Genesis 22-23

On my phone there’s a picture of 2 of my girls. They were in high school and were experime ting with manic panic hair dye. I like this picture because it captures the era and makes me smile. And because I love them, even though I see this picture every time I look at my phone, I never tire of it. I find the same to be true of this chapter, for it is a picture of Jesus Christ. And Jesus is One I never grow weary of looking at or looking on.

Genesis 22:1–Genesis 24 (NASB95)

1Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 

The word tempt is a little bit too strong; actually, the word means “test.” James makes it very clear in his epistle that God never tempts anyone with evil. God tempts folks in the sense that He tests their faith. God did test Abraham, and He asked him to do something very strange.

2He 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.” 

Take now your only Son Because God does not remember our sin (Hebrews 10:17), He doesn’t even acknowledge Ishmael—the fruit of Abraham’s impatience

Hebrews 10:16–18 (NASB95)

16“This is the covenant that I will make with them After those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws upon their heart, And on their mind I will write them,” He then says, 

17“And their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” 

18Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.

land of Moriah - Moriah literally means “Foreseen of Jehovah.” Therefore, it is as if God is saying, “Take your son, your only son, where you will provide a sneak preview of coming attractions.” You see, God would sacrifice His only Son on the same spot to which He called Abraham.

3So 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.

Jesus Christ, the fulfillment of this picture, would also travel to the same mountain with two men. Our Lord would be crucified between two thieves.

Abraham and Isaac leave for Mt. Moriah, the place foreseen of the Lord. Mt. Moriah is a ridge that runs from north to south through the city of Jerusalem, peaking right outside of the north wall of the city at a place called Calvary.

 4On the third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from a distance. 

Isaac and Abraham walked side by side for three days on their way to Moriah—just as Jesus and the Father walked together for three years during Jesus’ public ministry that would climax at His death on Calvary.

5Abraham 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.”

The Hebrew word translated “lad” could speak of a man in his thirties—the age Jesus was when He climbed Mt. Calvary.

6Abraham 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. 

Courson’s Application Commentary, Old Testament Volume 1 (Genesis–Job) Genesis 22:6 (a)

Isaac carried the wood upon which he would be laid, just as Jesus carried the wooden cross upon which He would be nailed.

What was on the shoulder of the Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace? The Cross. That’s why He has the right to rule over me. That’s why He has the right to reign over you. He alone died in our place.

The knife Abraham carried speaks of the spear that would pierce Jesus’ side as He hung on the Cross in our place.

Abraham and Isaac traveled together. So, too, the Father and Son travel together. Contrary to what many imagine, it wasn’t as though Jesus loved us and died for us in order to appease His angry Father. No, salvation was the Father’s heart and plan from before the foundation of the world (

7Isaac 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?”

“God will provide himself a lamb,” Abraham told Isaac—not, “God will provide for Himself a lamb”—but, “God will provide Himself a lamb. He will be the Lamb.”

8Abraham said, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together. 

9Then 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. 

Courson’s Application Commentary, Old Testament Volume 1 (Genesis–Job) Genesis 22:8 (b), 9

As He prayed in the Garden the night before He was to be crucified, two hundred Roman soldiers led by Judas Iscariot, came to arrest Jesus.

“Whom seek ye?” He asked.

“Jesus of Nazareth,” they answered.

“I AM,” Jesus declared, and—boom—the entire regiment fell down backwards (

10Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 

11But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 

Who is the angel of the Lord? It’s Jesus Himself. This means Jesus was in heaven watching this drama unfold, knowing it depicted what He would go through centuries later.

12He 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.” 

“Stop, Abraham,” God said. “You’ve clearly demonstrated to yourself and to all who will read your story that you love Me.”

13Then 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. 

That Abraham saw a ram instead of a lamb caught in the thicket speaks of the fact that this was not the fulfillment of God’s promise to provide Himself a lamb (v. 7), for that promise would not be fulfilled until Jesus came as the Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world (John 1:29).

14Abraham 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.” 

As your margin might indicate, Jehovah-jireh means “The Lord will provide” or “The Lord will see.” Both are true. God provided a ram in place of Isaac. Whatever you want to see about God’s provision for you will always be seen on Mt. Moriah. When you doubt God’s love for you, provision for you, care for you—go to Mt. Moriah, to Calvary, and lift up your eyes. You will be reminded that God indeed saw your need—and provided perfectly.

15Then the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven, 

16and said, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, 

17indeed 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. 

18“In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” 

Because Abraham obeyed, the Lord would make of him a great nation. And because Jesus was obedient to death, He became the first of many who would follow (1 Corinthians 15:20–23). In other words, we have been blessed because He obeyed.

