Genesis
22
1 “And it came to pass after these things, that God
did tempt Abraham, and said
unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.” And it cams to pass - the
alleged mythical character of the present narrative (De Wette, Bohlen) is discredited
not more by express Scripture statement (Hebrews 11:17-19) than by its own inherent
difficulties - after - how long after may be conjectured from the circumstance that
Isaac was now a grown lad, capable of undertaking a three days journey of upwards
of sixty miles - these things (literally, words, of benediction, promise, trial that had
gone before - that God - literally, the Elohim, i.e. neither Satan, as in I Chronicles
21:1, compared with II Samuel 24:1 (Schelling, Stanley), nor Abraham himself,
in the sense that a subjective impulse on the part of the patriarch supplied the
formal basis of the subsequent
transaction (Kurtz, Oehler); but the El-Olam
of ch. 21:33, the term Elohim being employed by the historian not because
vs. 1-13 are Elohistic (Tuch, Bleek, Davidson,) - a hypothesis inconsistent
with the internal unity of the chapter, "which is joined together like cast-iron"
(Oehler), and in particular with the use of Moriah in v. 2 (Hengstenberg), -
but to indicate the true origin of the after-mentioned trial, which proceeded
neither from Satanic instigation nor from subjective impulse, but from God (Keil) –
did tempt - not solicit to sin (James 1:13), but test or prove (Exodus 16:4;
Deuteronomy 8:2; 13:3; II Chronicles 32:31; Psalm 26:2) - Abraham,
and said unto
him, - in a dream-vision of the night (Eichhorn, Lunge), but certainly in an audible
voice which previous experience
enabled him to recognize - Abraham: and he said,
Behold, here I am. "These brief introductions of the conversation express the great
tension and application of the human mind in those moments in a striking way, and
serve at the same time to prepare us for the importance of the conversation" (Lange).
2 “And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest,
and
get thee into the
one of the mountains which I will tell thee
of.” And
he said, Take now - "the נַא
modifies the command, and seems to express that Elohim wished to receive the
sacrifice as a free-will offering" (Lange) - thy son (not a lamb, but thy child),
thine only
son - not ἁγαπητὸν – agapaeton - beloved
(Septuagint), but unigenitum
(Vulgate), meaning the only son of Sarah, the only legitimate offspring he
possessed, the only heir of the promise, the only child that remained to him
after Ishmael's departure (compare ὁ μονογενὴς
– ho monogenaes – the only
begotten, John 1:18) - Isaac, whom thou lovest, - or, whom thou lovest, Isaac;
the order and accumulation of the terms being calculated to excite the parental
affection of the patriarch to the
highest pitch, and to render compliance with the
Divine demand a trial of the utmost severity - and get thee - literally, go for
thyself (compare ch. 12:1; 21:16) - into the
(Vulgate, Symmachus, Samaritan), worship (Onkelos, Jonathan), high (Septuagint),
rebellious (Murphy); but rather a compound of יה and מֹרִי, meaning God is my
instructor, alluding to the temple from which the law should afterwards proceed
(Kalisch), or, better, of יה and ראה, and signifying "the shown of Jehovah," i.e.
the revelation or manifestation of Jehovah (Hengstenberg, Kurtz, Keil, &e.);
or "the chosen, i.e. "pointed out of God," with reference to its selection as the
site of the Divine sanctuary (Gesenius), or rather because there God provided
and pointed out the sacrifice which
he elected to accept (Lange). And offer
him there for a burnt offering - not make a spiritual surrender of him in and
through a burnt offering (Hengstenberg, Lange), but actually
present him as
a holocaust. That Abraham did not stagger on receiving this astounding injunction
may be accounted for by remembering that the practice of offering human
sacrifices prevailed among the early Chaldaeans and Canaanites, and that as
yet no formal prohibition, like that of the Mosaic code, had been issued against
them - upon one of the mountains - not Moreh in Sicbem (Tuch, Michaelis,
Stanley, Grove, et alii),
which was too distant, but Moriah at
(Hengstenberg, Kurtz, Keil, Kalisch), where subsequently God appeared
to David (II Samuel 24:16), and the
(II Chronicles 3:1) - which I will tell thee of - i.e. point out (probably by
secret inspiration) as thou proceedest.
3 “And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and
saddled his ass, and
took two of his young men with him, and Isaac
his son, and clave the wood
for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went
unto the place of which God
had told him.” And Abraham rose up early in the morning, - a habit of the
patriarch's after receiving a Divine communication (compare ch. 19:27; 20:8;
21:14) - and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him (the ass
for the wood, and the young men for the ass), and Isaac his son (explaining
to him as yet only his intention to offer sacrifice upon a distant mountain),
and clave the wood for the burnt offering (obviously with his own hands),
and rose up (expressive of resolute determination), and went unto (or towards)
the place of which God had told him - literally, the Elohim had spoken to him.
