Themes: Seed of promise, miraculous birth, scorned by
"Ishmael", a burnt offering: complete dedication and service. Here are found the
first refs to love, obedience, and worship.
Sacrifice by a father of an only son, who was himself willing
to be offered, at locality of Jerusalem. Received from dead in a figure (Heb
11:19) -- forgiveness to all nations; death of "mother" (Gen 23); marriage to a
bride out of the Land of the Gentiles (Gen 24). See Lesson, Abraham offers Isaac.
Abraham believed Isaac was to be raised, because he was
designated to fulfill all God's promises to Abraham: "Abraham reasoned that God
could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from
death" (Heb 11:19). Cp Gen 21:12; 18:17; 13:15,16.
TESTED: "Tempted" in AV. "Try" in RV and Heb 11:8,17.
See Jam 1:12,13; 1Pe 1:6,7. God must have considered Abraham very righteous to
put such a severe test on him.
"When a man contemplates buying a car he takes it out on the
road to see how it behaves under normal conditions. He does not try driving it
across a rough mountain side, nor does he deliberately crash it into a stone
wall. By contrast, when an engineer wishes to know the quality of some metal, he
subjects samples of it to various extreme tests, twisting or loading them to the
point of destruction. It was the first kind of 'temptation' ['testing': NIV]
which God now brought to bear on Abraham. But 'Lead us not into temptation' [Mat
6:13] means the second kind of experience: 'Lord, do not bring us into such
temptations as may prove too much for us.' And James' emphatic 'neither tempteth
he any man' [Jam 1:13] clearly means: 'God never tempts any man with the
intention of working his downfall.' 'He will not suffer you to be tempted above
that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way of escape (as for
Israel at the Red Sea), that ye may be able to bear it' [1Co 10:13]" (WAbr
95).
Gen 22:2
ONLY: Heb "yachiyd": cp Psa 22:20: "Deliver my life
from the sword, my PRECIOUS life from the power of the dogs." God did not
consider Ishmael and Keturah's sons to be true sons of Abr. Keturah's sons were
sent away from Abraham (Gen 25:6). Typ Christ, the "only begotten son", the
beloved son, or the "precious" son: sw Gen 22:12,16; Jdg 11:34; Psa 25:16;
35:17; Pro 4:3; Jer 6:26; Amo 8:10; Zec 12:10.
MORIAH: Near Jerusalem, at Temple site. From rt "ra'ah"
= to see, and "Yah". Same rt as "jireh" (v 14). Melchizedek's altar at Salem:
site of future temple of Solomon, near Zion: 2Sa 24:18-25; 1Ch 21:18; 2Ch 3:1.
"Moriah" = "vision of Yahweh", or "Yahweh will see" (ie seek or provide): WAbr
99.
Gen 22:3
EARLY THE NEXT MORNING: "I did not consult any man...
but I went immediately" (Gal 1:16,17).
TWO OF HIS SERVANTS: Cp 2 thieves, crucified with
Christ (Luk 23:32).
Gen 22:4
ON THE THIRD DAY: "In any case, I must keep going today
and tomorrow and the next day -- for surely no prophet can die outside
Jerusalem!" (Luk 13:33).
AND SAW THE PLACE IN THE DISTANCE: Typ Christ:
"Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame"
(Isa 50:7). Cp Luk 9:51; Mar 10:32.
Gen 22:5
BOY (LAD): Sw for Joseph at 30 years old (Gen 41:12; cp
Gen 44:20 with Gen 46:21), the young men (Gen 22:3), and warriors (Gen 14:24;
1Sa 14:1; 2Sa 2:14). Like Christ, Isaac was prob 30 or 33.
WILL COME BACK TO YOU: Impl resur (v 1n).
Gen 22:6
Cp Joh 19:17: Typ Christ, who bore his own cross.
THE TWO OF THEM WENT ON TOGETHER: Bracketing (see v 8)
vv 7,8a. A singleness of purpose between father and son (2Co 5:19-21). Cp with
temptation of Christ: Mat 3:17: Christ (like Abraham and Isaac) had "right" to
claim his inheritance immediately, but resisted.
Gen 22:8
Or even, "God will provide my son, a burnt offering" (WAbr
97).
THE TWO OF THEM WENT ON TOGETHER: "And a sword will
pierce your own soul too" (Luk 2:35). The prospective sufferings were
experienced by both parent and son!
Gen 22:9
ARRANGED THE WOOD ON IT: "Laid the wood in order" (AV).
Setting "in order" is a significant thing in the service of God: Gen 22:9; Exo
26:17; 39:37; 40:4,23; Lev 1:7,8,12; 6:12; 24:8; 1Ki 18:33; 2Ki 20:1; 2Ch 13:11;
29:35; Eze 41:6; Acts 18:23; 1Co 11:34; 14:40; Tit 1:5.
HE BOUND HIS SON ISAAC AND LAID HIM ON THE ALTAR: Isaac
was a young man, who could have resisted his father. (Also, Abraham could have
brought the young men to assist him, but he knew he would not need to have
them!)
