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Genesis: Abraham Complies with a Requirement of God
February 17, 2018

Last week we read of the birth of Isaac, the departure of Ishmael, and continued troubles with Abimelech. This week we read of Abraham's compliance with a requirement of God.

After the birth of Isaac, a son who was born when Abraham was one hundred years old and Sarah was almost as old, God gave Abraham what might seem like a strange requirement. He told Abraham to take his only son to the land of Moriah and to offer him there as a burnt offering. While we accept the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the only begotten son of God, the idea of a human sacrifice is something we might attribute to a pagan religious faith. Yet this was God with the requirement. Just about any person would be justified in questioning God, and no person that I know would fault another person for disobeying God with this request. Abraham complied and early the next morning took his son, Isaac, to the mountains of Moriah. When they arrived at the mountain, Abraham had Isaac help him carry the wood to the spot of the burnt offering. Up until this point Isaac was unaware that God had given his father a requirement to sacrifice him, and true to form, Abraham was shading the truth.

Genesis 22:1-8
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 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. 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. Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. 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 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 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 Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.

After the altar was built, Abraham bound Isaac. What we don't know is if Isaac was willing and simply complied or if Abraham used some type of deceit and trickery or brute strength to bind Isaac. Isaac was placed on the wood, completely bound, and unable to get away. Abraham prepared to kill his son with knife and as he was reaching for the knife, he heard the angel of the Lord call to him telling him to stop. God was testing Abraham to see if Isaac had become more important to Abraham than God. Abraham clearly passed the test. With this test out of the way, Abraham and his descendants were once again blessed. In some ways most people are like Abraham. Most people have periods in there life where they have to wait a really long time to have something they want. Most people will try to rush God to act in a certain way; Abraham did by fathering Ishmael with Hagar. Most people will shade the truth to make their actions fit within their perception of reality. Unlike Abraham, most people would have put something or someone that took so long to obtain ahead of God.

Genesis 22:9-18
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 Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. 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. 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 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 the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, 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: 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; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

Afterwards, Abraham and Isaac returned to their home, moved to Beersheba and continued the business of living. We also find the lineage of Rebecca, who would soon be part of Isaac's life.

Genesis 22:19-24
So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba. 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; Huz his firstborn, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram, And Chesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph, and Bethuel. And Bethuel begat Rebekah: these eight Milcah did bear to Nahor, Abraham's brother. And his concubine, whose name was Reumah, she bare also Tebah, and Gaham, and Thahash, and Maachah.

Abraham reaped a huge blessing on himself and his descendants through his obedience and that is a huge lesson for us to remember.

All verses are from the King James Version.
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