Genesis 21 - The Birth of Isaac

GENESIS 21-22 ARE PROPHETIC PICTURES OR SNEAK PEEKS INTO WHO AND WHAT OUR JESUS WILL BE….ISAAC IS A PICTURE OF JESUS…AND ALMIGHTY GOD SHOWS US JESUS 1000s of YEARS IN ADVANCE OF BETHLEHEM.

AND THIS BIBLE STUDY WILL SHOW YOU HOW AND WHY.


Verse 1 tells God FULFILLS His promise to Abraham and Sarah.

“And the Lord visited Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had spoken.”

It took a long time (25 years) for this promise to come to pass, but God was FAITHFUL to His promise. God’s promises NEVER fail.

AND ONCE AGAIN…WE NEED TO REMEMBER that the promise of a son was NOT fulfilled because Abraham was perfect in his obedience, but because God WAS FAITHFUL to His Word.

Some promises of God ARE CONDITIONAL and depend on something we must do. But other promises of God ARE UNCONDITIONAL, and God will fulfill them not because of what we do, but because of WHO HE IS, AMEN!

Verse 2-7 tell us the child is named Isaac.

“For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him; whom Sarah bore to him; Isaac. Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. And Sarah said, “God has made me laugh, and all who hear will laugh with me.” She also said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? For I have borne him a son in his old age.”

Originally, the name Isaac was meant as somewhat of a rebuke of the laughter of Abraham and Sarah (Genesis 17:17-19 and 18:12-15), but God had/has a humorous side too and turned a gentle rebuke into an occasion for joy.

AND DID YOU KNOW THAT ISAAC becomes a wonderful type (picture) of Jesus:

HOW?

Both were the promised sons.
Both were born after a period of delay.
Both mothers were assured by God’s omnipotence (Genesis 18:13-14; Luke 1:34; 1:37).
Both were given names rich with meaning before they were born.
Both births occurred at God’s appointed time (Genesis 21:2; Galatians 4:4).
Both births were miraculous.
Both births were accompanied by joy (Genesis 21:6; Luke 1:46-47; 2:10-11).

BUT THE JOY IS DIMMED BY CONFLICT BETWEEN ISHMAEL AND ISAAC. ISN’T IT JUST LIKE SATAN…TO STEP IN AND STRIVE TO DESTROY OUR HAPPIEST MOMENTS IN JESUS? AS I HAVE SAID BEFORE…SATAN JUST LIKE MANKIND, FOR ALL THE WORLD’S TECHNOLOGICAL AND SCIENTIFIC ADVANCES…MANKIND AND SATAN AND THE WORLD AT ITS CORE…HAS NOT CHANGED SINCE THE GARDEN OF EDEN, AMEN?
Verses 8-11 tells us Sarah wants Abraham to cast out BOTH Hagar and Ishmael.

“So the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the same day that Isaac was weaned. And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking. Therefore she said to Abraham, “Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac.” And the matter was very displeasing in Abraham’s sight because of his son.”

Reliable Biblical & Historical research indicates BABIES WERE WEANED at the age of three.

And Sarah saw the son of Hagar . . . Scoffing…This conflict between the two sons was almost inevitable, even though they are some 13+ years apart. Abraham found it hard to side with Sarah when he did not want to reject his son, Ishmael.

BUT JUST AS JESUS TOLD HAGAR AT THE POOL, ISHMAEL WOULD BE A WILD MAN, FIGHTING WITH AND AGAINST EVERYONE, AND BE AN ENEMY TO EVERYONE, EVEN HIS BROTHERS THROUGHOUT TIME….AND TO THIS DAY, THAT IS TRUE OF THE ARABIC PEOPLE.

SO WE NOTICE THE BIBLE TELLS US THE CONFLICT CAME FROM ISHMAEL UNTO ISAAC. I MEAN THINK ABOUT IT, ISHMAEL IS 16 + YEARS OLD, AND ISAAC HAS JUST TURNED 3 YEARS OLD. IT TAKES A REALLY MEAN-SPIRITED, INSECURE, BULLY TO BE JEALOUS OF AND JUMP A LITTLE CHILD, AMEN?

