Sunday School Lesson
March 4, 2018
The Lord Will Provide
Devotional Reading: Psalm 20
Background Scripture: Genesis 22
Genesis 22:1-3, 6-14
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.
2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
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.
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.
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?
8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
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.
10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
11 And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: 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.
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.
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.
Key Verse
Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.—Genesis 22:8
Lesson Aims
After participating in this lesson, each learner will be able to:
- Describe the events surrounding Abraham’s near sacrifice of Isaac.
- Explain the implications for Abraham of obeying God’s command to sacrifice Isaac.
- Write a prayer of trust in God’s continued provision.
Introduction
- God Will Fight for Us
Most people don’t know what to make of the wars of the Old Testament. People frequently ask me how God’s people can go from killing tens of thousands of people in the Old Testament to loving and evangelizing all people in the New Testament. Part of my response is to remind people that God does more of the fighting in the Old Testament than do His people.
Lately, however, I am beginning to hear a common response to that statement. People often reply, “I am sure that the Israelites believed that God was fighting for them, but all ancient peoples believed that. Why should we think that God’s people were any different?” This is a great question, and the Bible has a great answer.
What other nation had no standing army? What other nation spurned strategic military alliances? What other nation refused to acquire the latest military technology from Egypt (chariots and horses)? The Israelites took none of these items into battle when they took possession of the promised land under the leadership of Joshua.
It is one thing for a nation to claim that God fights for them, but quite another to make zero provisions for national security. It is true that many ancient nations claimed that their gods fought for them. But only Israel dared to march around an enemy city multiple times, blow trumpets, shout loudly, and wait for the walls to collapse.
It is one thing to say that we trust God, but another thing to place our own future completely in God’s hands. In today’s passage, Abraham is given an opportunity to do this. Because he rose to the occasion, he is a model of faith for us all.
- Lesson Background
While the Scriptures recognize Abraham as a man of faith (Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:16-22; Galatians 3:6-9; Hebrews 11:8-12, 17-19), his was by no means a perfect faith. He demonstrated great faith in leaving his home in Ur (Genesis 12:1-4). But by the end of the same chapter, he was telling his wife, Sarah, to lie and say she was his sister in order to save his own skin (12:10-20).
Later when Sarah failed to conceive, Abraham impregnated her maidservant Hagar rather than seek the Lord’s will. This created serious tension in Abraham’s household (Genesis 16:1-6). After God made clear that Sarah would give him a son, Abraham handed her over to a pagan king (20:1-18), failing once again to trust God.
Despite all this, God remained faithful to Abraham and Sarah. He delivered them from several powerful kings. He watched over the circumstances involving Lot, Hagar, and Ishmael (Hagar’s son). And God provided the son of promise for whom Abraham and Sarah had been waiting: Isaac.
Still, by the time we get to Genesis 22, we are left wondering whether God would grow impatient. Abraham was a man of spiritual highs and lows. His faith was strong, but inconsistent. The reader is left wondering who the real Abraham is. Perhaps Abraham was wondering the same thing. Was he still the man of great faith who left Ur behind to go to an unknown land? Or had years of wandering taken their toll on his faith?
- God Tests Abraham
(Genesis 22:1-3)
- God’s Request (vv. 1, 2)
- 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.
When we use the word tempt today, we often associate it with leading someone astray or enticing him or her to do something sinful. This is clearly not what God is doing with Abraham. James 1:13 makes clear that God does not tempt anyone to sin.
The Hebrew underneath the translation tempt is also translated “prove” in numerous instances (examples Exodus 16:4; 20:20), and that is the sense here. The idea is that of proving the worth of something by testing. Hebrews 11:17 supports this in saying that Abraham “was tried.” We can be sure that God is testing Abraham for the man’s own good.
This verse also introduces a phrase found three times in this chapter: Here I am (or “Here am I”). Though the phrase itself is not extraordinary, its repetition draws special attention to three crucial moments when Abraham responds to being addressed. The other two references are in Genesis 22:7, 11.
What Do You Think?
In what ways does God test a believer’s obedience today?
Points for Your Discussion
Regarding tests involving other believers
Regarding tests involving unbelievers
Regarding tests known only to God and the one being tested
Other
2a. And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah.
