20250713 Genesis 22, “Now I know…”

Genesis 22 is a climax in the Abraham narrative. It is about the test of Abraham's faith, and the ultimate illustration of faith working itself out in obedience (James 2:20-24).

In the Abraham narrative, God makes epic promises and on almost every page, those promises are at risk. Abraham took Lot with him who puts the land promise at risk in Gen 13. Twice Abraham gives his wife away which puts the offspring promise at risk. From time to time, Abraham’s faith leads him to be a blessing to the nations, but he also lacks care for others. Now, Genesis 22 seals Abraham's legacy as the man of faith and confirms once more God's promises to Abraham.

Genesis 22 is important for the rest of the Bible. Genesis 22 presents the theme of a substitute sacrifice on Mount Moriah which foreshadows the sacrificial system in the Temple. For Christians, we understand these sacrifices as pointing to Jesus as our substitute. The combination of a substitute sacrifice by one who is willing to give up his only son whom he loves offers us a picture of God’s love for us. Genesis 22 anticipates what God does for us in Christ.

We will study Genesis 22 in three points. Genesis 22 is about God's test (Gen 22:1-2), Abraham’s faith (Gen 22:3-10), and God’s provision (Gen 22:11-19).

First, we look at the test in Gen 22:1-2.

Genesis 22:1-2

Gen 22:1-2 God tells Abraham to offer up his son as a burnt offering. This sounds like a morally appalling request, but the reader gets extra information. Gen 22:1 states, “After these things, God tested Abraham.” The reader knows from verse 1, that nothing bad will happen. It is a test. Some people get outraged at the God of the Bible for this request to sacrifice Isaac, but Abraham is not outraged, and we should not be either. The reader has extra information, it is a test.

In Gen 22:2, Isaac is called Abraham's “only son”, “whom Abraham loves.” Isaac is the only son Abraham has left after he sent Ishmael away in Gen 21. Isaac is the son that God promised him. Because of God’s promises to Abraham, Isaac is also the son God needs to fulfill his promises to Abraham. God does not need anything. But once he makes promises, he binds himself to those promises. This means that nothing can happen to Isaac.

Abraham is told to go to “the land of Moriah.” According to 2 Chron 3:1, this is where Jerusalem will be and Mount Moriah is where Solomon builds the temple. There is a connection between the mountain where Abraham builds his altar for Isaac and the future temple. The word “Moriah” means, “provision.” Already, in this name, there is a hint to where the story is going. Abraham needs to offer his son in the place where “God provides”![i]

This account is about a test of whether Abraham will trust in God. A burnt offering expresses a giving of oneself entirely to God. This is a test of whether Abraham fully trust’s God not just what God promises.[ii]

Application

For us, the application is not, “Do you love God so much that you would sacrifice your son to him?” Isaac was connected with the salvation of the world in some way that none of our children are. God would never ask us to offer up our sons like he asked Abraham.

Christian tests include two things – We have God’s promises and we have God commands. When we are in difficult situations, the test is, will we continue to obey God because we believe his promises?

The following are 12 of God’s promises to all Christians. Twelve might sound like a lot but it is good to be overwhelmed by God’s promises!

(1) His Faithfulness: God remains true to his nature and to his promises. The promise of God's faithfulness guarantees the eleven promises that follow (Deut 7:9; Num 23:19; 1 Thess 5:24).

(2) His love: If you are a Christian, God accepts you (John 6:37) and delights in you. He does not delight in your sin but that you exist (Ps 139:13-14), that you are his child (John 1:12). He even sings over you (Zeph 3:17).

(3) His Presence: God is with us. Jesus’ name was Immanuel, God with us (Matt 1:23; Mat 28:20; Isa 41:10; Josh 1:9; Heb 13:5). Now, the Holy Spirit who is the comforter is with us forever (John 14:16-17; Ps 46:1). Ps 46:1 says, God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble.

(4) His Forgiveness: There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ (Rom 8:1; 1 John 1:9). Jesus offers for all time one sacrifice for sins (Heb 10:12). According to John 3:16, "God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). God promises and guarantees our forgiveness.

(5) His Wisdom and Guidance: God promises to give wisdom to all who ask. This is wisdom to apply biblical knowledge to reflect the character of Christ to make us more like him. God teaches us the way we should go (Ps 32:8). When difficulty comes, no matter how deep we have dug ourselves into a pit, God gives wisdom generously to all without reproach (James 1:5). We can remain faithful to God in our suffering because of the wisdom he supplies us.