Ishmael was the one scoffing at Isaac. Galatians 4:22-29 describes for us a spiritual application of this conflict between Isaac (the son born of the promise) and Ishmael (the son born of the flesh).

In Galatians 4, the Jewish legalists who troubled the Galatians protested they were children of Abraham and thus blessed. Paul will admit they are children of Abraham, but they are like Ishmael, not Isaac!

The legalists claimed Abraham as their father. Paul wants to know who was their mother, Hagar or Sarah? WHY?

Ishmael was born of a slave, and born according to the flesh.
Isaac was born of a freewoman, and born according to HIS promise.

Even so, the legalists promote a relationship with God based in bondage and according to the flesh. The true gospel of grace offers liberty in Christ and is a promise received by faith, AMEN?!

Even as Ishmael and his descendants have persecuted Isaac and his descendants, we should not be surprised that the modern-day people who follow God in the flesh persecute those who follow God in faith through the promise.

Verses 12-14 tells us under God’s INSTRUCTION, Abraham puts out Hagar and Ishmael.

“But God said to Abraham, “Do not let it be displeasing in your sight because of the lad or because of your bondwoman. Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called. Yet I will also make a nation of the son of the bondwoman, because he is your seed.” So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water; and putting it on her shoulder, he gave it and the boy to Hagar, and sent her away. Then she departed and wandered in the Wilderness of Beersheba.

Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice…Perhaps Abraham did not want to give up Ishmael because he was sort of a “backup” plan. If something should happen to Isaac, there would always be Ishmael. But God wanted IT MADE CLEAR TO ABRAHAM THAT THERE WAS NO BACKUP PLAN for Abraham other than God Himself.

Abraham might have been tempted to reject Sarah’s counsel just because it was Sarah & SHE A WOMAN & A PROTECTIVE MOTHER; but he sought the Lord in the matter, did what Sarah suggested, and without feeling he was “giving in” to Sarah.

Sent her away…God’s solution was clear - get rid of the son of the flesh. There is to be NO reconciliation with the flesh, NO peaceful coexistence. The son of the flesh must simply be put away FOREVER.

The solution is the same in our own battle between trusting in the flesh and trusting in the Holy Spirit: cast out this bondwoman and her son.

LAW AND GRACE CAN NOT LIVE TOGETHER AS PRINCIPLES FOR OUR CHRISTIAN LIFE…, and there is NO question we belong to the free, not the bondwoman.

RIGHT HERE…ALMIGHTY GOD SETTLES THE PROBLEM THAT PLAGUES SOME WHO CALL THEMSELVES CHRISTIANS TODAY…JESUS FULFILLED THE LAW….BEING THE PERFECT SACRIFICE FOR ALL LOST MANKIND (JEW AND GENTILE ALIKE).

BY THE LAW, ALMIGHTY GOD NOR JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF LATER WAS NOT REFERRING TO THE 10 COMMANDMENTS…BUT ALL THE RULES AND RITUALS THAT WOULD COME TO AND FROM THE LEVITES…THE RABBINICAL LAW. WE NO LONGER NEED A HUMAN INTERCESSOR (PRIEST, RABBI, PREACHER…ETC. JESUS IS OUR HIGH PRIEST…WE CAN GO STRAIGHT TO HIM. WE ARE NOT BOUND BY OLD RITUALISTIC LAWS OF THE LEVITES…THAT SAID YOU COULD DO NOTHING ON THE SABBATH…NOT EVEN GIVE AID TO A BIRTHING MOTHER, OR PULL A WRECKED MULE/CART OUT OF THE DITCH, NOR COOK, NOR EAT, NOR WEAR CERTAIN THINGS ON THE SABBATH…THEREIN LIES THE DIFFERENCE. JESUS CHRIST IS OUR LAW IN AND THROUGH HIS GRACE AND SACRIFICE ON THE CROSS…AMEN?

