Abraham, Isaac and the Substitution God Made

Clearly, Abraham's life was full of tests and trials. Indeed, life for the beloved of God is full trials and tests, tests from God Himself, for "suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; character, hope" (Rom. 5:3-4). God tests us because He loves us. He tests us to bring out the good: to make us stronger, to build our character, to engender hope in the future. He tests us with trials as gold is tested by fire: to prove our worth. In this chapter, Abraham's faith is tested. Indeed, faith is an attribute that has no value unless it is tested. Untested faith does not count for anything. We pat ourselves on the back for our faith, but in many cases, it is an easy, untested faith. And most of us go out of our way to see that our faith remains untested. We make every effort not to step out on a limb for God's sake. This is why God Himself must throw us into the fire of testing.

Because of the difficulty of the test, God appeared directly to Abraham, so that there would be no question that the test was from God: "He said to him, `Abraham!' `Here I am,' he replied." (vs. 1). Abraham knew well the voice of God, being God's friend. As has been mentioned, God appeared directly to Abraham at least six times previously. Abraham must certainly have treasured these appearances, especially when He received declarations of God's promises. We can sense here Abraham's excitement at hearing from God once again in his reply: "Here I am."

This time, though, God did not come to Abraham with a promise, but with a great test of faith: "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about." (vs. 2). Each phrase in this command is very significant:

"Take your son": Abraham as a parent most likely did not want to hear about a test concerning his son. We parents have our own ambitions and plans for our children. We say, "Oh, I know what's best for my children," often ignoring God's will for our children.

"your only son": But wait. Was Isaac Abraham's "only son"? What about Ishmael? Abraham loved Ishmael, so it must have been painful to Abraham that God did not consider Ishmael as his son. The conception of Ishmael was Abraham's attempt by his own means to help God fulfill His promise. It was a result of Abraham acting on his own, outside of God's will. It is a vain pursuit to act outside God's will. As Solomon said: "Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain" (Ps. 127:1). God ignored Abraham's work of the flesh and considered Isaac to be Abraham's "only son". By the way, the consideration of Isaac as Abraham's "only son" strengthens the typology of the events of this chapter. Abraham's offering of "his only son" points to God's offering of "His only Son": "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son" (John 3:16).

"Isaac": His name, meaning "he laughs", becomes sadly ironic now.

"whom you love": This is the first mention of the word "love" in the Bible. Appropriately, the first mention of love concerns a father's love for his only son. Interestingly, in the New Testament, the first mention of the word "love" also concerns the love of a Father for His Son: "And a voice from heaven said, `This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.'" (Matt. 3:17). God emphasizes Abraham's love for his son. This strengthens the typology. Abraham is asked to sacrifice his only son whom he loves. God sacrificed His only Son, whom He loved and with whom He was well pleased. On another level, perhaps God emphasized Abraham's love for Isaac because Abraham loved Isaac too much, at the expense of his love for God. Our love for God is to overshadow our love for anything or anyone else (even our family members). Christ Himself said: "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me" (Matt. 10:37); and, more radically, "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life--he cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:26). Abraham's love for Isaac was quite possibly a stumbling block for him, so God, in this chapter, asks Abraham to sacrifice his son, thus testing Abraham's love for God. God wants all. What or who is your "Isaac"? What or who is getting in your way to God? What or who do you love more than God? Can you offer up to God your "Isaac": your lust for power, your love for wealth, your obsession with a hobby, even your love for a family member?

"go to the region of Moriah": The region of Moriah is the area where, later on, Jerusalem was to be built. (In II Chron. 3:1, we are told that the temple was built on Mount Moriah.) Jesus was crucified just outside the city gates, so Golgotha is also in the "region of Moriah." Many think that Jesus died on the very same mountain that Abraham offered Isaac. This is plausible, especially since God guided Abraham to the exact mountain ("...one of the mountains I will tell you about...") that Isaac was to be offered.

"Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering": This is the test of faith. This command must have been shocking for Abraham to hear, for a few reasons. First, Abraham must have known that the human sacrifices of the pagan religions were detestable to God. Second, the sacrifice of Isaac would seem to nullify the promise of God. God said: "Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him" (Gen. 17:19); and then, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned" (Gen. 21:12). At times, we are asked by God to do things that would seem to jeopardize all of our future plans. We have God's promises; based on them, we have made our plans. We have it all figured out. We know exactly how we are going to fulfill God's promises. However, it is not for us to fulfill God's promises; rather, it is for us to obey the will of God. God knows what He is doing, and has the wisdom and power to fulfill His promises. So, Abraham faced a conflict of sense versus faith. And rather than this test of God causing Abraham to disbelieve the promise, Abraham instead looked for a way to reconcile the test with the promise. Paul describes Abraham's faith: "Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised" (Rom. 4:20-21). To help himself in the test, Abraham reasoned a way that God could reconcile the test and the promise. As the writer of Hebrews tells us: "By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, `It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.' Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death" (Heb. 11:17-19)

"on one of the mountains I will tell you about": Abraham did not have the luxury of heroic, hasty obedience concerning the test of God, or even choosing where the sacrifice was to be made. Instead, he was made to wait on the Lord concerning the time and the place of the sacrifice, not knowing where and when the end would come. This must have been difficult for Abraham, for he had to contemplate in all its import the distressing action that he was asked to undertake.

Despite the difficulty of the test, Abraham wasted no time in obeying the Lord: "Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey" (vs. 3). It is best to obey God quickly (just ask Jonah). It seems that Abraham did not consult with anyone concerning the test. There was no reason to. The sacrifice was the clear command of God; Abraham had no doubt of that. Abraham knew that to consult with others would just weaken his faith. They would undoubtedly try to talk him out of obedience to God, try to convince him that somehow he misunderstood the command of God. It is best not to give opposition a chance. "It is vile for us to consult with men when we have the plain command of God. Fancy an inferior officer in an army, when ordered in the hour of battle to lead an attack, turning round to a fellow soldier to ask his opinion of the orders he has received from the commander-in-chief!"[Footnote #1]

"He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about." Abraham made sure that he was well-prepared for his service of God. He made sure that he brought everything he would need. Many of us who serve God enter service hastily and unprepared. We set out to teach without proper study; we set out to worship without a clean heart, cleansed through confession of sin before God; we enter into works of charity begrudgingly, without the proper attitude of joy in serving the Lord. In doing so, we compromise our service. Abraham, even in performing this unpleasant work of service, prepared himself, and made sure that he had everything he needed to successfully complete his service.

"On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance." Mystically, typologically, the "third day" may be significant. Christ was raised on the "third day", and here, for Abraham, Isaac was (effectively) dead to him until the "third day".

Abraham did not bring anyone except Isaac to the place of sacrifice: "He said to his servants, `Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there.'" This work of service was strictly between Abraham, Isaac, and God. Abraham continued: "We will worship and then we will come back to you." This verse contains the first mention of the word "worship" in the Bible. The highest form of worship is obedience, especially obedience through faith in carrying out the commands of God that are unpleasant to us. Note also that in this verse, we see evidence of the contention that Abraham believed that God would raise Isaac (see Heb. 11:17-19). Abraham told his servants: "We will come back to you."

"Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife." In an amazing foreshadowing of the antitype, Isaac carried on his back "the wood for the burnt offering", just as Christ carried the cross.

Perhaps the most moving verse in the whole chapter is when Isaac realizes that something is missing: "As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, `Father?' `Yes, my son?' Abraham replied. `The fire and wood are here,' Isaac said, `but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?'" How this question must have penetrated Abraham's heart! How should he answer? Abraham chooses an obscure answer that is truer than even he knew: "God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." Most likely unwittingly, Abraham here speaks as a prophet. God Himself would indeed provide "the lamb": His Son Jesus Christ was to be the fulfillment of this prophecy. Though unknown to Abraham at that time, Isaac would not have to die as a sacrifice. The only man to be asked by God to do such a thing and to carry it out was His own Son, Jesus Christ.

"And the two of them went on together." Perhaps at this time, Isaac understood that it was he who would be offered. He certainly understood when Abraham "bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood." Note that Isaac did not resist. We tend to concentrate on Abraham's faith and obedience, but Isaac's was also great. Isaac silently, submissively let himself be bound for the sacrifice. Again, the foreshadowing of the sacrifice of Christ, who "laid down His life for us" (I John 3:16), is clear. Christ, who could have called down twelve legions of angels (Matt. 26:53), submissively offered Himself as a sacrifice on our behalf. Isaac certainly could have resisted his aged father Abraham; after all, Isaac was strong enough to carry the wood up the mountain.[Footnote #2] So, Isaac was Christ-like in his quiet submission; and he was Christ-like in his obedience to his father.