The accumulation of brief,
sententious clauses in this verse admirably represents
the calm deliberation
and unflinching heroism with which the patriarch
proceeded
to execute the Divine
command!
4 “Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes,
and saw the place afar off.”
Then on the third day -
a half hours' journey according to Robinson, could easily; be within sight on the
third day - Abraham lifted up his eyes, - not implying that the object of vision
was above him (compare ch. 13:10) - and saw the place (which Calvin conjectures
he had previously beheld in vision)
afar
off. Though
by the traveler from
and
5 “And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye
here with the ass; and
I and the lad will go
yonder and worship, and come again to you.”
And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye (for similar forms of expression
compare v.2; ch. 12:1; 21:6); here with the ass; - partly because the beast required
watching, though chiefly because the contemplated sacrifice was too solemn for
any eyes but God's to witness - and
I
and the lad will go yonder and worship,
and come again to you. An act of dissimulation on the part of Abraham
(Knobel, Kalisch, Murphy); an unconscious prophecy (Lyra, Junius, Rashi);
the expression of a hopeful wish (Lange); a somewhat confused utterance
(Calvin, Keil); the voice of his all-conquering faith (Augustine, Calvin,
Wordsworth, Bush, 'Speaker's Commentary,' Inglis), which last seems the
teaching of Hebrews 11:19.
6 “And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering,
and laid it upon Isaac
his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and
a knife; and they went both of
them together.”
And Abraham took the wood of the
burnt offering, and laid
it upon Isaac his son; - instinctively
the mind reverts to THE CROSS-BEARING
of Abraham's GREATER
SON (John 19:17) - and
he took the fire in his hand,
and a knife (to him terribly
suggestive weapons); and they went both of them
together. (As God went with Jesus until all our sins was placed upon Christ!
Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34 - CY – 2019) Doubtless in silence on Abraham's
part and wonder on Isaac's, since as yet no declaration had been made of the
true purpose of their journey.
7 “And Isaac spake unto
Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said,
Here am I, my son.
And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the
lamb for a burnt offering?” And Isaac spoke to Abraham his father, - during the
progress of the journey, after leaving the young men, solitude inviting him to give
expression to thoughts which had been rising in his bosom, but which the presence
of companions had constrained him to suppress - and said, My father: - a term of
filial reverence and endearment that must have lacerated Abraham's heart. As used
by Isaac it signified a desire to
interrogate his parent - and he said, Here am I,
my son (literally, Behold me, my son - Well, my son, what is it? in colloquial
English). And he said, Behold
the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb
for a burnt offering. Another hint that the sacrificial system did not originate
with Moses.
8 “And Abraham said, My son,
God will provide Himself a lamb for a
burnt offering: so they went both of them
together. And Abraham said,
My son, God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt offering: - the utterance
of heroic faith rather than the language of pious dissimulation (see on v. 5) –
so they went both of them together. To see in this twice-repeated expression
a type of the concurrence of the Father and the Son in the work of redemption
(Wordsworth) is not exegesis.
9 “And they came to the place which God had told him
of; and Abraham
built an altar there, and laid the wood in
order, and bound Isaac his son,
and laid him on the altar upon the wood.” And
they came to the place which
God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, - i.e. upon the mountain
summit or slope (v. 2) - and laid the wood in order (it is scarcely likely that Isaac
was permitted to assist in these affecting preparations), and bound Isaac his son,
who must have acquiesced in his father's purpose, and
thereby evinced his faith
in the Divine commandment. The term "bound," though seeming to convey the
idea of violence, derives its significance from the binding of the sacrificial victim –
and laid him on the altar on the
wood. The feelings of the patriarch throughout
this transaction are simply inconceivable.
10 “And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took
the knife to slay his son.”
Isaac, who even in the last
moment offers no resistance, but behaves like a type of
HIM WHO WAS LED LIKE A LAMB TO THE SLAUGHTER!”(Isaiah 53:7).
11 “And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of
heaven, and said,
Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.” And the angel of the Lord –
Maleach Jehovah (see ch. 16:7); introduced into the narrative at this point not
as a Jehovistic
alteration (Bleek, Kalisch,
et alii), but because the God of
Redemption now interposes for the deliverance of both Isaac and Abraham
(Hengetenberg) - called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham
(the repetition denotes urgency, as
contrasted with v. 1): and he said, Here am I.
