1: A study of Genesis 22:1-14

Genesis 22:1-14

Verses 1-5
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. [4] Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. [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,

Genesis 22:1

And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt

tempt: Hebrew = Nacah: prove (Ex 15:25, 16:24, 20:20, Deut 8:2,16., Judg 2:22, 3:1,4. Ecc 2:1, 7:23, 1Sam 17:39, 1Kng 10:1, 2Chr 9:1, 32:31, Ps 26:2) In Deut 4:34 it is translated as 'assayed'. Could this have been God's idea of a test? Well, Webster defines test in this manner (obsolete definition) "to test: to make a trial. To try presumptuously; to provoke. To entice to do wrong by promise of pleasure or of gain." If this is what God was doing, What was the pleasure? Where was the gain? Or if it had been an enticement to commit murder, what was the motive? Could it have been a test so that God could assay Abraham's commitment? There would be no need for such a test of Abraham's commitment, as God, who knows everything, already knew what Abraham was going to do before Abraham himself knew. Therefore it must be that God allowed Abraham to prove to himself what was his level of commitment to the covenant which God had made with him.

Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.

Why did God use Abraham's covenant name? Was it to be a reminder to Abraham of the promise? He had already agreed to bless and protect Abraham and Isaac and he had said that through Isaac the promised covenant line would run. Gen 17:19-22

Verse 2
And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac,

by reminding Abraham that Isaac was his only son was God emphasizing to Abraham that Isaac was not expendable?

whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah;

Moriah was the place where David built an altar to God to save Israel from destruction 1Chron21:22. David also built the first temple along with the altar on this spot 1Chron 22:1 It was also the place where Solomon built the house of the Lord (The Temple Mount) 2 Chron. 3:1

and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

:Golgotha (Calvary) location to Mt Moriah is open to discussion. I have read where some scholars think that it is North of Mt Moriah and others think it is west. The best documented location and one that explains with logic and sound reasoning places the place of the crucifixion due East of the Temple Mount (Mt Moriah) Please refer to the following website for an in depth look at the location of the crucifixion. http://www.cortright.org/locatcru.htm. Could this be the mountain Abraham was to ascend with Isaac and prepare an altar for a burnt sacrifice Just as God gave His only son Jesus whom he dearly loved, Abraham was now calupon to give his only son" whom thou lovest".

Verse 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

(The Word does not document God as having told Abraham to bring wood, knife, rope or fire. Perhaps Abraham assumed this to be part of the command)

for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.

Verse 4
Then on the third day

biblically numbers have a significance... number 3 represents completeness) the third day, represents completeness and the resurrection?

Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.

what place? It was three days to the land of Moriah. What did he see afar off? Was it Mt Moriah or Calvary?

Verse 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,

Abraham and Isaac where convinced that they would return, there was no doubt. (Did Abraham already have the idea that he was going to slay Isaac or did that idea come later?)

Genesis 22: 6-14

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 Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.

Verses 6-8
And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son

(Isaac bore Abraham's burden just as Christ would bare our burdens).

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.

Together is the Hebrew word yachad, to be united, It comes from the root to mean "as one". The question here is did Abraham lie to Isaac or did Abraham have his mind changed as they ascended the mountain together and saw no lamb?

Verse 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.

Notice the similarities to Christ in in this passage about Isaac. The Father's only son. Obedient to death (Rom 5:9, Heb 5:8, I Pet 1:2) At this point in his life he was a young man of 18-30 yrs old. A couple of things lead me to want to believe that Isaac was actually 30. First, if the parallels drawn between Isaac and Jesus Christ are to bear out, it would make sense for him to have been 30. Second, in the times and customs of the Bible, a ram to be offered for sacrifice had to be one year old (a mature or 'adult' animal) and without spot or blemish. A male was not considered a man until he reached the age of 30. Therefore He would be a Ram from his 30th birthday until just before his 31st birthday. However, whether he was 18 or 30, he may well have been able to over power his Father. But, Isaac didn't say a word, he submitted to his Father's request (Isa 53:7). Abraham believed that Isaac would rise again. Isaac must have also believed; which is why God told us in verse 8 that they were "together" (Yachad). They were "as one" just as God and Christ where one (John 10:30, 17:21). Another point worth mentioning is that during this passage, Isaac is learning to trust God. He needed to learn this as the covenant was to be carried on by and through him.

Verse 10
And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.

When did God ever tell Abraham to bind Isaac and cut his throat? He didn't, that is why Abraham told Isaac that God would provide them a ram to sacrifice.

Verses 11-14
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 Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.

