Test of Faith - The Abraham Story

Introduction

Everyone loves a good story. So much of our world’s entertainment throughout all of human history is made up of stories: love stories, war stories, stories of adventure. Most stories are very much alike even though they are told about different people, set in different places and times. Usually the hero meets a girl, problems arise, boy loses girl to bad guy, boy rescues girl, and they live happily ever after. That’s the plot to hundreds of thousands of movies, shows, plays, novels, and tales. Only once and a while does a story come along that is so unique that it stands out and captures the imagination of people of all ages and in all ages. A tale that people tell generation after generation after generation.

Such is the tale of Abraham and his call by God to sacrifice Isaac on the mountain. This is perhaps the most intriguing and interesting story in all of the Old Testament. And that is the story we are going to look at tonight. However, before we get to that moment on the mountain, we must first look at this story in its context. This test of Abraham’s faith in is actually the climax and culmination of a whole life of faith, testing and failure that comprises 10 chapters of Genesis. So tonight what we are going to do is take a 20,000 foot view of these 10 chapters that comprise Abraham’s life and then we are going to zoom in at the end on Abraham and Isaac on the Mountain.

Structurer

I’m going to break this 10 chapter story up into 4 sections for you today:

God’s First Test: -12:9

God Tests Abraham about the Land:

God Tests Abraham about the Seed:

God’s Final Test:

Main Point

Genesis, Volume 2: A New Beginning (Genesis 12–36): An Expositional Commentary Chapter 96: Faith on Trial (Genesis 22:1–12)

So, much of the world’s literature consists of stories: love stories, war stories, stories of adventure. Most of these are very much alike, though they are told about different people and are set in different places and circumstances: boy meets girl, a problem arises, boy loses girl, the problem is overcome, boy gets girl again, they live happily ever after. Only occasionally does a story come along that is so unique that it captures the imagination of people, not merely in one age, but in all ages. The historical record of Abraham’s near sacrifice of Isaac is one of these stories. As F. B. Meyer wrote, “So long as men live in the world, they will turn to this story with unwaning interest. There is only one scene in history by which it is surpassed: that where the Great Father gave his Isaac to a death from which there was no deliverance.

So we are going to look at 4 tests and what we are going to see in these 4 tests - what I want you to learn tonight is that God is faithful even when Abraham’s fail’s God’s tests and that God is faithful to shape Abraham’s faith through Abraham’s failures. Put another way God shapes Abraham’s faith and remains faithful even when Abraham’s faith fails. God shapes your faith and remains faithful to you even when your faith fails.

Let’s begin by looking at God’s First Test, open your bibles to Genesis 11

1. God’s First Test:

A. Background ()

This narrative begins with multiple obstacles to be overcome. First, there is a tragic death in the family of Terah, “28 Haran died in the presence of his father Terah in the land of his kindred, in Ur of the Chaldeans.” Secondly, Abram and his family are in a foreign land of Ur which is in the land of the Chaldeans located near Babel. Lastly, we see in verse 30 that, “30 Now Sarai was barren; she had no child.” Abram’s brother is dead, they are living in a foreign land and his wife is barren meaning that his line will most likely end with him. We can safely say that at this point things aren’t going well for Abram and his family. 

B. God calls Abram ()

In the midst of this difficult background God comes and speaks to Abram. Look with me at verse 1, ““Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you.” This is very important. Circle the word Go for me in your bibles. That is a very important word in this story. The Lord comes to Abram and commands that Abram go and leave his father’s house and go to a foreign land. Think about that. He was called to make a massive sacrifice and separate from everyone and everything he had known in order to follow God.

God doesn’t stop there though, He makes covenant promises to Abram starting in verse 2, “ 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” First we see that God promises to Abram that He will make him a great nation. We see God has chosen Abram to make a great nation and make his name great. Next we see that God promises to bless Abram. Though Abraham all the nations - all the families of the earth will experience this blessing. In summary, God promised Abram a Land, He promised to make Him a great nation, implying that He would grant Abram an an offspring and lastly, He promised that Abram would be a blessing to all the nations. Write this down next to chapter 12: Land, Seed and Blessing. What did God promise Abraham? Land, Seed and Blessing.

God is in the process of returning mankind to the rest and blessing they had in Eden. God created Adam and Eve and placed them in paradise - in the garden of Eden and he blessed them and then he rested. Blessing and rest. Those two things are tied together. But, you know the story, Satan tempted Eve, Eve and Adam sinned and they were kicked out of the garden. Instead of blessing there was curse. Instead of rest there was toil. Then came Noah and the flood. Does anyone know what Noah’s name means? It means rest - what does Noah mean? Rest. After God gave the world a giant bath - also known as the world wide flood He blessed Noah with the exact same blessing he gave to Adam and Eve in the garden. Again what does Noah’s name mean Rest? God blessed the man who’s name means Rest. Blessing and rest tied together again. God also made a covenant with Noah and if you remember in that covenant he promised never to flood the earth again but He also restrained the curse on the ground and put the fear of man in animals. God’s covenant promise brought a small picture of rest- he restrained the curse and made man’s work less toilsome. So now, when we get to God’s promise to Abraham to bless him we can see that this language of blessing naturally ties this promise of the Noahic covenant to Abraham and the nation that will come from him. Though Abraham all the nations - all the families of the earth will experience blessing - the same blessing and rest that Adam and Eve had in the garden. Do you see that connection? In summary, God promised Abram a Land, He promised to make Him a great nation, implying that He would grant Abram an an offspring and lastly, He promised that Abram would be a blessing to all the nations. Write this down next to chapter 12: Land, Seed and Blessing. What did God promise Abraham? Land, Seed and Blessing.

