The
Testing of Abraham
Read Genesis 22:1-24
This is a pivotal point is Abraham’s life, as
if he needed another. Abraham’s life has been one trial after another.
·
Called to leave his beloved homeland and
family to a land not specified
·
Cast our of two countries by the kings
thereof
·
Being promised a son when he and his wife
were long past their time
·
Fighting for his nephew’s life and slaying 5
kings
·
Having taken a slave woman to birth a son
·
Only to later learn he would not inherit the
promise
·
Commanded to circumcise every male and later
his son of promise
·
Having to throw his son, Ishmael, out of his
camp forsaking he and his mother, Hagar, in the wilderness
·
Being in the very presence of the Almighty,
Melchizedek…and living
·
Now this…his obedience and faith being tested
by offering his only son upon an altar
How much mare can a man take??? God did not tempt him
with sin---James 1:12-17, no it was a testing of his faith and obedience. By
now surely Abraham had learned how faithful God was toward him and his family.
Not just a test
We learn from Scripture that
there is always more that meets the eye for this particular scenario is a type
of the Messiah being sacrificed by a loving Heavenly Father to pay the debt of
sin owed by every human being from eternity past to eternity future. This act
of passion looks forward to Christ’s blood being shed as our sacrifice, the
sinless one for the guilty. This is a time of rejoicing and praise and
thanksgiving.
Abraham
signifies the Father leading his only begotten son to the altar, Calvary. It
was the promised son and not the son of his flesh, for no one’s flesh is
sufficient to pay even for his own sin, let alone atone for the sins of the
whole world. This is indeed the apex of Abraham’s life, the pinnacle of his
faith! What about you? What is the pinnacle of your life? What epic event has
impacted your life so much that you humbly obeyed the Master’s beckoning call?
Gen.12:4c
and Abram was seventy and five years old
when he departed out of Haran. Add to that thirteen years after Ishmael’s
birth for the promise of Isaac makes it a very long wait for God’s promise and
now he’s asked to sacrifice hid only [Muslims
refute this fact of Isaac being Abraham’s only
son because Ishmael was the first born of Abraham, therefore Isaac could
not possibly be the one mentioned here. Based on this fact they also assert
that it was Ishmael that Abraham offered up as a sacrifice and died].
Islam’s view
·
Muslims feel that Ishmael was the
one offered up by Abraham. They believe that the Holy Bible supports this by
its declaration that Abraham offered his only son.
·
Ishmael was Abraham's only son for over 13 years, which would
make it impossible for Isaac to be the child of sacrifice. (Cf. Genesis 16:16,
21:5)
·
Muslims believe that scribes later
corrupted the original reading from Ishmael to Isaac.
·
Since this idea stems from the
Muslim misunderstanding of the phrase only
son, it becomes necessary to explain what this phrase exactly means in
relation to Isaac.
A careful reading of the Holy Bible
shows that the phrase is used to affirm Isaac's unique status, a status based
on the following:
- Isaac was the only promised child of Abraham, a fact which the Koran agrees with (cf. Genesis 17:15-21; Surah 11:69-73, 37:112-113, 51:24-30).
- Ishmael was never a promised child.
- Isaac was conceived miraculously to a barren mother and a very aged father, with the Koran likewise agreeing (cf. Genesis 17:15-17, 18:9-15, 21:1-7; Galatians 4:28-29; Surah 11:69-73, 51:24-30).
- Ishmael was conceived normally without the need of any miraculous intervention.
- Recall that Isaac was conceived long after both Abram and Sarai had past child bearing years.
- God promised that it would be Isaac's descendants who would inherit the land given to Abraham. (Genesis 13:14-18, 15:18-21, 28:13-14).
- Ishmael had no part in the inheritance and promise given to Isaac through Abraham.
- Ishmael’s inheritance was entirely separate from Isaac’s Gen.21:18; 17:20; 25:12-16.
- The Koran does not name the child Abraham offered for a sacrifice.
- The Bible names Isaac as accompanying his father to Mount Moriah for the sacrifice.
- After Hagar and Ishmael were cast out from Abraham’s presence Ishmael does not reappear until the death of Abraham when the two brothers bury their father Gen.25:8-9.
Nonetheless, Abraham obeyed the Lord
God traveling to the land of Moriah to offer a burnt offering [at this time
Abraham believed he was to sacrifice his son Isaac as a burnt offering.
Burnt Offering
·
The
burnt offering was the highest order of sacrifice in the Old Testament ritual.
·
The ultimate fulfillment of the
burnt offering is in Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. His physical life was
completely consumed, He ascended to God, and His covering (that is, His
garment) was distributed to those who officiated over His sacrifice (Mtt.27:35). But most importantly, His sacrifice, once for all time,
atoned for our sins and restored our relationship with God.
·
It was the ultimate
sacrifice for sin and was done away when Jesus died on the cross for the sins
all mankind. Jesus became the fulfillment of all the OT sacrifices; thus when
the Temple was destroyed by Titus in 70A.D. sacrifices could no longer be made.