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

The two men and Abraham travel back to Beersheba together without Isaac. It must be this way, for it was on the third day that Isaac was set free—just as on the third day after He died, Jesus rose again.

20Now it came about after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying, “Behold, Milcah also has borne children to your brother Nahor: 

21Uz his firstborn and Buz his brother and Kemuel the father of Aram 

22and Chesed and Hazo and Pildash and Jidlaph and Bethuel.” 

23Bethuel became the father of Rebekah; these eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham’s brother. 

24His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore Tebah and Gaham and Tahash and Maacah.

Courson’s Application Commentary, Old Testament Volume 1 (Genesis–Job) Genesis 22:20–24

At first reading, I thought this genealogy to be a somewhat odd ending to the glorious story of crucifixion and resurrection. But upon further consideration, this ending makes perfect sense, for in this passage, we are introduced to Rebekah, the bride of Isaac. After a spear was thrust into the side of our Greater than Isaac as He hung on the Cross, blood and water—the fluids of birthing—gushed forth.

What was birthed from His side?

Look again at the first Adam, and you’ll see that from his side was taken a rib, from his side came Eve, from his side came a bride. Likewise, from the side of the Last Adam, Jesus Christ, came a Bride—the church, you and me.

And the story continues…

1Now Sarah lived one hundred and twenty-seven years; these were the years of the life of Sarah. 

2Sarah died in Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan; and Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. 

3Then Abraham rose from before his dead, and spoke to the sons of Heth, saying, 

4“I am a stranger and a sojourner among you; give me a burial site among you that I may bury my dead out of my sight.” 

5The sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him, 

6“Hear us, my lord, you are a mighty prince among us; bury your dead in the choicest of our graves; none of us will refuse you his grave for burying your dead.” 

7So Abraham rose and bowed to the people of the land, the sons of Heth. 

8And he spoke with them, saying, “If it is your wish for me to bury my dead out of my sight, hear me, and approach Ephron the son of Zohar for me, 

9that he may give me the cave of Machpelah which he owns, which is at the end of his field; for the full price let him give it to me in your presence for a burial site.” 

10Now Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth; and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the sons of Heth; even of all who went in at the gate of his city, saying, 

11“No, my lord, hear me; I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. In the presence of the sons of my people I give it to you; bury your dead.” 

12And Abraham bowed before the people of the land. 

13He spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, saying, “If you will only please listen to me; I will give the price of the field, accept it from me that I may bury my dead there.” 

14Then Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him, 

15“My lord, listen to me; a piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver, what is that between me and you? So bury your dead.” 

16Abraham listened to Ephron; and Abraham weighed out for Ephron the silver which he had named in the hearing of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, commercial standard. 

17So Ephron’s field, which was in Machpelah, which faced Mamre, the field and cave which was in it, and all the trees which were in the field, that were within all the confines of its border, were deeded over 

18to Abraham for a possession in the presence of the sons of Heth, before all who went in at the gate of his city. 

19After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field at Machpelah facing Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. 

20So the field and the cave that is in it, were deeded over to Abraham for a burial site by the sons of Heth. 

1Now Abraham was old, advanced in age; and the Lord had blessed Abraham in every way. 

2Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he owned, “Please place your hand under my thigh, 

3and I will make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live, 

4but you will go to my country and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son Isaac.” 

5The servant said to him, “Suppose the woman is not willing to follow me to this land; should I take your son back to the land from where you came?” 

6Then Abraham said to him, “Beware that you do not take my son back there! 

7“The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my birth, and who spoke to me and who swore to me, saying, ‘To your descendants I will give this land,’ He will send His angel before you, and you will take a wife for my son from there. 

8“But if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be free from this my oath; only do not take my son back there.” 

9So the servant placed his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning this matter. 

10Then the servant took ten camels from the camels of his master, and set out with a variety of good things of his master’s in his hand; and he arose and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor. 

11He made the camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water at evening time, the time when women go out to draw water. 

12He said, “O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today, and show lovingkindness to my master Abraham. 

13“Behold, I am standing by the spring, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water; 

14now may it be that the girl to whom I say, ‘Please let down your jar so that I may drink,’ and who answers, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels also’—may she be the one whom You have appointed for Your servant Isaac; and by this I will know that You have shown lovingkindness to my master.” 

15Before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebekah who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor, came out with her jar on her shoulder. 

16The girl was very beautiful, a virgin, and no man had had relations with her; and she went down to the spring and filled her jar and came up. 