(6) His Peace: God promises peace of mind (Phil 4:6-7). This is peace with God (John 14:24) but also his peace amidst anxiety. This peace can sustain believers through trials.

(7) His power: In the book of Acts, God’s power makes our witness effective (Acts 1:8), but God also gives us power to do his will (Phil 2:13; Philippians 4:13) and to resist temptation (1 Cor 10:13).

(8) His Care: God cares for us through his commandments. Deut 10:13 tells us God's commandments are for our good. Peter wrote, "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."

(9) His Transformation: When we worship, God transforms us from one degree of glory to another (2 Cor 3:18). He is conforming us to the image of his son (Rom 8:29).

(10) His gift of eternal life: Eternal life is knowing Jesus. This abundant life is one where we enjoy today, harmony with God, within ourselves, and with others. We enjoy peace with God. The good news of Jesus diminishes our shame, fear, and anxiety. The good news of forgiveness and reconciliation offers us a new way of relating to others.

(11) His Security: In this life, “neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height not depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom 8:38-39). No one can snatch us out of God’s hand (John 10:29).

(12) His future: God promises glory that we will not be able to compare with our present sufferings (Rom 8:18). It is a future in which there will be no more death or mourning, or crying, or pain (Rev 21:4).

If we know the abundance of God’s promises, the test is what do we do when things get hard? Do we continue to trust God even when his ways are less appealing? Do we trust him when disobeying may lead to great romantic fulfillment, comfort, and inclusion.

If you are dating a person who is not encouraging you to become more like Christ, trusting God’s promises means putting that relationship on pause or maybe sometimes ending it. Trusting God and his promises means loving a friend so much that you love them more than your relationship and risk being gentle and honest with them about their sin. Trusting in God’s love, care, and peace sustains us in our obedience. We have God’s promises and commands. Our test is, do we still obey when things get hard.

The Faith Gen 22:3-10

Genesis 22:3-10

Genesis 22:3-10 offer at least four hints of Abraham’s faith. First, in Gen 22:3, Abraham rose up early. He does not waste time to obey God. Second, in Gen 22:5, Abraham referring to himself and Isaac, says to his young men, “We will go over there, we will worship, and we will come again to you.” Abraham seems to trust that God will provide and Isaac will return with him. A third hint of Abraham’s faith is when Isaac asks him about the offering, Abraham responds, “God will see to it,” or God will provide. This is the same word that gives the name Moriah in Gen 22:2. A fourth hint or actual proof of Abraham’s faith is that he binds Isaac on the altar and in Gen 22:10, Abraham has his hand stretched out to slaughter his son.

In Gen 21:12, God promised Abraham, “through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” Now, God tells Abraham to offer up his Son, and Abraham was about to kill his son. We must conclude that Abraham believed that God would raise his son from the dead. The author of Hebrews comes to this conclusion, in Heb 11:17-19. He writes, “17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, 18 of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 19 He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.”

Application

In James 2:20-24, James shows that Christian faith cannot be separated from works. He teaches that Abraham showed his faith through his actions. We are saved by faith alone, but saving faith is never alone. Abraham seemed ready to offer up his only son and in Jesus' ministry, he taught that our faith will affect how we view our children. There is a sense in which like Abraham, we do have to offer them up.

In Matt 19:29, Jesus said, “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.” It sounds so extreme, but he said it. I hope it will look more like how it did for Hannah in 1 Samuel.

In 1 Samuel, Hannah was barren. This is how she prays for a child in 1 Sam 1:11, “O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, ….” Hannah offered to give back what she was asking for. What if this characterized our faith? What if we examined our hearts desires and considered what it could look like to give what we ask back to God? Singles, wanting to get married, the married wanting children, young ambitious people who want careers. What would it look like, to dedicate our marriages, children, and careers to God? Abraham did it. Hannah did it. If God is our foundation, his promises are our fuel, and our faith is visible in how we live our lives.

