I KNOW THAT THOU FEAREST GOD (PART III)
2. THE STEPS THAT LED TO THAT CONCLUSION
(Genesis 22:3-10)
A. The Obedience – vv. 3-4
All the details that we see in v. 3 speaks of the writer’s deliberate effort (by inspiration of God) to place the reader in Abraham’s sandals and anticipate the outcome.
Abraham was OBEDIENT to the everlasting God in every detail, to perform the burnt offering of his son Isaac as he was commanded by God, including the location. The offering that Abraham was going to present before God was the burnt offering. This burnt offering was done on an altar.
Before Isaac was born, Abraham already knew about the altar of burnt offering (Genesis 12:7-8; 13:4,18). An altar is a place of sacrifice. Sacrifice is integral and essentially synonymous with the God-pleasing, God-honoring life. Abraham’s love, reverence, and respect for God were evident in his attitude of faith, obedience, and wholehearted commitment to God even to the point of sacrificing his only son.
B. The Faith vv. 5-6
Abraham’s faith is manifested in his statement that "I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you" The verbs in v. 5 are all in first person, plural imperfects.
Abraham’s faith was based on the Lord’s promise "in Isaac shall thy seed be called" (Genesis 21:12); a faith that rests on God Himself. Let's read a commentary on this passage from Romans 4:19-25 "And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; and being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; but for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification."
As it was mentioned before; this is a very significant event since is a figure of the redemptive plan of God. We read in Hebrews 11:17-19 "By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son. Of whom it was said, that in Isaac shall thy seed be called: Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure."
"Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son" Look at John 19:17 "And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha."
I believed more and more as I study the Word of God that it is His Words, that is inspired by God, by seeing here even to the smallest detail about the sacrifice of Isaac fulfilling to the point the things that our Lord Jesus Christ was going to suffer to redeem us from our sins.
C. The Submission vv. 7-8
The Lord revealed His PLAN, Abraham revealed his FAITH, and now Isaac revealed his SUBMISSION. Isaac knew what a burnt offering was since he asked "where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" As we saw before, Abraham had already done sacrifices on the altar of burnt offering before Isaac was born(Genesis 12:7-8; 13:4,18).
I believe that this testifies of what God said concerning Abraham as a father in Genesis 18:19 "For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him."
Abraham answered his son's question with the redemptive theme of the Bible, "God will provide himself a lamb..." v. 8 This is a simple Hebrew sentence which includes the subject (God), the verb (will provide), the direct object (a lamb), and an indirect object (himself).
The verb "will provide" could be translated "will see" as we read in v. 14. The English word provide means literally "fore see."
"for a burnt offering" This burnt offering was very symbolic of the future substitutionary death and sacrificial shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ (Hebrews 10:1-18). Salvation was not in the burnt offering, but salvation was in FAITH in God’s will and way, in His plan for a future Messiah represented by this burnt offering. Abraham knew the Gospel message of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ — Galatians 3:8-9 "And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham"
John the Baptist gave the final revelation concerning the lamb provided by God as he pointed to Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" John 1:29
For Isaac, his father’s answer was sufficient; without questioning he continue with his father to the place appointed by God for the burnt offering, demonstrating his complete submission to his father. Isaac understood and had knowledge of the God of his father. Isaac followed the example given by his father with regard to complete submission as he was witnessing the WORKS of his father and NOT JUST BY HIS FAITH WITHOUT WORKS. This is a wonderful formula for a family: ABRAHAM(FATHER) SUBMISSION TO GOD + ISAAC (CHILD)SUBMISSION TO HIS FATHER = God is PLEASE, GLORIFY, and PRAISE when we submit, surrender completely to Him and testify that through our WORKS. I am reminded of I Corinthians 11:3 and Ephesians 6:1-3.
D. The Belief vv. 9-10
In response to God’s commands of take, go, and offer (v. 2), Abraham had taken Isaac (v. 3), had gone (v. 3) and now he is going to offer his son (v. 9) showing COMPLETE OBEDIENCE and FAITH is God’s promise with regard to Isaac as the promised seed.
"And Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order" v.9 The altar was a type of cross where Christ was to be the burnt offering several years later in the same appointed place chosen by God, on Mt. Moriah. The altar illustrates the fact that one can approach God only through sacrifice. Christ is the type of both priest and sacrifice.
John 3:16-17 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved."
Hebrews 10:3-10 "But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore
when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: In burnt offering and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then
said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not,
neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we
are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."
The submission of Isaac as his father was going to sacrifice him illustrates the same submission of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.
Philippians 2:7-8 "But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."
I Peter 2:22-23 "Who did not sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously."
In Abraham’s part there was no STOP in offering Isaac(v. 10) and OBEYING what God has commanded. God knew that Isaac was Abraham’s greatest love as we see in v.1 "thy son," "thine only son...," "whom thou lovest," In OBEDIENCE there is NO TURNING BACK or CHANGE OF MIND. All the specific details that we see in vv. 9-10 show Abraham’s devotion to God and of Isaac’s complete surrender to the sovereignty of God.
(Genesis 22:3-10)
A. The Obedience – vv. 3-4
All the details that we see in v. 3 speaks of the writer’s deliberate effort (by inspiration of God) to place the reader in Abraham’s sandals and anticipate the outcome.