12 “And He said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing
unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld
thy son, thine only
son from me.” And he said, Lay not thine
hand upon the lad,
neither do thou any thing unto him. Abraham's surrender of the son of his affections
having been complete, there was no need to push the trial further. The voice from
heaven has been accepted as evidence of God's rejection of human sacrifices
(Lange, Murphy), only that is not assigned as the reason for Isaac's deliverance.
For now I know - literally, have known; not caused thee to know (Augustine),
but caused others to know (Lange); or the words are used anthropomorphically
(Calvin) - that thou fearest God, - Elohim; the Divine intention being to
characterize the patriarch as a God-fearing man, and not simply as a worshipper
of Jehovah (compare Quarry 'on Genesis,' p. 460) - seeing - literally, and
(in proof thereof) - thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.
Καὶ οὐκ ἐφείσω τοῦ
ὑιοῦ σοῦ
ἁγαπητοῦ δε ἐμέ
- Kai ouk epheiso tou
huiou sou
agapaetou de eme - since
you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me
(Septuagint). Compare ὅς γε τοῦ
ἰδιοῦ ὑιοῦ
οὐκ ἐφείσατο
– hos ge tou diiou huiou
ouk epheisato – He that spared not His own Son (Romans 8:32), as
applied to the
sacrifice of Christ. In this verse the angel of
Jehovah identifies Himself with
Elohim.
Abraham’s Perfect
Faith (v. 12)
“Now I know that thou fearest
God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son,
thine only son from me.” “The
word of God,” says Coleridge, “speaks to
man,
and therefore it speaks the language of the children of men. This has
to
be kept in mind in studying the remarkable incident recorded in this
chapter. When God is represented as “tempting” Abraham, it only
means
that he tried or tested him.
and type of the justified, therefore it was essential he should be tested.
Entire
obedience is the test of perfect faith. Abraham had shown his faith
when he left his own land, and when he waited patiently for
a son; now he
has to show it in a different way. In the two former testings he had a
promise to rest on; now he
must go far without any promise to
buoy him
up in the perplexing sea of trial. “Take now thy son,”
&c. Surely there is
some mistake! Must Abraham offer a human sacrifice? This
event has
perplexed many, and they have only escaped from the
difficulties presented
by regarding the event:
Ø As exceptional for the purpose of securing
a unique type of the future
sacrifice of Christ.
Ø As never intended to be actually carried
out,
God
having forseen the faith of His servant, and having
determined at the right
` moment to interfere and prevent any disaster. There is also
a miraculous element in
the narrative, both in the special voice and the ram caught
in the thicket. Some
have thought that the impulse was from Abraham’s own mind —
that,
seeing human sacrifices around, he wished to rise above all
others in
devotion to the one God. Had this been the case, the
Scriptures would not
have represented the testing as from God. In that age a
father’s right to do
as he would with his son was as unquestioned as his right to
do what he
would with his slave. The command of God was not out of
harmony with
this idea, but it helped to correct the mistake. A single
act of such self-sacrifice
becomes of the highest value; it is even a means of
education to
the world. God elicited the highest exercise of faith, but
not the blood of
Isaac.
What it must have cost the patriarch to submit to the Divine
command! With one blow he must slay his boy and
his own ardent hopes.
The
only gleam of light was in the thought that God who first gave Isaac
could also restore him from death. This is indicated in the
words he uttered
to the young man, “We will come again to you.”
Tradition says that the
mount was the same on which Adam, Abel, and Noah had offered
sacrifice.
Here
possibly Abraham found an altar to repair or rebuild. Isaac helps in
rebuilding the altar and in arranging the wood. Silent
prayers ascend from
father and son. Isaac wonders where the lamb is to come
from. He finds
out when his father has bound him and laid him on the altar.
The knife
gleams aloft, and, but for the arresting voice, would have
been plunged in
Isaac.
The test was satisfactory.
AND PERFECT OBEDIENCE.
Ø
It was by a voice from
heaven.
Ø
2. It was manifested also by the way in which God took away
any pain
consequent on obedience to His command. It is remarkable how
those
who appear to have little faith can become, when trial
falls, perfectly
submissive to the Divine will.
Ø
The approval was seen
also in the way in which God provided a sacrifice.
Ø
And God repeated His
promise of blessing, confirming it by a solemn
covenant. “By myself have I sworn,”
&c. No such voice comes to us,
and no such promise is audibly given; still we can have, in
the inner
calm of the soul, an evidence of the Divine approval. When
our faith
is strongest, after passing through some trial, we get a
clearer view of
the glory of God’s working, both in our lives and in the
world. (“Known
unto God are all His works from the beginning of the world.”