In summary, God promised Abram a Land, He promised to make Him a great nation, implying that He would grant Abram an an offspring and lastly, He promised that Abram would be a blessing to all the nations. Write this down next to chapter 12: Land, Seed and Blessing.

This language of blessing naturally ties this promise of the Noahic covenant to Abram and the nation that will come from him. Furthermore, it is through Abram’s nation that all the nations will be blessed. In summary, God promised Abram a Land, He promised to make Him a great nation, implying that He would grant Abram an an offspring (or seed) lastly, He promised that Abram would be a blessing to all the nations. Starting in verse 6 we see Abram’s response, “ 4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, 6 Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him.” Abram acts in faithful obedience to God. He goes to the land of Canaan. God promises Abram that this land will be the land of his offspring. What is significant about this land is that it is in the center of the known world. To travel down to Egypt you must go through Canaan. To travel up to the lands of Syria you must go through Canaan. To travel east from the Mediterranean you must go through Canaan. God’s Nation was be situated in the center of the world so that it would have the greatest international impact. See too Abram’s faith in God’s promise of an offspring. Even though Sarai is barren and he is old, Abram responds by building an altar to God. This is both an act of worship and an act of claiming ownership of that land. The place that he builds this altar is Shechem.

Starting in verse 4 we see Abram’s response, “ 4So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan.:”

God tested Abraham and Abraham passed the test buy obeying God out of faith. That brings us to the next test: The test about the Land.

Abram acts in faithful obedience to God. He goes to the land of Canaan. God promises Abram that this land will be the land of his offspring. See too Abram’s faith in God’s promise of an offspring. Even though Sarai is barren and he is old, Abram responds by building an altar to God. This is both an act of worship and an act of claiming ownership of that land. God tested Abraham and Abraham passed the test buy obeying God out of faith. That brings us to the next test: The test about the Land.

2. God Tests Abraham about the Land:

3. God Tests Abram about Land Part 1 ()

A. Abram Fails the Test (12:10-13)

God had promised Abram the land of Canaan. If God commanded you to move to a certain land and then promised that you and your offspring will inhabit that land what should you do? Stay in the land right? But what we see in chapter 12:10 is that famine comes into the Land. This is a test of Abram’s faith. If he trusted God he would have stayed and relied on God to provide during the famine. Instead he goes down to Egypt.. In verse 11 we see Abram add folly to his lack of faith, “11 When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, “I know that you are a woman beautiful in appearance, 12 and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me, but they will let you live. 13 Say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared for your sake.” To protect himself he decides to lie about his relationship with Sarai, claiming that she is his sister instead of his wife. When Abram and Sarai arrive in Egypt we see this exact thing happen.  On the surface this just seems stupid, but see how his plan put’s God’s promises in jeopardy. If Sarai is taken to be a wife of Pharaoh she can’t bear Abraham an offspring.

That seems bad but it doesn’t seem too catastrophic until you understand that the entire plan of God’s redemption of the world rests on Sarah having Abraham’s son. You see back in , put your finger here for a moment and flip to . In verse 15 we see God give the first gospel message. And He gives this message as a curse to the serpent who was possessed by Satan to tempt Eve to sin, “15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall crush you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.” First God says that he will put enmity between Eve and Satan. Enmity is a word to describe the hate that you would have for your worst enemy. Then He says that He will put that same hatred between Eve’s offspring - her seed and the seed of Satan. This implies that there will always be an offspring - a people that is righteous and worship’s God and then a people who hate God and hate God’s people. Lastly God promises that there will be a He, there will be a man that will come from the offspring of Eve who will crush the head of Satan and in the process of metaphorically curb stomping Satan’s head, his heel will get bruised. This implies that there will be some suffering that this He, this man will experience as He defeats Satan. Like I said, this is what is widely recognized as the first gospel. It’s, as Drake says, God’s plan. An offspring will come from Eve and from that offspring will come a man who will defeat and destroy Satan. Fast forward a few thousand years and what we have is a descendent of Adam and Eve that is within the chosen line - his name is Abraham and he has a wife who is supposed to bear a son who will become a great nation…and His wife, Sarah is now in Pharaohs palace about to become Pharaoh’s new mistress. Big big big problem right? No Sarah means no son. No son means no nation. No nation means no Seed to crush the head of Satan. Big problem.

B. Potential Disaster and Blessing (12:14-16)

B. Potential Disaster and Blessing (12:14-16)

B. Curses for those who Curse You (12:17-20)

At the beginning of this chapter God promised Abram that he would curse those who cursed him. Taking Abram’s wife was an act of cursing and God resolves the situation by sending plagues on Pharaoh’s house. When Pharaoh discovers that he has taken Abram’s wife he promptly calls out Abram saying in verse 18, “18 So Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife; take her, and go.” By God’s grace, Abram’s failure is overcome, Pharaoh’s anger is restrained and God’s promise remains intact. See how God is faithful to Abram even though Abram’s faith fails. 

4. God Tests Abram about Land Part 2 ()

After descending into failure, faithlessness and stupidity, Abram goes up out of Egypt and back to Canaan. When he arrives at the place from where he left He worships God at the altar he made when he first entered the land. It is there in verse 7 that we see that, “ Abram called upon the name of the Lord.” The reason Abram worships God is because he realizes that he would have never been able to return to Canaan if it was not for God’s faithfulness. We learn something important here from Abram about the nature of faith - faith recognizes complete and utter dependence on God’s grace and His covenant faithfulness. Faith is trusting and relying on God to remain faithful to His promises.