God’s request of Abraham is startling in at least three ways. First, it is odd that God identifies Isaac as Abraham’s only son. We know that Abraham’s firstborn son is actually Ishmael. The fact that he has been born of Sarah’s maidservant does not make him any less the son of Abraham. Centuries later, four of Jacob’s twelve sons—who became the 12 tribes of Israel—will be born to the maidservants of Jacob’s wives (Genesis 35:25, 26).
The explanation for this curiosity lies in Genesis 21. There we see that conflict within the family results in Abraham’s sending Hagar and Ishmael away. Though God continues to look after Ishmael as he grows up (21:20), he is no longer Abraham’s responsibility.
Moriah is mentioned elsewhere in the Bible only in 2 Chronicles 3:1. That passage informs us that many centuries later Israel’s King Solomon would build the temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem.
2b. And offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
Second, it is odd that God asks Abraham to perform child sacrifice. Not only does this violate all modern sensibilities, but God makes clear throughout the Old Testament that He vehemently opposes this practice (Leviticus 18:21; 20:2-5; 2 Kings 16:2, 3; Jeremiah 32:35). From Abraham’s perspective, however, the practice in and of itself may not seem so odd. Some of the false gods of his time are worshipped this way. In addition, Abraham does not know as much about God as we do, having all of Scripture at our disposal. We should remember that the giving of the law through Moses, which will prohibit child sacrifice, won’t happen for five centuries or so.
This leads to the third startling aspect of this passage: that God asks Abraham to sacrifice the child of the promise. This is undoubtedly what Abraham finds most disturbing. His whole relationship with God is built around the promise that God will make him into a great nation with countless descendants (Genesis 12:1-3). For a barren woman well past the years of childbearing to have borne a son has already been a great miracle. Now God is asking Abraham to kill this special son! Abraham is not only giving up someone he loves, he is also cutting off the only way he sees possible to beget offspring.
What Do You Think?
In what ways have you grown spiritually from occasions when you realized that obedience to God would derail your expectations? Why?
Points for Your Discussion
On occasions when you obeyed anyway
On occasions when you disobeyed
The Value of Testing
In 1921, traffic fatalities in the United States occurred at the rate of 24.09 deaths per million miles traveled. In 2014, the rate had dropped to 1.08 fatalities per million miles traveled. What made the difference? Stated simply: better cars.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began doing crash tests in 1979. We’ve all seen those tests on TV or the Internet, with the cars crumpling under various types of impacts and the crash-test dummies flailing about. As car makers began responding to government regulations based on these tests, seat belts, air bags, and better car construction have resulted in drastic reductions in fatalities and serious injuries.
Abraham didn’t know whether he had enough faith to follow God’s leading until he was tested. That’s the purpose of testing: to discover strengths and weaknesses. Trust in God helps us build on the former and minimize the effects of the latter, even if we don’t understand at the moment why we are being tested. Should we look forward to testing or dread it?
—C. R. B.
- Abraham’s Response (v. 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.
We are not told that Abraham says anything in response to God’s command. His actions speak for him as he rises early the next day to begin the trip. The three-day journey (Genesis 22:4, not in today’s text) requires that two of his young male servants be brought along. Abraham probably needs the help for handling the logistics of food, clothing, bedding, and pack animals that are needed for the trip.
The place of which God had told him is Moriah of the previous verse. Abraham has been directed to sacrifice his son in the same place where priests will later offer Israel’s legitimate sacrifices to God. Mount Moriah is either the same place or very near to it where God will offer His only Son, Jesus, as a sacrifice for sin.
- Abraham Trusts God
(Genesis 22:6-10)
- Isaac’s Question (vv. 6, 7)
- 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.
Genesis 22:4, 5, not in today’s text, tell us that the four travelers have arrived at the destination. The parallel with Jesus is even stronger here: as Jesus will carry His own cross to Golgotha, Isaac is asked to carry the wood on which he is to be slain. Since Abraham has directed the two servants to remain some distance away (Genesis 22:5), they are not available to carry the wood.
This detail also tells us that Isaac is old enough to carry the required amount of wood. He is also old enough to understand that a burnt offering requires a lamb (see the next verse). Beyond that, the Scriptures do not provide further clues as to Isaac’s age. For Abraham to take the fire in his hand likely means that he carries the necessary materials (perhaps some coals in a container) to ignite the fire for the burnt offering.
