Foreshadowing in Genesis -- Part II

Genesis 22 :: Abraham Tested

This is a really hard passage to read. Abraham is willing to kill his son Isaac, and I think “what is he thinking?” Why is Abraham so willing to kill his only son, the one God promised to him? Would God really ask someone to murder? What would have happened if he didn’t do it? So may questions arise out of this small passage that it is hard to even think about, let alone answer. First, however, a little background…

Isaac is not a young boy, but most likely an older teenager or even in his twenties. This is known / believed to be true from the original Hebrew of the phrase that is used to refer to Isaac as “the boy.” The estimate of his age may also be seen in how Abraham and Isaac get up the mountain. Verse 6 shows that Isaac carried firewood on his shoulders up a mountain, enough firewood to consume a goat (at minimum, as that is what Isaac thought they were sacrificing), which is probably impossible for a young child to be able to do. This, coupled with the Hebrew connotation for the words “the boy” illustrates that Isaac is older than he is often portrayed.

Next, Isaac realizes that something is just not quite right because he asks his father about the sheep for the sacrifice. However, the text doesn’t indicate that there was any struggle on his part when Abraham tied him to the alter. Although this is remembered as Abraham’s test and all about his faith in God, it is interesting to note Isaac’s reaction to the situation. Even though it doesn’t say Isaac didn’t struggle some might say that it just doesn’t “say” that he struggled, that he probably did struggle. However, Isaac is either a teenager or in his twenties, and Abraham is over 100 years old, almost 120 years old (Genesis 21:5). Now, try and picture a120-year-old man trying to strap a young male to an alter to burn up as a sacrifice. Not going to happen unless said male is willing!

How could Abraham rightly reason that a human sacrifice would be asked by God? It was probably well known by everyone of Abraham’s household that the “gods” of the other people of the land during this same time-period “demanded” human sacrifice so it probably wasn’t something that would have overly surprised Abraham. Except for the fact God promised Abraham a son by which “I [God] will guarantee to give you countless descendants” (Genesis 17:2), Abraham probably did not think it was overly unusual.

The problem comes in the question of how could Abraham reconcile God’s Command and God’s Promise? God Himself comes and tells Abraham and Sarah that they will have a son (Genesis 18). Just under one-year after this particular instance of the promise (Abraham was promised a son, by which his descendants would be numerous, for over 20 years by God), Isaac was born. Abraham knew God’s promise was fulfilled in Isaac, he was also commanded to sacrifice that promised son.

Why was Abraham so willing to sacrifice his son? The conflict going on inside Abraham between the Command of God and the Promise of God must have been staggering; yet, he “got up early” the next morning (Genesis 22:3). Abraham never lost sight of what God promised him; that in God’s command to sacrifice Isaac, He would still continue to fulfill His promise that Abraham’s descendants would be numerous. So, when Abraham calmly states to the servants with them that Abraham and Isaac were going up the mountain to make a sacrifice “and then we will come right back” (Genesis 22:5), he might not be lying. When Abraham answers Isaac’s question about the lack of a sacrifice, Abraham calmly responds with a statement about God’s provision of the lamb. Whether that Abraham’s belief is that God will provide a lamb and stop Abraham or that Abraham doesn’t want to share what’s going on just yet, it is unknown. However, Hebrews 11:19 states that “Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again….” This could be the resolution to the conflict in Abraham’s mind.

What would have happened if Abraham didn’t do it? Obviously we’ll never know what would have happened, but it is interesting to wonder. If Abraham hadn’t been willing, where would the Jewish nation be? Who would Jesus have come from? Would we have ever received the gift of Jesus? God’s promise to Abraham: “…I swear by my own name that I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will conquer the cities of their enemies. And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed—all because you have obeyed me.” (Genesis 22:16-18, emphasis added.) This is only the second time that God has indicated that everyone in the world will be blessed by Abraham (“All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” Genesis 12:3). Over and over again God had promised Abraham that his descendants would be numerous and that they would be fruitful and would be rulers over the promised land; for over twenty years God had promised, since he was called at the age of 75 (Genesis 12:4). But it is only through Abraham’s obedience to God that we are blessed.

Is there a difference between murder and sacrifice, and would God really ask someone to murder? Is it all semantics? We probably could go round and round with this, so I’m not going to answer the question except to ask a few in return. What did God do with Jesus? Although we are God’s creation, it is not near the same as the sacrifice of God Himself. Is this passage just about the testing of Abraham? Could it be about God testing Himself? Is God maybe asking Himself: can I sacrifice my creation for the “greater good?” Am I able to sacrifice Myself for My creation? Is He maybe thinking that if His own creation cannot love Him enough to sacrifice what they love for Him, how can God do it? God stops Abraham before the sacrifice of Isaac…maybe because God sees Abraham’s total love and commitment to God and thinks that if Abraham can sacrifice his only son, the promised one, whom he loves, then God can do the same. Does God also see Isaac’s willingness to give all for his father? The conclusion of this? Re-read Genesis 22:18: “And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed—all because you have obeyed me.” God will bless the whole world, not just God’s chosen people, because of Abraham’s obedience to God’s call. Read Matthew 1 and you will see the blessing clearly: “This is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of David and of Abraham: Abraham was the father of Isaac…Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Mary gave birth to Jesus, who is called the Messiah.” The blessing that I have received because of Abraham’s obedience is the gift of Jesus, of God putting His only son to death.