When we keep looking at chapter 13 we see that Abram is growing into a great nation so much so that he is running out of space. A conflict arises between Abram’s servants and Lot’s servants which prompts Abram to suggest separating from Lot, starting in verse 8, “ Then Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are kinsmen. 9 Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me...10 And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the Lord...11 So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east.” We see here that Lot chooses to settle near Sodom and Gomorrah,  a land that is extremely fertile, and similar to the Garden of Lord. Instead of moving to this Eden-like land and staying relatively near his nephew Lot, we see in verse 12 that Abram stays in the Land that God promised and settles in Canaan. He passes the test of the land promise that he failed beforehand.

10 And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) 11 So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other.” We see here that Lot chooses to settle near Sodom and Gomorrah,  a land that is extremely fertile, and similar to the Garden of Lord. Instead of moving to this Eden-like land and staying relatively near his nephew Lot, we see in verse 12 that Abram stays in the Land that God promised and settles in Canaan. He passes the test of the land promise that he failed beforehand.

With the Land test now over, we see God next test Abraham about the Promise of the Seed

3. God Tests Abraham about the Seed:

A. Abram and the Battle of the Kings ()

i. The Battle of the Kings (14:1-12)

In chapter 14 we read of the great battle of the kings. Let’s start in verse “8 Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out, and they joined battle in the Valley of Siddim 11 So the enemy took all the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way. 12 They also took Lot, the son of Abram's brother, who was dwelling in Sodom, and his possessions, and went their way.” Now we have a problem, Abram’s nephew, Lot is captured. Lot was the only family Abram had, it was almost as if Lot was the son that Abram did not yet have.

ii. Abram’s Intervention (14:13-16)

When word comes to Abram that his nephew is a prisoner of war he gathers his servants and enters the battle of the kings. We see this starting at the end of verse 14, “he led forth his trained men, born in his house, 318 of them, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. 15 And he divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them and pursued them to Hobah, north of Damascus. 16 Then he brought back all the possessions, and also brought back his kinsman Lot with his possessions, and the women and the people.” With a tiny force of 318 men, God grants Abram victory over the other armies and blesses Abram the spoils of war. Amongst all the Canaanite kings in this battle, Abram emerges as the victorious “king”.

iii. The Blessing of the King (14:17-24)

After Abram’s victory over the kings, Abram is invited by the kings he helped to a royal meeting in the King’s Valley. Notice the emphasis on king. This is to set up for a meeting with a most interesting king, “18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.)” See here that Melchizedek is king and a priest of God Most High. In verse 19 the king-priest turns to Abram and says, ““Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; 20 and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” Melchizedek blesses Abraham and declares to Abram that God is the one who delivered him. Abraham is blessed by a king who is both a king and priest of God most high. This king, Melchizedek also teaches Abraham about God. He calls God the Possessor of heaven and earth and the Most High God and shows Abraham that his amazing victory was actually the result of God delivering him. There’s a lot going on here but I want you to see that Abraham is getting some royal treatment here by a pretty amazing king. It’s almost as if Abraham is seen as a king himself.

B. God seals His Covenant with Abram ()

After the battle of the kings God comes to Abram and re-affirms His promises to him by declaring that He is Abram’s shield, He is Abram’s protector against Abram’s enemies and that He will continue to bless Abram. But in verse 2 we see Abraham respond to this encouragement from God with a concern about God’s promise “2 But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” Notice that  Abram’s concern in verse 2 - what will you give me? turns into an accusation in verse 3 - you have given me no offspring. Abram even has a back up plan in place - he will give over his inheritance to a household servant, Eliezer if God doesn’t come through.

“2 But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” Notice that  Abram’s concern in verse 2 - what will you give me? turns into an accusation in verse 3 - you have given me no offspring. Abram even has a back up plan in place - he will give over his inheritance to a household servant, Eliezer if God doesn’t come through.God answers Abram’s concern in verse 4, ““This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” 5 And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” God promises to Abram that he will indeed have a son and that his offspring (literally his seed) shall be as great in number as the stars. This languageThis Even though this seems impossible, what we see in verse 6 - and underline this, “6 And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.” This is a definitive marker in Abram’s story. Before his growing faith was merely hinted at. Here in verse 6, his faith is explicitly expressed. Abram trusted that God would not only give him a son but that his offspring would become the nation of God’s plan and promise of . He trusted that God would accomplish the plan of the Seed through his seed. Hear the words of Paul as he exposits this moment in “16 That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, 17 as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. 18 In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” 19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. 20 No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. 22 That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” 23 But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.”After God declares Abram righteous, God enters ratifies His promise of the Land to Abram with an official covenant ceremony. Look with me at verse 9, 9 He (that is the Lord) said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10 And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half. 11 And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.” This was an ancient near eastern covenant ceremony. Typically the two parties entering into this type of covenant would walk hand-in-hand in between the two halves of the cut animal parts. This was to signify that if either of the two parties broke the covenant they should be cut in half like the animals they walked through. This indicated that this was an everlasting covenant. After Abram sets the scene something very interesting happens in verse 12, “12 As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him. Just as Adam fell into a deep sleep in the Garden when God made Eve, so too does Abram fall into a deep sleep and appears to Him in the form of a great and thick darkness. This language is inherently tying the beginning of Genesis, specifically the blessing of God in and the promise of the seed in to these promises made to Abraham. Let’s look back at the text, verse 13, “13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. 14 But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. God here reveals to Abram that his offspring will be afflicted in a foreign land for 4 generations, after which t God will deliver them and they will return to Canaan and conquer it. Notice in verse 16 that Abram’s offspring will not return until the iniquity of inhabitants of Canaan is complete. Let’s return one last time to the text, starting in verse 17, “17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. 18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, 19 the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, 20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, 21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites.” What is going on here with this smoking fire pot and flaming torch? These were symbols of God’s presence passing between the animals. By doing this God is declaring to Abram that these covenant promises are unconditional. Abram was asleep on the ground. God alone walked through the animals. God unilaterally decreed that He will take the initiative to fulfill HIs promises independent of the actions of Abram or His offspring. What is encouraging here for the readers of Moses and for successive generations is that the ultimate promise of is tied to this covenant. God will accomplish His plan and His promises. God is passively bound by own His nature to accomplish His plan and His promises. Furthermore what we see here is that God actively bound Himself to fulfill these promises by His this action. Abram asked, how will I know that I shall possess this land that you promised. God said, let me show you how.