17Then the servant ran to meet her, and said, “Please let me drink a little water from your jar.” 

18She said, “Drink, my lord”; and she quickly lowered her jar to her hand, and gave him a drink. 

19Now when she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will draw also for your camels until they have finished drinking.” 

20So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, and ran back to the well to draw, and she drew for all his camels. 

21Meanwhile, the man was gazing at her in silence, to know whether the Lord had made his journey successful or not. 

22When the camels had finished drinking, the man took a gold ring weighing a half-shekel and two bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels in gold, 

23and said, “Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room for us to lodge in your father’s house?” 

24She said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.” 

25Again she said to him, “We have plenty of both straw and feed, and room to lodge in.” 

26Then the man bowed low and worshiped the Lord. 

27He said, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His lovingkindness and His truth toward my master; as for me, the Lord has guided me in the way to the house of my master’s brothers.” 

28Then the girl ran and told her mother’s household about these things. 

29Now Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban; and Laban ran outside to the man at the spring. 

30When he saw the ring and the bracelets on his sister’s wrists, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, “This is what the man said to me,” he went to the man; and behold, he was standing by the camels at the spring. 

31And he said, “Come in, blessed of the Lord! Why do you stand outside since I have prepared the house, and a place for the camels?” 

32So the man entered the house. Then Laban unloaded the camels, and he gave straw and feed to the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him. 

33But when food was set before him to eat, he said, “I will not eat until I have told my business.” And he said, “Speak on.” 

34So he said, “I am Abraham’s servant. 

35“The Lord has greatly blessed my master, so that he has become rich; and He has given him flocks and herds, and silver and gold, and servants and maids, and camels and donkeys. 

36“Now Sarah my master’s wife bore a son to my master in her old age, and he has given him all that he has. 

37“My master made me swear, saying, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live; 

38but you shall go to my father’s house and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son.’ 

39“I said to my master, ‘Suppose the woman does not follow me.’ 

40“He said to me, ‘The Lord, before whom I have walked, will send His angel with you to make your journey successful, and you will take a wife for my son from my relatives and from my father’s house; 

41then you will be free from my oath, when you come to my relatives; and if they do not give her to you, you will be free from my oath.’ 

42“So I came today to the spring, and said, ‘O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, if now You will make my journey on which I go successful; 

43behold, I am standing by the spring, and may it be that the maiden who comes out to draw, and to whom I say, “Please let me drink a little water from your jar”; 

44and she will say to me, “You drink, and I will draw for your camels also”; let her be the woman whom the Lord has appointed for my master’s son.’ 

45“Before I had finished speaking in my heart, behold, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder, and went down to the spring and drew, and I said to her, ‘Please let me drink.’ 

46“She quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder, and said, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels also’; so I drank, and she watered the camels also. 

47“Then I asked her, and said, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ And she said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bore to him’; and I put the ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her wrists. 

48“And I bowed low and worshiped the Lord, and blessed the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who had guided me in the right way to take the daughter of my master’s kinsman for his son. 

49“So now if you are going to deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me; and if not, let me know, that I may turn to the right hand or the left.” 

50Then Laban and Bethuel replied, “The matter comes from the Lord; so we cannot speak to you bad or good. 

51“Here is Rebekah before you, take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master’s son, as the Lord has spoken.” 

52When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed himself to the ground before the Lord. 

53The servant brought out articles of silver and articles of gold, and garments, and gave them to Rebekah; he also gave precious things to her brother and to her mother. 

54Then he and the men who were with him ate and drank and spent the night. When they arose in the morning, he said, “Send me away to my master.” 

55But her brother and her mother said, “Let the girl stay with us a few days, say ten; afterward she may go.” 

56He said to them, “Do not delay me, since the Lord has prospered my way. Send me away that I may go to my master.” 

57And they said, “We will call the girl and consult her wishes.” 

58Then they called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” And she said, “I will go.” 

59Thus they sent away their sister Rebekah and her nurse with Abraham’s servant and his men. 

60They blessed Rebekah and said to her, “May you, our sister, Become thousands of ten thousands, And may your descendants possess The gate of those who hate them.” 

61Then Rebekah arose with her maids, and they mounted the camels and followed the man. So the servant took Rebekah and departed. 

62Now Isaac had come from going to Beer-lahai-roi; for he was living in the Negev. 

63Isaac went out to meditate in the field toward evening; and he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, camels were coming. 

64Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac she dismounted from the camel. 

65She said to the servant, “Who is that man walking in the field to meet us?” And the servant said, “He is my master.” Then she took her veil and covered herself. 

66The servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. 

67Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and he took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her; thus Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.