Then she departed and wandered in the Wilderness of Beersheba: It may have seemed ruthless of Abraham to do this, but it was exactly what God wanted, and exactly what needed to happen.

WHY?

Flesh and blood do NOT make the strongest bond God wants us to honor. There ARE circumstances where we can do nothing other than put away family for the glory of God. IN OTHER WORDS LEAVE THEM AT JESUS FEET…AND MOVE ON…IF JESUS CAN NOT TOUCH AND CHANGE THEM…NO ONE ELSE CAN OR WILL, AMEN?

AND God wants us to be ruthless with the flesh in the same manner:

GALATIANS 5:24...CONFIRMS THIS…“And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

Took bread and a skin of water…THIS AT FIRST GLANCE, SEEMS MEAN, CHEAP, AND MISERLY…ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU CONSIDER HOW WEALTHY Abraham was.

WHEN I FIRST READ THIS, I WAS THINKING, GOOD GRIEF ABRAHAM could certainly spare more provisions, even giving them a donkey or several pack animals.

BUT THEN I REALIZED TWO THINGS…

HAGAR WAS PROUD AND ARROGANT AND DISRESPECTFUL TO HER MISTRESS SARAH ALL THIS TIME. AND THE BIBLE TELLS US THAT ISHMAEL WAS A SWAGGERING, ARROGANT, BULLY AND A CONSTANT TRIAL TO ABRAHAM AND DISRESPECTFUL TO HIS FATHER ABRAHAM, AND HIS ADOPTED MOTHER SARAH…AS WELL EVERYONE ELSE.

AND HE ONLY GOT WORSE…FAR WORSE, WHEN ISAAC WHO WAS JUST A BABY WAS MISTREATED AND TORMENTED BY THE TEENAGE ISHMAEL…SO ABRAHAM HOPED IT WOULD MAKE HAGAR REPENTANT, HUMBLE, AND LEAN ON AND TRUST GOD…NOT ABRAHAM & HIS WEALTH AND PROMINENCE FOR HER EXISTENCE.

AND HE HOPED IT WOULD GROW ISHMAEL UP TO BE THE MAN ABRAHAM STAYED ON HIS FACE PRAYING FOR, HOPING FOR AND BELIEVING FOR.

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY Abraham realized that without God’s help, without them turning to and trusting GOD, no matter what he gave them, OR DID FOR THEM…it would not be enough. But with God, things would turn out all right, AMEN.


Verses 15-21 tells us God preserves Ishmael and Hagar in the desert.

“And the water in the skin was used up, and she placed the boy under one of the shrubs. Then she went and sat down across from him at a distance of about a bowshot; for she said to herself, “Let me not see the death of the boy.” So she sat opposite him, and lifted her voice and wept. And God heard the voice of the lad. Then the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said to her, “What ails you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up the lad and hold him with your hand, for I will make him a great nation.” Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water, and gave the lad a drink. So God was with the lad; and he grew and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer. He dwelt in the Wilderness of Paran; and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.”

Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is…As God protects and preserves them out in the desert; He answers them by hearing the voice of the lad. God is showing special favor to Ishmael because he IS a descendant of Abraham.

AND ALMIGHTY GOD KEPT HIS PROMISE…The descendents of Ishmael became the Arabic people.

Verses 22-24 tells us Abraham makes a covenant with a Philistine king…a no-hostility treaty with Abimelech.

“And it came to pass at that time that Abimelech and Phichol, the commander of his army, spoke to Abraham, saying, “God is with you in all that you do. Now therefore, swear to me by God that you will not deal falsely with me, with my offspring, or with my posterity; but that according to the kindness that I have done to you, you will do to me and to the land in which you have dwelt.” And Abraham said, “I will swear.”

