FATHER OFFERS HIS SON AS A LIVING SACRIFICE. Genesis 22

Part 2

Abraham offers a son as a living sacrifice.

Abraham recognised the place of sacrifice from God’s description. ‘He built an altar, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac ( 33 years old ) his son, and laid him on the altar’. What a physical achievement for an old man! His heart must have broken to have seen his submissive son meekly lying on the crude altar. ( v9). Elijah later prepared an altar and contested the pagan Baal worshippers. God valued altar-builders. Have you established your family altar?

‘Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. ( v10) While he detested heathenish child sacrifice, this did not bar him from total obedience to the living God, the special feature of Abraham and Sarah.

All heaven saw his faithfulness as ‘the Angel of the Lord ( probably the Lord Jesus Christ in His pre-incarnation ministry ) called to him out of heaven. ‘ ( v11).

His name was repeated with the urgent restraint, ‘Abraham, Abraham, ‘ Heaven unmistakeably prevented the act. Often in the scriptures, the name is repeated, such as ‘Samuel, Samuel’,’ Martha, Martha,’ ‘ Saul, Saul.’ Heaven overruled in that double call. ‘Here am I’ was the relieved answer.

‘Lay not your hand on the lad, neither do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son (this was repeated ) from Me.’ The Lord longed to speak that of you and me. It was a precursor of that great truth in Romans 8:32, ‘ He that did not withhold His own son, but freely delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not also together with Him, freely give us all things.’ Calvary was linked with Abraham’s offering of his son.

God provided a substitute for the beloved son and heir of Abraham and Sarah.

‘Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: And Abraham took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. ( v13) The ram had been caught by its horns ( eloquent of power and leadership ) but the flesh would not be torn , and so it was without blemish and spot. It met God’s requirements; exactly as our Lord and Redeemer judicially satisfied His Father when He hung on the cross. . The aroma from the burnt offering delighted the Father in heaven. God was propitiated

The second use of the title ‘Jehovah’ was seen in the naming of the place ‘Jehovah Jireh’ , which means ‘in the mount it shall be seen’ and also ’The Lord shall provide’.

The substitutionary death of the Lord Jesus 2000 years later was enacted on this mount, as the Father provided our great salvation,

The Angel of the Lord called again from heaven’s glory,’ You have done this thing, and you have not withheld your son, your only son. God repeated these intimate words ,

‘In blessing, I will bless you. In multiplying, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and as the sand on the seashore. And your seed shall possess the gate of his enemies.’ Did God exaggerate? Medically, every emission of semen contains 100’s of millions of spermatozoa. The body reproduces them continually. God’s word is factually acceptable. We must defend it. Our Lord fed 5000 men ( women and children boosted the numbers ) from five barley loaves and two small fish, as our Lord demonstrated His reproduction.

God’s Presence and Abraham’s submission on Mount Moriah climaxed in a stupendous bible prophecy, namely ‘ In Your seed, all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; because you have obeyed My voice.’ ( v18)

Isaac was restored to his beloved father and mother; and from that lineage our Lord Jesus was born of the virgin Mary. Likewise his adopted father Joseph was descended from the same line. Our Lord had foreseen the miracle of the incarnation. Hence all heaven rejoiced. Our Saviour was made in the likeness of sinful man , and He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. ( Phil 2:8)

This old Testament passage presented a powerful missionary parallel, ‘ For in your seed, all nations of the earth shall be blessed.’ The heart of the father God yearned that the glorious gospel should reach every nation of men and women. In this chapter God pressed for every soul to hear of His great salvation in our Lord Jesus Christ.