ETB Genesis 22:1-14

Session #1 - p.10 - A Substitute

Most of today’s lesson comes from other sources and are not my personal insights. This passage has so much material that has been reviewed and refined that anything I thought of was written out already using much better wording.

How do you define a “test”?

One of my books defines is as “Manipulating circumstances involving another person so that one can discern important information easily, without bias, or with greater certainty than if the information was simply requested. This if often accomplished through some kind of deception” or intentional withholding of information which “may or may not count as a wrong against the one doing the testing.”

Every heard someone say that they “do not test well?” What do they mean by that?

When I was in school and I took a test, I usually knew if I had “tested well” before I left the room by how many others had finished. If I was one of the first 5 to finish, I aced it. If half the class was gone, I pretty much failed. I did not really have many pass/fail classes, which is what most “life tests” are like. There is no chance to retake it or make extra credit with those.

What about “spiritual tests”? How are they different from other ways we get tested in life?

Spiritual tests at least have the intent to show you where or what you need to work on because can never really get a “perfect score” on them.

Understand the Context

Our passage today starts off with the words “after these things” so we need to review a bit of the past chapters to understand that reference.

Chapters 12–23 of Genesis records multiple tests of faithfulness that Abraham faced as he journeyed with the Lord. Responding obediently to God’s call to leave his land, father’s house, and relatives (Gen. 12:4), Abram “went out, not knowing where he was going” (Heb. 11:8). The Lord later changed his name from Abram, meaning “exalted father,” to Abraham, meaning “the father of a multitude” (Gen. 17:5).

In Genesis 20, he fails the test when he demonstrates a lack of faith. While Abraham resided temporarily in Gerar, a city in the southern part of the promised land, King Abimelech wanted to include Sarah in his harem. The king did not know that Sarah was Abraham’s wife because Abraham had introduced her as his sister, a half-truth, and revealing his lack of faith in God’s protection (see 20:12). God revealed the truth of Sarah’s identity to Abimelech in a dream. God protected Sarah, and Abimelech verbally chastised Abraham for his deception.

Chapter 21 begins with Isaac’s birth (21:1-7). This son of promise, whose name means “laughter,” brought joy to Abraham and Sarah. The name also reflects the couple’s unbelieving laughter when the Lord announced they would bear a son (17:17-19; 18:11-15). Abraham passes another test when he circumcised Isaac when he was eight days old in accord with the Lord’s covenant (17:9-14).

Genesis 21:8-21 recounts the sending away of Hagar, Sarah’s slave, and Ishmael, Abraham and Hagar’s offspring. Ishmael’s birth had resulted from Abram’s and Sarai’s (Sarah’s) failed faithfulness by attempting to fulfill the promise of multiplied descendants by their own plans (see 16:1-4). Abraham also failed this test by succumbing to Sarah’s plan. Even though he sent Hagar and Ishmael away as God commanded, God also promised Abraham that he would make Ishmael’s descendants into a nation because he was Abraham’s offspring (21:13). The Lord continued to care for Hagar and Ishmael in the wilderness.

In chapter 22, Abraham faces the supreme test when the Lord commanded him to sacrifice Isaac. In chapter 12, Abram had successfully met the test of cutting himself off from his past to follow the Lord. In chapter 22 he faced the challenge of trusting the Lord totally with his future.

Chapter 23 records Sarah’s death and burial. With the purchase of the cave of Machpelah and its field, the patriarch gained title to a portion of the promised land. Abraham’s acquisition of the land expressed his confident faith that the Lord would fulfill all His promises.

[LifeWay Adults (2024). Explore the Bible: Adult Leader Guide, Spring 2024]

I am not sure of the significance, but the timing of Sarah’s death after today’s passage is the final confirmation that Isaac, her only son, would be the child of promise. Without any other children through her, Abram will have to rely on God to continue to bless Isaac for future ancestors.

Explore the Text

Genesis 22:1–3 ESV

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

v.1

The Hebrew verb that has been translated tested means to prove someone’s quality or character, often through adversity. God often tests people to refine their character and to draw them closer Him. It should also be emphasized that this test was not a validation of human sacrifice. Throughout the Old Testament, God made it clear that He abhorred human sacrifice and forbid it among His people. [ETB:ALG Spr'23-'24]

We know this is a test and was never intended to be followed through on because Moses recorded God’s inspiration of saying that it was. God did not send this test into Abram’s life, because he was not ready for it. Even after he became Abraham, there were still years before this test came along. It is not recorded in Scripture but it would not surprise me that there were a lot of smaller “faith building” experiences between all the passages we do read.

Just as a reminder, testing and tempting are very different.

James 1:13 “13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.”

I like how one of my past pastors defined these, “Temptations prove to you how sinful you are. Tests prove to you how faithful you are.”

Here I am!

When someone asks you to do something, what it your typical response?

How do you respond to certain people differently than others?

How can you tell when your wife is about to ask you to do something you will not enjoy?

Abraham immediately answered God’s call with an open and available heart. In fact, he used this phrase three times in Genesis 22, suggesting that he was always open to what God was saying to him, even through other people (see also vv. 7,11). Moses (Ex. 3:4) and Isaiah (Isa. 6:8) also responded to the Lord using this expression. [ETB:ALG Spr'23-'24]

v.2

on page 14 of the PSG: Why does God ask His people to do difficult things?