- 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?
At last we hear from Isaac, and his address draws the second of the three Here am I (or “Here I am”) responses in today’s text. Isaac’s question is to be expected. He and his father have all the elements for a sacrificial offering except for the sacrificial animal itself.
The description of Isaac speaking unto Abraham his father by saying My father may seem unnecessarily wordy at first glance. But the intent may be to highlight the drama in the father-son relationship and interaction. Using our “sanctified imaginations,” we might presume an attitude of excitement behind Isaac’s question where is the lamb for the burnt offering? as he presumes this to be a special father-son outing, maybe even a feast for just the two of them. On the flip side, we easily imagine a somber tone in Abraham’s address of Isaac as my son.
How to Say It
Abimelech Uh-bim-eh-lek.
Golgotha Gahl-guh-thuh.
Hagar Hay-gar.
Ishmael Ish-may-el.
Israelites Iz-ray-el-ites.
Jehovahjireh Jeh-ho-vuh-jye-ruh.
Moriah Mo-rye-uh.
Pharaoh Fair-o or Fay-roe.
Ur Er.
- Abraham’s Answer (v. 8)
- And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
Does Abraham really believe that God will provide a lamb for a burnt offering? Hebrews 11:19 offers helpful commentary in stating that Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son because he believed that God could bring him back from the dead. Previously, when telling his servants to stay behind, Abraham had added, “I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you” (Genesis 22:5). Abraham seems to expect God to intervene in some way on his son’s behalf.
- Abraham’s Action (vv. 9, 10)
- 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.
The altar Abraham builds may be no more than a simple pile of rocks. The wood goes on top of the rocks, and the offering goes on top of the wood—it’s that simple. For Abraham to bind Isaac his son may not be a simple matter, however, if the lad resists. But the text gives no indication that he does.
- And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
No spoken words are recorded, but it’s easy to conjecture what is going through the minds of both father and son. The level of Isaac’s terror is probably matched by the level of Abraham’s anguish. Only God’s intervention can stop things now.
What Do You Think?
What action steps can you take to grow your faith in terms of sacrificial boldness?
Points for Your Discussion
Considering the example of someone you know
Considering the example of biblical characters
Considering your own personality traits
With regard to spiritual disciplines
Other
III. God Spares Isaac
(Genesis 22:11-14)
- Angel’s Announcement (vv. 11, 12)
- And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.
For the third and final time in this story, Abraham responds, Here am I when addressed. This is the climax of the story. Abraham is interrupted just as he is about to carry out the sacrifice commanded of him. The two-fold calling of Abraham, Abraham carries a sense of urgency.
In verse 1, God spoke to Abraham. But here the angel of the Lord speaks to him. It is possible that God was speaking through an angel in verse 1 as well. Or perhaps in both verses, God takes the form of an angel in order to address Abraham rather than appoint a separate heavenly being to carry out His bidding.
The scene is similar to what later occurs at the burning bush with Moses. There the angel of the Lord appears to Moses “in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush” (Exodus 3:2), but then God is said to be the one who calls to Moses from the bush (3:4). It is clear that the angel represents divine authority.
Where Are You?
Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared on March 8, 2014. The last voice contact came less than an hour after takeoff. Radar showed the plane deviating from its flight plan soon afterward. Satellite tracking eventually revealed that the flight headed southwest over the Indian Ocean. Nearly a year and a half later, pieces of debris from the plane began to appear. As of this writing, though, the plane has yet to be found.
Flight 370’s disappearance has led to various theories about the cause. Was it an act of terrorism? Did the pilot intentionally change the flight path and crash the plane into the ocean? The cockpit’s failure to respond to a multitude of “Where are you?” requests may indicate the latter.
When God and Isaac each called to Abraham, that man declared his presence by saying, “Here am I.” He had not deviated from where he was expected to be. Whether the situation involves family, friends, work, or our relationship with God, when we are called upon to be wholly present, the only satisfactory answer is “Here I am,” when “here” is the appropriate place to be. It’s a matter of integrity and responsibility. But ultimately, it’s a matter of being accountable to those whom we love and who love us, especially God.
—C. R. B.