God answers Abram’s concern in verse 4, ““This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” 5 And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” God promises to Abram that he will indeed have a son and that his offspring (literally his seed) shall be as great in number as the stars. Even though this seems impossible, what we see in verse 6 - and underline this, “6 And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.” This is a definitive marker in Abram’s story. Before his growing faith was merely hinted at. Here in verse 6, his faith is explicitly expressed. Abram trusted that God would not only give him a son but that his offspring would become the nation of God’s plan and promise of . He trusted that God would accomplish the plan of the Seed through his seed and because of this God declared Him to be judiciously righteous in His eyes.

PAfter God declares Abram righteous, God enters ratifies His promise of the Land to Abram with an official covenant ceremony. Look with me at verse 9, 9 He (that is the Lord) said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10 And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half. 11 And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.” This was an ancient near eastern covenant ceremony. Typically the two parties entering into this type of covenant would walk hand-in-hand in between the two halves of the cut animal parts. This was to signify that if either of the two parties broke the covenant they should be cut in half like the animals they walked through. This indicated that this was an everlasting covenant. After Abram sets the scene something very interesting happens in verse 12, “12 As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him. Just as Adam fell into a deep sleep in the Garden when God made Eve, so too does Abram fall into a deep sleep and appears to Him in the form of a great and thick darkness. This language is inherently tying the beginning of Genesis, specifically the blessing of God in and the promise of the seed in to these promises made to Abraham. Let’s look back at the text, verse 13, “13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. 14 But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. God here reveals to Abram that his offspring will be afflicted in a foreign land for 4 generations, after which t God will deliver them and they will return to Canaan and conquer it. Notice in verse 16 that Abram’s offspring will not return until the iniquity of inhabitants of Canaan is complete. Let’s return one last time to the text, starting in verse 17, “17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. 18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, 19 the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, 20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, 21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites.” What is going on here with this smoking fire pot and flaming torch? These were symbols of God’s presence passing between the animals. By doing this God is declaring to Abram that these covenant promises are unconditional. Abram was asleep on the ground. God alone walked through the animals. God unilaterally decreed that He will take the initiative to fulfill HIs promises independent of the actions of Abram or His offspring. What is encouraging here for the readers of Moses and for successive generations is that the ultimate promise of is tied to this covenant. God will accomplish His plan and His promises. God is passively bound by own His nature to accomplish His plan and His promises. Furthermore what we see here is that God actively bound Himself to fulfill these promises by His this action. Abram asked, how will I know that I shall possess this land that you promised. God said, let me show you how.

After God declares Abraham righteous, God confirms His promise of the Land to Abram with an official covenant ceremony. Look with me at verse 9, “9 He (that is the Lord) said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10 And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half. 11 And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.” This was an ancient near eastern covenant ceremony. Typically the two parties entering into this type of covenant would walk hand-in-hand in between the two halves of the cut animal parts. This was to signify that if either of the two parties broke the covenant they should be cut in half like the animals they walked through. This indicated that this was an everlasting covenant.

After Abram sets the scene something very interesting happens in verse 12, “12 As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him.” What is Abraham doing? He’s sleeping. Barring a sleep walking episode, can Abraham walk through the animals? No, He’s asleep, look down at verse 17, “17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. 18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates,” What is going on here with this smoking fire pot and flaming torch? These were symbols of God’s presence passing between the animals. By doing this God is declaring to Abram that these covenant promises are unconditional. Abram was asleep on the ground. God alone walked through the animals. God unilaterally decreed that He will take the initiative to fulfill HIs promises independent of the actions of Abram or His offspring. God will accomplish His plan and His promises. This should have definitely reasured Abraham’s faith right? No more failures right?

C. God Tests Abram: Seed Part 1 ()

Let us see, look at 16:1, “1 Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. She had a female Egyptian servant whose name was Hagar. 2 And Sarai said to Abram, “Behold now, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.” Just as Abram failed by moving to Egypt during the famine in Canaan, Abram fails by marrying and impregnating Sarai’s Egyptian servant Hagar. This was a common practice of the day for a barren wife to give her servant to her husband in order to bear an offspring for the family line. Just like it was a common practice to flee a famine stricken land for one that is more prosperous. You might think, well this is Sarai’s fault - it was her dumb plan. But who’s fault was it really? How did Hagar come to be in the household of Abram in the first place? Abraham left for Egypt and lied about his wife. In return for Abraham’s “sister” Pharaoh gave him animals, male servants and female servants. That’s how Hagar came into Abraham’s family. Hagar becomes pregnant and eventually bears a son named Ishmael.

