Section 7 - Part 11: Tested Faith

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Teaching

Fellowship / Discussion

Prayer time as a group

Current Sermon Position:

Gen 1:1-2:4 The generations of the heavens and the earth

Gen 2:4-5:1 The book of the generations of Adam

Gen 5:1-6:9 The generations of Noah

Gen 6:9-10:1 The generations of the sons of Noah

Gen 10:1-11:10 The generations of Shem

Gen 11:10-11:27 The generations of Terah

Gen 11:27-25:19 The generations of Isaac

Gen 25:19-37:2 The generations of Jacob

Gen 37:2-Ex 1:1 The generations of the Sons of Jacob

The Text:

Genesis 22 NASB95

Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.” So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son; and he split wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. On the third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from a distance. Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you.” 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 the two of them walked on together. Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” And he said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham said, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together. Then they came to the place of which God had told him; and Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood, and bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son. Abraham called the name of that place The Lord Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “In the mount of the Lord it will be provided.” Then the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven, and said, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham lived at Beersheba. Now it came about after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying, “Behold, Milcah also has borne children to your brother Nahor: Uz his firstborn and Buz his brother and Kemuel the father of Aram and Chesed and Hazo and Pildash and Jidlaph and Bethuel.” Bethuel became the father of Rebekah; these eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham’s brother. His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore Tebah and Gaham and Tahash and Maacah.

What is the intent of good hermeneutics?

To understand the intent of the author, and apply it if it can be.

What assumptions are made about this specific text?

This is an allegory or metaphor for Jesus. It has been used in both senses

What are Metaphors and Allegories?

A metaphor is a direct comparison saying one thing is another (e.g., "Time is a thief"), while an allegory is a complete story where characters and events symbolize deeper abstract ideas, functioning as an extended, interwoven set of metaphors to teach a moral or convey a complex message (e.g., Animal Farm representing politics). Think of a metaphor as a single comparison, and an allegory as a whole narrative built from many such comparisons, unfolding a larger meaning.

Metaphor

Definition: A figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things by stating one is the other, without using "like" or "as".

Scope: A single phrase or sentence, offering a quick insight.

Example: "Her laughter was a melody" (laughter sounds like music).

Allegory

Definition: A story, poem, or picture with a hidden meaning, where characters and events represent abstract ideas or principles (e.g., virtues, vices, political concepts).

Scope: An entire work, with layers of symbolism throughout.

Example: The Tortoise and the Hare, where the race symbolizes the moral that slow, steady effort wins over boastful speed.

Key Differences

Scale: Metaphor is small (a word/phrase); allegory is large (a whole story).

Function: Metaphor adds color/depth to a sentence; allegory explains complex ideas or morality through narrative.

Structure: An allegory often uses many metaphors and symbols to build its extended comparison.

Example of allegorical usage:

Luther used Genesis 22 as a prime example of allegory and typology, explaining: “Isaac was sacrificed on the altar and yet remains alive, which means that Christ must die and rise again and be alive”4. But these post-biblical interpretations represent Christian theological development, not New Testament practice itself.

Does the New Testament ever use these as a metaphor or allegory?

No.

Take a look at how the New Testament view of this chapter when finished reviewing the text.

Context:

Abraham is wondering the land of the Philistines, but ends around Beersheba

Genesis 21:32–34 NASB95

So they made a covenant at Beersheba; and Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, arose and returned to the land of the Philistines. Abraham planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God. And Abraham sojourned in the land of the Philistines for many days.

Genesis 22:1–8 NASB95

Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.” So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son; and he split wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. On the third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from a distance. Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you.” 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 the two of them walked on together. Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” And he said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham said, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together.

What does God do to Abraham?

Tests him

Why would this be?

The potential of Abraham idolizing Isaac.

Isaac is his only son.

Abraham and Sarah have been waiting for ~30 years to have the son of promise given to him, and God wants to test Abraham to see what Abraham will choose, the promise or the One who gave the promise

Why is the land of Moriah important?

