Abraham & Isaac

Abraham is called the father of our faith, and sometimes when we read about the faith that he had to leave his country to go to a place he didn’t know, and wouldn’t know until he got there and God said this is it, we can think that we could never have a faith like his.

But as we have seen in the past couple of weeks, Abraham was just like you and me. He was a man. He believed God, and did act upon that belief, but he also made mistakes along the way.

Today we will see that again.

We left off with Abraham talking with God in Genesis 18, when God told him,

Genesis 18:10 NIV

Then one of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.”

Then we saw how God revealed that he had come to judge Sodom and Gomorrah because of their great wickedness. God was patient with Abraham as Abraham asked question after question about how many righteous people would have to be there in order for God to not destroy the cities.

I glossed over Genesis 19, but in that chapter we find that the cities were indeed wicked, and that God spared Lot even though he did not leave the city on his own when warned. God literally had the angels drag Lot and his family out of the city in the morning, after telling them all night to leave. Sadly, Lot’s wife did not live as she looked back when commanded to not look back to the cities.

What do we learn about man from the account of Lot and his family?

Man is reluctant to leave our evil desires, our evil lifestyle behind.

What do we see about mankind, about ourselves from this? How reluctant we are to leave our sinful ways behind, even though we know that they bring nothing but loss, and death.

Think of the addict… whether drugs, alcohol, sex.

What do we learn about God?

God does what He says

God judges sin

God spares his righteous ones from his wrath

2 Peter 2:7–8 NIV

and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)—

That brings us to Genesis 20.

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Abraham travelled in this region and eventually into the region of the Philistines, specifically in the area of Gerar, ruled by Abimelek.

Genesis 20:1–18 NIV

Now Abraham moved on from there into the region of the Negev and lived between Kadesh and Shur. For a while he stayed in Gerar, and there Abraham said of his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” Then Abimelek king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her. But God came to Abimelek in a dream one night and said to him, “You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken; she is a married woman.” Now Abimelek had not gone near her, so he said, “Lord, will you destroy an innocent nation? Did he not say to me, ‘She is my sister,’ and didn’t she also say, ‘He is my brother’? I have done this with a clear conscience and clean hands.” Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know you did this with a clear conscience, and so I have kept you from sinning against me. That is why I did not let you touch her. Now return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not return her, you may be sure that you and all who belong to you will die.” Early the next morning Abimelek summoned all his officials, and when he told them all that had happened, they were very much afraid. Then Abimelek called Abraham in and said, “What have you done to us? How have I wronged you that you have brought such great guilt upon me and my kingdom? You have done things to me that should never be done.” And Abimelek asked Abraham, “What was your reason for doing this?” Abraham replied, “I said to myself, ‘There is surely no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’ Besides, she really is my sister, the daughter of my father though not of my mother; and she became my wife. And when God had me wander from my father’s household, I said to her, ‘This is how you can show your love to me: Everywhere we go, say of me, “He is my brother.” ’ ” Then Abimelek brought sheep and cattle and male and female slaves and gave them to Abraham, and he returned Sarah his wife to him. And Abimelek said, “My land is before you; live wherever you like.” To Sarah he said, “I am giving your brother a thousand shekels of silver. This is to cover the offense against you before all who are with you; you are completely vindicated.” Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelek, his wife and his female slaves so they could have children again, for the Lord had kept all the women in Abimelek’s household from conceiving because of Abraham’s wife Sarah.

What do we see about man?

Again Abraham failed to trust that God was his shield, as God had promised in Genesis 15.

We are quick to trust our own devices instead of God’s promises.

What do we see about God?

God’s faithfulness to his promise, even in light of Abraham’s lack of faith.

++God’s mercy and grace to Abimelek, and to Abraham.

Genesis 21 is the birth of Isaac!

Genesis 21:1–5 NIV

Now the Lord was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what he had promised. Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him. Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore him. When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God commanded him. Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.

What do we see about God? Faithfulness

Hagar sent away with Ishmael, God’s faithfulness to Ishmael.

Genesis 21:15–20 NIV

When the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes. Then she went off and sat down about a bowshot away, for she thought, “I cannot watch the boy die.” And as she sat there, she began to sob. God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.” Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an archer.

Treaty with Abimelek

Genesis 21:32–34 NIV

After the treaty had been made at Beersheba, Abimelek and Phicol the commander of his forces returned to the land of the Philistines. Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the Lord, the Eternal God. And Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for a long time.

God is Faithful, and Abraham is trusting God

Planting a tree shows that Abraham was trusting God to keep him supplied with Water and to keep him safe in this land. He was not wandering as much as he had. There is permanence now, because he is trusting God.

Genesis 22:1–19 NIV

Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. 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.” 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. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 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.” 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, 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?” Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together. 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. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.” The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.” Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set off together for Beersheba. And Abraham stayed in Beersheba.

What do we see about God?

God supplied a substitute

++God will supply a substitute

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Where is Hope? God supplied the Lamb for us

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