(Acts 15:18) What approval
have we won? Does not Abraham put us to
shame? Too many will laud the obedience of Abraham who will
never
try to emulate it. Abraham
was glad to have his Isaac spared; so would
the Father have been, but He gave up His “onlybegotten,
well-beloved
Son” FOR US!
Our readiness
to accept and follow the Savior given is
only another way of showing how we bear the testing of faith. “Thy will
be done” should be the
utterance of each believer. Perfect faith in
the
heart should be exhibited by perfect obedience in life.
13 “And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and
behold behind him a ram
caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham
went and took the ram, and
offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead
of his son.” And Abraham lifted
up his eyes (in the direction of the voice), and looked, and behold behind him –
either at his back (Furst, Keil, Lange, Murphy), or in the background of the altar,
i.e. in front of him (Gesenius, Kalisch). The Septuagint, Samaritan, Syriac,
mistaking אַחַר for אֶחַר, read "one," which adds nothing to the sense or
picturesqueness of the composition - a ram - אַיִל; in the component letters
of which cabalistic writers find the initial letters of ךאלהִים יִרְאֶהאּלּו,
God will provide for Himself (v. 8; see Glass, 'Philippians Tract.,' p. 196).
In the animal itself the Fathers (Augustine, Tertullian, Origen, Chrysostom,
Theodoret, Ambrose) rightly discerned a type of Christ, though it is fanciful
to detect a shadow of the Crown of
thorns in the words that follow - caught in
a thicket by his horns (the sebach being the intertwined branches of trees or
brushwood): and Abraham went and took the ram, and (though not directed
what to do, yet with a fine spiritual instinct discerning the Divine purpose)
offered him up for a burnt offering in
the stead of his son - whom he thus
received from the dead as in a figure (Hebrews
11:19).
14 “And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to
this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be
seen.” And Abraham called
the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: - i.e. the Lord will provide (Jonathan,
Calvin, Rosenmüller, Keil, &c.), rather than the Lord selects, or looks out,
i.e.. the sacrifices to be afterwards offered in the temple worship on Moriah
(Kalisch); or, the Lord shall appear (Oort, Kuenen), which overlooks the
manifest allusion to v. 8 - as it is said to this day, - or, so that it is said;
compare ch. 13:16 (Keil) - In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen - or
"it shall be provided" (Gesenius, Rosenmüller, Dathe, 'Speaker's Commentary'),
though by competent authorities it has been otherwise rendered. "In the mount
the Lord shall appear, or be seen" (Septuagint); "in the mount the Lord will see,
or provide" (Vulgate, Syriac, Samaritan); "in the mount of the Lord He will be
seen" (Murphy); "in the mount of the Lord one shall be seen," or "people appear,"
i.e. the people of God shall gather on this mountain for worship (Kalisch);
"on the mountain where Jehovah appears" (Keil). Amidst such a conflict of
interpretations absolute certainty is perhaps unattainable; but the sense of
the proverb will probably be expressed by understanding it to mean that
on the mount of Abraham's sacrifice
Jehovah would
afterwards reveal Himself
for the salvation of His people, as He then interposed for the help of Abraham –
a prophecy which was afterwards fulfilled in the manifestations of the
Divine glory given:
·
in the Solomonic temple and
·
in the incarnation of Jesus Christ.
(I highly recommend Genesis 22 – Names of God – Jehovah-Jireh
– by
Nathan Stone – this website - # 324 – CY – 2019)
The Lamb of
God (v. 14)
“And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh.” The key to
this
narrative is John 1:29. It sets forth in type the way of salvation.
Whether Abraham understood this we need not inquire. The lesson is for
us. Isaac, i.e. laughter (compare Luke 2:10), the child
of promise
(Romans 9:7), type of “the children of the kingdom,” is yet
condemned
to
die ibid. ch.
5:12). So in
God’s gift to them was a way of escape. What is that way? (compare Micah 6:6).
Every age of the world has asked this question. A sense of
separation
from God has led to many efforts for its removal. Hence sacrifices,
offerings, austerities, &c., but all in vain (Hebrews 10:4).
Still the soul
asked, “Where is the Lamb?” the effectual
sacrifice for sin. The answer of
prophecy, i.e. God’s answer, “God will provide himself a lamb”
(compare
John 1:29; 8:56). Man has no claim upon God, yet his need is a plea
(compare Exodus 34:6-7). We know not what was in Abraham’s mind;
perhaps he was escaping from the direct answer, unable to utter
it; perhaps
there was a hope that God would in some way preserve or restore
his son
(see Hebrews 11:19). There are
many instances of prophecy
unconsciously uttered (compare John 11:50). Isaac was bound — a type of
man’s
helplessness to escape from the curse (compare Luke 4:18), or from
the
law of sin in the members. The law of God of itself can only condemn.