D. God Codifies His Covenant with Abraham ()

In chapter 16 Abram was 86 years old but here in the beginning of chapter 17 we see that Abram is 99 years old. Think about that, as a consequence for Abram’s failure of faith God is silent for 13 years. How many of you are 16 and under? Think to when you were 3 years old and how long the time has been until now. That’s how long it had been since Abram last heard from God. When God breaks the silence His first words are “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless.” In other words, I am the all powerful God, follow me and stop messing up. God then reiterates His covenant with Abram, “4 “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. 5 No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. 7 And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. 8 And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.” Notice that even though Abram sinned, and even though Abram experienced judgement, God did not revoke His covenant. God remains faithful even when Abraham’s faith fails.

God confirms His covenant to Abram in three separate ways. First God changes Abram’s name to Abraham which means “father of a multitude of nations”. God promises Abram that not only will he be a father of many nations but kings shall come from him. He will have a royal offspring. God then instructs Abraham to perform the sign of circumcision to signify that he has covenanted with God. This act of circumcision was not a work that earned God’s covenant relationship. It was an outward sign that demonstrated that Abraham was in a relationship with God. God then turns Sarai’s name to Sarah starting in verse 15, “15 And God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. 16 I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.” Sarah means princess because she will have a son and kings shall come from her. Even after this wondrous declaration of God, we see that Abram’s faith is still not perfect, “17 Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” at the prospect of Sarah becoming pregnant at 99 years old. Abram then proposes his back up plan - that God would instead chose Ishmael. But God responds, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him” God declares that Abram and Sarah will have a son together and that this son will be the one whom He will have a covenant relationship with. No more back up plans. Abraham, it is a certified fact that you and Sarah are going to have son. He already has a name - Isaac and I’ve already promised to covenant with him. Done deal. No more back up plans.

E. God’s Covenant relationship with Abraham ()

E. God’s Covenant relationship with Abraham ()

With Ishmael off the table, there’s one more of Abraham’s backup plans that God needs to remove: Lot. Remember that Lot was Abraham’s nephew and he was an eligible heir of Abraham. God comes to Abraham in chapter 18:20 to initiate a dialogue “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, 21 I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know.” God has a plan for Sodom and Gomorrah and He knows that is where Abraham’s nephew Lot lives. Remember that Abraham rushed into a battle between 5 kings with just 300 plus men to save Lot. He knows that Abraham has desires to protect his nephew Lot. God sovereignly reveals to Abraham that the sins of the people at Sodom and Gomorrah are so terrible that He plans to judge those two cities. But he allows Abraham to make a request, , “23 Then Abraham drew near and said, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city. Will you then sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it?” If you know the story, you know that Abraham bargains with God and eventually lowers the requirement o 10 righteous people. The problem is that there aren’t even 10 righteous people in these cities. Abraham’s primary reason for wanting to spare the city is to protect Lot. He’s just a terrible negotiator. He should have just asked God to take Lot out of the city. The amazing thing is that out of God’s love for Abraham, He does just that. Before destroying Sodom and Gomorra, God sends his angels to deliver Lot and his family.

A. An Amazing Visit (18:1-15)

In this section we begin to see God’s amazing covenant relationship with Abraham. What is interesting here is that the Lord seeks out Sarah, Abraham’s wife - verse 9, “ 9 They said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “She is in the tent.”10 The Lord said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him.” God doesn’t just care about the faith of Abraham, He wants to highlight Sarah’s faith as well. Like Abraham, Sarah too laughs in unbelief at this promise of God. God rebukes her unbelief and makes it very clear that He will accomplish His promises saying in verse 14, “14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.” What is beautiful about this situation is that God is patient with Sarah and that He takes time to instruct Sarah about Himself and reveal His plan personally to her.

B. An Amazing Dialogue (18:16-33)

With great hesitancy  Lot tries to convince his loved ones to escape the judgement of God. However, both Lot’s future sons-in-law and his wife are so enthralled by the sinful delights of the city that they do not leave and instead perish. As Lot and his two daughters flee the destruction of God the scene shifts back to Abraham. Look with me at 19:27, “27 Now Abraham arose early in the morning and went to the place where he had stood before the Lord; 28 and he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the valley, and he saw, and behold, the smoke of the land ascended like the smoke of a furnace. 29 Thus it came about, when God destroyed the cities of the valley, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow.” Abraham’s prayer was not directly answered but his desire to preserve his nephew was answered because God remembered Abraham. This term remember does not mean that God forgot about Abraham for a few hours. Its a term used of Noah during the flood. It shows how God acts in a way that displays His covenant faithfulness and love towards Abraham. Even though Lot is spared, his decedents are marred by the sinful nature of Sodom and Gomorrah. You can read of the disgusting incest that occurs between him and his daughters in the rest of the chapter.

After establishing His covenant with Abraham and confirming His promises to Abraham and Sarah, the Lord initiates a dialogue with Abraham, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, 21 I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know.” God has a plan for Sodom and Gomorrah and He knows that is where Abraham’s nephew Lot lives. He knows that Abraham has desires to protect his nephew Lot. God sovereignly reveals to Abraham that the sins of the people at Sodom and Gomorrah are so terrible that He plans to judge those two cities. What is on display here is that this covenant doesn’t just establish promises between God and Abraham, it establishes an intimate relationship between God and Abraham. Abraham is called a “friend of God” () and what is seen here is that God cares for Abraham. And Abraham makes this requests from the Lord, “23 Then Abraham drew near and said, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city. Will you then sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it? 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” The problem is that there aren’t even 10 righteous people in these cities. Abraham’s primary reason for wanting to spare the city is to protect Lot. Remember how Abraham rushed into the battle of the kings with an army of just over 300 men in order to save his nephew. Lot is very important to Abraham for not only is he Abraham’s nephew, he is his an eligible heir. As we saw previously with Abraham’s desire for God to choose Ishmael, Abraham isn’t fully convinced that Sarah will bear a son. Abraham thinks that he needs to preserve backup plans in order to preserve God’s promise. 