My first thought, when I saw Abimelech’s name, I thought, How could this be the same Abimelech of Genesis 20?
Then I began researching Biblical history and discovered it is NOT the same person.

WHY?

Because Abimelech is THE TITLE of a ruler among the Canaanites, not a specific name.

God is with you in all that you do…Abimelech noticed this because of Abraham’s integrity and because of the blessing evident in his life.

THIS PROVES TO US, THEN AND NOW…THIS VERY DAY…THAT EVEN HEATHENS (IN OTHER WORDS THE LOST), IN THIS INCIDENT, A PAGAN RULER COULD SEE AND SENSE THE GRACE AND LOVE AND FAVOR AND YESSSSSSS…THE LIGHT A TRUE CHILD OF GOD HAS…NOT SO MUCH IN WHAT HE POSSESSES, BUT IN HOW HE BEHAVES…HIS WALK AND TALK…MATCH.

Verses 25-31 tells us in return for the treaty, Abraham CLEARS UP A DISPUTE about an important well.

“Then Abraham rebuked Abimelech because of a well of water which Abimelech’s servants had seized. And Abimelech said, “I do not know who has done this thing; you did not tell me, nor had I heard of it until today.” So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a covenant. And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves. Then Abimelech asked Abraham, “What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs which you have set by themselves?” And he said, “You will take these seven ewe lambs from my hand, that they may be my witness that I have dug this well.” Therefore he called that place Beersheba, because the two of them swore an oath there.”

Verses 32-34 tells us Abraham calls on the name of the Lord.

“Thus they made a covenant at Beersheba. So Abimelech rose with Phichol, the commander of his army, and they returned to the land of the Philistines. Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there called on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God. And Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines many days.”

Called on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God…Even through this time of conflict in his family and among his neighbors, Abraham kept a real, live walk with God.

SATAN AND THIS WORLD CAN AND DO USE CONFLICT TO DRIVE US AWAY FROM JESUS, BUT AS WITH ABRAHAM THEN, AND US NOW TODAY, CONFLICT, TRIALS, HURTS, ILLNESSES, WORRIES, & FEARS SHOULD SEND US RUNNING TO OUR JESUS CHRIST…MAKE US PRESS IN AND GET CLOSER AND CLOSER TO JESUS, AMEN?

NOW LET’S TURN TO GENESIS 22...AND SEE THE REST OF THE FULL LIKENESS OF JESUS IN ISAAC THAT ALMIGHTY GOD WANTS US TO KNOW….

Genesis 22 - Abraham Willing to Offer Isaac

God’s command to Abraham and his response.

Verses 1-2 tell us God TESTS THE FAITH of Abraham.

“Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then He said, “Take now 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.”

This was not so much a test to PRODUCE faith, as it was a test to REVEAL faith. God built Abraham slowly, piece by piece, year by year, into a man of faith.

THINK ABOUT IT….ALMIGHTY GOD IN A BLINK COULD HAVE POURED ALL HIS TRUTHES, HIS TESTING UPON ABRAHAM…ALL AT ONCE…BUT NO ONE…BUT FOR JESUS COULD/DID HANDLE IT & SURVIVE IT.

AND IT IS MUCH LIKE WEIGHT TRAINING…YOU TAKE A YOUNG BOY…YOU START OUT WORKING OUT WITH 2 POUND WEIGHTS AND GRADUALLY INCREASE WEIGHT AS MUSCLES GROW, GET STRONGER, & CAN HANDLE WEIGHT. YOU WOULD NOT TAKE A YOUNG BOY, PUT HIM ON A WEIGHT BENCH AND EXPECT HIM TO LIFT 300 POUNDS…FIRST TIME OUT….AND NEITHER WOULD NOR DOES OUR JESUS CHRIST….HE IS A PATIENT, SPIRTUAL FAITH AND TRUST TRAINER, AMEN?