It can only be fulfilled by one who loves God; but he who
is not at peace
with God cannot love Him. The sacrifice was now complete as far as
Abraham could offer it. He had cast down self-will (compare
Matthew
26:39); he had sacrificed himself (Romans
12:1). This is the state of
mind of all others most prepared to receive blessings (cf. II Kings 4:3-6).
“Lay not thine hand upon the
lad.” GOD’S PURPOSE is our deliverance
(Romans 8:1). The work of the law, bringing home the
conviction of
sin, is the prelude to the knowledge of life (compare
Romans 7:10-13) — life
through death. It is God’s
way of deliverance (Isaiah 53:6). The type, the
ram
caught in the thicket; the antitype, Christ fulfilling the Father’s will
(Matthew 26:54; Mark 15:31). The practical application of
this is
shown in the brazen brazen serpent (John
3:14). (I highly recommend
Spurgeon Sermon – NUMBER 1500, OR LIFTING UP THE BRAZEN SERPENT - # 6 – this website –
CY –
2019) Marvelous love
of God (Romans 5:8). We had no claim
on Him,
yet
He would not that we should perish (Ezekiel 33:11). He wanted, for the
fullness of His blessedness,
that we should partake of it,
and therefore Christ
came that He might die in our stead; and now in Him we are dead (II
Corinthians
5:4). Do not dilute the truth by saying He died for believers
only. This is to miss
the
constraining power of His love. If there is any doubt of His death being
for
each and all, the gospel is no longer felt to be “whosoever will”
(Revelation 22:17). Behold
the Lamb. We need not now to say, “God
will provide; “HE HAS PROVIDED! (I John 2:2). The universe could not
purchase THAT PROPITIATION! No efforts could make thee worthy of it,
yet it is freely offered TO THEE TODAY! And mark what that
gift includes
(Romans 8:32) — the help
of the Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13), wisdom (James 1:5),
help in trials (I
Corinthians 10:13), peace (Romans 8:33), needs of this life
(Luke 12:30). Bring all thy sins, thy wants, thy hindrances TO THE
MERCY SEAT! (Hebrews 4:16). The Lord will see, will look upon thy need;
and
ere thy prayer is offered He has provided what that need requires.
15 "And the angel of the LORD called unto
Abraham out of heaven the second
time, 16 And
said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for
because thou hast
done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son,
thine only son: 17
That in blessing
I will bless thee,
and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the
heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea
shore; and thy seed shall possess
the gate of his enemies; 18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the
earth be
blessed; because thou hast obeyed my
voice." And the angel of the Lord called
unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, - the object of the first call having
been to arrest the consummation of the fatal deed which threatened Isaac's life, and
to declare the
Divine satisfaction with the patriarch's
complete spiritual surrender
of his son, the purpose of the second was to renew the promise in reward for his
fidelity and obedience - and said, By myself have I sworn, - by my word (Onkelos);
by my name (Arabic); equivalent to by Himself, by His soul (Jeremiah 51:14),
or by His holiness (Amos 4:2) - an anthropomorphism by which God in the most
solemn manner pledges the perfection of His Divine personality for the fulfillment
of His promise; an act which He never again repeats in His communications with
the patriarchs. The oath here given to Abraham (frequently referred to in later
Scripture: ch. 24:7; 26:3; 50:24; Exodus 13:5,11; 32:13; 33:1; Isaiah 45:23;
Hebrews 6:13-14) is confirmed by the addition of - saith the Lord, - literally, the
utterance of Jehovah; like the Latin ait, inquit Dominus, the usual prophetic phrase
accompanying Divine oracles (compare Isaiah 3:15; Ezekiel 5:11; Amos 6:8),
though occurring in the Pentateuch
only here and in Numbers 14:28 - for because
thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son (v. 12;
from which the Septuagint, Syriac, and Samaritan insert here the words "from me"):
that in blessing I will bless thee,
and, multiplying, I will multiply thy seed as the
stars of heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; - literally, upon
the lip of the sea; a repetition and accumulation of the promises previously made
to the patriarch concerning his seed (ch. 12:2-3; 13:14-16; 15:5-6; 17:1-8), with the
special amplification following - and thy seed shall possess (i.e. occupy by force)
the gate of his enemies; shall conquer their armies and capture their cities (Keil,
Murphy); though that the spiritual sense of entering in through the doorway of
their susceptibilities in conversion (Lange) is not to be overlooked may be
inferred from the appended
prediction - and in thy seed shall all the nations
of the earth be blessed (see ch. 12:3, where "families of the ground" occur as
the equivalent of "nations of the earth"); because thou hast obeyed my voice.