B. An Amazing Deliverance (19:1-29)

The scene then shifts to the city of Sodom where the angels, who came with the Lord, encounter Lot, ““The two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed himself with his face to the earth 2 and said, “My lords, please turn aside to your servant's house and spend the night and wash your feet. Then you may rise up early and go on your way.” They said, “No; we will spend the night in the town square.” 3 But he pressed them strongly; so they turned aside to him and entered his house. And he made them a feast and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. Lot quickly invites the angels to stay in his house out of both hospitality and worry for their wellbeing. He insists that the angels stay in his home because he knows the wicked desires of the people of Sodom. What we see when night comes is that, “the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house. 5 And they called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them.” The men of the city come to Lot’s house so that they can know the Angels like Adam knew his wife. Lot then goes out to the mob outside his house, “ 7 and said, “I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly. 8 Behold, I have two daughters who have not known any man. Let me bring them out to you, and do to them as you please. Only do nothing to these men, for they have come under the shelter of my roof.” Lot, in his own display of perversion, offers the crowd the opportunity to know his two daughters instead. The angels then strike the men outside with blindness and command Lot to take his family and leave the city. With great hesitancy  Lot tries to convince his loved ones to escape the judgement of God. However, both Lot’s future sons-in-law and his wife are so enthralled by the sinful delights of the city that they do not leave and instead perish. Although the exact location of Sodom and Gomorrah is not listed in the Bible a strong argument can be made that the present day location is the valley around the Dead Sea (see and ). This region in Canaan is now a sulfuric wasteland where barely any plants or wildlife exist. The only living thing that is able to survive in the sea itself is a microscopic bacteria. Remember that  this land was known to be as lush and prosperous as the Garden on Eden. If the Dead Sea is in fact the location of Sodom and Gomorrah it has served as an example of God’s holiness and His awful wrath for thousands of years. Now, what is amazing is that there are multiple prophecies about the restoration of this dead sea. Isaiah prophecies that when the Messiah returns “1 The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; ()” - go home and read the rest of - it will blow your mind. Also Zechariah an Ezekiel both prophecy that this desert will be made lush by a river flowing out of Jerusalem, Here is the prophet Ezekiel in Ez 47:8-9, “8 And he said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, and enters the sea; when the water flows into the sea, the water will become fresh. 9 And wherever the river goes, every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish. For this water goes there, that the waters of the sea may become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes.” What a glorious time that will be when the Messiah returns. Not only will He raise His people from the dead, but He will also restore the dead sea to life as well. The scene back in Genesis ends with Abraham looking out at the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham’s prayer was not directly answered but his desire to preserve his nephew was answered because God remembered Abraham. Recollect that this term remember does not mean that God forgot about Abraham for a few hours. Its a term used of Noah during the flood. It shows how God acts in a way that displays His covenant faithfulness and love towards Abraham. 

C. An Astonishing Demise (19:30-38)

But the problem of Lot as Abraham’s back up plan still exists. That is until we read the rest of the chapter. What was clear from Lot’s family who remained in Sodom is that they loved the perversions of the city more than their own life. What is displayed here is that Sodom’s perversions lived on in the hearts of Lot’s daughters, who decide to get their father drunk and then sleep with him in his inebriated state. You can take the people out of Sodom but you can’t take Sodom out of the people. This gross sin creates a detestable situation with Lot’s family. Furthermore it ends Abraham’s back-up plan with Lot. Lot’s descendents will forever be attached to this scandal. His son, who is at the same time also his nephew and grandson is named Moab. His name fits the situation for it means “who is my father.”

F. A replay of the Past: Abraham and Abimelech ()

i. Similar Situation (20:1-2)

After God’s judgement of Sodom and Gomorrah we see Abraham move to a region in Canaan called the Negeb. It is here that Moses tells of a situation that is very similar to one that Abraham and Sarah experienced 25 years earlier. When Abraham and Sarah journeyed to Egypt, Abraham convinced Sarah to claim that she was his sister so that Pharaoh wouldn’t kill him and take his wife. Now fast forward 25 years and what do we see in verse 2? “2 And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah.” The question is, why is this happening? Why does a young king think that Sarah, the 99-year old woman, is childbearing material? What is clear is that Abraham knew that the kings in the region would covet his wife and possibly kill him in order to be with her. In the end the main point is that God has miraculously made Sarah appear youthful and fertile indicating that she is now able to bear Abraham a son. What we also see here is that Abraham still thinks he has to take matters into his own hands. He does not trust God fully to be his shield. He doesn not trust God fully that Sarah will be the mother of the promised offspring. His faith fails again.

ii. Similar Intervention (20:3-7)

Instead of rejecting Abraham after his continued failure God miraculously intervenes to ensure His covenant promises are fulfilled and His redemptive plan continues.God cannot be thwarted. “3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him, “Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man's wife.” 4 Now Abimelech had not approached her. So he said, “Lord, will you kill an innocent people?” 6 Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that you have done this in the integrity of your heart, and it was I who kept you from sinning against me. Therefore I did not let you touch her.” Not only does God acknowledge Abimelech’s innocence in the situation he reveals that He has kept Abimelech from committing sin against God. God commands Abimelech to return Sarah to Abraham and warns him of the consequences of death if he does not. What is so evidently clear from this narrative is that God will not allow Sarah to be with any other man. He has decreed that she would bear a son for Abraham and He will accomplish all that He decrees.  If you haven’t gotten the message yet, Sarah is about to conceive.