Take now your son, your only son Isaac…DID YOU CATCH THAT? I MISSED IT AT FIRST.
Significantly, God calls Isaac your ONLY son Isaac, when in fact Abraham had another son, Ishmael. But since Ishmael was put away from Abraham’s family, then as far as God was concerned, Abraham had only ONE SON.

God tells Abraham to offer him as a burnt offering. This was not an offering that was burned alive, but one first sacrificed and then completely burnt before the Lord.

How would we react if God told us to do such a thing with OUR ONLY CHILD? Jack Smith, a columnist for the L.A. Times, discussing this Biblical incident with his readers said, “I would have told God to mind his own business.” That’s what the world always says to God…UNTIL THEY NEED HIM.

Would Jesus Christ tell someone to do this today?

SADLY AND HORRIFICALLY 1993, a man named Andrew Cate was sentenced to 60 years in prison after being convicted of fatally shooting his 2-year-old daughter, then walking naked through his neighborhood carrying her body. Cate claimed he was acting out the biblical story of Abraham and Isaac, and God would do a miracle to win his brother to Christianity. Cate believed God would miraculously stop him at the last moment before killing his daughter. The man was obviously deranged.

AND HE DID NOT KNOW HIS BIBLE…WHY?

What Abraham was TOLD TO DO BY GOD AND WHAT HE DID was something completely unique in God’s redemptive history, given for a specific purpose ONCE FOR ALL fulfilled. There is NO WAY Jesus Christ would ever direct someone to do this same thing today.

SO DO NOT BE DECEIVED BY SATAN AND THE WORLD..

Offer him there as a burnt offering…This test was especially hard because it seemed to contradict the previous promise of God. Hadn’t God promised in Isaac your seed shall be called (Genesis 21:12)?

If Isaac hadn’t had children to pass the promise on to yet, how could Abraham kill him? Wouldn’t he be killing the very promise God made to him?

Abraham had to learn the difference between trusting THE PROMISE and trusting THE PROMISER, AMEN?

We can put God’s promise before God Himself and feel it is our responsibility to bring the promise to pass, even if we have to disobey God to do it.

BUT JESUS SAYS…THE BIBLE SAYS…AND ALMIGHTY GOD is telling us to…Trust the Promiser no matter what, and the promise will be taken care of!

On one of the mountains of which I shall tell you: There was a SPECIFIC place God commanded Abraham to go, a PARTICULAR spot where this would happen. God is carefully directing EACH detail.

Your only son Isaac, whom you love: This is the FIRST MENTION of love in the Bible, and it is the love between FATHER AND SON, and connected with the idea of the sacrificial offering of the son.

Verse 3 tells us Abraham’s immediate response of faith.

“So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.”

NOTICE ABRAHAM’S FAITH GROWTH? There is not the slightest hint of hesitation on Abraham’s part. Abraham rose early in the morning to do this.

Abraham is trusting God, even when he does not understand. Sometimes we say, “I’m not going to obey or believe until I understand it all,” but that is making myself equal with God.

NOTICE…NO DEBATE THIS TIME…NO SEEKING COUNSEL FROM OTHERS…He knew what to do and employed no stalling tactics.

Abraham IS trusting, even when he does NOT feel like it…even when he does NOT UNDERSTAND. There is NOT a line in this text about how Abraham felt, not because he didn’t feel, but because he was walking by faith, not feelings nor by sight.

God had been training Abraham, bringing him to this place of great trust. In GENESIS 21, God asked Abraham to “give up” Ishmael in a less severe way. God used that, and everything else, to train up Abraham.

Saddled his donkey: Abraham PERSONALLY saddles his donkey and split the wood. Though he had plenty of servants to do this for him, Abraham did it himself because even in his old age, is a bundle of nervous energy.

Went to the place of which God had told him: In wonderful, trusting obedience, Abraham went right to the spot. Abraham does this even though it would have been if God asked Abraham to offer himself instead of Isaac.

Verses 4-8 tells us Abraham journeys to the place of sacrifice with Isaac.
“Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.” So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together. But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” Then he said, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went together.”