The moment of truth finally came: "Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son." Here, Abraham's obedience is complete. Abraham turned his faith into actions, and submitted to God completely in obedience. Abraham showed no hesitation or vacillation in his faith. All of Abraham's failings in faith (as enumerated at the beginning of this study) are overshadowed by this one great act of faith. From here on out, Abraham is known as the man of faith; his failings in faith are largely ignored. Abraham is redeemed in the eyes of posterity by this one great act of faith.

Before the knife could come down, "the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, `Abraham! Abraham!'" Perhaps no words in history were as welcome as these. The "angel of the LORD" Himself stopped the sacrifice. Many (including this writer) consider the appellation "the angel of the LORD" to designate an Old Testament appearance of Christ.[Footnote #3] Here, it is appropriate that Christ Himself stopped Abraham; for Christ's sacrifice is the fulfillment of this prophetic episode. Christ is the only one whom God asked to consummate a human sacrifice to the death. Christ's sacrifice is sufficient for all of mankind. God shows in this episode that He does not want dead human sacrifices (like pagan religions), but rather wants living sacrifices. As Paul exhorts: "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship" (Rom. 12:1).

The angel of the Lord stopped the sacrifice when it was clear that Abraham would carry it out. He gives the reason He stopped it at that time: "Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son." James comments on this: "You see that [Abraham's] faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did" (James 2:22). Our faith can only be proven by actions, and such actions that only can come through trials. For Abraham, this certainly was an excruciating trial. Any parent would be devastated by it. Any parent would agree that Abraham suffered as much (or more) than Isaac. This leads us to ponder: did not the Father suffer as much as Christ? Certainly Christ suffered; but God gave (for our sakes) His only Son to be scorned, scourged, and crucified. Most assuredly, this shows God's great love for us.

"Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son." Abraham here is taught a vivid lesson in substitutionary sacrifice. He appreciates more than any of us the grace of God in accepting substitutionary sacrifice. Isaac was spared, just as we are. We all in God's eyes deserve to die because of our sin. By God's grace, He provided a way for those in Old Testament times to atone for their sins through the substitutionary sacrifice of animals. These sacrifices foreshadowed the ultimate substitutionary sacrifice, that of Jesus Christ. In both cases, God Himself provided the means of atonement, just as He did for Isaac: "So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide." By calling the place "The LORD Will Provide" rather than "The LORD Did Provide", it is suggested that the ram is not a sufficient substitutionary sacrifice. As the writer of Hebrews says: "[I]t is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins" (Heb. 10:4). For human sin, human life is required. So clearly, God's provision of the ram for Abraham foreshadows God's provision of Christ for us: "And to this day it is said, `On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.'" This verse supports the contention that Isaac was offered on the same mountain that Christ was.

The Lord rewards Abraham with a restatement of His promise: "I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me." He begins the statement of the promise with the oath "I swear by myself." This phrase indicates a particularly solemn oath by God. As the writer of Hebrews teaches us: "When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no-one greater for Him to swear by, He swore by Himself, saying, `I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.' . . . Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, He confirmed it with an oath" (Heb. 6:14,17). This restatement of the promise must surely have been precious to Abraham, because through the trial, the fulfillment of the promise was held in some doubt.

This restatement of the promise was a blessing that resulted from Abraham's trial. Many would consider God cruel for testing Abraham in this way; however, in addition to the statement of the promise, Abraham received many blessings from this trial. Among them: confidence in his own faith; approval from God; a view of the mystery of God's great plan in the sacrifice of Christ; a deeper knowledge of the ways of God; confidence that obedience is best.

Lord, give us the faith to be obedient to You. Give us the will to get rid of anything that gets in the way of our obedience to You. We thank You for this great example in Abraham of faith and obedience. We also thank You for the foreshadowing in this chapter of Christ's sacrifice, showing us that Your great plan of salvation was established from the foundation of the world. We pray these things in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ, whom You sacrificed for our sakes, Amen.

In our study of chapter 22, we discussed the typology of Abraham's sacrifice, which clearly foreshadowed Christ's sacrifice. The typology continues into this chapter and also into the next chapter. These three chapters mirror the whole of God's plan of redemption. In chapter 22, we saw that Abraham typified the Father, offering His Son (typified by Isaac) as a sacrifice. In chapter 24, Abraham's servant (typifying the Holy Spirit) chooses a bride for Isaac. The typology is strengthened by the fact that Isaac does not appear in the narrative from the time of his sacrifice until he meets his bride in chapter 24. In keeping with the typology, Isaac is not even mentioned here in verse 19 when Abraham comes down from the mountain.

 --Dennis Gleason

 Sermon by Pastor Dennis Gleason -- December 4, 2005