Mount Moriah holds extraordinary significance across Scripture, functioning as a location where God repeatedly revealed himself and established patterns of worship and covenant.

The land’s history begins with God commanding Abraham to offer Isaac as a burnt offering on Mount Moriah[1]. Though Abraham didn’t fully comprehend God’s request in light of the covenant promise regarding Isaac, he trusted God by faith—and God intervened, providing a ram instead[1]. Abraham named the place “The LORD Will Provide,” a designation reflecting God’s provision on that mountain[1].

Approximately a millennium later, the location became central to Israel’s worship infrastructure. King David purchased the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite at this site and built an altar to halt a plague[1]. His son Solomon then constructed a glorious temple on the same location, which stood for over four hundred years until Nebuchadnezzar destroyed it in 587/586 BCE[1]. The temple was rebuilt seventy years later by Jews returning from Babylonian captivity[1], and King Herod significantly expanded this structure, creating Herod’s Temple, which Jesus cleansed[1].

Roman armies under Titus destroyed this temple in 70 CE, leaving only the Western Wall as a remnant[1]. Today Mount Moriah, sacred to Christians, Jews, and Muslims, hosts the Temple Mount—a 37-acre site containing Islamic holy sites including the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque[1].

The theological thread connecting these events reveals Mount Moriah as the locus where Abraham’s faith in divine provision, David’s repentance and worship, and Solomon’s establishment of the temple all converge—making it Scripture’s preeminent location for encountering God’s character and receiving his covenant promises.

[1] Got Questions Ministries, Got Questions? Bible Questions Answered (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2002–2013). [See here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here.]

Genesis 22:9–14 NASB95

Then they came to the place of which God had told him; and Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood, and bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son. Abraham called the name of that place The Lord Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “In the mount of the Lord it will be provided.”

Genesis 22:15–19 NASB95

Then the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven, and said, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham lived at Beersheba.

Genesis 22:20–24 NASB95

Now it came about after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying, “Behold, Milcah also has borne children to your brother Nahor: Uz his firstborn and Buz his brother and Kemuel the father of Aram and Chesed and Hazo and Pildash and Jidlaph and Bethuel.” Bethuel became the father of Rebekah; these eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham’s brother. His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore Tebah and Gaham and Tahash and Maacah.

How does the New Testament Handle the Text:

Hebrews 11:17–19 NASB95

By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; it was he to whom it was said, “In Isaac your descendants shall be called.” He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type.

James 2:21–22 NASB95

Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected;

The New Testament clearly states the issue was one of faith.

Application:

All good things are given by God

James 1:17 NASB95

Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.

Even the things of God can be idols

All things are God’s:

Yet, all things are bring created

Here are key biblical passages affirming God’s ownership of all things:

Old Testament

Psalm 24:1 declares, “The earth is the LORD’S, and all it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it.”

Psalm 50:10–12 records God saying, “For every beast of the forest is Mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird of the mountains, and everything that moves in the field is Mine. If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is Mine, and all it contains.”

In 1 Chronicles 29:11–12, David prays: “Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O LORD, and You exalt Yourself as head over all. Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all, and in Your hand is power and might.”

Haggai 2:8 records God’s declaration: “The silver is Mine and the gold is Mine.”

Deuteronomy 10:14 states, “Behold, to the LORD your God belong heaven and the highest heavens, the earth and all that is in it.”

Leviticus 25:23 emphasizes God’s ownership of land: “The land, moreover, shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine; for you are but aliens and sojourners with Me.”

New Testament

Colossians 1:16 affirms that “by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.”

Romans 11:36 concludes: “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.”

Romans 1:18–23 NASB95

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.

This is what demonstrates you are a believer - faithfulness.

You must question your heart. You must resist temptation. You must not choose the feelings of comfort, peace, or pleasure over holiness, justice, or true mercy, grace, or love.