The Passage
Genesis 22:1-23
1 After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2 He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” 3 So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. 4 On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. 5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.” 6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. 7 And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” 8 Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.
9 When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 12 He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” 13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”
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.” 19 So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba. And Abraham lived at Beersheba.
20 Now after these things it was told to Abraham, “Behold, Milcah also has borne children to your brother Nahor: 21 Uz his firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel the father of Aram, 22 Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.” 23 (Bethuel fathered Rebekah.) These eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham’s brother. 24 Moreover, his concubine, whose name was Reumah, bore Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ge 22:1–24.
Word Work
Put it in your own words. Read the passage or verse slowly, then rewrite each phrase or sentence using your own words.
Word Thoughts:
With the departure of Ishmael from Abraham’s household, Isaac had become Abraham’s only son. As such, he was held with much affection by his father. land of Moriah. According to 2 Chron. 3:1, Solomon constructed the temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem. While Genesis 22 does not specify that the sacrifice of Isaac took place at or near Jerusalem, v. 14 possibly implies such a connection. A burnt offering involved the entire sacrifice being consumed by fire. The outcome of the incident makes it clear that God never intended the directive to be fulfilled. Thus, taken as a whole (in terms of both the command and the outcome), the incident cannot be seen to conflict with God’s moral law. Because this was by far the greatest demand that God could have made of Abraham, it confirmed the depth of the Patriarch’s commitment. Abraham was willing to kill his own son, although as the author of Hebrews observes (Heb. 11:17–19), he prepared to do so believing that God was able to bring Isaac back to life again (see note on Gen. 22:5–8).
Abraham’s action confirms his faithful obedience to God. While Abraham’s faith was earlier the means by which God counted him as righteous (15:6), that faith is now “active along with his works,” and the faith is “completed by his works” (James 2:21–23), so that his faith resulted in obedience, which is its expected outcome. On God’s knowledge, see note on Gen. 18:21. (1)
Word Reflection:
- What stood out?
- Why did God ask Abraham to sacrifice his son?
- How does this foreshadow what God will do through His Son, Jesus?
8 Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.”
End in Prayer
Resources used: