The Whole Story
Genesis 22
“Father Abraham had many sons
Many sons had Father Abraham
I am one of them, and so are you
So, let’s all praise the Lord.”
The old song reminds us of Abraham’s story
and God’s faithfulness. We meet Abraham 12 chapters into the Bible when God
promises to bless the whole world through him. This is a massive promise and
one of the most important moments in all the scripture. Though things have gone
terribly wrong in the world, when we meet Abraham, we see God’s plan of
redemption begin to take shape.
God fulfilled His promise to Abraham to give him many sons, but it was a long, winding road to arrive at God’s promise. Abraham received a call and promise from God when he was seventy-five years old. God came to Abraham and called him to leave all he had ever known. In return, God promised to make Abraham a blessing to all nations. From there, his story only got wilder.
At various points in his life, Abraham showed
very little faith. On several occasions, he allowed other men to date his wife.
Another time, he took his wife’s advice and slept with their maid when constant
infertility seemed to prevent them from ever obtaining God’s promise. Side
note: Abraham and Sarah may have been good candidates for marriage counseling.
At other times in Abraham’s life, he was a
man of extreme faith. One time, he led a military campaign to recapture his
captive nephew. In Genesis 15, he displayed extraordinary faith when God
promised him a child despite his exceptional age and having no heir in his
household. In Genesis 18, he modeled faithfulness when interceding on behalf of
Lot, Lot’s family, and the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham’s faith in who
God was and what God had promised him was put to the test repeatedly. However,
at no point in Abraham’s life was his faith more tested than when God called
him to do something completely unexpected: sacrifice Isaac, the child of the
promise.
The sacrifice of Isaac is a confusing story. Why would God call Abraham to sacrifice his son?
While it may seem insane that
God would ask Abraham for his son, as we see Isaac ascending the mountain to
the place of sacrifice carrying the wood for the sacrifice on his back, we see
past Abraham and Isaac. We see all the way to another Son who would climb the
mountain to the place of sacrifice carrying the wooden cross on His back. We
see past Isaac. We see Jesus. Jesus is here, even in Abraham’s toughest hours.
Bottom Line:
God saves through sacrifice.
Willingly, Providentially, and Ultimately.
Read Genesis 22:1-19 and make observations
about the text.
Genesis 22:1-19
The Test:1-8
After these things God tested Abraham and
said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2 He said, “Take your son,
your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him
there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” 3
So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his
young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt
offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. 4 On the third
day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. 5 Then Abraham said
to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there
and worship and come again to you.” 6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt
offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fi re and
the knife. So, they went both of them together. 7 And Isaac said to his father
Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the
fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” 8 Abraham said,
“God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So, they
went both of them together.
The Provision:9-14
9 When they came to the place of which God
had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and
bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then
Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. 11 But
the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!”
And he said, “Here I am.” 12 He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do
anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld
your son, your only son, from me.” 13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes and
looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And
Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of
his son. 14 So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”;
as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”
The Promise Reaffirmed:15-19
15 And the angel of the Lord called to
Abraham a second time from heaven 16 and said, “By myself I have sworn,
declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son,
your only son, 17 I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your off
spring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your
offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, 18 and in your offspring shall
all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.” 19
So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to
Beersheba. And Abraham lived at Beersheba.
What is God teaching us in the passage?
What does this reveal about who God is, what
God has done, and how I should respond?
Which part of the text was most meaningful to
you and why?
What do you need help understanding about
this passage?
SERMON RECAP
- Genesis 22 teaches us how to read the Bible primarily as the revelation of Jesus Christ, not a moral guidebook. This is a book pointing to Jesus! Yes, it offers moral guidance along the way, but it is primarily the revelation of Christ. If we forget this, stories like this one are strange, distant, and hard to understand.
- God’s plan to redeem, bless, and save humanity is only accomplished by the sacrifice of a Son.
- Inevitably, faith leads to obedience to God and action for God, even when it is exceptionally difficult to do so. We know this is true because “faith without works is dead.”
- The providence of God means that everything works according to God's plan at all times, even if we don’t understand anything. This means that you can live with confidence, knowing that even if everything seems to be going wrong in your life, everything is going exactly right according to God's plan.
The Bible is written to show us Jesus. SO, the
most significant question you must answer in your life is simple: Do you see Him?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
The Testing of Abraham (Genesis 22:1-2)
Question: Why do you think God tested Abraham
by asking him to sacrifice Isaac, and how does this foreshadow God’s plan of
salvation through Christ?
(Consider how Isaac, the promised son,
parallels Jesus, the ultimate promised Son.)
Abraham’s Obedience (Genesis 22:3-6)
Question: What does Abraham’s immediate
obedience teach us about faith in God’s character, even when His commands seem
impossible to understand?
(Reflect on how Abraham trusted God to
provide, even as he carried out a difficult command.)
God’s Provision of the Substitute (Genesis 22:7-8, 13-14)
Question: When Isaac asked about the lamb for
the offering, Abraham replied, “God will provide for himself the lamb.” How
does this moment point forward to Christ as the Lamb of God?
(Discuss the significance of God providing a
ram as a substitute and how it illustrates the doctrine of substitutionary
atonement.)
The Covenant and Blessing (Genesis 22:15-18)
Question: How does God’s reaffirmation of His
covenant with Abraham after this act of obedience point to the fulfillment of
the promise in Christ?
(Explore how the promise of “off spring” and
blessing for all nations connects to the gospel and Christ’s work.)
Worship and Trust in God’s Providence (Genesis 22:19)
Question: Abraham named the place “The Lord
Will Provide.” How can we cultivate a deeper trust in God’s providence in our
lives, especially when faced with difficult trials?
(Consider how Abraham’s faith can encourage us to trust God’s ultimate plan, even when it involves sacrifice or waiting.)
END
Teacher Notes:
After these things God tested Abraham and
said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Take your son, your
only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him
there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”
So, Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his
young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt
offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. On the
third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. Then Abraham
said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over
there and worship and come again to you.” And 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, they went both of them together. And Isaac said to his
father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said,
“Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”
Abraham said, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my
son.” So, they went both of them together.
When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. 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, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me. And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. So, Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”
And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a
second time from heaven and said, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the Lord,
because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I
will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars
of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall
possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of
the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” So, Abraham returned to
his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba. And Abraham lived
at Beersheba.
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