Originally unconditional in its grant, the promise is here distinctly declared to
be renewed to him as one who, besides being justified and taken into covenant
with Jehovah, had through trial and obedience attained to the spiritual patriarchate
of a numerous posterity.
19 "So Abraham returned unto his young men, and
they rose up and went
together to
Ø Divine in its origin. However explained, the appalling ordeal
through
which the
patriarch at this time passed was expressly created for him by
Elohim. Only He who made the
human heart can adequately search it; and
He alone who has a perfect
understanding of the standard of moral
excellence
can pronounce upon the intrinsic worth of His creatures.
Ø Unexpected in its coming. After all that had preceded, it might
have
been
anticipated that not only were the patriarch’s trials over, but that the
need for
such discipline in his case no longer existed. It shows that neither
length of
years nor ripeness of grace, neither conscious enjoyment of
Divine favor nor previous experience
of suffering, can exempt from trial or
place
beyond the need of testing; and that mostly “temptations” come at
unexpected
times, and in
unlooked for ways.
Ø Severe in its form. Trials to be efficient must be graduated
to the
strength of
those they design to test. Only a
temptation of great force could
be of
service in the case of moral heroism like Abraham’s. The intensity of
the strain
put upon his soul by the astounding order to make a holocaust of
Isaac simply baffles description. Even
on the supposition that Abraham was
not
unfamiliar with the practice of offering human victims, as it prevailed
among the
Canaanites and early Chaldeans, painful doubt must
have
insinuated
itself into his mind
o
as to
the character of Jehovah, who in making such a barbarous and
inhuman demand might seem little superior to the heathen
deities
around;
o
as to
his own enjoyment of the Divine favor, which could scarcely fail
to be staggered by such an excruciating stab to his natural
affection;
but,
o
and
chiefly, as to the stability of the promise, which reason could not
but pronounce impossible of fulfillment if Isaac must be put
to death.
Yet,
overwhelming as the trial was, it was;
Ø Needful in its design. The
great covenant blessing was still- conditioned
on the
exercise by the patriarch of full-hearted trust in the naked word of
God. Not
until that standpoint had been reached by Abraham in his
spiritual
development was he able to become the parent of Isaac; and now
that Isaac
was born there was still the danger lest Isaac, and not the naked
word of
God, should be the ground of the patriarch’s confidence. Hence
the
necessity arose for testing whether
Abraham could resign Isaac and yet
cling to the promise of God!
Ø The
splendor of it.
The tremendous act of self-immolation was
performed
not without pain, else Abraham must have been either more or
less than
human, but:
o
with
unhesitating promptitude — “Abraham rose up early in the
morning,” and “went unto the place of which God had told him;”
o
with
literal exactness — “Abraham laid the wood in order, and bound
Isaac
his son, and laid him upon the altar on the wood;”
o
in
perfect sincerity — “Abraham stretched forth his hand to slay his
son;” yet
o
without
ostentation — Abraham went alone with his son to the mount
of sacrifice.
Ø The
secret of it. This
was faith. He accounted that, though Isaac should
be slain, God was able to raise him up again from the dead.
Hence, though
prepared to plunge the knife into his son’s breast, and to
reduce his
beloved form to ashes, he “staggered not at the promise.” (Romans 4:20)
Ø The deliverance of Isaac.
o
The
time of it. At the
moment when the sacrifice was about to be
consummated, neither too soon for evincing the completeness
of
Abraham’s obedience, nor too late for effecting Isaac’s
preservation.
o
The
reason of it. Because
the piety and faith of the patriarch were
sufficiently
demonstrated. God often accepts the will for the deed.
o
The
manner of it. By the substitution of a ram, a
type of the
Lord Jesus Christ, through whose atoning death the Isaac of
the
Church is delivered from condemnation.
o
The
teaching of it. If
Abraham’s surrender of Isaac was a shadow of the
sacrificing love of the eternal Father in sparing not His
only Son, and the
bound Isaac typical of the Church’s condemned condition before the
sacrifice of Christ on
of Him who, though He knew no sin, was made a sin offering
for us, the
deliverance of Isaac was symbolic both of the resurrection
life of Christ
and of the new life of His redeemed people.
