THE BINDING OF ISAAC (Gen 22:1-19)1
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Dr. Paul Manuel—2017
Dr. Paul Manuel—2017
One of the least favorite aspects of education for typical students is exams. Most students (as well as most teachers) would be content to omit them. They are, however, an obligatory part of the educational process.
The Binding of Isaac (Ha'akedah in Gen 22), is about a boy's trust in his father and a father's trust in his God. It recounts how Abraham almost kills his only son as a sacrifice to the Lord and how the boy is spared at the last moment, offering an important lesson to the Patriarch, a lesson his descendants will retell for generations. It begins as a test (or "temptation") of Abraham's obedience.
I. The Lord orders the patriarch (Gen 22:1-2).
Surely not! Surely Abraham knows better than to commit infanticide...or does he? For pagans in Canaan, child sacrifice, while not common, is not unheard of. Worshipers of "Molech, the detestable god of the Ammonites" (1 Kgs 11:5), practice it. Perhaps the LORD wants Abraham to practice it as well.14
Application: When God issues His instructions, Abraham responds with alacrity. Despite the disturbing nature of this command or the objections that spring to mind, the Patriarch does not hesitate. God will not expect you to make the same sacrifice, but He may expect you to make a very difficult decision, one that requires you to give up something you consider precious. Also like Abraham, your response to God's call should be both prompt and positive. While it is important to count the cost of any endeavor,18 it is equally important to realize that no endeavor for God goes unrewarded. Jesus says, "Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it" (Matt 10:39b) and "Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much..." (Matt 19:29). As British missionary C.T. Studd (1860-1931) succinctly phrased it, "Only one life twill soon be past; only what's done for Christ will last."
II. The patriarch obeys the Lord (Gen 22:3-14).
Hundreds of years later, Moriah is where "Solomon [will] build the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem" (2 Chr 3:1), but there is no indication this place has any significance now, religious or otherwise. It is simply their current destination to which Abraham and Isaac proceed alone. Whether Abraham's servants have the same convictions, the actual sacrifice is to be a brief, family affair: "We will worship and...we will return" (v. 5). For Abraham the latter part of his statement was either wishful thinking or evidence of great faith. This may have been puzzling for the servants. Why did they even come if not help with other preparations, like building an altar? That question remained unanswered as the servants wait.
This statement evinces an amazing yet not unusual degree of confidence in God. Earlier, in response to the promise that his descendants will inherit the land of Canaan, "Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness (Gen 15:6).23 If God can provide property for Abraham's descendants, then He can certainly provide progeny for Abraham himself. The Patriarch's line will not end here, and he demonstrates his faith right up to the last moment after...
Application: Is God still in the business of providing for His people? Indeed, He is! Moreover, what He supplies is very forward thinking. That is, what God provides is not just for your present needs but for your future needs as well: "God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus" (Phil 4:19).29
By providing a substitute for Isaac, God demonstrates His ability to provide for His people even in unlikely circumstances, as the new name for this place memorializes.
III. The angel overviews the event (Gen 22:15-18).
Application: God does not act arbitrarily; He is always deliberate. Moreover, He will not leave His people in the dark as to His intentions but will explain His actions...unless it suits His purpose otherwise. Sometimes God does not explain Himself; He expects you to act as Abraham did, by trusting Him to do what is best and by obeying Him through the vicissitudes of life. After the incident at Kadesh Barnea where Israel in unbelief refused to enter the land of Canaan, Moses said, "You did not trust [God] or obey him" (Deut 9:23d).35 It certainly would have been easier for Abraham had he known ahead of time about the angel's intervention. But that information would have skewed the results of the test.
When God asks you to do something, it will probably not be as drastic as sacrificing your offspring, but it may entail some cost.36 Keep in mind that how you respond initially is important. Do you jump at the chance to serve Him, or do you drag your feet?37 Abraham responded immediately, and so should you.
God designed this exercise as a test of Abraham's faith. How far would the Patriarch go to prove his devotion to the Lord? Despite God's abhorrence of human sacrifice, the question of His people's commitment has remained the same for centuries, and the answer He expects has always been the same as well: He demands (He deserves) everything they have.38
A female college English teacher was known for being a hard grader. After receiving a B minus on an exam, and hoping to improve his grade, Jack decided to take advantage of the impending Valentine's Day holiday, and he sent her a heart-shaped box of chocolates with the inscription, "Be Mine." The following day, he received a note that read: "Thank you, for the candy, but it's still Be Mine-Us."Some tests are not amenable to grade adjustment. Thankfully, the tests God gives are all pass-fail, like the test He gave Abraham in the story, The Binding of Isaac.
