The Lying Down of Isaac

- Sibling Rivalry

In 51 BC, at the death of Ptolemy Auletes, the famous Cleopatra and her younger brother take the throne of Egypt.

As was custom among that ruling class at the time, they were married.

Brother and sister.

The idea was that together they would rule Egypt as Pharoah and queen.

But history informs us that this relationship was doomed from the beginning.

The family had a history of killing off family members.

By 48 BC they were engaged in a bloody civil war against each other.

With the entire might and prestige of all that was Egypt, split, and torn against those who were for the brother, and those who were for the sister.

Not to be outdone, and left aside, their seventeen year old younger sister Arisone - (Ar-ci-no), joined in the battle taking sides with their brother, Ptolemy VIII,

But thanks to the help of Julius Caesar, who around this time, achieved complete control over the Roman Empire.

She was able to defeat her siblings, in 48 BC at the battle of the Nile.

Shortly after this defeat, her brother Ptolemy VIII drowned, and her sister, Arsinoe was exiled to Ephesus, in Turkey

Until 41 BC, when she was ultimately ordered executed on the very steps of the temple of Artemis, by her sister Cleopatra’s new lover, Mark Anthony, and the rest is history, as the saying goes.

https://www.history.com/news/royal-sibling-feuds

Sibling rivalry is nothing new. Brothers have been pitted against brother since the days of Adam and Eve, Cain & Able.

So, it is no surprise we find Abraham dealing with this possibility at this in his life.

The bible tells us that, after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, that Abraham moved to another region in the land.

- Sarah, Gone Again?

Where again, he finds himself temporarily losing Sarah again to another king, this time to king Abimelech, after trying to pass her off as his sister fails again,

Only this time, they weren’t forced to leave.

They were given permission to choose any part of the land they wanted.

This came after the Lord struck Abimelech & his kingdom with bareness until God visits him in a dream, revealing the truth about Sarah and Abraham.

But then the promise of the son is finally fulfilled.

Genesis 21:1–6 (CSB)

1 The Lord came to Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what he had promised. 2 Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the appointed time God had told him. 3 Abraham named his son who was born to him—the one Sarah bore to him—Isaac. 4 When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God had commanded him. 5 Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.

6 Sarah said, “God has made me laugh, and everyone who hears will laugh with me.”

Finally, after all the time and experiences that Abraham and Sarah went through, the promise was finally fulfilled.

- Finally or Right on Time?

Now, see if we judge by how Abraham and Sarah’s experience, we would say, Finally,

As if that was the determining factor of promptness etc.

But, if we judge it through the character of God, it wasn’t “finally”, It was right on time!

According to God’s time!

You see, you and I have the challenge of waiting on God.

We seem to wait on God for many things in our lives.

healings

Deliverance from addictions,

Relationship reconciliations

Financial struggles,

Many things!

We are also in the habit if saying to ourselves, and God whenever a blessing comes through,

Finally!

We would all do well to remember, what ever you have going on in Life, where you are waiting on God.

We need to rememeber, that, it’s not about

You

Me

Him

Her

Them

or even IT!

Its all about GOD!

It’s never that God was late, or early, He’s always spot-on, right on time.

Because its all about His plan in our lives, and not our own.

We have to remember, God has got this! What ever it is going on in your lives, He’s on top of it.

And we just have to learn how to be obedient when He’s ready to move in our lives.

Like in this next event that happens.

- The Birth of Laughter

Isaac was born to them.

Genesis 21:8–13 (CSB)

8 The child grew and was weaned, and Abraham held a great feast on the day Isaac was weaned. 9 But Sarah saw the son mocking—the one Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham. 10 So she said to Abraham, “Drive out this slave with her son, for the son of this slave will not be a coheir with my son Isaac!”

11 This was very distressing to Abraham because of his son. 12 But God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed about the boy and about your slave. Whatever Sarah says to you, listen to her, because your offspring will be traced through Isaac, 13 and I will also make a nation of the slave’s son because he is your offspring.”

The name Isaac means = Laughter, BTW

When Abraham found out, Sarah would have a child, he laughed,

When Sarah heard the Angel of the Lord say she would have a child, She laughed.

So Isaac means Laughter.

But here is where Abraham again gets his heart ripped out.

- Get Out of Here!

Sarah is afraid that Ismael will steal his spot light.

She is adamant that Isaac will not share in the inheritance of her error.

She was already angry at her servant Hagar for having elevated herself over Sarah when she found out she was pregnant, but now she sees Ishmael doing it too.

But verse :

9 But Sarah saw the son mocking—the one Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham.

The word used for our translation of mocking is the same word used of Isaac. Laughter,

However, the tense used of the word in Hebrew grammar denotes something of a snide laughter, making fun of or something similar

Hence: the word is translated Mocking, Scoffing, etc depending on the version of the Bible you are reading.