- 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.
These words tell us that Abraham has indeed passed the test that God has set before him. In essence, God has asked him, “Do you trust me and me alone to fulfill my promises to you? Are you willing to give up all control and place your entire future into my hands?” The answer to both questions is a resounding yes!
No other feat could demonstrate with such certainty Abraham’s faith in God alone to fulfill His promise. Isaac is not merely his only son; Isaac is Abraham’s only chance at securing his own future. In raising the knife, Abraham boldly declares his conviction that God is his only hope. With that unspoken confession of faith, he receives his son back, as though from the dead (Hebrews 11:19).
We should not misinterpret the phrase thou fearest. God is not glad that Abraham is afraid of him. Rather, fear is another way to express worship. It signifies that Abraham understands that his son and thus his future belong to God. Abraham’s obedience echoes David’s later testimony of the Lord: “For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him” (Psalm 103:11).
Clearly, God’s will is the driving force in Abraham’s life. God is his ultimate motivation. This is the heart of true worship. God values obedience over sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22).
What Do You Think?
How should the lifestyle of one who fears God differ from that of one who does not?
Points for Your Discussion
In terms of what others can perceive
In terms of what is known only between God and the God-fearer
- Abraham’s Acknowledgment (vv. 13, 14)
- 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.
To Abraham’s delight, his own words then come to pass. God does indeed provide the animal to be sacrificed. The mention of Abraham’s eyes is important, given what occurs in the following verse.
- 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.
God has faithfully provided for Abraham. As a result, the man names the location Jehovahjireh, which means “God sees to it,” which is another way of saying “God provides.” Abraham fully understands that the one true God always see to it that His people are provided for.
It is worth noting that Abraham does not name the place “Isaac is spared” or “a father is relieved.” This whole account has been about God’s faithfulness and whether Abraham truly believes that God will keep His promises. Indeed God is faithful, and Abraham truly believes.
What Do You Think?
How have you reacted on those occasions when God sent a “substitute provision” your way?
Points for Your Discussion
When the substitute was a person
When the substitute was a tangible, material asset
Other
Conclusion
- God Still Fights for Us
God kept His promise to Abraham and made him into a great nation. But that promise has now been superseded by the gospel of Jesus Christ. God no longer has to fight wars for His people to possess and protect a special promised territory. All territories are special to Him.
Yet God’s people are still in a real fight. Various powers, both human and supernatural, wage war against us. They tempt us to compromise our faith. They invite us to trust in our own strength. Like Abraham, we must trust God and God alone to provide for all our needs. We must live in light of His promises to us. We must go into battle equipped with His armor (Ephesians 6:10-18). and Through Him we will indeed triumph!
- Prayer
Mighty God, we trust in Your strength. Alone we are weak. Our best plans always seem to fail. Give us the courage to put our faith in You alone. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
- Thought to Remember
God always provides, but not always in ways we expect.
Kid’s Corner
God Has Provided a Lamb for You
Genesis 22:1-14
Sunday, March 4, 2018
Genesis 22:1-14
(Genesis 22:1) Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”
Some think God tested Abraham to show Abraham the depth of his faith and trust in God; much as a teacher may give a test to show the student whether or not they have mastered the subject taught. After many clear demonstrations of God’s faithfulness to him, from his test Abraham would learn how far he had come in trusting God and His promises completely with respect to each person in his family, especially his son, Isaac. When God called to Abraham, he answered as a servant would answer his master, or an employee would answer his employer: “Here I am, ready to do what you ask.”
(Genesis 22:2) He said, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.”
Immediately, God gave Abraham a command, without giving him any reason why He wanted Abraham to do this. Did Abraham have enough experience with God to believe that God had good reasons to ask him to do things without God needing to explain to Abraham why He wanted him to do this? Yes. Abraham would prove that he would obey God without question; such was his faith in the goodness of God. His was not a leap of faith in God or “in the dark” without prior evidence of God’s love and faithfulness, for God had proved His love for Abraham and his family many times before this test.
(Genesis 22:3) 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 wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.