Gen 22:12
"He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all
-- how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?" (Rom
8:32). We see here that Abraham, by his willingness to devote his well-beloved
son in a supreme act of love, actually typified God Himself!
NOW I KNOW THAT YOU FEAR GOD: The doubt expressed here
may be in remembrance of the incident in Gen 20 where Abraham for the second
time said that Sarah was his sister, because he was afraid of what would happen
to him. Or the angel might have meant simply, 'You (Abraham) passed the test! I
wasn't sure whether or not you would, but you did!' A number of verses indicate
that even the angels had incomplete knowledge of future events (eg Mar 13:32;
1Pe 1:12; etc).
FROM ME: "Me" = God, although it is an angel who is
speaking (vv 11,15). Cp Gen 32:24-30.
Gen 22:13
The ram entangled (Aram "sabachtani") in the thicket (Heb
"sebach") may be the basis for the words of Jesus when citing Psa 22:1: "My
God... why have You forsaken (azavtani) -- or entangled (sabachtani) me?" See
Lesson, Forsaken?
In quoting Psa 22, Jesus switched from the Heb azavtani (which
means "forsaken me") to the Aramaic sabachtani (which may mean "entangled me":
the same word occurs in Gen 22:13 for the "thicket" in which the sacrificial ram
was found). So perhaps this should be read: 'My God, my God, thou hast [an
assertion, not a question!] ensnared and provided ME as the sacrificial
victim!'
Gen 22:14
THE LORD WILL PROVIDE: In AV, "Jehovah-jireh". That is,
"God will provide a sacrifice -- ie Jesus". Or, "in the mountain Yahweh will be
seen", as a Redeemer, in Christ, the perfect sacrifice -- God manifest in the
flesh (2Co 5:19-21; Joh 1:14; Heb 8:3; Gal 4:4) for the redemption of
mankind.
"Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of SEEING my day;
he saw it and was glad" (Joh 8:56). Cp also Jam 2:22: "You SEE that his faith
and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what
he did."
Gen 22:16
Promise and oath. Cp Heb 6:13,17,18: "to the heirs" -- plural
-- ie, Abraham and Isaac. Also, Abraham and us.
Gen 22:17
DESCENDANTS: "Seed" in AV. (See Lesson, "Seed" in RSV.)
Can be singular or plural, but cp Gal 3:16: "The promises were spoken to Abraham
and to his seed. The Scripture does not say 'and to seeds,' meaning many people,
but 'and to your seed,' meaning one person, who is Christ."
STARS IN THE SKY (OF THE HEAVEN): A singular seed
(Isaac, or Christ) can be multiplied into a multitudinous seed (Gen 15:5; Phi
2:15).
SAND ON THE SEASHORE: "Sand" may simply sig a great
number (Jos 11:4; Jdg 7:12). But "sand" = natural Israel: "Isaiah cries out
concerning Israel: 'Though the number of the Israelites be like the sand by the
sea, only the remnant will be saved' " (Rom 9:27). The "sand" rules over the
"seashore": Jer 5:22; Isa 57:20; Rev 17:1,15.
"According to recent findings, the number of stars in the
universe totals approximately 10 to the 23rd power (a number that also
approximates the sum of the grains of sand on the seashores)" (Hugh Ross, "The
Finger of God" 153).
YOUR DESCENDANTS WILL TAKE POSSESSION OF THE CITIES OF
THEIR ENEMIES: Better, "your seed -- singular! -- will take possession of
the gates of his -- singular -- enemies." In AV: "thy seed [or offspring: v 18;
cp AV] shall possess the gate of HIS enemies." In the East, even great cities
had only one large gate; to possess this gate was to possess full power over the
city. Christ was dead, now lives, and has power -- the "keys" -- of hell (the
grave) and death (Rev 1:18; cp Rev 20:6; 1Co 15:26,55,56).
In Bible times cities were surrounded by walls with, of
course, a gate to enter. Whoever conquered a city would have control over the
gate and would therefore have the authority to let in or keep out whomever he
wanted. Jesus, the seed of Abraham (Gal 3:16), through his death and
resurrection gained the authority to possess the gate of his enemies -- hell
(the grave) and death (Rev 1:18). Therefore he alone can say who will stay in
the grave for eternity or who will come forth to eternal life (Joh 5:22, 28,29;
Act 17:31). Also, in the process of establishing the kingdom, Jesus will rule in
the midst of his enemies (Psa 110:2). The seat of judgment also was in the city
gate (Gen 19:1,9; Rth 4:1; etc).
Gen 22:18
"And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God
made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, 'Through your offspring all peoples
on earth will be blessed.' When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to
you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways" (Act 3:25,26).
"Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: 'We had to speak
the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves
worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles' " (Act 13:46). "The
Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced
the gospel in advance to Abraham: 'All nations will be blessed thru you' " (Gal
3:8).
Gen 22:20
Vv 20-24: Abraham, after 50 years, learns of his family. What
does this mean? A wife for Isaac (Gen 24). Isaac is "raised from the dead"; now
preparations are made for him to obtain a bride out of Land of the
Gentiles.