Lifting weights is a physical test. You keep lifting smaller weights multiple times so that you can lift heavier ones in the future. I think God’s spiritual testing working our spiritual “muscles” the same way preparing us for the “heavier” things in the future. The things that we can “bear up under” today would have been overwhelming to us a few years ago. And the trials of today that are difficult to see past will be hardly a memory a few years from now. God is a God of growth. Isaac sacrifice may have been Abraham’s most dramatic and significant test, but it was not his last. Maybe that is why Sarah did not die until after this because it may have been too much to loose a wife of 80+ years before this.

Your only son

The Hebrew word rendered only designates a unique or one-of-a-kind son. Although Isaac was not the only son Abraham had fathered, he was the only son of promise. We can observe a connection between this description of Isaac and the description of Jesus as “the only Son from the Father” (John 1:14). [ETB:ALG Spr'23-'24]

Many scholars seem to point to this angel that is speaking as a theophany. Jesus places His name into the timeline and hearts of His people by speaking it over this first offering of promise.

Moriah

This area has traditionally been located just north of the ancient Jebusite city of Salem. Abraham traveled to Moriah from Beersheba, located approximately 60 miles to the south. Centuries later, David conquered the Jebusite city and made it his capital. Jerusalem is where he wanted to build a temple. [ETB:ALG Spr'23-'24]

God knew the exact spot on the earth that His son would be sacrificed when He created this land. Now He directs His servant to a place that His Son will most like looking upon from that sacrificial position.

v.3

Although we do not read any response to God’s command to sacrifice Isaac, there were undoubtedly questions going through his mind.

Opening Up Genesis The Test

Why now? Why Isaac? Because God had given Abraham much. And, like us, Abraham must have been tempted to love God’s good gifts more than he loved God himself. And God’s crowning gift—Abraham’s most prized possession—was his son, his only son, whom he loved, Isaac. And thus, the loss of Isaac would be the keenest test of Abraham’s faith in and love towards God. Would he still love God if God took away his good gifts? Would he still follow God if God took away his son, his only son, whom he loved, Isaac? These are questions we must ask of ourselves: “Would I still love God if I were put in the shoes of an Ethiopian, making around one dollar a day? Would I still love him if he took my home, my three meals a day, my children, or my spouse?”

How did you prepare for test?

Did you wait to the last minute, or did you schedule out time for many days ahead?

What are the actions Abraham took to prepare for his difficult task?

One of the things that Abraham did prepare was that he “rose early.” My daughter and I are like this, we tend to get up earlier when there is something significant to be done. Sometimes too early and then we do not do so well at the task.

The Hebrew verb relates to a noun meaning “shoulder.” Perhaps the original relationship between the two words developed from the early morning activity of breaking camp and loading burdens on the shoulders of men and beasts to begin a day’s journey. The Hebrew people are recorded in Scripture rising early for several reasons: (1) to get a good start on a long journey, (2) to start the day off right in worship, or (3) to participate in battle. In Genesis 22, both the journey and worship elements were involved. [ETB:ALG Spr'23-'24]

Genesis 22:4–8 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. 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.

v.4-5

On the third day

In biblical thought the number three frequently symbolized completeness. When we as Christians think of the number’s symbolic significance, we cannot help but recall that Jesus arose from the grave on the third day (Luke 24:46). [ETB:ALG Spr'23-'24]

We will go and worship and return

Worship is the appropriate human response to God.

Worship can be understood in the broad context of presenting one’s whole life and being as an act of service to God (Rom. 12:1). It can also be viewed in a more narrow sense of encountering the Lord alone or assembling with other believers to honor Him. Elements in such worship often include praying, Bible reading, singing, preaching, and giving. [ETB:ALG Spr'23-'24]

Come again to you

Abraham’s parting words to his servants expressed his confident faith in the Lord’s provision. We have no clue from Genesis as to what Abraham was thinking when he uttered these words. However, the anonymous writer of Hebrews, under divine inspiration, stated that Abraham believed that God was powerful enough to bring Isaac back from death if necessary (Heb. 11:19a). [ETB:ALG Spr'23-'24]

Hebrews 11:19 “19 He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.”

v.6-8

They went both of them together

This recurring phrase expresses the harmony that existed between father and son. We don’t know Isaac’s age, but he was old enough to carry the wood. He also was old enough to raise a question about the absence of the lamb for a burnt offering. Yet even Isaac’s questioning does not break the fellowship between father and son. He trusted his father. We can see a parallel between the unity of Abraham and Isaac and that of the Father and the Son when Jesus went to the cross. Jesus humbly submitted to the Father’s will (Luke 22:42; 23:46; 2 Cor. 5:19). [ETB:ALG Spr'23-'24]

This phrase also emphasizes that although the “test” was for Abraham, the worship was being done by both. Isaac’s submission to his earthly and heavenly father’s plans were his act of worship.

I know that is something difficult for me and other men to realize. Sometimes the most worshipful thing we can do is nothing.

