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Genesis 22:1-14

English Standard Version Chapter 22

22 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. 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.

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.” 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.”

The story is told of a young boy named Marty who at the age of 10, decided that he wanted to learn the game of chess. With his father’s help and the little amount of money he had, he purchased his first chess set. His father and him played almost everyday with his father giving him tips and pointers on how to become a great chess player. Well years went by and one day, Marty’s best friend asked if he would teach him how to play. He was more than happy to. Well fast forward and one day, both Marty and his friend decided to enter a chess tournament, with Marty obviously being more advanced than his friend. Marty, in charge of the tournament, began pairing everyone off, he paired the players like they do in basketball’s March Madness: the best against the worst, with the best usually ending up in the finals. Marty’s friend was obviously intimidated to be in the tournament, being still so new at the art of chess. However when it came time to be paired, Marty ended up being paired with his friend. Marty, being an advanced chess player, would obviously come out on top. However, when it came time for the game to begin, Marty decided to try something. He deliberately lost so that his friend could at least get into the second round. Sacrifice. Not easy, but something we are all called to do.

In our text for this morning we read of Abraham being commanded by God to sacrifice his only son Isaac. The one in whom was to carry on the ancestral line for generations to come. How much did Abraham love Isaac? How much did Abraham love God? As we look at and explore this text for this morning, I want us to ask ourselves, how much do we love God and what is He calling us to sacrifice today as well? And with that in mind, may God bless the preaching of this, His Most Holy Word.

Our text for this morning begins with, “After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” Our text begins with three very important words, “After these things.” Which should clue us in that prior to this passage, something important has happened that we should be aware of. So what is it? Well, if we look back at the following chapter, we will see here that Abraham has made a treaty with Abimelech, who is the commander of Abraham’s army. We read, “So they made a covenant at Beersheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army rose up and returned to the land of the Philistines. 33 Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba and called there on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God. 34 And Abraham sojourned many days in the land of the Philistines.” One thing I do not want us to miss here is how close Abraham’s walk with the Lord was. David Guzik writes, “After the successful treaty, Abraham did something that looked forward to coming decades and generations. He planted a tamarisk tree, one which takes a long time to grow, but Abraham knew God had promised the land to him and his descendants forever.” In addition, Guzik notes that “Even through this time of conflict in his family and among his neighbors, Abraham kept a real, live walk with God. Conflict did not drive him away from God, but he allowed it to push him closer to the LORD.” Shouldn’t we do the same?

So this gives us some background on our text for today. Abraham has been dealing with everything from family drama to being away from his home and many other things. Then we read in our text for today. “After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” So after the treaty has been made, the tree has been planted and Abraham has been with God and sojourned, we now read of God calling to Abraham again. However, this is not just so that God and Abraham could have a pleasant conversation. NO! We are told why God called to Abraham. It was for a specific purpose. We read, “After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” How many of you liked tests when you were in school? I know I sure didn’t. I would always get so nervous and start second guessing the answers to the questions.

However, in our text for this morning, God is not giving Abraham a pencil and paper test, but rather a test of life. And sometimes, brothers and sisters, those can be more difficult than a paper test. But let’s see what happens. God calls to Abraham and we read that he says, ““Here I am.” Then God says, ““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.” WOW! What a test!

One thing I want us to note here is Abraham’s response to God when He calls. Abraham says, “Here I am.” David Guzik comments on this by saying, “Abraham’s quick answer to the call is a wonderful example of how the man or woman of faith should respond to God. When Abraham said, “Here I am,” it meant that he was ready to be taught, ready to obey, ready to surrender, and he was ready to be examined by God.” Quite the contrast from Adam and Eve after they had sinned. When God called for them in the Garden, they didn’t say “Here I am!” No! They hid. Which response do you find yourself responding to God with?

Following Abraham’s response, God gives Abraham the test. He says, “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.” Now, something Interesting to note here is that God tells Abraham to take his only son. David Guzik writes, “Significantly, God called Isaac your only son Isaac, when in fact Abraham had another son, Ishmael. Since Ishmael was put away from Abraham’s family, as far as God’s covenant was concerned, Abraham had only one son.” We studied this last week. God commands Abraham to take his only son, the one in whom he and Sarah had prayed for for years, the only one to carry on the lineage. This is the one in whom God tells Abraham to take and offer to God as a burnt offering. Guzik points out that every phrase that God spoke to Abraham was like a knife.