Abraham was OBEDIENT to the everlasting God in every detail, to perform the burnt offering of his son Isaac as he was commanded by God, including the location. The offering that Abraham was going to present before God was the burnt offering. This burnt offering was done on an altar.
Before Isaac was born, Abraham already knew about the altar of burnt offering (Genesis 12:7-8; 13:4,18). An altar is a place of sacrifice. Sacrifice is integral and essentially synonymous with the God-pleasing, God-honoring life. Abraham’s love, reverence, and respect for God were evident in his attitude of faith, obedience, and wholehearted commitment to God even to the point of sacrificing his only son.
B. The Faith vv. 5-6
Abraham’s faith is manifested in his statement that "I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you" The verbs in v. 5 are all in first person, plural imperfects.
Abraham’s faith was based on the Lord’s promise "in Isaac shall thy seed be called" (Genesis 21:12); a faith that rests on God Himself. Let's read a commentary on this passage from Romans 4:19-25 "And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; and being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; but for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification."
As it was mentioned before; this is a very significant event since is a figure of the redemptive plan of God. We read in Hebrews 11:17-19 "By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son. Of whom it was said, that in Isaac shall thy seed be called: Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure."
"Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son" Look at John 19:17 "And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha."
I believed more and more as I study the Word of God that it is His Words, that is inspired by God, by seeing here even to the smallest detail about the sacrifice of Isaac fulfilling to the point the things that our Lord Jesus Christ was going to suffer to redeem us from our sins.
C. The Submission vv. 7-8
The Lord revealed His PLAN, Abraham revealed his FAITH, and now Isaac revealed his SUBMISSION. Isaac knew what a burnt offering was since he asked "where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" As we saw before, Abraham had already done sacrifices on the altar of burnt offering before Isaac was born(Genesis 12:7-8; 13:4,18).
I believe that this testifies of what God said concerning Abraham as a father in Genesis 18:19 "For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him."
Abraham answered his son's question with the redemptive theme of the Bible, "God will provide himself a lamb..." v. 8 This is a simple Hebrew sentence which includes the subject (God), the verb (will provide), the direct object (a lamb), and an indirect object (himself).
The verb "will provide" could be translated "will see" as we read in v. 14. The English word provide means literally "fore see."
"for a burnt offering" This burnt offering was very symbolic of the future substitutionary death and sacrificial shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ (Hebrews 10:1-18). Salvation was not in the burnt offering, but salvation was in FAITH in God’s will and way, in His plan for a future Messiah represented by this burnt offering. Abraham knew the Gospel message of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ — Galatians 3:8-9 "And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham"
John the Baptist gave the final revelation concerning the lamb provided by God as he pointed to Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" John 1:29
For Isaac, his father’s answer was sufficient; without questioning he continue with his father to the place appointed by God for the burnt offering, demonstrating his complete submission to his father. Isaac understood and had knowledge of the God of his father. Isaac followed the example given by his father with regard to complete submission as he was witnessing the WORKS of his father and NOT JUST BY HIS FAITH WITHOUT WORKS. This is a wonderful formula for a family: ABRAHAM(FATHER) SUBMISSION TO GOD + ISAAC (CHILD)SUBMISSION TO HIS FATHER = God is PLEASE, GLORIFY, and PRAISE when we submit, surrender completely to Him and testify that through our WORKS. I am reminded of I Corinthians 11:3 and Ephesians 6:1-3.
D. The Belief vv. 9-10
In response to God’s commands of take, go, and offer (v. 2), Abraham had taken Isaac (v. 3), had gone (v. 3) and now he is going to offer his son (v. 9) showing COMPLETE OBEDIENCE and FAITH is God’s promise with regard to Isaac as the promised seed.
"And Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order" v.9 The altar was a type of cross where Christ was to be the burnt offering several years later in the same appointed place chosen by God, on Mt. Moriah. The altar illustrates the fact that one can approach God only through sacrifice. Christ is the type of both priest and sacrifice.
John 3:16-17 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved."
Hebrews 10:3-10 "But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore
when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: In burnt offering and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then
said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not,
neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we
are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."
The submission of Isaac as his father was going to sacrifice him illustrates the same submission of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.
Philippians 2:7-8 "But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."
I Peter 2:22-23 "Who did not sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously."
In Abraham’s part there was no STOP in offering Isaac(v. 10) and OBEYING what God has commanded. God knew that Isaac was Abraham’s greatest love as we see in v.1 "thy son," "thine only son...," "whom thou lovest," In OBEDIENCE there is NO TURNING BACK or CHANGE OF MIND. All the specific details that we see in vv. 9-10 show Abraham’s devotion to God and of Isaac’s complete surrender to the sovereignty of God.
posted by NoHayNada at 2:35 PM
6 Comments:
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
I've linked you to my blog.
Thank you for the points you have brought out of the story of Abraham offering Isaac - one of my favourite passages and types of Scripture. Looking forward to reading more of your posts.
Brother Asmat great blog and topic Praise the Lord. It is so refreashing to read God's word and teaching. Keep it up.
It is great to hear from you brother Schlimmer. Also, last Sunday I remembered to do my task: change the page on the hymn book for Miss Hornick, Jaclyn and Zenia. :)
amen
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