Abraham did not argue with God or demand an explanation because God had proven His love and holiness to him personally in previous events and in the history of his ancestors. Abraham knew that God always kept His promises, so Abraham obeyed immediately. Abraham did not blindly obey God, for he knew the moral character of the One who commanded him to make his sacrifice. Abraham also took two witnesses who could testify regarding this event, because the Bible teaches: “In your law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is valid” (John 8:17). They would see and hear Abraham express his trust in God up until he and Isaac went up the mountain, and they would see them again after they came down from the mountain, and they would be told what happened on the mountain. Furthermore, Abraham and Isaac (two witnesses) could tell them what happened on the mountain immediately after the event while their memory was fresh.
(Genesis 22:4) On the third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from a distance.
For three days Abraham and Isaac walked together. During this time, Abraham may have been tempted to change his mind about doing what God asked, surely the devil may have tempted him to disobey God. Some might argue that his first resolve to obey God could have weakened over a three-day period, so the test needed to be over a few days to prove his obedient faith in God. During their travel time together, Abraham did not tell Isaac all that the LORD had commanded him to do (see Genesis 22:7). Abraham probably knew that Isaac’s faith in God was not strong yet, but it would be made stronger after their worship together. Abraham may have spent a great deal of time affirming for Isaac the love God and he had for Isaac, and the fact that God had made promises to him and what those promises meant for the future of them both, because Isaac was “the child of the promise.” He probably tried to build up Isaac’s faith in God prior to his sacrifice, so Isaac could trust in God no matter what happened. Since we have no record of Isaac pleading with Abraham as he raised his knife, Isaac must have come to a sincere trust in God and his father that all would be well.
(Genesis 22:5) Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you.”
Abraham told his two witnesses to remain a short distance behind (perhaps the donkeys could not proceed further). He told them three things: we will go, we will worship, and we will return. They could easily remember that Abraham promised this about both Isaac and himself. Abraham knew that God had made previous promises regarding the future of Isaac, that Isaac would have children that would lead to Abraham having many descendants. Based on God’s promises, Abraham knew that God would arrange somehow for them to return following their sacrificial worship; for God had promised, “But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this season next year” (Genesis 17:21); and “But God said to Abraham, ‘Do not be distressed because of the boy and because of your slave woman; whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for it is through Isaac that offspring shall be named for you’” (Genesis 21:12). Abraham trusted in God and he believed these promises.
(Genesis 22:6) 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 the two of them walked on together.
Jesus Christ carried the wood, His cross, to His sacrificial death on a hill that some identify as Mount Moriah, where Abraham was to sacrifice Isaac, who also carried the wood for the sacrifice. Both God the Father and Abraham loved their sons (see Genesis 22:2). Isaac carried what he needed to obey his father. Jesus carried what He needed to obey His heavenly Father. Just as Abraham walked with Isaac up to the place of sacrifice, Jesus’ heavenly Father walked with him on the road to crucifixion.
(Genesis 22:7) Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” And he said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
Finally, Isaac asked about the sacrifice, because there was no lamb for the sacrifice. Abraham did not bring a substitute lamb with him in case he changed his mind. Isaac apparently trusted that his father, Abraham, would find or buy a lamb for the sacrifice along the way, but as they neared the place of sacrifice his father still had no lamb. Abraham must have shown his love for Isaac and his confidence in God as they were going to worship so Isaac felt no need to ask this question before they began to climb the mountain. Abraham showed no distrust in God; no grief over losing his son in sacrifice; for Abraham trusted completely in God and His promises to him.
(Genesis 22:8) Abraham said, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together.
For God to keep His previous promises to Abraham (see this commentary on Genesis 22:5), God would need to either raise Isaac from the dead (which Abraham knew God had the power to do) or God would need to provide a lamb as a substitute for Isaac. Abraham believed God and had probably prayed fervently that God would provide a substitute for his son, Isaac, so he would not need to go through the pain of dying before God raised him from the dead. In the New Testament, we read this explanation: “By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac. He who had received the promises was ready to offer up his only son, of whom he had been told, ‘It is through Isaac that descendants shall be named for you.’ He considered the fact that God is able even to raise someone from the dead—and figuratively speaking, he did receive him back” (Hebrews 11:17-19). Abraham knew that God would not accept any substitute that he himself could provide in the place of Isaac: God alone would need to provide the lamb as a substitute. Similarly, God did not accept the sacrifice of Cain when he disobeyed God in the sacrifice he offered instead of what God required, which was a lamb (see Genesis 4:1-4). Abraham knew that God alone could provide an acceptable substitute, and Abraham believed that God would provide the lamb. In a similar way, God provided Jesus as the sacrificial substitute for us, so we do not need to die for our sins if we place our faith in Jesus the Messiah as our substitute.
