 to the only God our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority, before all time, and now, and for all eternity. Amen.