NOTICE AND REMEMBER Abraham came to the place on the THIRD day. The region of Moriah is associated with Mount Moriah, which is modern-day Jerusalem confirmed in 2 Chronicles 3:1.

I will go yonder and worship: This is the FIRST USE of the word worship in reference to God in the Bible. The Hebrew word “shachah” simply means, “to bow down.” While Abraham and Isaac did not go to the mount to have a time of joyful praise, they did go to bow down to the Lord.

And we will come back to you…Abraham is full of faith when he speaks to the young men who are with him. He believes that we will come back.

Does this mean Abraham somehow knew this was only a test and God would not really require this of him? Not at all. Instead, Abraham’s faith is in the knowledge that should he kill Isaac, God would raise him from the dead, because God HAD PROMISED Isaac would carry on the line of blessing and the covenant.

ABRAHAM REMEMBERED GOD’S PROMISE IN GENESIS 21:21...“He knew in Isaac your seed shall be called”…, and Isaac had yet to have any children. God had to let him live at least long enough to have children.

HEBREWS 11:17-19 reminds us ….“By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,” concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.

ABRAHAM NOW KNEW ANYTHINGGGGGG WAS POSSIBLE, but it was impossible that God would break His promise. He knew God was not a liar. He had no precedent (no one in the Bible had yet been raised from the dead), but Abraham knew God was able. God could do it!

Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son: We see Isaac CARRIED THE WOOD for his own sacrifice up the hill.

He took the fire in his hand, and a knife: Abraham took the knife up the hill. He didn’t “forget” it.

The two of them went together: This literally means “the two of them went in agreement.” Isaac is doing this KNOWINGLY AND WILLINGLY. The phrase is repeated twice.

NOTICE at this time, Abraham DOES NOT HAVE A CLUE HOW God will provide. He is still trusting in the ability of God to raise Isaac from the dead, but he won’t stop trusting just because he doesn’t know how God will come through.

My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering: Abraham knew God would provide a sacrifice, but where?
WHERE WAS THE LAMB???? That question had been asked by all the faithful, from Isaac to Moses to David to Isaiah, all the way to the time of John the Baptist when he declares in JOHN 1:29, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

Verse 9 tells us Isaac WILLINGLY LIES DOWN on the altar.

“Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood.”
At this time, Abraham was more than 100 years old, and Isaac would have been able to get away had he CHOSEN to. Yet he submits to his father perfectly. In remembering Abraham’s faith, we should never forget Isaac’s faith.

AND MORE PARALLELING WITH JESUS…HEBREW scholars say ISAAC was in his EARLY 30’S WHEN HE WILLINGLY LAID HIMSELF UPON THE ALTAR. So was Jesus Christ. HOW PRECIOUS IS THAT?

As an obedient son, Isaac laid down on the wood, ready to be sacrificed.

Verses 10-14 tells us God’s merciful reprieve.

“And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” So he said, “Here I am.” And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. And Abraham called the name of the place, The-Lord-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of The Lord it shall be provided.”

Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son: We KNOW FROM THIS THAT Abraham was completely WILLING to plunge the knife into Isaac, because his faith was in God’s ability to raise Isaac from the dead, not in God’s desire to stop the sacrifice. Abraham didn’t think this was playacting.

SOME BIBLE DEBATERS HAVE SAID…“It’s not fair or right. God told Abraham to do something and then told him not to. If God really wanted to test Abraham, He should have made him plunge the knife into his son’s chest.”

THOSE WHO SAY THIS DO NOT KNOW OUR TRIUNE GOD OR HIS WORD, because God OFTEN takes the will for the deed with his people. When He finds them TRULY willing to make the sacrifice He demands, He often does NOT require it. This is how we can be FLESH martyrs without ever dying for Jesus. We live the life of a martyr right now..BY CHOOSING JESUS OVER THE WORLD AND ALL IT OFFERS.