D. Resolution (20:14-18)

The story continues the next morning “8 So Abimelech rose early in the morning and called all his servants and told them all these things. And the men were very much afraid.” Notice that Abimelech and his servants are filled with the fear of God’s judgment. It is no doubt that they saw the evidence of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah which was a clear display of God’s judgement. They knew the consequences that could befall them if they did not obey the command of God and so Abimelech calls Abraham to interrogate him. Abraham then responds in verse 11 saying, “ 11... ‘I did it because I thought, ‘There is no fear of God at all in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’” Abraham excuses his deception by claiming that he was afraid of Abimelech and his men for he thought they had no fear of God. This fear was not without merit. He was aware of the wickedness and unhindered sin of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. He assumed that all Canaanites were like them so he felt like he had to take his protection in his own hands. But this proved to be a poor assumption for not only did Abimelech and his men fear God, God worked in the heart of the Canaanite king so that Sarah would not be harmed. The lesson to Abraham: you have nothing to fear when you are in a covenant relationship with the Almighty God.

D. Resolution (20:14-18)

Moses concludes this narrative with Abimelech resolving the situation by returning Sarah to Abraham and then giving Abraham gifts of sheep, oxen and servants. Abimelech also declares to Abraham that he can settle peacefully in the land. It is made very clear by Abimelech that he dealt innocently with Sarah and that her purity was declared to be intact before everyone in his kingdom. Then in verse 17 we see Abraham then acts as a mediator between Abimelech and God, “17 Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, and also healed his wife and female slaves so that they bore children. 18 For the Lord had closed all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham's wife.” Through this interesting narrative God is making it very clear that He has the power to close and to open wombs. He closed the wombs of the women in Abimelech’s house and then he opened them. Moreover, God preserved the youth of Sarah and then prevented her from becoming impregnated by Abimelech. If you haven’t gotten the message yet, Sarah is about to conceive.

G. Birth of Isaac  () 

A. Isaac’s Birth (21:1-8) 

And this is exactly what we see in verse 1 “The Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did to Sarah as he had promised. 2 And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him. 3 Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore him, Isaac.” God t gives Sarah a son, just as He said He would, just as He had promised, at the exact time which God spoke to Abraham. Moses uses these phrases in a repetitive way to emphasize the God is faithful to accomplish what He says He will do. YHWH is a promise keeping God. God has put Abraham in the Land and He has given the son that He promised. Everything's coming together perfectly, just as God has promised. That brings us to our last section: God’s Final Test

B. Ishmael’s Rejection (21:9-21) 

In verse 9 we see Sarah become a protective mother and perceive the rivalry that would arise between Ishmael and Isaac, “9 But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, laughing. 10 So she said to Abraham, “Cast out this slave woman with her son, for the son of this slave woman shall not be heir with my son Isaac.” This breaks Abraham’s heart for he loves his son. However, God tells Abraham to listen to his wife, saying “Whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for through Isaac shall your offspring be named. 13 And I will make a nation of the son of the slave woman also, because he is your offspring.” Hagar and Ishmael are officially cast out of Abraham’s family and the covenant family of God. They settle in the wilderness near Egypt and Ishmael marries an Egyptian women thus further mixing his line with the line of Ham.

4. God’s Final Test:

H. Covenant and Conflict with Abimelech ()

The story then shifts to an interesting moment with Abimelech and the commander of his army, “22 At that time Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army said to Abraham, “God is with you in all that you do. 23 Now therefore swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me or with my descendants or with my posterity, but as I have dealt kindly with you, so you will deal with me and with the land where you have sojourned.” 24 And Abraham said, “I will swear.” Notice how Abimelech and his commander approach Abraham. Normally a superior wouldn’t approach a common citizen. Normally kings would only approach kings. In the eyes of Abimelech, Abraham is an equal. Furthermore he recognizes that God is with him, that he has a relationship with the very Elohim who created the world. He knows that God will protect Abraham, that He will provide for Abraham and that He will dispose of all of Abraham’s enemies. Having this knowledge, Abimelech forms a covenant with Abraham. When they made the covenant, Abraham made it very clear that he had dug a well that was seized by Abimelech's men and that he wanted the rights to this well. Abimelech granted Abraham the water rights to that well in their covenant and Abraham named the place Beersheba. The significance of this is that Abraham is officially recognized as someone who possess a right to live in the land. Abraham demonstrates that the well is his by planting a tree near the well. He then calls upon the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God, which, as we saw before, was an act of worship to God.

God has given the son that He promised and now He has established Abraham in the Land in an official way. Everything's coming together perfectly, just as God has promised. 

14. God’s Final Test: Seed Part 2 ()

A. An Astonishing Command (22:1-2)

Just as Abraham has started to experience the promises of God coming true, God tests Abraham’s faith one more time - look at 22:1, “After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2 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.” First what I want you to see is the verb go. God commanded Abraham in to go - remember how I told you to circle that word. He told Abraham to go to the land that God would show him. This was the first time Abraham heard from God and it was the first test of Abraham’s faith. Now, here in we have the final test and it begins with God saying go to the land of Moriah.

Second, I want you to notice how God is extremely clear who must be sacrificed. Imagine the scene:

God says: Abraham!