(Genesis 22:9) Then they came to the place of which God had told him; and Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood, and bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.
God showed Abraham where to go, and as Abraham had to take some time to collect the stones and build the altar (probably with Isaac’s help), he had time to rethink and be tempted to back out of offering Isaac at the last minute. Perhaps in prayer he reminded God of His promises to him as he prepared his altar. He prepared Isaac for sacrifice exactly as he would have prepared any lamb for sacrifice. The Bible does not tell us what Isaac was thinking or saying, but we have no record of his crying out in protest; perhaps that shows us the depth of his faith in God and in his father, that God would provide a lamb as his father had told him. We do know that this event had a tremendous effect upon Isaac, for God’s name became “the Fear of Isaac,” which Isaac’s son, Jacob, used as a title for God and swore by: “If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been on my side, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God saw my affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked you last night” (Genesis 31:42). In addition, “May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor” — the God of their father — “judge between us.” So Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac” (Genesis 31:53).
(Genesis 22:10) Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.
Abraham did all that God commanded. By raising the knife, Abraham sacrificed his son in his mind and heart exactly as God commanded him. God looked upon the intention of Abraham’s heart to obey God in faith, so God required nothing more of him. God looks upon the intentions of our hearts to serve God, even if we may be prevented from doing all that we would like to do for God because someone or something prevents us. God credits our sincere intentions to obey Him. We do not know why God seems to wait until the last minute sometimes, but He does so for good reasons and perhaps to test our faith and show us how strong our faith in and love for God truly is.
(Genesis 22:11) But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”
When God called to Abraham, he answered once again as an obedient servant. The “Angel of the LORD” is often identified with the Lord Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Trinity, before He was born in human flesh. It is fitting that He should be the One to stop Abraham and provide the lamb for him, knowing that no lamb could be substituted for Him when He offered himself as a sacrifice for us, the sacrificial Lamb of God. By offering himself, God could uphold the integrity of His holy law of love and keep His promises to save His people from their sins and the eternal consequences of their sins. In the New Testament, we read, “She [Mary] will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). And Jesus promised, “for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28).
(Genesis 22:12) He said, “Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”
Surely, Abraham and Isaac both rejoiced to hear God’s command, and both learned from God directly why Abraham had raised his knife. They would be the two witnesses to God’s stopping Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac and God’s providing the lamb. Fear can be translated, “reverential obedience,” which Jesus also manifested when He obeyed His heavenly Father. Faith always results in reverential obedience, because in God we trust, just as Abraham trusted.
(Genesis 22:13) Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son.
Abraham did not see the ram, the male sheep, until he took his eyes off the son he loved. And, God did not miraculously provide the lamb until Abraham had demonstrated his faithful obedience: this was a true test. The LORD did provide the lamb, just as Abraham had promised his son, Isaac (see Genesis 22:8). God confirmed Abraham’s trust in God and Abraham’s promise to his son, which would help build up Isaac’s faith in God and his father after a fearful experience.
(Genesis 22:14) Abraham called the name of that place The LORD Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “In the mount of the LORD it will be provided.”
The place on the mountain was named, “the LORD will provide,” because God did this in true human history and the Holy Spirit inspired Abraham to give the place this name as part of God’s redemption history that pointed to the sacrifice of Jesus, God’s only Son, that God provided for us. When Jesus died on the cross as our Substitute, He fulfilled this prophecy of Abraham’s (and the prophecy of others), “On the mount of the LORD, it shall be provided.” For this reason, and others, God does not require any parent to sacrifice their children. In the Old Testament history, God always condemned the human sacrifices that the false gods of Israel’s neighbors required of their servants. We too are called by God to trust and obey as did Abraham and Jesus, for there is no other way to have an eternal and happy relationship with God our heavenly Father.
