Genesis

LIFE is a succession of tests, for character is only possible through discipline. In many lives there is some supreme test to which all others are secondary and preparatory. It was so with Abraham, and we are now to consider the record of the crowning event of his life. For him it was the avenue leading to his closest fellowship with God and his greatest spiritual blessing. For us to-day it still reveals the secret of spiritual power and victory.

The time is noteworthy, "After these things." It was immediately after the new experiences of God recorded in the former chapter (Gen 21:33-34). It is frequently the case that severe tests follow special times of blessing. Our Lord’s temptation followed immediately upon the spiritual experiment of His baptism, and the two events are closely associated by the Evangelists (Mat 4:1; Luk 4:1). Discipline thus proves whether our spiritual experiences have really become part of our life and character, instead of being mere temporary enjoyments and luxuries.

What are we to understand by the words, God did tempt Abraham? The word test better expresses the Divine intention and action. God tests us to bring out the good. Satan tempts us to bring out the evil (Jam 1:12-15).

The description (Gen 22:2) is worthy of careful notice: Thy son, thine only son, whom thou lovest, even Isaac. Thus by point after point Abraham is reminded of the dearest possession of his life, and is asked to give to God his best. Trials that are put upon us with no reason given at the time are the severest tests of all. They call for absolute unquestioning faith, and when responded to in this spirit invariably lead the soul higher and nearer to God. Moriah is mentioned again only once (2Ch 3:1), where the reference is to one of the mountains on which Jerusalem is situated. Some writers think that, as the journey from Beer-sheba to Jerusalem would only take about seventeen hours, it is impossible to believe that Mount Moriah is intended in this chapter. At the same time the tradition that this was the spot is at least as old as Josephus, and, to say nothing of its spiritual appropriateness in view of Calvary, there does not seem any valid reason for rejecting it.

The alacrity of Abraham’s reply to God’s call is very striking, and is evidently intended to be regarded as a prominent feature of the narrative. Some writers are fond of depicting his silent agony, and emphasizing that he did not tell Sarah a word of what God had ordered. There is, however, nothing of this in the narrative. No reluctance, no hesitation, no doubt mark Abraham at this point. He "made haste, and delayed not to keep God’s commandment" (Psa 119:60). He conferred not with flesh and blood (Gal 1:16). This alacrity should be borne in mind as one of the leading and most significant points of the story.

On the third day Abraham came to the end of his journey. His words to the young men need special attention (Gen 22:5). "Abide ye here . . . I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you." It is therefore evident that Abraham fully expected Isaac would come back with him. The conversation between the father and the son is noteworthy and beautiful. The son’s natural question about the lamb is followed by the father’s whole-hearted and confident reply that God will provide it. Notice the repetition of the phrase in Gen 22:6 and Gen 22:8, they went both of them together.

The part of Isaac in this matter is always a subject of great interest. Was there any concurrence on his part? It must be remembered that he had already arrived at man’s estate. Probably as they neared the place Abraham revealed to his son what God had commanded, and also told him what he himself expected as the result of that command. There is no idea in Abraham’s mind that he is doing wrong in sacrificing his son. He was familiar with the practice of human sacrifices from the Canaanites around him, and there was consequently no shock to his conscience in this command. As to the Divine aspect of it, it must be ever remembered that God accommodates His instructions to the moral and spiritual standards of the people at any given time. He knew the end from the beginning, and that He never meant Isaac to be sacrificed. What God desired was not Isaac’s life but Abraham’s loyalty, thus separating between the false and the true in relation to human sacrifice.

At the right moment and not before (Psa 107:27-28), God interposed and stayed Abraham’s hand. By this action God bore unmistakable testimony to the error of the heathen as to human sacrifices, and it is a striking fact that from this time forward the Jews never adopted the practice of human sacrifices until they had sunk to the level of the heathen around them. In this respect the superiority of the Old Testament to the worship and practices of the heathen around is evident to all. God could not have given a better object lesson as to the sin of sacrificing our offspring with the thought that it would be pleasing to Him. God sets His seal upon His servant’s faith, and says, "Now I know that thou fearest God." Abraham was prepared to give God his very best. Faith can do no more. Abraham not only finds that God interposes to prevent him from killing his son, but that his word to his son, "God will provide" is also literally fulfilled. The ram was offered up as a burnt offering in the stead of Isaac.

