ABRAHAM – A PROVEN FAITH
I Peter 1:6-7 says, “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
Up to now, God has been growing Abraham’s faith. From pagan beginnings in Ur, God has led him step by step to and through the Promised Land. He has had mountains to climb that resulted in victory and valleys to walk through that resulted in perplexity. Now, there is one final mountain—and this will be hardest climb of Abraham’s life.
Genesis 22:1 says, “After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, ‘Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here am I.’” Some translations render the word “tested” as “tempted.” It is important to understand that his was not a temptation to evil. James 1:13 says, “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted with evil and He Himself tempts no one.” God does not ever try to get someone to do evil, nor is He able to do evil Himself or desire to do any evil. Exodus 16:4 makes this kind of testing, sometimes called temptation, a little plainer. “Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not.’” The people of Israel were in the desert and there was no food, so God was going to rain bread, called manna, from heaven for them to eat. But He had given specific instructions about how they were to gather it, and He was using this occasion as a test to see if they would follow His instructions about something as simple as gathering food. So we see that when God tests someone, He is not trying to tempt him to do wrong, but He is seeing if the person will be obedient. There is always the hope that the person will do right. God is never happy if we fail in a test of obedience. The kind of testing we are about to see in Abraham’s life will show us his faith—is it really real? How do we know? We can’t see faith, so how do we know it is really there?
Have you ever used yeast? Yeast is actually a living organism, but by itself, it doesn’t do anything. And over time or under certain conditions, yeast can die. So when you open up some yeast, how do you know it is still alive? If you mix the yeast into your dough and knead it and let it set for awhile, you will know. Either the dough will rise, proving that the yeast is alive, or it won’t rise, proving that the yeast is dead and your bread is going to be more like a cracker. Just like the yeast was proven in the dough, our faith is proven when mixed in the circumstances of our lives.
In Genesis 22:2, God says to Abraham, “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! This verse is really loaded with points to notice. First, Isaac was Abraham’s only son. Ishmael had been sent away into the wilderness. Isaac was the one through whom God had sworn to accomplish His redemptive purpose for mankind. Everything was riding on Isaac as the son of promise. Also, God knew that Abraham loved Isaac. This is the first use of the word “love” in the Bible and it is a father’s love for his son. God knows all about this love because when He spoke from heaven at Jesus’ baptism, He said, ‘This is My Beloved Son.” (Luke 3:22)
What are Abraham’s instructions? He is to take his only son, whom he loves and sacrifice him as a burnt offering! This is not a lamb, or a goat, or a bull to be sacrificed and burned to ashes—this is Isaac—laughter—his only son! His nearest and dearest is the offering that God is requiring.
QUESTION: Can you give to God that which is dearest to you, not knowing what He plans to do?
This offering is not to be made just anywhere—there is a special place where Abraham must go. Mount Moriah is the site of Jerusalem—the temple mount—and this is no accident. II Chronicles 3:1 says, “Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the LORD had appeared to David his father…” So we see that the place to which God directed Abraham to make his sacrifice was destined to be the same place where the temple would eventually be built and where the Israelite people would offer sacrifices in the future. This is the exact same place that is in dispute now between the Jewish people and the Muslim people today. So God has always had His eye on this particular mountain as a place of sacrifice. Finally, the offering is a burnt offering. The body is to be totally consumed—nothing left.
Do you think at this point that Abraham would have been tempted to rationalize and argue with God about it? So how does Abraham respond?
Genesis 22:3-5 says,
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. On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. 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.”
First, we see that there was no delay. He got up early the next morning. Must have been a long night for Abraham! He cut the wood for the sacrifice—just like God grew the tree that was destined to become the cross. It was forty-five miles from Beersheba to Jerusalem—a three-day journey. The third day is significant—three stands for perfection. When God was preparing to meet with His people in the desert, Exodus 19:10-11 says, “the LORD said to Moses, ‘Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments and be ready for the third day. For on the third day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.’” So we see that there were two days of preparation and then on the third day the people met with God. Also, Jesus was in the grave two days in preparation for His resurrection on the third day. Thinking back to Abraham’s journey, don’t you know there was a lot of inner personal preparation going on as he traveled to Jerusalem to offer Isaac on the third day?
At last they came to Mount Moriah. The name “Moriah” means “Where the LORD provides” or “Where the LORD appears.”
OBSERVATION: The only place we can really worship is at the cross—the place where we die together with Jesus.
Hopefully by now it is becoming evident that this episode in Abraham’s life is a picture, a type, of what God the Father and Jesus the Son did for us at Calvary.
Next we notice that the young men are left behind. This is a picture of the disciples of Jesus who fled the scene before His crucifixion. Also notice that Abraham says they are going to worship. This is the first use of the word “worship” in the Scriptures.
OBSERVATION: Worship is the obedient sacrifice of self to God—all our hopes, dreams, desires, plans, everything must go up in ashes on the altar.
The Hebrew language in verse 5 is especially forceful and is difficult to translate. Abraham actually says, “We are determined to go, we are determined to worship, and we are determined to return to you.” This is the first hint we have that Abraham believes that God will somehow resurrect Isaac, even from death.
Genesis 22:6 says, “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 knife. So they went both of them together.” As we continue with the specific points in the story, it is still very apparent that this is a type of Jesus. Just as the wood was laid on Isaac to carry up the mountain, the cross was laid on Jesus to carry up the same mountain to the place of sacrifice. Abraham carried the fire—this would have been a jar full of hot coals. In his vision of the throne of God, Isaiah 6:6-7 says, “Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: ‘Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.’” Also Hebrews 12:29 says that “Our God is a consuming fire.” So we see that Abraham is serving as a type for God the Father, carrying fire with which the sacrifice is to be consumed, as well as the knife, a pre-figuring of the spear that was later stuck into Jesus’ side. Also notice that Abraham and Isaac went together. Salvation was a joint plan between the Father and the Son. Jesus was the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world.