Love covers a multitude of sins (Proverbs 10:12)and God saw Abraham's heart in this matter and moved to protect Isaac. God allowed Abraham to offer his son in a sincere desire on Abraham's part to put God first. By allowing Abraham to do this thing, Abraham was able to demonstrate to himself, God and all of God's people to follow, that he truly loved God with all his heart and that nothing and no one would come before God (Mt 10:37). He demonstrated his trust in God and believed that God would fulfill the covenant promise. The promise being, that of Isaac's lineage would come the promised messiah. Isaac was the promised seed, and Abraham may have believed that sacrificing his life would redeem man once and for all. He knew the promise that of that one seed Isaac would come many seeds therefore he must have believed that God would not allow Isaac to stay dead; but would raise him up quickly. Abraham's believing was made complete in what he did. Its similar to the practice of falling backwards into a friend's arms to develop trust or a child being encouraged to jump off the diving board into the awaiting arms of his father Abraham saw this as an act of trust that God would not allow him to falter. That God would provide Jehovah-jireh. God was able to teach Abraham through this situation of what God would one day do for mankind.

John 3:16
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.
James 2:21-23
Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? [22] Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? [23] And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
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, [18] Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: [19] Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.

God told Abraham to present Isaac in the land of Moriah on a mountain that He would show him. God wanted Abraham to dedicate Isaac there with the presentation of a "burnt-offering" for a life long covenant BETWEEN God and Isaac which is why God would provide the ram. God not only provided the ram for Abraham and Isaac; but he also provided the ram for all of mankind in Jesus Christ.

2: An in depth study of Genesis 22:2 and Burnt Offerings

Genesis 22:2
And he said, Take now (na') thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, &

And he said, Take now (The Hebrew for now is na' it is a particle for please. It is used by God 4 times. 3 times of Abraham and in all 4 useages a staggering request is being made.

Genesis 13:14
And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now (na') thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:

God is showing him the promised land all that he could see was to be his.Please see and believe.

Genesis 15:5
And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now (na') toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.

God is saying please believe me, your seed will be as enumerable as the stars.

Genesis 22:2
And he said, Take now (na') 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.

Please take your son, your only son whom you dearly love and put me before him.

Exodus 11:2
Speak now (na') in the ears of the people, and let every man borrow of his neighbour, and every woman of her neighbour, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold.

Please speak to the Egyptions who've held you captive and ask them for free jewelery.

Genesis 22:2
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.

The word "offer" is the Hebrew word `alah, which means 'ascend' or 'go up". The Blue Letter Bible(8810) lists this usage with its tense stem info as follows: This verb class indicates an order or command.

The first Biblical usage of the word 'alah is found in the second chapter of Genesis where it is translated "went up":

Genesis 2:6
But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.

Strongs 05927 says `alah is a hiphil (8818) which expresses a causative action, for example "he ate, he fed=he caused to eat, he caused to feed."

Robert Young literal 1862, 1897, 1898 translates it as & "cause him to ascend there for a burnt offering"

It's saying "climb or cause to go up, or ascend, just as a fire causes smoke to rise.

Did God order Abraham to slay Isaac? No! He told him to take him up.

The words "burnt offering" were translated from the Hebrew word 'Olah which is a noun from the Hiphil of the verb 'alah. 'Olah means burnt-offering. This does not mean that Isaac should be the burnt offering... Abraham was to take Isaac up for a burnt offering of what ended up being a ram.

3: Does God Tempt?

Some say the Lord's prayer says God tempts:

Matthew 6:13
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

However, James 1:13-14 explicitly states that God does not tempt.

James 1:13-14
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: [14] But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

Also knowing the figure of speech "idios" is helpful in understanding this passage. This figure is used throughout the Old Testament and Gospel books. Because Holy Spirit was not yet available to man, man could not easily understand spiritual things. Therefore when certain catastrophic or negative events were recorded, they were attributed to having been done by God. The figure allows that when it is stated that God did something (especially if it is stated elsewhere in the Word that God does not do such a thing) that what is actually meant is that God allowed that thing to occur. In light of James 1:13-14 and this figure of speech we can see that prayer in Matthew 6:13 could be taken to mean "allow us not into temptation,"

The NLT translates this verse "don't let us yield to temptation"

GW translates it "Don't allow us to be tempted"

Jesus was asking God to prevent us from falling into a situation where we would be enticed to the point of succumbing.

1 Cor. 10:13
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer (Greek word is eao: Which means to permit) you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

4: Does God lie?