Genesis 22:9–12 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. 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.”

v.9-10

The Hebrew word translated altar literally means “a place of slaughter.”

We see more connections between this scene and that of Christ’s at the cross. Jesus did not nail himself to the cross but the Father put Him there. Isaac did not get on the altar himself, he was bound first and Abraham his father put laid him there.

Took the knife to slaughter

The reference to Abraham’s near sacrifice of Isaac indicates that in early times the sacrificial animals were not killed before being placed on the altar. Instead they were bound to the altar and slaughtered on it. Later the sacrificial victim was killed before being placed on the altar (Lev. 1:2-9). The Hebrew word for knife occurs only four times in the Old Testament. Two of those occurrences are in Genesis 22. [ETB:ALG Spr'23-'24]

v.11-12

Angel of the Lord

In Genesis 22, the angel of the Lord also seems to be equated with the Lord Himself. He stated that He would bless Abraham because Abraham had not withheld His only son “from me” (v. 12). Additionally, the angel indicated that all nations would be blessed by Abraham’s offspring because the patriarch had obeyed “my voice” (v. 18). [ETB:ALG Spr'23-'24]

Do not lay your hand on the boy:

The angel of the Lord’s instructions were emphatic. Then, taking no chances that Abraham would harm his son, the angel further instructed Abraham not to do anything to him. Abraham had done all God expected of him. He had remained faithful and passed the test.

By stopping Abraham, the Lord was proving He was different from the false gods that others worshiped. Some pagan religions required a human sacrifice in order to appease the deities. [ETB:ALG Spr'23-'24]

Today as believers we are called by Paul in Romans 12 to be a “living sacrifice,” honoring Him and pointing others to Him through our lives.

Now I know

The Hebrew verb translated know refers to personal experience. The all-knowing Lord already knew how Abraham would respond. However, that knowledge became real in experience after Abraham successfully passed this test. From that point on, Abraham also could see or know the depth of his loyalty to the Lord.

Transition: Having proven his faithfulness and loyalty, Abraham received Isaac back without harm. But God still had more. As Abraham acted in faith, God provided for their worship experience

Genesis 22:13–14 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. 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.”

A ram, caught in a thicket

On the third day of their journey, Abraham saw the place of sacrifice from a distance (Gen. 22:4). The patriarch had assured Isaac that God would provide (literally “see to”) the lamb for the burnt offering (v. 8). At the moment he was about to slay his son, Abraham saw the ram that God had provided as a substitute for Isaac.

Their is a symbolic connection between the ram and the substitutionary death of Christ. Jesus is “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Without being commanded to do so, Abraham gratefully offered the ram as a burnt offering instead of his son (Gen. 22:13).

In reality, God’s provision of the ram was necessary for the future provision of Jesus according to God’s plan. Because the Lord provided a substitute for Isaac, the line of Abraham continued through him and his son, Jacob. That line eventually became the nation of Israel, through which the Messiah was born. God spared Abraham’s only son because He would later sacrifice His only Son for the sins of the human race. [ETB:ALG Spr'23-'24]

Basically, Jesus provided the lamb for Isaac here on this hill at this time so that later He could be The Lamb on the next hill over for all people for all time.

Transition: Just as Abraham’s faith was tested, so the faith of believers is tested today. God’s provision of Jesus as our substitute and the Holy Spirit as our advocate leads to confidence that God has a plan for us.

Opening Up Genesis Abraham Believed God

That is true obedience: doing as God says, even when we don’t have all the details—and even when God’s instructions don’t make sense. Is there a situation like that in your life right now?

Has God been asking you to do something that does not seem to make sense?

Can you be obedient even if it doesn't make sense? If yes, then your hesitation to act is a question of your trust in God's benevolence. If no, then you have already failed the test.

God knows what we need before we do and sovereignly guides us to that which is best for us and honors Him most. The “Lord provides” is a statement of both prophecy and provision. Sometimes our need is physical, in today’s passage for Abraham and Isaac it was spiritual.

Apply the Text

The Spurgeon Study Bible: Notes Chapter 22

Our heavenly Father sees our needs and, with divine foresight of love, prepares the supply. He sees to a need to supply it, and in the seeing he is seen—in the providing he manifests himself. I pray we may drink in this truth of God and be refreshed by it. If we follow the Lord’s bidding, he will see to it that we will not be ashamed or confused. If we come into great need by following his command, he will see to it that the loss will be recompensed. If our difficulties multiply and increase so that our way seems completely blocked up, Jehovah will see to it that the road will be cleared. The Lord will see us through in the way of holiness if we are only willing to be thorough in it and dare to follow wherever he leads.

Our test for this week is on page 18.

Believers are to be obedient to God alone.

Believers can have confidence that God has a plan for them.

Believers can demonstrate faith in God.

Believers can trust Jesus as their substitute.

Which one of these has God singled out for you that you need to “study more”? Where do you need His help to improve?

Allow God to prove His faithfulness to you in that area this week.

Pray: Lead in prayer, thanking God for the provision of His Son and for His guidance and direction in our daily lives. Help us to respond quickly and humbly with a “Here I am” attitude.