Today, the Temple Mount is occupied by the Dome of the Rock, the house of
worship for Islam.
The Passion
Few will
dare call Abraham’s burnt offering an act of passion, however because it directly symbolizes Christ’s vicarious
passion on Calvary I believe it to be appropriate.
Abraham
gathered the wood for the sacrifice took Isaac and obediently followed the Lord
God’s leading to the place of sacrifice in the land of Moriah.
Not by
coincidence Mount Moriah happens to be the location of the Temple mount where
the Children of Israel brought their offerings to be sacrificed. 1Jesus
was undoubtedly crucified near a well-traveled road, since passersby mocked him
(Matt. 27:39; Mark 15:21, 29-30).
The Romans selected conspicuous places by major highways for their public
executions. The crucifixion probably took place on a hill, because it was at an
elevation high enough to be plainly visible at a distance (verse 40). As for
the tomb or sepulcher, we’re told only that it was in a garden near the place
of crucifixion (John
19:41). by the priests. 1Grace Communion
International.
As it
happened Isaac obediently followed his father until realizing there had been no
sacrifice taken on the trip. He then inquired of his father as to where the
sacrifice was [perhaps he reasoned it had somehow been forgotten] to which
Abraham replied God will provide himself
a lamb for the burnt offering. This is a powerful scene for it demonstrates
God’s provision of Jesus the Christ as His lamb
and only begotten son to be offered as a sacrifice to atone for the sins of
the whole world. Herein lies the entirety and eternal significance of the
events.
While
God provided a ram caught in the thickets
as a substitute for Isaac, even so Jesus was offered as the only begotten Son of God, a fit
substitute for you and me. He was the sinless, spotless lamb of God sent to
take away the sins of the world.
The
place of sacrifice was called by Abraham, Jehovah-Jireh---the
Lord will provide. Mount Moriah, aka the Dome of the Rock, is called the Temple
Mount by the Jews. The Temple is the historical place of worship and bringing
of sacrifices to be offered by the people to the priests. Since the Temple was
destroyed in 70 A.D. by Titus, the Jews have had no place to offer sacrifices.
The Dome of the Rock is the sacred place of Islam.
Angelic Messenger
Once
again the angel of the Lord speaks to Abraham reiterating the promises of
blessings for Abraham’s faithful obedience.
Abraham left the mountain and went to Beersheba. The fact
that young men were mentioned in vs.
19 does not infer that Ishmael was among them; they were most likely sons of
concubines or slaves owned by Abraham. If Ishmael were present his name would
most assuredly be mentioned.
The remainder of the chapter records the genealogy of
Nahor’s (Abraham’s brother) family.
Faith
Building Practice and Review
1. Has
your faith been tested like Abraham?
2. Do you
not see the goodness of the Lord in fulfilling His promises?
3. Name
five ways in defense of Isaac being the child offered by Abraham.
4. What
epic event does Abraham’s experience on Mount Moriah illustrate?
5. What
is the significance of the sacrificial offering of Abraham?
6. What
does Jehovah-jirah mean?
7. What
stands upon Mount Moriah today?
8. What
should stand on Mount Moriah?
9. What
facets of God’s personality do you see in C h.22
Knowing
God
A brief [not complete, add
to the list] synopsis of the persona of God:
·
Love
·
Gracious
·
Merciful
·
Righteous
·
Longsuffering
·
Gentle
·
Faithful
·
Compassionate
·
Forgiving
·
Friend
The ultimate goal of Bible study is to
know God and not to merely memorize Bible trivia. As you study, identify the
attributes of God. For instance: make a note when you read of God extending His
forgiveness or compassion, and remember how He has done the same for you.
Richard has
been an avid student and teacher of the Bible for over thirty years, and has
written Bible studies for over ten years, emailing them across the country to
friends and relatives. He and his wife, Diane, love to travel and enjoy
spending time together with their family, and fellowshipping with other
believers.
Richard wrote Crossroads of Life primarily because he
was always a terrible decision maker and had the desire and need to improve
dramatically in this important area of life. Secondly, it was recommended by a
doctor as treatment for a mild traumatic brain injury suffered in a car and
semi-tractor trailer accident. Thirdly, it was a God given mandate to help
others who suffer from lack of good decision-making skills.
Every day
Richard encounters people who have very poor decision-making skills. Even
worse, they continue to make the same mistakes over and over expecting
different outcomes, not unlike myself. It is exciting to share the principles
with others and experience their success stories. The principles are applicable
not only to tough decisions, but also to situations we encounter in our daily
schedules. Crossroads of Life
provides the tools to make great decisions while building self confidence,
improving relationships, fosters an environment of study and worship, and
demonstrates the relevancy of the Scriptures in our daily lives.
When Richard
and Diane began to apply the steps in Crossroads
of Life, they immediately began to see changes in their marriage. The steps,
over time, have become almost second nature to follow. It is for these reasons
Richard has set a goal of reaching one million people with the message of Crossroads of Life. Aired
on KLTT 670AM 12/31/2011 and KLVZ 810AM 1/13/2012
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