Genesis 22 Exegesis: The Faith of Abraham
Join me. The view is spectacular.
Before seminary, I might have heard the word “exegesis” across a pulpit here and there and figured it was a super technical theology term. Exa-Jesus. Or something. Who would’ve thought, after all these years, I’d be training in exegesis and learning to spell it, too! This deep dive into the Biblical text is precise and demanding and fascinating. “Exegesis,” it turns out, is a Greek word meaning “to lead out”—as in, the “leading out” of Scripture’s meaning and application for the church. In class, we study how to consider the original language of a passage, as well as the surrounding historical context and the wider Scriptural context of redemptive history—meaning, where does this episode fit within God’s long-game plan of redemption? We start by evaluating the author’s purpose in writing this particular history to his original audience, and then, because it is God’s inspired word to every age, we attempt to faithfully apply it to the church today. We also consult well-informed commentaries from faithful scholars that help lend insight to the passage; and in this way, iron sharpens iron and the church continues to build itself up in the faith and kick this (formidable) can down the road. (And if you wonder why in the world this kind of meticulous scholarly study of Scripture even matters, as I used to, join me in my own lightbulb moment of realizing, who did I think researched and wrote all those illuminating historical, archaeological, and theological footnotes in my Study Bible all this time? A thousand monkeys at a thousand typewriters?)
Earlier this year, as an exegetical assignment, our class was tasked to exegete the well-known passage in which God instructs Abraham to sacrifice his promised child, Isaac. It’s a tough and tricky and treasure-filled piece on deeper review. I thought you might enjoy looking over my shoulder at the kind of work we do in school. The first section is our own translation from the Hebrew, with footnotes defending why we chose a particular word or phrase over another—sometimes even against a well-known translation, like the NIV. The next few sections focus on key words worth highlighting, literary style, the wider historical and redemptive-historical context, and how the passage is referenced or echoed within the wider canon of inspired Scripture (and as this one centers on Abraham as the Father of Faith and his Ultimate Test, it tends to come up a lot with later authors). I received an encouraging grade and notes from my professor, so I can be reasonably confident that, at minimum, I am not passing on heresy to you. Am I passing on a paper as riveting to you as it was to me to research? Who can say. I now present to you my exegetical work on Genesis 22, the famous “Binding of Isaac.” Enjoy it! Or don’t!
Annotated Translation Genesis 22:1-19
1 And it was after these things,[1] God[2] tested Abraham. And he said to him, “Abraham!” And he replied, “Here I am.” 2 And he said, “Take now[3] your son, your only one, whom you love, Isaac,[4] and go[5] to the land of Moriah and sacrifice[6] him there for a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I will say to you.” 3 So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled[7] his donkey, and he took two of his servant boys[8] with him and with Isaac his son. And he cut up wood for the offering, and he rose and went to the place which God said to him. 4 On the third day, Abraham lifted[9] his eyes and saw the place from a distance.[10] 5 And Abraham said to his servant boys, “Stay here with the donkey, and I and the boy shall go further, and we shall worship and then we shall return[11] to you.” 6 And Abraham took the wood for the offering and placed it on Isaac, his son, and he took in his hand[12] the fire and the cleaver.[13] And they both walked on together.[14] 7 Then Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father.”[15] And he said, “Here I am, my son.” And he said, “Here is the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the offering?” 8 And Abraham said, “God will provide for himself[16] the lamb for the offering, my son.” And they both walked on together. 9And they came to the place which God had said to him. And Abraham built there the altar, and he arranged the wood and bound Isaac his son and placed him on the altar on top of the wood.[17] 10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the cleaver to slaughter[18] his son. 11 And the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven and he said, “Abraham! Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 12 And he said, “Do not stretch out your hand[19] against the boy, and do not do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, for you have not withheld your only son from me.” 13 Then Abraham lifted his eyes and saw, and behold! a ram behind him[20] was caught in the thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son. 14 And Abraham called the name of that place, “The LORD Will Provide,” which is said to this day, “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.” 15 And the angel of the LORD called out to Abraham a second time from heaven. 16 And he said, “I swear[21] by Myself, a declaration of the LORD, that because you have done this thing and have not withheld your only son, 17 that I will surely[22] bless you and I will greatly[23] increase[24] your seed as the stars of the heavens and as sand on the seashore. And your seed will possess the gate of his enemies.[25] 18 And every nation of the earth will be blessed in your seed, because you obeyed my voice. 19 And Abraham returned to his servant boys, and they arose and went together to Beersheba. And Abraham dwelled in[26] Beersheba.
[1] I chose to translate “after these things,” per the ESV and NASB, against the NIV dynamic translation, “sometime later.” Considering that ch. 21 opens with God bringing about for Sarah “what He had promised,” as well as the expulsion of Hagar and Ishmael, which mirrors similar themes in ch. 22, this translation seems more fitting to introduce the narrative; the test happened conspicuously after “these things.” See Kenneth Mathews, Commentary, 289.