Abraham never rebukes him, or Sarah for that matter.

So we don’t really know if Ishmael really did something that would justify Sarah’s harsh response of kicking them out their home or not.

Scripture doesn’t mention whether or not God agreed with Sarah but in the end, decides,

It’s best for all involved to send Ishmael and his mother Hagar into the wilderness to make it on their own.

So, Ishmael and Hagar are cast out.

Obviously, Abraham is distraught.

Sarah may not have cared enough, or had the compassion enough but then again, Ishmael wasn’t hers

But Ishmael was Abraham’s son. He loved his son.

As a father, I am sure that Abraham’s first inclination was to tell Sarah where she can stick it.

This man had enough power and respect of the land to conquer Kings.

So, I’m confident that his initial reaction to Sarah’s pushing him to send his concubine’s son packing, caused a riff between them.

I assume this as I said because I am a father, and, we see from Scripture, It took a direct command from God himself to get Abraham to heed Sarah’s request.

Genesis 21:11–13 (CSB)

11 This was very distressing to Abraham because of his son. 12 But God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed about the boy and about your slave. Whatever Sarah says to you, listen to her, because your offspring will be traced through Isaac, 13 and I will also make a nation of the slave’s son because he is your offspring.”

We see here that Isaac was the son of the promise. Ishmael was the son of the flesh.

According to God, Issac was going to get the inheritance and the blessing of God was going to get passed down through Isaac.

Genesis 21:14–16 (CSB)

14 Early in the morning Abraham got up, took bread and a waterskin, put them on Hagar’s shoulders, and sent her and the boy away. She left and wandered in the Wilderness of Beer-sheba. 15 When the water in the skin was gone, she left the boy under one of the bushes 16 and went and sat at a distance, about a bowshot away, for she said, “I can’t bear to watch the boy die!” While she sat at a distance, she wept loudly.

A cursory reading of this text would lead one to assume Ishmael was very young, but in actuality he is assumed to be about sixteen years old here.

So we get the image of Hagar laying down a small boy,

But he is really a teenager, probably no different than any privileged teenager that grows up around us today, aside from having an Xbox, Playstation, and cell phone,

Having been the only son of one of the richest men on earth at the time, its likely that he although in that culture,

Sixteen was pretty much an adult, he probably had a lot of growing up to do,

Maybe a little of learning how to put on his big boy pants instead of having every thing catered to him.

After all, times were hard back then; There were no Walmarts and Krogers.

If you wanted to eat, you have to hunt it for yourself and thats exactly what he did.

He grew up, and became an archer and married a woman from his mother Hagar’s homeland, Egypt.

Now if that weren’ enough to rip out Abraham’s heart.

This next event surely would’ve done it, had it not been for God’s providence.

- The Lying Down of Isaac

Genesis 22:1–2 (CSB)

1 After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he answered.

2 “Take your son,” he said, “your only son Isaac, whom you love, go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.”

Wow!

Here he and Sarah waited all this time for a son, then God says,

“Ok, now give him back to me!”

Ouch!

My guess is, this is the hardest things a parent ever has to do, is give their child back to God.

Yadi & I, have dear friends from Nicaragua.

They were refugees from Nicaragua’s communist take over in the early eighties.

One day, they invited us over to their house to meet some of the pastoral staff at their church.

(Ill never forget this until the Lord takes me home.)

We were having a polite, casual conversation about ministry and all that they had been apart of.

Then we began to talk about my heart for missionaries and the mission field in general.

Which then led to the dangers that missionaries often find themselves in.

Then we talked about encouraging our own children to go into the mission fields.

I was the one who generated that conversation about the our children and mission,

Now I must confess to this day, I don’t know what possessed me to open that subject up and open my heart as I did that day with them.

In retrospect, I maintain, It must have been one of those times, God spoke through me.

I said something along the lines of, If one of my children ever entered the mission field, and was martyred, that I would have a sense of mixed emotions etc.

Basically that I would be proud, but would have to be honest and say that I would be confused at how to feel about it.

To which this beautiful saintly man, began to tear up as he leaned over to me, and said,

He and his wife had just lost a son on the mission field somewhere in Asia, I believe, earlier in that year.

He went on to tell me that by personal experience, he could say that God shows up and helps the parents get through that pain and loss and the swirling of all those emotions I just mentioned.

And that in the end, basically, what better way for parent to lose a child than being in the will of God?

Many blessings to that family, You know who you are.

And many blessings to all to all of families who have lost in the name of Jesus.

As Christians, we hold dedication services for our children don’t we?

What do you think we are doing that for?

Because as Christians, we recognize that is was God that gave them to us on loan, and then in like fashion of Abraham, (Save the dramatic way), we too must lay down our Isaac’s at the alter of the Lord

He gave them to us, On Loan, to be returned to Him and the hour of His choosing, not of our own.