Take now your son.

Your only son Isaac.

Whom you love.

Offer him there.

As a burnt offering.

We can only imagine the anguish that Abraham must have felt. But also we can imagine at the same time, the strength and determination that God gave Abraham to do the very thing which God had asked of him. God tells us that He will equip us for everything and every trial we face. Hebrews 13:20–21 reads, “Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.” May the God of peace equip you with everything good that you may do his will. God never leaves us to do His will in our own strength, but will always equip us. Amen! May we find courage in this today!

So, in verse 3, in the strength of the LORD, Abraham obeys. We read, “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.” The bold obedience of Abraham reveals to us that he trusted God, even when he did not understand. Sometimes we say, “I’m not going to obey or believe until I understand it all,” but that is to put myself on an equal standing with God.” We must obey in faith. Knowing and trusting that God will never lead us astray. Easy to say, hard to put into action.

Then, in verses 4-6, we read, “ 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.”

For three days, Abraham had been pondering this request of God. Yet Abraham never once stopped though. And upon reaching the foot of the mountain, Abraham tells his servants that he and Isaac are going to go up the mountain to worship Jehovah. David Guzik once again writes, “This is the first use of the word worship in reference to God in the Bible. The Hebrew word shachah simply means, to bow down. While Abraham and Isaac did not go to the mount to have a time of joyful praise, they did go to bow down to the LORD.” No matter our circumstances, we should always be willing to worship and bow down before our Heavenly Father. When is the last time that you bowed before the Almighty?

And let us not forget Abraham’s final words to his servants, “And we will come back to you.” Abraham’s faith, although put to the text, was greater in God than it was in anything else. He knew what God had promised him and knew that He would never go back on His Word. Therefore, with confidence, Abraham said, “we will come back to you.” Anytime we are tested or put to the fire, may we remember and remind ourselves of the promises of God. For He never goes back on His Word and can always be trusted.

Picking up in verse 7, we read, “ 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.“ This is the first time we hear of Isaac speaking in this text and after all they’ve been through and all that Isaac has seen, the first time he questions his father. Yet despite the question, Abraham remains calm and faithful and responds to Isaac. Matthew Henry in his commentary writes, “Then Abraham, where he meant not, prophesies: “My son, God will provide a lamb for a burnt-offering.” The Holy Spirit, by his mouth, seems to predict the Lamb of God, which he has provided, and which taketh away the sin of the world." Abraham, whether he knew it or not, in his response to Isaac, was prophesying Jesus Christ. And in faith, they continued. It is pointed out that we find this phrase, “So they went both of them together” twice in the text as emphasis for the fact that both Abraham and Isaac never hesitated.

Moving on to verse 9, we read, “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.” Abraham went all the way. Knowing and trusting that even if it came to sacrificing his son, that God would raise him from the dead. How amazing is it to note here that it was, “the angel of the Lord” Jesus Christ himself that called to Abraham to stop and who in the end, would be the one who would be the sacrificial lamb for us. It all points to Jesus! And once again, to note that even here, Abraham never once hid from the voice of God. When He called, Abraham answered. We would be so wise as to follow his example.

The last few verses of our text for this morning reads, “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.” 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.”

Here we learn another name of God, “Yahweh”: The Lord will provide. So my brothers and sisters, just as God provided the ram for Abraham, He will provide for you as well. Maybe you are like me, maybe you’ve been waiting what seems your whole life for God to answer, rest assured, we are not alone and rest assured that one day, when we least expect it, God will provide. For He is Yahweh. So today, my dear brothers and sisters, as we look. at, study, and examine the faith of Abraham and Isaac, may we pray that our faith and trust in Christ be made stronger as well. Let us not lose hope. I know at times the road seems rough, but let us not lose hope. This week, as we go about our business, may we seek the LORD. May we feel His presence near and may we seek to follow Him in all that we do. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!