Continuing in Genesis 22:7-8:
And Isaac said to his father Abraham, "My father!" And he said, "Here am I, my son." He said, "Behold, the fire and wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" Abraham said, "God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son." So they went both of them together.
Departing a little from the type here, Isaac doesn’t understand that he is to be the sacrifice. Jesus always knew that He had come into the world to die, but Isaac doesn’t understand yet that he is the intended sacrifice. Abraham has obviously been carrying the burden of this knowledge alone.
He answers Isaac’s question by giving us a new name for God—Jehovah Jireh—“The LORD Will Provide.” Our English word “provide” is actually two (Latin, I believe) words—“pro” meaning “before” and “vide” meaning “to see.” Abraham’s answer to Isaac literally means “God Himself has already seen the sacrifice.”
Genesis 22:9 says, “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.” Abraham has been building altars in various places in the Promised Land. This is the last one recorded in Scriptures. Remember that an altar is a place of death. To worship means to identify with the sacrifice—this animal symbolizes me—my life, my so-called right to myself—given totally to God. To have one’s sins atoned for in Christ, one must identify with Him in His death. “I am crucified with Christ.” (Galatians 2:20) My life is no longer mine, but given up to God. After we make this identification with the death of Christ, we are baptized, picturing His burial and resurrection. You don’t bury a person until he is dead. Baptism presupposes that we are dead to self. Coming out of the water, we are raised to life in Christ.
After Abraham built this final altar, he bound Isaac and laid him on it. Notice that Isaac doesn’t protest or run away. Now, he understands. He is the sacrifice! True to the type, Jesus was bound to the cross, His sacrificial altar, but He never protested His fate, but humbly submitted. (Mark 14:36)
Genesis 22:10-11 continues,
Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here am I.”
Abraham has raised his knife and is about to strike Isaac. In Abraham’s heart, Isaac is already dead, just as Jesus was the Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world. (I Peter 1:19-20) Suddenly, God calls twice from heaven. Calling twice signified the urgency of the situation.
Genesis 22:12-14 says,
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." 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. 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 test has been finished and Abraham’s faith has been proven to be genuine through his obedience. Faith that cannot obey isn’t real. Oswald Chambers taught that we must give to God the things we love so that He can make them His and ours forever.
OBSERVATION: The difference between a creed and faith is obedience.
Attention focuses in verse 13 on the ram. The ram was there all along, but Abraham was so caught up in what he was doing that he didn’t see it. Notice that the ram was caught by his horns. Horns are a symbol of strength. Jesus was the only One strong enough to be the sin-bearer of the world, so He became our sacrificial Lamb—a substitute for us, just as the ram was a substitute for Isaac.
Jesus told the woman at the well in Samaria that God is a Spirit and He desires those who worship to worship in spirit and in truth. Worship doesn’t happen at a specified physical location. It happens when the heart of a person stops holding on to self, sacrifices his own life by surrendering to God in obedience, and grabs hold of Jesus in his heart. Jehovah-jireh—in the Mount of the LORD, salvation is provided.
Genesis 22:15-19 says,
And the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven and said, "By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 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, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice." So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba. And Abraham lived at Beersheba.
Hebrews 6:13 says, “For when God made a promise to Abraham, since He had no one greater by whom to swear, He swore by Himself.” When people swear an oath, they swear by something they consider to be greater than themselves. When people swear an oath in court, they swear by the Bible. God had nothing greater than Himself, so He swore by Himself when He gave this oath to Abraham. There are four points to notice in this great oath that God swore to Abraham. First is that He would bless Abraham. Four thousand years later, Abraham’s name is still famous throughout the earth and honored among Christians, Jews and Muslims. Abraham is remembered especially for his faith. Second, God promised to multiply Abraham’s offspring. This multiplication applied to both the physical and spiritual children of Abraham. The Jews and the Arabs are all the physical children of Abraham, the Jews through Isaac and the Arabs through Ishmael. However, only those who climb Mount Moriah and find Jesus Christ as the substitute sacrifice for sin and worship at the foot of the cross can be the spiritual children of Abraham—and that opportunity is open to all. Third, God promised that the Offspring of Abraham would possess the gate of His enemies—notice that the promise goes from the nation of Israel and the people of faith to the One Offspring. The Scripture says “His enemies,” not “their enemies.” This predicts the triumph of Jesus over Satan. In Genesis 3:15, God said to the serpent, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” This oath to Abraham confirms the promise made in the Garden of Eden when sin first entered into the world, proving that salvation was a well-thought-out plan before the world even began. Paul makes this plain in Galatians 3:16 when he says, “Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, ‘And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, ‘And to your offspring,’ who is Christ.” The fourth point in the oath that God swore to Abraham is that all nations will be blessed in his Offspring. This is a promise that salvation will be for all people, not only to the Jews, and accordingly we know that the gospel of Jesus Christ has been spread to every land on earth.
FINAL THOUGHT: This is the first appearance of the words “love,” “worship,” and “obey” in the Scriptures. These are all inter-related words. True worship of God requires obedience to Him. Sacrificing our dearest love to God will result in a more perfect love both for God and for others.
Thanks for joining us. We will have one more lesson from the life of Abraham. Hope you will check it out!