God Has Provided a Lamb for You
Genesis 22:1-14
Sunday, March 4, 2018
“And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. 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” (Genesis 22:11-12—KJV). “But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven, ‘Abraham, Abraham!’ He answered, ‘Yes, here I am.’ ‘Don’t hurt the boy or do anything to him,’ he said. ‘Now I know that you honor and obey God, because you have not kept back your only son from him’” (Genesis 22:11-12—GNB). “But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven, and said, ‘Abraham, Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ He said, ‘Do not lay your hand on the boy 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’” (Genesis 22:11-12—NRSV). To test him, God told Abraham to sacrifice his beloved son, Isaac. On the way, Isaac asked his father why they took no sacrifice with them, and Abraham replied, “God himself will provide the lamb” (Genesis 22:8). On the mountaintop, Abraham built an altar, securely bound Isaac, and raised his knife to sacrifice his son. At that moment, Isaac knew with certainty that his father would offer him as a sacrifice to God unless the LORD provided the lamb. At that moment, God intervened and provided a substitute for Isaac, a ram, a male sheep—just as Abraham had promised his son. The sacrifice that God required of Abraham and the substitute lamb that God provided him, God intended as an object lesson. God saved Abraham from offering his sacrifice, but God could not save His only Son from His sacrificial death. God provided Jesus the Messiah and His sacrifice as a substitute for the death sinners deserve as a consequence of their rebellion against God. Believers know that they deserve eternal separation from God because of their disobedience, and they thank God for providing a suitable substitute for them. Jesus became the Lamb of God, provided by His Father, so God could uphold His perfect law of love with justice while offering mercy and forgiving all who repent of their sins and receive the risen Lamb of God as their Lord and Savior.
Thinking Further
God Has Provided a Lamb for You
Genesis 22:1-14
Sunday, March 4, 2018
Name ______________________________
- Describe the type of faith a person must have to obey God immediately and without question?
- How can people develop and maintain the strong type of faith that Abraham demonstrated?
- Why do you think God tested Abraham?
- If you were Abraham, what might you have talked with Isaac about during your three day journey and climb up the mountain?
- If you were Isaac, how might you have felt from the time Abraham raised his knife to the time God provided the lamb as a substitute? How might this experience have an effect upon your faith?
Questions for Discussion and Thinking Further
- Describe the type of faith a person must have to obey God immediately and without question? A person must have an intelligent and mature faith. His knowledge of God includes knowing that God has a perfect moral character and will always command what is holy, loving, right, and perfect (unlike what is possible for human beings to always command in this life). His knowledge of God will include knowing that God is all wise and infinite; therefore, God never makes a mistake. God knows what is best and God knows the consequences of every decision and action that He and every being will ever take. Therefore, an intelligent and mature faith will influence a person to trust God in every situation with everything, and to obey every command of God, knowing that God will only command what is best for all concerned. When one trusts God to this extent, he does not need to know God’s reasons for what God commands or requires, but usually this confident faith is developed over time from understanding many of God’s reasons for His prior actions and commands (which we learn more and more from Bible study). Just as an obedient child who trusts their parents will stop immediately when a parent shouts “Stop!” (for they know it is for their safety), so the children of God know that it is best to obey God immediately. The child learns trust in their parents, which leads to obedience; and God’s children learn trust in God their heavenly Father, which leads to obedience.
- How can people develop and maintain the strong type of faith that Abraham demonstrated? People can study the Bible to learn more about God; how God thinks, how God acts, how God loves, how God extends justice and mercy. Then, by prayer and obedience, they will develop a depth of experience to keep on growing in their faith. They can also read inspirational biographies about how others have obeyed God sacrificially and how God met their needs and empowered them to serve God. They can keep trusting God when they experience difficulties, and then after God has seen them safely through and been present with them, their faith will become stronger still.
- Why do you think God tested Abraham? To show Abraham how much he had grown in his faith, because this test was only after a period of time and not at the beginning of Abraham’s walk of faith in God. To serve as an object lesson for believers over generations of time. To show the faithfulness of God and how God keeps His promises. To show how God rewards those who trust and obey God. God knew Abraham well enough to know that Abraham was capable of passing the test and that his passing the test would become an object lesson that would point to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, God’s own Son, who would die on the cross as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins.