The Binding of Isaac (Ha'akedah in Gen 22), is about a boy's trust in his father and a father's trust in his God. It recounts how Abraham almost kills his only son as a sacrifice to the Lord and how the boy is spared at the last moment, offering an important lesson to the Patriarch, a lesson his descendants will retell for generations. It begins as a test (or "temptation") of Abraham's obedience.
I. The Lord orders the patriarch (Gen 22:1-2).
Gen 22:1 God tested Abraham.2 He said to him,3 "Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied. 2 Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love,4 and go to the region of Moriah.5 Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about."Let us take stock of events leading to this 'test.' What prompted God to examine the extent of Abraham's obedience? Did God doubt the Patriarch's devotion? Like most exams, this 'test' was for the student's benefit, to probe not the depth of Abraham's knowledge about God but the degree of Abraham's commitment to God. Because God knows all things before they happen (foreknowledge), He knew Abraham's heart as well as how he would respond to this command,6 but that did not mean obedience was easy for Abraham.
- Isaac was Abraham's promised child, the one conceived in his old age and upon whom the covenant depended.7 Ishmael, Abraham's son by Sarah's handmaid Hagar, did not count according to God's reckoning.8 Ishmael would become very wealthy, but he would not become heir to the promise?9 That honor was for Isaac alone.., until now.10
- Isaac was Abraham's only child, his sole heir and link to the promise. Were he to die, the line to the promise would be broken. God's plan for Abraham's descendants—for the nation of Israel—would start again,11 and neither Abraham nor Sarah is getting any younger.12 At this point, Sarah is over 100 years old.13
Surely not! Surely Abraham knows better than to commit infanticide...or does he? For pagans in Canaan, child sacrifice, while not common, is not unheard of. Worshipers of "Molech, the detestable god of the Ammonites" (1 Kgs 11:5), practice it. Perhaps the LORD wants Abraham to practice it as well.14
- This is before the detailed sacrificial system that God would later institute for the sanctuary. At this time, there is primarily one kind of sacrifice: the whole burnt offering, the expression of a person's whole devotion to God.15 Is it that much of a stretch to think God would value the sacrifice of one's only son?
- This is also before God's prohibition against child sacrifice, so Abraham has no reason to doubt God's instructions. Only later would the Lord make clear His displeasure with the pagan practice by issuing clear commands against it.16
Application: When God issues His instructions, Abraham responds with alacrity. Despite the disturbing nature of this command or the objections that spring to mind, the Patriarch does not hesitate. God will not expect you to make the same sacrifice, but He may expect you to make a very difficult decision, one that requires you to give up something you consider precious. Also like Abraham, your response to God's call should be both prompt and positive. While it is important to count the cost of any endeavor,18 it is equally important to realize that no endeavor for God goes unrewarded. Jesus says, "Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it" (Matt 10:39b) and "Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much..." (Matt 19:29). As British missionary C.T. Studd (1860-1931) succinctly phrased it, "Only one life twill soon be past; only what's done for Christ will last."
II. The patriarch obeys the Lord (Gen 22:3-14).
A. He brings his supplies (vv. 6-8).
Gen 22:3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 He said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will return to you [= faith]."Notice Abraham's response. He does not argue with God19 or delay the trip but starts "early the next morning" (v. 3). However difficult God's first command years before may have been—"Leave your country [and your family]" (Gen 12:1)—this command is far more difficult. Yet Abraham complies without hesitation. Gathering some of what he will need, Abraham, Isaac, and two servants begin the three-day journey to Mount Moriah.
Hundreds of years later, Moriah is where "Solomon [will] build the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem" (2 Chr 3:1), but there is no indication this place has any significance now, religious or otherwise. It is simply their current destination to which Abraham and Isaac proceed alone. Whether Abraham's servants have the same convictions, the actual sacrifice is to be a brief, family affair: "We will worship and...we will return" (v. 5). For Abraham the latter part of his statement was either wishful thinking or evidence of great faith. This may have been puzzling for the servants. Why did they even come if not help with other preparations, like building an altar? That question remained unanswered as the servants wait.