Abraham: yeah God here I Am

God: Take now your son:

Abraham: Okay...I have two sons

God: your only son

Abraham: well I guess they are each their mother’s only son so...

God: Whom you love

Abraham: I love them both

God: Isaac

Abraham: …ok, what do you want with Isaac?

God: offer Him as a burnt offering on one of the maintains of which I will tell you.

Whoah. How does Abraham respond? Will he scheme or attempt to use a back up plan instead?

How does Abraham respond? Will he scheme or attempt to use a back up plan instead? Someone read verse 3.

B. Abraham’s Faithful Obedience to Begin the Journey (22:3)

“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.” In , God said go and Abraham went. Here God said go and Abraham went to the place of which God had told him. No schemes. No back up plans. No lies. Abraham displays an obedient faith.

C. Abraham’s Faithful Proclamation (22:4-6)

When they reach the point of no return, where a younger Abraham who was weaker in faith might turned around, Abraham instead turns to his servants and says, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and we will 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.” Notice how Abraham says that he and his son will go, they will worship and then come back again. The verb “come again” is in the plural. Abraham believes that Isaac will return down the mountain with him. He has seen how God has worked to protect His promised seed. He has seen how God has been perfectly faithful to carry out His promises. Abraham is done doing what conventional wisdom dictates. He trusts God. One more thing, and store this up for later, notice how Abraham makes his son carry the wood up the mountain.

D. Abraham’s Faithful Perseverance (22:7-8)

“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.”When they get to the Mountain and build the altar, Isaac begins to understand the situation. In verse 7 he calls out to His father, ““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?” He wonders where the sacrificial lamb is and Abraham tells him, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” Imagine the pain that this question would have brought to Abraham. The reality of what God has called Abraham to do is becoming more and more clear and Abraham is placing all his trust and confidence in God to provide a solution. 

E. Abraham’s Faithful Obedience to the Very End (22:9-10)

After building the altar, Abraham binds his son and lays him on it. At this point in the story we begin to see that Abraham is not the only one trusting God in this situation. Contrary to popular Sunday school stories, Isaac is not a little boy. He’s not a baby asparagus. He’s a big asparagus. In the chapter 23 we see the age of Sarah at her death and it is indicated in the text that her death happens very soon after this event. If she was 100 at Isaac’s birth and 127 at her death it can be confidently assumed that Isaac is close to 27 years old. At the moment Abraham indicated Isaac was the sacrifice, Isaac could have fought with his father or ran away from the altar. But instead he allows himself to be bound and placed on the altar. He, like his father, is filled with faith. After Isaac has submitted himself to be sacrificed, we see in verse 10 that, Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.” He is willing to obey God to the very end. 

F. Divine Intervention (22:11-14)

But just then with the perfect timing only an all-present God possess, God cries out to Abraham from heaven, “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.” God commends Abraham’s faith, a faith willing to give up everything for the sake of following God. A faith that, as we see in , believed that God was able to even raise Isaac from the dead so that His plan could continue and His promise would remain unbroken. God then provides a substitute in Isaac’s place, “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.”

G. Divine Confirmation (22:15-19)

Conclusion

As we have seen, God fulfills His promises to Abraham because He is faithful and true to His nature and character. Furthermore, God has bound Himself to fulfill HIs promises to Abraham because of the covenant He made with Abraham. In verse 15, we see God reaffirm His promises once more, “15 And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven 16 and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, 18 and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.” Here we see that God swears by Himself that He will surely bless Abraham, that He will surely multiply Abraham’s offspring, Abraham’s seed. God also explicitly connects Abraham’s seed with that of the Seed of . He promises that the Seed will possess the gate of His enemies. This is not speaking of a general offspring, this right here is a promise about the Seed. God has promised, God has covenanted and God has sworn to fully accomplish that which He vowed to Abraham. 

What an amazing story right? What an amazing journey of faith. Abraham wasn’t perfect, He failed…a lot. But he never completely lost faith and God never left Him even when His faith failed. We forget the journey a lot of times when we just skip to the amazing ending. This 10 chapter story most likely spanned just over 50 years. Doesn’t that give you some encouragement. Abraham’s faith took 50 years to get to this point. Or from another point of view - God was patient with Abraham and all His failures for over 50 years. He didn’t take back one promise. He may have been silent, but He never left Abraham. May we learn from Abraham’s faith tonight and see how God shapes our faith and remains faithful to us even when our faith fails.

One more thing before we are done tonight. An amazing thing about the mount that Abraham builds an altar is that it will eventually be the site where the Temple of God is built. It is there in the future that the sacrifice of passover is performed. This is where God provides a substitute for the sin of the people of Israel to be sacrificed on the altar of the Temple, much like he did that day with Isaac. Lastly, it is on a mount that is directly parallel to Moriah that Jesus is hung on a cross, a cross that He was initially forced to carry. Just like Isaac carried the wood up the hill, the son of God initially carried His cross on His back until He could not bear it. It was there on that hill that God the Father sacrificed His only son to be crucified as the perfect passover lamb and the perfect substitute for the sins of God’s chosen people. As the blood of the lambs was being spilt in the Temple the blood of the ultimate Lamb, Christ was being spilt for the forgiveness of all who would believe in Him.

The Lord provided on that mount for Abraham and Isaac, and the Lord provided for the world at the time of His Son’s crucifixion. He has promised that if you go and leave your sins behind, repenting of them and believe that His Son has paid the price of your sins, then just as Jesus was raised from death to life, you too can be raised from death to everlasting life. Believe like Abraham and it will be counted to you as righteousness.