- If you were Abraham, what might you have talked with Isaac about during your three days journey and climb up the mountain? While walking during the day, and in the evenings while resting, I would have reminded Isaac about all the things God had done in the past, in the lives of our ancestors, and in my own life, to build up Isaac’s faith and trust in God. I would assure Isaac of God’s love and of my love for him, and that no matter what should ever happen that God loves him and I love him too. I would talk about how God might test our faith sometimes, and about how my faith had been tested to keep on believing God’s promise as I waited past the child-bearing age of Sarah for him to be born after being conceived by Sarah (that he was not to be conceived by Hagar, and that my having a son by Hagar was a mistake that came from my lack of faith), and that God had kept His promise to bless me and generations to come through Isaac and his children, though he had no children as yet, but he would have children. All parents can teach their children in ways similar to this.
- If you were Isaac, how might you have felt from the time Abraham raised his knife to the time God provided the lamb as a substitute? How might this experience have an effect upon your faith? I think I would have been terrified, for Isaac had no Bible yet as we have. He had only the faith that Abraham had shared with him and his own experiences with God. I might have thought that Abraham had lied to me about God providing the lamb, or that I was the lamb that God had provided in spite of what I had thought. I might have started to pray to God for help as I was being tied up by Abraham and laid upon the wood. I would see that Abraham would obey God, and that God providing a different lamb was my only hope to avoid being sacrificed. I would see how important it was to obey God, and how important Abraham thought it was to obey God, for Abraham was going to sacrifice his beloved son rather than disobey God. I think I would have or develop a great fear of or reverence for God, which would influence me to want to be absolutely obedient to God no matter what. I would have great regard for the importance of obeying God, and then leave the results of my obedience with God, Who does all things well. I would think about what might have happened to Abraham and to me if Abraham had refused to obey God or if I were to refuse to obey God sometime. I think I would want to stay as close to God as I could and be careful to obey Him in everything. I would want to pass on everything I had learned to my children and entire family, to encourage them to have an obedient faith in God
Word Search
God Has Provided a Lamb for You
Genesis 22:1-14
Sunday, March 4, 2018
Name _____________________________
C D L G X G R U P I W I G T F
K F R E B T O I L X J S P O L
T V W O D J H D T S M A W I D
H D P A L S W A O G K A F E P
W I K N R M P N W S Z C T J C
G Y U O T S T H O R D S E R T
P L W N U L A B Q S E S M M J
V N V Q Y A R C T T U O N A Q
E O E O F M E N R S R Z X H C
V U J D P B A S L I O C F A Q
O S K S I V R U A T F J U R F
L Y V N R V S H O Y C I S B M
M G A E O A O E F I N K C A Q
V O S V P D B R V Y O S O E O
I Z W G K J Y E P Z V G F Y G
God
Tested
Abraham
Only
Son
Love
Isaac
Moriah
Sacrifice
Servants
Worship
Knife
Lamb
LORD
Provide
True and False Test
God Has Provided a Lamb for You
Genesis 22:1-14
Sunday, March 4, 2018
Name ____________________________
Circle the true or false answers. Correct the false statements by restating them.
- After God made promises to Abraham about his descendants, He tested Abraham. True or False
- There are no similarities between Jesus and Isaac. True or False
- God really wanted Isaac sacrificed on a mountain. True or False
- Because Abraham loved Isaac, he waited three days before leaving to go to the region of Moriah with Isaac. True or False
- Abraham took Isaac, two servants, a donkey, wood, fire, a knife, and a lamb when he left for the mountain in the region of Moriah. True or False
- Isaac asked Abraham where the lamb was for the sacrifice. True or False
- Abraham told Isaac that the LORD would provide the lamb for the sacrifice. True or False
- As they were walking toward Mount Moriah to worship the LORD,Abraham carried the fire and the knife while Isaac carried the wood. True or False
- Abraham told his servants that he would be back after he had worshipedthe Lord. True or False
- After the LORD called to Abraham not to sacrifice his son and provided a ram for the sacrifice, Abraham called the place “The LORD Will Provide.”
True or False
True and False Test Answers
Genesis 22:1-14
- True
- False
- False
- False
- False
- True
- True
- True
- False
10.True
Prayer
Mighty God, we trust in Your strength. Alone we are weak. Our best plans always seem to fail. Give us the courage to put our faith in You alone. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.