05.027. Chapter 22
Perhaps no scene in the Bible except Calvary itself is more poignant than this one, and none gives a clearer foreshadowing of the death of God’s only, well-beloved Son on the Cross. The supreme test of Abraham’s faith came when God ordered him to offer up Isaac as a burnt offering in the land of Moriah (Genesis 22:1-2). Actually God had no intention of allowing Abraham to go through with it; He has always been opposed to human sacrifice. Moriah is the mountain range where Jerusalem is situated (2 Chronicles 3:1) and also where Calvary stood. God’s words, “thy son, thine only son, Isaac, whom thou lovest” (Genesis 22:2), must have pierced Abraham’s heart like ever-deepening wounds. Isaac was Abraham’s only son in the sense that he was the only son of promise—the unique son, the son of miraculous birth. The first occurrence of a word in the Bible often sets the pattern for its usage throughout Scripture. “Love” (Genesis 22:2) and “worship” (Genesis 22:5) are first found here. Abraham’s love for his son is a faint picture of God’s love for the Lord Jesus. The sacrifice of Isaac was a picture of the greatest act of worship—the Savior’s self-sacrifice to accomplish the will of God.
“Abraham, Abraham” (Genesis 22:11) is the first of ten name duplications found in the Bible. Seven are spoken by God to man (Genesis 22:11; Genesis 46:2; Exodus 3:4; 1 Samuel 3:10; Luke 10:41; Luke 22:31; Acts 9:4). The other three are Matthew 7:21-22; Matthew 23:37; Mark 15:34. They introduce matters of special importance. To offer Isaac was surely the supreme test of Abraham’s faith. God had promised to give Abraham a numberless posterity through his son. Isaac could have been as much as 25 at this time, and he was unmarried. If Abraham slew him, how could the promise be fulfilled? According to Hebrews 11:19, Abraham believed that even if he slew his son, God would raise him from the dead. This faith was remarkable because there was no recorded case of resurrection up to this time in the world’s history. Notice his faith also in Genesis 22:5 : “I and the lad will go yonder and worship and [we will] come again to you.” Abraham was first justified by faith (Genesis 15:6), then justified (vindicated) by works here (see James 2:21). His faith was the means of his salvation, while his works were the proof of the reality of his faith. When Isaac asked, “Where is the lamb?” his father replied, “God will provide [for] Himself a lamb,” This promise was not fulfilled by the ram of verse 13 (a ram is not a lamb), but by the Lamb of John 1:29.
There are two outstanding symbols of Christ in this chapter. Isaac is the first: an only son, loved by his father, willing to do his father’s will, received back from the dead in a figure. The ram is the second: an innocent victim died as a substitute for another, its blood was shed, and it was a burnt offering wholly consumed for God. Someone has said that, in providing the ram as a substitute for Isaac. “God spared Abraham’s heart a pang He would not spare His own.” The angel of the Lord in Genesis 22:11 and Genesis 22:15, as in all the Old Testament, is the Lord Jesus Christ.
Abraham named the place Jehovah-jireh, which means “the Lord sees.” then resultantly “the Lord will provide” (Genesis 22:14). This is one of the seven compound names for God in the Old Testament. The others are:
Jehovah-Rapha—“The Lord that healeth thee” (Exodus 15:26).
Jehovah-Nissi—“The Lord our banner” (Exodus 17:8-15).
Jehovah-Shalom—“The Lord our peace” (Judges 6:24).
Jehovah-Ra-ah (Roi)—“The Lord our Shepherd” (Psalms 23:1).
Jehovah-Tsidkenu—“The Lord our righteousness” (Jeremiah 23:6).
Jehovah-Shammah—“The Lord is present” (Ezekiel 48:35).
God swore by Himself (Genesis 22:18) because He couldn’t swear by anyone greater (Hebrews 6:13). God’s promise in Genesis 22:16-18, confirmed by His oath, includes the blessing of the Gentile nations through Christ. In Genesis 22:17 c God adds to the already vast blessing promised: Abraham’s seed would possess the gate of his enemies. This means that his descendants would “occupy the place of authority over those who would oppose them. The capture of the city gate meant the fall of the city itself.”10
Abraham’s brother Nahor had 12 sons (Genesis 22:20-24) whereas Abraham had only two—Ishmael and Isaac. How this must have tested Abraham’s faith concerning God’s promise of seed like the stars of heaven (Genesis 22:17)! It may have prompted him to send Eliezer in search of a wife for Isaac (Genesis 24:1-47). Notice Rebekah’s name in Genesis 22:23.