Ø The confirmation of the blessing.
o
A
renewal of the promises — of a numerically great, territorially
prosperous, and spiritually influential posterity, and more
particularly
of that distinguished seed in whom all the families of the
earth should
be blessed;
o
a
specification of the ground on which they were held, viz., the
patriarch’s believing obedience to the Divine commandment;
and
o
a
solemn oath in guarantee of their fulfillment.
Ø
The certainty of trial.
Ø
The omnipotence of faith.
Ø
The blessedness of obedience.
The Great Trial and the
Great Revelation (vs. 15-19)
In such a history the representative character of Abraham
must be
remembered. He was tried not only for his own sake, but that in him
all the
families of the earth might be blessed.
each other; the servant called by name, responding with the
profession of
readiness for obedience.
Do this,
and I will bless thee; follow me in this journey “as I tell thee,” and
thou shalt see MY SALVATION!
quiet demeanor of Isaac bearing the wood of the burnt
offering, type of
Jesus
bearing His cross, inquiring for the lamb with lamb-like innocence and
patience. “They went both of them together” (vs.
6 and 8) — “together”
in the beginning of the journey, “together” in the end, in
the trial and in the
blessing.
WILL COMMIT THE
FUTURE TO THE GRACIOUS PROVISION ON
WHICH IT DEPENDS. “My son, God will provide Himself a lamb for
a
burnt offering” (v.
8). Already Abraham was saying, “The Lord will
provide.” We say it
sometimes with a fearful burden upon our heart; but
when we go steadfastly and hopefully forward we say it at
last with the
remembrance of A GREAT
DELIIVERANCE sending its glory along
the way
of our future.
TO ITS
LAST EXTREMITY, that the revelation which rewards
faithfulness may be the more abundant and wonderful (Vers. 9, 10). We
must take God at his word, otherwise we shall not experience
the promised
deliverance. “Take thy son, and offer him there” (Ver. 2). “And Abraham
stretched forth his hand and took the knife to slay his
son.” What else
could he do? The commandment must be obeyed. The obedience
must be
“good and perfect and acceptable” as the will of God.
ANGEL, is heard the voice of relief, the assurance of acceptance,
the
change in the method of obedience, the opened eyes, the
provided
sacrifice, THE RETURNING
JOY OF SALVATION (vs. 11-13). There
is a blindness of self-sacrifice which leads to a sight of
immeasurable joy.
Abraham
saw nothing before him but the plain path of obedience; HE
WENT ON and at last “lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold’
the
self-sacrifice changed into peaceful offering of AN APPOINTED
SUBSTITUTE (v. 13) “in the
stead of his son.” (God did
not have
this luxury and in the process of giving His Only Begotten
Son to
die for us, shows THE UNFATHOMABLE DEPTH OF HIS LOVE!
CY – 2019)
MERCY BECOMES TO US A NEW NAME OF
JEHOVAH. We know
Him henceforth by that knowledge of fact. “Jehovah-jireh (the Lord will
provide): as it is said to this day, in the mount of
the Lord it shall be
provided” (or seen) (v. 14). (As above, I highly recommend
Genesis 22 – Names of God – Jehovah-Jireh – by Nathan Stone – this
website - # 324 – CY – 2019)
1. Not before the
mount, but in the mount; therefore go to the summit and
wait.
2. What the Lord
will provide will be better every way than what we could
provide.
3. The offering on the
mount is the great provision, the
whole burnt
offering for the sins of the world, by which the true humanity is redeemed
and the true “joy” (“Isaac,” laughter) is retained.
4. The last name of
Jehovah which Abraham gave Him was Jehovah the
Everlasting; now he adds to that name that which brings the Everlasting
into
the sphere of daily life — “Jehovah-jireh, the Lord will provide.”
We
name that name when we reach the mount where the
great sacrifice was
provided —
5. The end of the great trial and obedience was a renewal, a solemn
republication, of the covenant. “God could swear by no greater; He swore
by Himself” (Hebrews
6:13). On the foundation of practical faith is
built up the kingdom of heaven, which the Lord swears shall include all
nations,
and be supreme in all the earth. The notes
of that kingdom are here
in the history of the patriarch:
and
grove which he had named after the oaths of himself and Abimelech
the remembrance of the Divine oath, on which henceforth he rested all his
expectations. After this the
man in whom all nations shall be blessed looks
round and finds the promise being already fulfilled, and his
kindred
spreading widely in the earth.
20 And it came to pass after these things, that it
was told Abraham, saying,
Behold, Milcah, she hath also born children unto thy brother Nahor;"
And it came to pass after these things (probably not long after his return to
from
also born children unto thy brother Nahor - as Sarah has born a son to thee.