Abraham called the name of the place "Jehovah- Jireh," thus bearing his testimony to the reality of God’s presence and provision. "The Lord will see to it." This was the secret and assurance of Abraham’s faith and the same is true to-day. As God has saved our souls and made us His own children and servants, so assuredly with reference to the whole of our life The Lord will see to it (cf. Rom 5:10). The place became sanctified to Abraham by a very holy and blessed memory. It is well when we can look back over life s pathway and point to a particular place or time when God revealed Himself to us in blessing.

Again the Voice from heaven was heard. It called to Abraham and acknowledged what had been done: Because thon hast done this. God clearly teaches the patriarch that He regarded the sacrifice as actually offered. The will was taken for the deed.

God now introduces a renewal of the promises by a specially solemn oath: "By Myself have I sworn." This expression is only found very rarely in Scripture, and indicates the most solemn oath possible (Isa 45:23; Jer 22:5; Jer 49:13; Heb 4:13-14). These promises should be compared with those given on the former occasions (Gen 12:2-3; Gen 13:10; Gen 15:5; Gen 17:4-8).

We can easily picture the glad satisfaction with which Abraham returned to the young men with Isaac his son. He had said they would come back, and they had. He had proved that God was true, and, having loyally accepted and fulfilled God’s will, he was filled with joy and peace.

1. The simplicity of faith.

Faith in the case of Abraham, as indeed in every other instance, is taking God at His word. True faith is nothing more, as it is nothing less, than this. God speaks: man believes. This is the true idea involved in the phrase implicit trust, a trust that relies upon God without having his reasons unfolded to us. This simple faith, taking God at His word, is always at the foundation of the Believer’s peace and restfulness, strength and progress.

2. The strength of faith.

The entire absence from the narrative of any suggestions about Abraham’s emotions or self-sacrifice is surely very significant. He had received certain promises from God about his son, and he was perfectly certain that those promises would be fulfilled. In the strength of this assurance he went forward, his attitude being that of Job: "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him" (Job 13:15). Abraham’s faith showed its strength in the way in which he fully expected his son Isaac to return with him to the young men (Gen 22:5). We will come again to you. Nothing can affect the force of this splendid expectation of Abraham. What, then, did the words imply? Simply this: that whilst he believed at that moment that God intended him to slay his son, he nevertheless felt perfectly certain that God would there and then raise Isaac from the dead and send him back alive. Only thus could Abraham then see that the promises concerning his seed were to be fulfilled. What a magnificent exercise of faith this was! There had never been such an event as a resurrection, and so Abraham had no previous example to suggest this result or to encourage his faith thereby. But with a splendid sweep of God-given imagination, based upon God’s personal relation to him, he said to himself, God will raise my son from the dead.

3. The source of faith.

The foundation of this remarkable confidence was Abraham’s conviction of the power of God: Accounting that God was able (Heb 11:17-19). The whole passage from the Epistle to the Hebrews shows that this is the true explanation of this incident, and so far from this view being, as is sometimes alleged, a mere coup de theatre, it was in reality a marvellous exercise of faith when it is remembered that no instance had then been known of God’s power being exercised in the resurrection from the dead. God was such a reality to Abraham, and His promises were so certain, that the patriarch at once drew the inevitable and natural conclusion that God’s power could and would effect thin.

4. The secret of faith.

How was it that Abraham was able to exercise this unquestioning and even astonishing trust in God? The explanation is found in the phrase, which occurs twice in this chapter, "Here am I." Abraham lived in close fellowship with God, ready for His new revelations and responsive to His continual calls. Abiding close to God, he learnt more and more of the character of the One with Whom he was in covenant. The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him, and when we thus abide in Him He abides in us, and our faith grows strong, our love grows deep, our hope grows high. Then it is we stagger not through unbelief (Rom 4:20), and we are able to say: "The Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded; therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed" (Isa 1:7).