Numbers 23:19
God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

Titus 1:2
In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;

Hebrews 6:18
That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:

Look at Hebrews 6:18 in context:

Hebrews 6:13-18
For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, [14] Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. [15] And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. [16] For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. [17] Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: [18] That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:

God's reference of Abraham is not coincidental. God did not lie or mislead Abraham into putting Isaac on the altar.

Proverbs 3:5
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

How could we ever trust God if He lead Abraham to attempt murder, even if He promised to raise Isaac from the dead afterwards.

5: Does God change His mind?

Malachi 3:6(a)
For I am the Lord, I change not;

6: God disapproves of human sacrifice.

Deut. 12:30-31 Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise. [31] Thou shalt not do so unto the Lord thy God: for every abomination to the Lord, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.

Dr V. P. Weirwille in "The Word's Way" chapter 8 page 132 says "that in the Aramaic Peshitta Text the word ykda "burnt" is never used in this account; but the word alta is used throughout. Could it mean that even though every sacrifice is an offering, not every offering is a sacrifice of death"?

Judges 11:30-40 And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the Lord, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands, [31] Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the Lord's, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering. (note the promise) [32] So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the Lord delivered them into his hands. [33] And he smote... [34] And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter. [35] And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth unto the Lord, and I cannot go back. [36] And she said unto him, My father, if thou hast opened thy mouth unto the Lord, do to me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth; forasmuch as the Lord hath taken vengeance for thee of thine enemies, even of the children of Ammon. [37] And she said unto her father, Let this thing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may go up and down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my fellows. [38] And he said, Go. And he sent her away for two months: and she went with her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains. [39] And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew no man. And it was a custom in Israel, [40] That the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament (lament is from the Hebrew word tanah which means to praise, celebrate visit) the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.

Jephthah's daughter wasn't burned she was dedicated to the Temple. To live a life serving God. Dr Weirwille shares in The Word's Way Chapter 8 on Human Sacrifice that oriental culture taught that it was a disgrace for a daughter to not be married. It meant to them that God had placed a curse on the entire family. Parents often gave their maidens into a lifetime of servitude to the Temples. Before entering that life of servitude the daughter is permitted to go on vacation to the mountains, visit relatives and friends where they will lament the fact that she will not marry, will not bare children. Then her friends and family bid her farewell, for once she has entered the Temple, she can not return to her old life. Duing special times of the year her family and friends could come and visit her, praise her for the work of the Lord that she is doing, compliment her on her obedience to her Father's will that she would remain living in the Temple serving God. Just as Jephthah offered up his daughter for a burnt offering to God so God desired of Abraham that he dedicate and consecrate Isaac to the commitment of a life time. To serve God and remain faithful to the covenant that was agreed upon by Abraham and God�

Hebrews 11:17-18 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, [18] Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:

7: A little about the man Abraham.

Genesis 15:6
And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

2 Chron. 20:7 Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever? Isaiah 41:8
But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend.

John 8:56
Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.

James 2:23
And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.

Abraham was raised in Mesopotamia the land called Chaldees . The city of Ur. He later moved to Haran (Charran) where they worshipped the moon god Nanna and Sin. In the area of Sumeria the people saw themselves as cattle for their gods. There the gods moloch and tanith and Hubul demanded children for human sacrifice. The people of Ur of the Chaldeans worshipped the moon god Sin as well. The moon was the god, the sun the goddess and the stars are the prodigy of the moon and sun Gen 11:31 is where Terah, Abraham's father, takes Abraham and the rest of the family from Ur of the Chaldee's to Haran. At the time of Abraham, Ur of the Chaldee's was the same as Ur of the Sumerians a few hundred years earlier, before the conquest of Sumer. They shared the same gods. Abraham's own father worshipped false gods and I can not see in the Word where he ever worshipped the true God.

Joshua 24:2
And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods.

The other side of the flood refers to the other side of the river Euphrates down from Canaan Land. Haran was on the far side in Canaan and Ur was on the near side of the river in Chaldees.

Abraham lived in a God less society that worshipped gods who demanded sacrifices of children. It may be that Abraham jumped the gun and thought that God wanted him to offer Isaac as a human sacrifice. It isn't the first time he jumped the gun and failed to wait on the promise of God. Refer to Gen 16. Sarah convinced Abraham to take Hagar unto himself and begat Ishmael. God had promised Abraham a son and here Abraham took matters in his own hand rather than wait upon the Lord.

Abraham was a good man, a friend of God and worthy of our honor and respect; but he was a man and men make mistakes. God saw the intent of Abraham's heart and honored it. He counted Abraham's believing as righteousness. Because it was Abraham's heart to bless God and do his Father's (God's) will.

Related Teaching:

The Omniscience Of God