From this it would almost seem as if Milcah had not begun to have her family
at the time Abram left
table of Nahor's descendants is introduced for the sake of showing the descent
of Rebekah, who is soon to become Isaac's wife.
21 "Huz his
firstborn, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram,"
Huz his firstborn, - (see ch. 10:23, where Uz appears as a son of Aram; and ch. 36:28,
where he recurs as a descendant of Esau. That he was a progenitor of Job (Jerome)
has no better foundation than Job 1:1 - and Buz his brother, - mentioned along
with Dedan and Tema as an Arabian tribe (Jeremiah 25:23), and may have been
an ancestor of Elihu
(Job 32:2) - and Kemuel the father of
of the Arameans, but the forefather of the family of Ram, to which the Buzite
Elihu belonged; Aram being written for Ram, like Arammim, in II Kings 8:29,
for Rammim, in II Chronicles 22:5" (Keil).
22 "And Chesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph, and Bethuel."
And Chesed, - according to Jerome the father of the Chasdim or Chaldees
(ch. 11:28); but more generally regarded as the head of a younger branch or
offshoot of that race (Keil, Murphy, Lange; compare Job 1:17) - and Hazo,
and Pildash, and Jidlaph (concerning whom nothing is known), and Bethuel -
"man of God" (Gesenius); dwelling of God (Furst);
an indication probably of his
piety. (What will our account look like? CY - 2019)
23 "And Bethuel begat
Rebekah: these eight Milcah
did bear to Nahor, Abraham's
brother." And Bethuel begat Rebekah - Ribkah; captivating, ensnaring (Furst); "
a rope with a noose," not unfit as the name of a girl who ensnares men by her
beauty (Gesenius). Rebekah was the child of Isaac's cousin, and being the daughter
of Nahor's youngest son, was probably about the same age as her future husband.
These eight Milcah did bear to Nahor, Abraham's brother.
24 "And his concubine, whose name was Reumah, she bare also Tebah, and
Gaham, and Thahash, and Maachah." And his concubine (see on ch. 16:3),
whose name was Reumah, - raised, elevated (Gesenius); pearl or coral (Furst) -
she bare also Tebah, and Gaham, and Thahash, and Maachah - whence probably
the Maachathites (Deuteronomy 3:14; Joshua 42:5). That three of Terah's descendants
(Nahor, Ishmael, and Jacob) should each have twelve sons has been pronounced"
a contrived symmetry, the intentional character of which cannot be mistaken"
(Bohlen); but "what intention the narrator should have connected with it
remains inconceivable, unless it was to state the fact as it was, or (on the
supposition that some of them had more than twelve sons) to supply a
round number easily retainable by
the memory" (Havernick).
Good
News from a Far Country (vs. 20-24)
Ø
Tidings from home. For nearly half a century Abraham had been a
wanderer in
on receiving letters from the old country would the
patriarch listen to
the message come from
Ø
News concerning Nahor. It demands no
violent exercise of fancy to
believe
that Abraham regarded his distant brother with intense fraternal
affection,
and that the unexpected report of that distant brother’s
prosperity
struck a chord of joy within his aged bosom.
Ø
A message about Milcah. When the two
brothers parted it would seem
that
neither of their spouses had begun to have a family. Now information
reaches the
patriarchal tent that the union of Nahor and Milcah, like that
of himself and Sarai, has been
blessed with offspring; and, in particular,
that the second generation had begun to appear in Nahor’s house, the
queenly grace of Milcah being
reproduced in her captivating grandchild
Rebekah.
Ø
His unknown name. One is curious to know who it was that brought the
tidings from the old home. Some spirited adventurer who at
the distance
of half a century sought to emulate the Chaldaean
chieftain who left the
valley of the Euphrates for the bleak hills of
Mesopotamian
dispatched upon a mission of inquiry after his long-lost
brother;
or some chance traveler who had come across the patriarch’s
tent.
Ø
His timely arrival. Whoever he was, his appearance at this particular
juncture
was exceedingly opportune, when, the great trial having
passed, Isaac’s marriage must have loomed in the prospect as
a near
possibility. To Abraham it must have seemed not an
accidental
occurrence, but a providential
arrangement.
1. That no passage of Scripture can be said to be entirely
useless.
2. That joy and sorrow mostly lie in close contiguity in human
life.
3. That it becomes good men and women to be interested in each
other’s
welfare.
4. That in God’s government of the world there are no such
things as
accidents.
5. That it becomes good men to keep
an outlook upon the leadings of
Divine providence.
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