The Provision (Gen 22:11-19)

Genesis 22:11-19

By Gen 22:11, Abraham is about to slaughter his son, but God provides at Moriah the Mountain of provision. The angel of the Lord says in Gen 22:12, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.”[iii]

In Gen 22:13-14, God provides a substitute. Abraham finds a ram stuck in a thick bush. Gen 22:13 reads, “Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son.” The word “instead” makes it clear that this ram is a substitute. What Abraham does, substituting an animal for his son, is what the Passover meal is about. God passed over and did not kill the firstborn of Israel because of the blood of lamb (Exod 13:15).

The day of atonement in Lev 16 was a yearly reminder of the need for a substitute to be offered for the people’s sin. Some commentators have noted the similar language between Gen 22:13 and the description of the day of Atonement in Lev 16. For Israelites familiar with all the sacrifices, in Genesis 22, they identify with Isaac and recognize their need for a substitute because of their sin.

The idea in the OT of one dying on behalf of another also occurs in Isaiah 53. Isaiah 53 applies the substitute concept to a suffering righteous king who will die instead of his people for their sins. The NT authors apply all these themes of a substitutionary sacrifice to Jesus. Jesus is the lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29), our Passover lamb, (1 Cor 5:7), God’s one and only Son whom he loves and offers up. He is the suffering King who dies for his people.

In Gen 22:14, Abraham confirms what he said earlier in Gen 22:8, “the Lord will provide.” (Gen 22:8). “The Lord will provide” becomes the name of the place, he says, "on the mountain of the Lord it shall be provided." Mount Moriah will be the location of the temple, where sacrifices are offered, and not too far, the Lord will provide once and for all, with the death of his son.

The account ends with Gen 22:15-18 with a repeat of all the promises God made to Abraham. These promises reinforce the idea, that God provides. We can believe God’s promises because of God’s character. Because of human weakness, God helps our faith in different ways. He repeats his promises to guarantee his promises. He enters into a covenant to guarantee his promises. He gives signs of the covenant to guarantee his promises. In Genesis 22, he does something new to guarantee his promises. God says, “By myself I have sworn.” What a guarantee!! The author of Hebrews comments on this verse in Heb 6:13-17 saying, “ 13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, … 16 For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. 17 So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath.” So, once more God guarantees his promises and the certainty of his provision.

God repeats and adds clarity to the three promises of Gen 12:1-3. He will give Abraham offspring that cannot be counted. The Promised Land will be acquired through conquering the gate of their enemy. The way Abraham will bless the families of the world is through his offspring.

Application

This is how God’s provision of a substitute applies to us. The phrase, of Gen 22:12, “you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me” sounds like Rom 8:32. Paul writes “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” Paul refers to God not withholding his son, his only son from us.

Tim Keller suggests that if Abraham had been present at Jesus’ crucifixion, he would have said God’s words of Gen 22:12 back to him, “Now I know that you love me, because you did not withhold your son, your only son, whom you loved from me.” These can be our words every time we remember the Gospel. We know God loves us and has already provided for us.

Abraham gives us a picture of the price, but the Father delivered the price fully. Now we know that God loves us because he has given us his son, his only son whom he loves. This love in turn moves us and motivates us to offer up our lives as spiritual worship (Rom 12:1-2).

Conclusion

Do you love God enough to kill your son is the wrong question. God loves us enough to give his only son. We can trust him even when things get hard. Faith is choosing to obey when not obeying is easier. God provides for Abraham on the mountain of provision. For years on that mountain, God provided for his people through sacrifices in the temple. Ultimately, God provides for those who trust in him through the offering of his only Son, our Lord Jesus.

 

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[i] Matthews, NAC, 291.

[ii] Gen 22 begins like Genesis 12 with a call to go where God will show him. Burnt offerings involved “burning the whole animal… [expressing] that the offerer is giving himself entirely to God.” (Wenham, WBC, 105). God promised Abraham, offspring, land, and blessing. All these promises are bound up in Isaac. This is a “test of Abraham’s relationship with Yahweh. It asks whether Abraham’s trust is really in God, and not simply in what God has promised.” (T. W. Mann, The Book of the Torah (Atlanta: John Knox, 1988), 45.)

[iii] From a theological standpoint, the phrase, “Now I know” can be strange coming from God’s messenger. Walton writes that “We must differentiate between knowledge as cognition and knowledge as experience. We can agree that God knew ahead of time what Abraham was going to do.” God already knew, but now he knows through experience. Walton, NIVAC, Bridging the Gaps, Gen 22