Gen 22:6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife.20 And the two of them went on together.21 7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, "Father?" "Yes, my son?" Abraham replied. "The fire and wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" 8 Abraham answered, "God will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together.22Apparently neither Isaac nor the servants is aware of the full purpose of their trip, only that Abraham and his son are going to offer a sacrifice to the Lord. Isaac wonders about the apparent lack of full preparation. They could have gathered wood along the way but brought some along instead. Yet the most obvious component, one they are not likely to find, is missing. When Isaac asked about the desideratum, Abraham says simply, "God will provide" (v. 8).
This statement evinces an amazing yet not unusual degree of confidence in God. Earlier, in response to the promise that his descendants will inherit the land of Canaan, "Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness (Gen 15:6).23 If God can provide property for Abraham's descendants, then He can certainly provide progeny for Abraham himself. The Patriarch's line will not end here, and he demonstrates his faith right up to the last moment after...
B. He binds his son (vv. 9-12).
Gen 22:9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.24 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the LORD25 called out to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!"26 "Here I am,"27 he replied. 12 "Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God,28 because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son."Talk about suspense: The angel waits until the last moment to intervene, when Abraham has the knife in hand poised to slay his son. Only when the Patriarch's commitment is clear does the angel speak. Abraham lifts his gaze, and...
C. He beholds his substitute (vv. 13-14).
Gen 22:13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided."Doubtless to Isaac's great relief, God does indeed provide, vindicating the Patriarch's faith and enabling them both to fulfill Abraham's word to the servants ("We will return" v. 5). That fulfillment also results in a name change for the place: "The LORD Will Provide" (v. 14).
Application: Is God still in the business of providing for His people? Indeed, He is! Moreover, what He supplies is very forward thinking. That is, what God provides is not just for your present needs but for your future needs as well: "God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus" (Phil 4:19).29
By providing a substitute for Isaac, God demonstrates His ability to provide for His people even in unlikely circumstances, as the new name for this place memorializes.
III. The angel overviews the event (Gen 22:15-18).
Gen 22:15 The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16 and said, "I swear by myself, declares the LORD,30 that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son,31 17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18 and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me."32 19 Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set off together for Beersheba. And Abraham stayed in Beersheba.By trusting God, Abraham not only is able to spare his son, he receives confirmation that God will keep His promise to multiply the Patriarch's descendants "as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore" (v. 17). Abraham may only have one son now, but that will change.33 Moreover, that expanded company will benefit countless others. In fact "all nations on earth will be blessed" (v. 18).34
Application: God does not act arbitrarily; He is always deliberate. Moreover, He will not leave His people in the dark as to His intentions but will explain His actions...unless it suits His purpose otherwise. Sometimes God does not explain Himself; He expects you to act as Abraham did, by trusting Him to do what is best and by obeying Him through the vicissitudes of life. After the incident at Kadesh Barnea where Israel in unbelief refused to enter the land of Canaan, Moses said, "You did not trust [God] or obey him" (Deut 9:23d).35 It certainly would have been easier for Abraham had he known ahead of time about the angel's intervention. But that information would have skewed the results of the test.
When God asks you to do something, it will probably not be as drastic as sacrificing your offspring, but it may entail some cost.36 Keep in mind that how you respond initially is important. Do you jump at the chance to serve Him, or do you drag your feet?37 Abraham responded immediately, and so should you.
God designed this exercise as a test of Abraham's faith. How far would the Patriarch go to prove his devotion to the Lord? Despite God's abhorrence of human sacrifice, the question of His people's commitment has remained the same for centuries, and the answer He expects has always been the same as well: He demands (He deserves) everything they have.38
- Five hundred years later Moses says: "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength" (Deut 6:5).
- Thirteen hundred years later, the prophet Micah posses the question again: "With what shall I come before the LORD...? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings? ...Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?" (Mic 6:6-7)
- Two thousand years later, Jesus asks one of his disciples: "Do you love me" (John 21:17), and earlier he said. "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life..." (John 15:13).
For the Bibliography and Endnotes see the pdf here.
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