You have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me…Abraham displayed his heart towards God in that he was willing to give his only son. God displays His heart towards us in the same way, by giving His only begotten Son in John 3:16.

When God asked Abraham for the ultimate demonstration of love and commitment, He asked for Abraham’s son. When the Father wanted to show us the ultimate demonstration of His love and commitment to us, He gave us His Son. We can say to the Lord, “Now I know that You love me, seeing You have not withheld Your Son, Your only Son from me.”

All the while, God STILL required a sacrifice. God didn’t call off the sacrifice. Instead, He required that there be a substitute provided by God Himself.

The naming of the place is significant. Abraham called it, The Lord Will Provide (Jehovah Jireh); In this mount, it shall be provided.

Abraham DID NOT name the place in reference to what he WENT through. He didn’t name it “trial hill” or “agony hill” or “obedience hill.” Instead, he named the hill in reference to what God DID; he named it “provision hill.” He named it knowing God would provide the ultimate sacrifice for salvation on that VERY SAME HILL someday…and HE DID EXACTLY THAT!

This event IS ALSO A PICTURE, A PROPHECY of Jesus’ rising from the dead on the third day, as 1 Corinthians 15:4 which says, “He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.”

But where does it say in the Old Testament specifically the Messiah would rise again on the third day? It says so here, through the picture of Isaac. Isaac was “reckoned dead” by Abraham as soon as God gave the command, and Isaac was “made alive” (“risen”) three days later.

Isaac’s picture of Jesus becomes even clearer:
HOW?

Both were loved by their father.
Both offered themselves willingly.
Both carried wood up the hill of their sacrifice.
Both were sacrificed on the same hill.
Both were delivered from death on the third day.

Verses 15-19 tells us God reconfirms His promise to Abraham in light of his faith.

Then THE ANGEL OF THE LORD called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, and said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son; blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” So Abraham returned to his young men, and they rose and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba.”

HERE IS ANOTHER CAMEO APPEARANCE…THE ANGEL OF THE LORD CAN ONLY BE JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF…

AND WHAT IS AMAZING HERE…SCIENTIFIC CALCULATIONS ESTIMATE… “the number of stars in the sky and grains of sand on the seashore”… are the same: 10 to the 25th power.

SO AGAIN…ALMIGHTY GOD SHOWS HIS PEOPLE THEN AND NOW….THAT HE ALREADY PLANNED JESUS CHRIST WALK, LIFE, SACRIFICE, AND WILLING DEATH ON EARTH FOR LOST MANKIND…JEW AND GENTILE ALIKE…RIGHT HERE IN GENESIS. AND GENESIS IS ALMIGHTY GOD SPEAKING, TEACHING, SHOWING, AND PROPHESYING ALL THINGS TO COME IN THE FUTURE….1000S OF YEARS BEFORE THEY OCCUR. AND ALL WE NEED TO DO IS SEEKKKKKKKKKK JESUS CHRIST AND WE WILLLLLL FIND HIM….EVEN IN THE OLD TESTAMENT.

AND HAD MANKIND…THEN…ONLY CONSIDERED ISAAC, AS GOD INTENDED AS A BLUEPRINT…THEY WOULD HAVE KNOW JESUS CHRIST…WHEN HE WAS BORN IN BETHLEHEM…

SO WE CAN KNOW FROM THIS…THAT WE DO NOT HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THE WHYS OF WHAT JESUS WALKS US THROUGH…OR WHAT WILDERNESSES OR TRIALS WE MAY FACE…WE CAN KNOW, WITHOUT A SHADOW OF DOUBT, JUST AS WITH ABRAHAM AND ISAAC….JESUS CHRIST HAS A PLAN….WHAT HE BRINGS US TO…HE WILL BRING US THROUGH BETTER…STRONGER…AND MORE BLESSED THAN WE CAN IMAGINE…

TRUST JESUS CHRIST…HE WILL NEVER FAIL US.

STAY BLESSED IN OUR AMAZING JESUS CHRIST