Because they all belong to Him.

Our job is to love them, teach them, and cherish them, while we have them with us, whether or not they we are separated by death, before us parents or not

But, God understands our grief.

This is what He felt when He lost man, His creation to sin in the garden.

A separation occurred between His children and Himself.

This is why, He sent Jesus, so that this separation would not be forever,

Rather through Jesus, we will be reunited with Him forever.

And brother or sister, if you have lost a lost one before your time,

Take comfort in this, that separation is not permanent, have faith in Jesus and you WILL see them again in Glory.

That, is the hope of the Gospel.

- Interesting Parallels

Now at this point, I want to shift this message a bit, so Ill ask for your undivided attention please.

I want to mention why this story is so important, and if you don’t understand, you will miss the big picture.

There are glorious parallels in this story between God, Abraham, Isaac and Jesus, and finally, the Holy Spirt.

God the Father, Jesus the SON, and Holy Spirit are here in this old testament story.

Remember, the New testament is in the old testament revealed concealed and the old in the new revealed.

We are told that Abraham obeyed and saddled his animal for the journey to the place God would show him

Once there, he tells the other who were with them to stay behind, that only He and his son would go up to the mountain.

Genesis 22:5–6 (CSB)

5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there to worship; then we’ll come back to you.” 6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac. In his hand he took the fire and the knife, and the two of them walked on together.

Abraham has the men stay behind, Only He & Isaac can accomplish what needs to be done.

Parallel:

God doesn’t need human help

He lays the wood on Isaac’s back, He carries the Fire and knife, Purification and Judgement, and walked with him

Parallel:

Jesus carries the wooden cross on His back, and his death would both purify and judge, and the Father was with the Son

Genesis 22:9–13 (CSB)

9 When they arrived at the place that God had told him about, Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood. He bound his son Isaac and placed him on the altar on top of the wood. 10 Then Abraham reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son.

11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!”

He replied, “Here I am.”

12 Then he said, “Do not lay a hand on the boy or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your only son from me.” 13 Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught in the thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son.

Notice, Isaac did not protest.

He is quiet, the scripture tell us he went willingly just like Jesus, and a lamb to the slaughter.

One last Parallel if you will permit me.

From this point, we read that Abraham returned to men waiting and they all returned to where they came from.

It is interesting to note, and I this observation is not mine, but we are in debited to a Bible Scholar for point this out,

Isaac is not mentioned as having gone back with Abraham and his men.

Obviously he did, but, the interesting note is, Isaac is not mentioned again until later.

Meaning, he completely disappears from the scriptures from this point of his would be sacrificial death, up until

Get this:

He is absent from the scriptures until he is united with his gentile bride.

As I have laid out the similarities, or parallels,

Abraham as God, Isaac a type of Jesus, what about the Holy Spirit?

Well, just before we are reintroduced to Isaac, we are told that Abraham sends his servant to his native land to bring back a wife for his son Isaac.

Genesis 24:2–4 (CSB)

2 Abraham said to his servant, the elder of his household who managed all he owned, “Place your hand under my thigh, 3 and I will have you swear by the Lord, God of heaven and God of earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I live, 4 but will go to my land and my family to take a wife for my son Isaac.”

Notice this servant is not named, which is an important detail.

No where in the scripture is the Holy Spirit ever named. Its only known as the Holy Spirit.

So, here we go to recap:

Abraham Sacrifices Isaac / God sends Jesus

Issac takes the wood upon his back, / Jesus carries the wooden cross on His back.

Isaac did not protest / Jesus went willingly to the cross

Isaac is absent from scripture until he is united with his gentile bride / After the death of Jesus we are in the age of the church / the Gospel age / And He will be reintroduced to us again, when He is united with his gentile bride.

Well then who is the gentile bride?

IE: You and I, and everyone who calls themselves a Christian, We the Church is the bride of Christ.

Amen!

Jesus IS coming back Amen.

Now, last note:

Earlier in the scripture we learned that this trusted servant referred to here as being sent out by Abraham is none other than Eleazar, his right hand man.

Do you know what Eleazar means?

It means “The comforter”

John 14:26 (CSB)

26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you.

So the parallel is that as Abraham sent his servant to find the bride, God sent the Holy Spirit to each and every one of us, to get us ready to be reunited with Jesus.

Amen.

Like Sarah’s passing just before Isaacs marriage to Rebecca, some time after Isaac’s marriage,

The Patriarch Abraham is laid to rest full of age, with his people, but not before he takes up a another wife, by which he has several more children.

The Bible tells us that both Isaac and Ishmael bury him in the cave of Machpelah which he bought in which to bury his wife Sarah.

Invitation