The sacrifice of Abraham and Isaac

How can God, who commands "You shall not murder", ask Abraham to kill his only son? What was the deal with the sacrifice of Abraham and Isaac?

Genesis 22:1.17

Abraham's Faith Confirmed

Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." Then He said, "Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you." So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you." So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together. But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, "My father!" And he said, "Here I am, my son." Then he said, "Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" And Abraham said, "My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering." So the two of them went together. Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" So he said, "Here I am." And He said, "Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me." Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. And Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, "In the Mount of the LORD it shall be provided." Then the Angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, and said: "By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies.

Abraham and Isaac walked the rest of the way to the mountain by themselves. Isaac carried the wood for the burnt offering. When they arrived on the spot that God had told, Abraham started to build an altar.

The building took some time. Abraham must have been hoping and waiting for another solution. But then the altar was ready. The wood was ready to be set on fire. Abraham tied his son and lifted him on top of the wood.

Isaac was not a little boy anymore, he was a young man. He could have run away or fought. Isaac must have voluntarily succumb to the will of his father and God.

A Jewish historian Josephus states that Isaac was 25 years at the time. It is also possible that Isaac was a little over 30 years, like Jesus was, when he died.

Josephus says that Abraham told Isaac of God's plan to take Isaac to be with Him and Abraham offered himself as sacrifice instead of Isaac. But Isaac wanted to submit to God's decision.

An example of Jesus' sacrifice

Sacrificing Isaac was a model and prophecy about how "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life". (John 3:16)
Here is probably one reason why God gave the order in the following form: "Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love". In context with Jesus' baptism God announced: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." (Matthew 3:17) Abraham did not need to sacrifice his son. Only at Calvary was the sacrifice done.

In the story of sacrificing Isaac there are many common features with the descriptions of Jesus' passion:

1) Abraham and Isaac went the rest of the way by themselves. Jesus also walked the end of his path with only his father - even the disciples deserted him.
2) Isaac carried the wood for the sacrifice himself. Jesus carried his own cross.
3) Isaac submitted to the will of his father and God. Jesus said that no one takes his life from him, but he himself gives it. (John 10:17-18)
4) In the Epistle to the Hebrews is said that Abraham got his son back as a sign of resurrection. Jesus died, but resurrected and through his resurrection prepared a bodily resurrection for us.

God knows what he is doing

When the angel of God had stopped Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, he said: "now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me."

The Lord said this because of Abraham. He knew already in advance what was going to happen. Nothing, even the future, is a secret to God.

Abraham's attitude was proven in how he obeyed God. James says in his letter that in Abraham's actions his faith became realized, the faith of which this passage is said about: "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." (James 2:21-26)

An animal was set ready at the scene to be sacrificed, although Abraham had not seen it earlier. When Abraham and Isaac walked towards the place where the sacrifice was to be done, Isaac asked his father where the lamb for the offering was. Abraham replied: "My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering."

Without knowing, Abraham said a great truth. God provided the ram for the offering instead of Isaac. God gave Jesus to be offered instead of us.

In the Book of Revelation is told that the slain Lamb's Book of Life is written already before the world was created (Revelation 13:8) In other words, God has chosen a Lamb to be offered already before the world existed. When John the Baptist saw Jesus coming to him, he pointed at Jesus and said: "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"

A lot happened on the mountain

Abraham named the place The-Lord-Will-Provide and the writer adds that still in his time it was said that "In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided." God had provided both the offering and the place for it.

God had told Abraham to go to the land of Moriah and on to one of the mountains which God would tell him. The journey from Beersheba took three days, so probably the mountain in Moria is the same one that the Bible mentions later as well.

In the 2 Chronicles is told that Solomon built a temple on the spot where his father David had commanded, on Mount Moriah, the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, where God had appeared to David. (2 Chronicles 3:1)

On the same mountain where Abraham built an altar to sacrifice his son and God stopped the destruction in David's time, God himself reconciled the world to himself through Jesus! (2 Corinthians 5:19)

But first a temple was built there, where a massive amount of animals were offered throughout centuries. Both the temple and the numerous offerings were models of the Lamb of God, who took away the sins of the world.

When Jesus died on the cross, the veil in the temple covering the holiest of holies was torn in two. It was a sign that the Lord of the temple had died and the way to the heavenly holiest of holies was open. Reality had replaces symbols. (Luke 23:45-46, Hebrews 9:12,24)

Questions

When did you have a hard time obeying God?
Is it easy to believe in God's goodness?
What does it mean to you that God has given his only son to die for you?

Prayer

 
Thank you that you have given your only son to die for my. Help me to understand and be grateful for what you have done for me. Teach me to be obedient to you, give me willingness to live according to your Word. I want to trust your good will. Amen

 

 

Text from Pirkko Valkama's book A Blessing to all nations

Translation by Eeva-Maija Aaltonen