[2] Waw conjunctive with distinct speaker, places emphasis on “God” and sets the theme of the entire chapter: God tests Abraham; the pericope begins and ends with his action and purpose. See AC §3.5.4.a.
[3] Interjection of entreaty or exhortation, usually rendered “please” or “I pray” when addressed to an equal, but as here used by God to a human, it is best translated as “now.” This particle, rarely used by God, alerts the reader to his gracious acknowledgment of the weight of the “ask.” See Wenham, Word, 104.
[4] The ESV changes the order of appositives to move “Isaac” before “whom you love,” which Alter claims is misguided. The original listing of descriptives increases in levels of dearness to Abraham, as highlighted by the Midrash, and, again, emphasizes the weight of the request. See Robert Alter, Genesis, 103.
[5] Reflexive use of preposition לְ. See AC §4.1.10.m.
[6] NIV: “sacrifice him,” rather than “offer him.” BDB has “cause to ascend (in flame), offer sacrifice.” BDB, 749 While I would normally prefer to echo the same root of “offer” and “burnt offering,” I believe “sacrifice” more appropriately describes the violent act required of Abraham—that he himself must kill and sacrifice his only son.
[7] NIV “loaded” vs. “saddled” (NASB, ESV). BDB has “binding,” specifically a beast of burden, but note that it is not the same word for the “binding” of Isaac, used only once in the OT—the “Akkedah.” See Important Grammar and Words.
[8] I prefer to retain the word “boy” here, נַעַר, while qualifying it as “servant boys,” so that it doesn’t take on our idiom for one’s sons—“his boys.” However, I did want to reflect the use of the same Hebrew word for the servants and for Isaac; one tends to assume full-grown servants attending their master, and it adds tender sorrow to the story to see Abraham taking along a small group of young lads (or teens, per Wenham, 103) on his difficult mission.
[9] ESV and NASB literally translate “lifted up” or “raised” his eyes, whereas NIV translates idiomatically, “looked up.” I chose the more literal rendering.
[10] All three English Bibles translate this differently—“In the distance,” “from afar,” or “from a distance”—but I went with BDB. BDB, 935.
[11] Cohortatives of resolve. See AC §3.3.3.a. Only the NIV emphasizes “we will worship and then we will come back to you.” Although implied in the other phrasings (“we will worship and then return to you,” NASB), I find that repeating the cohortative heightens the drama and shows Abraham clearly stating their return—whether he believes this, or he is telling a white lie (less likely since it would be pointlessly overturned as soon as he returned without Isaac. Also Hebrews’ later revelation on Abraham’s faith-filled reasoning. See Setting the Context: Canonical.)
[12] The ESV and NASB translate literally Abraham “took in his hand,” but the NIV interprets with an emphasis on, “he himself took,” meaning, “as for Abraham, he took the fire and knife.” However, there appears no special need beyond a simple translation, “and he took the fire in his hand,” per BDB. BDB, 391
[13] Alter appropriates Speiser’s translation of “cleaver,” insisting that this is no ordinary knife, but one specifically used in butchering animals. Relates to the use of “slaughter” and “binding” in later verses and heightens the sacrificial brutality of the action to be taken against Isaac. See Robert Alter, Genesis, 105.
[14] The NIV does not end this verse with the phrase, “and they both walked on together,” but instead moves it to a temporal clause to introduce the next vignette: “As the two of them went on together…” This does not faithfully reflect the final sof pasuq of the Hebrew which ends the sentence, and the literal translation should be retained to reflect the repeating “bookends” of the same phrase in this passage. See Structure.
[15] NIV does not have possessive “(my) Father,” and has Abraham reply colloquially, “Yes, my son?” rather than, “Here I am, my son.” Both “here I am” and “here is (the fire)” are rooted in the Hebrew הִנֵּה. I prefer to retain the original Hebrew expression, in order to bring out echoes in the narrative. Also meaningful to note that in this phrase, Abraham demonstrates a heartfelt availability to both God and to Isaac throughout this narrative (vv. 1, 7, 11).
[16] ESV and NASB both have “God will provide for himself,” reflecting the reflexive use of the preposition לְ. See AC §4.1.10.m. NIV has “God himself will provide the lamb,” which is accurate but misses the nuance of God both requiring and providing unto himself the required sacrifice.
[17] The ESV renders v. 9 as a run-on sentence, which is appropriate in the Hebrew, but which I think needs to be broken up in English, per the NIV. Dr. Sklar underscored the breathless “build” of this verse, just as the angel of the LORD breaks in, so the run-on is likely intentional. In the English, however, it risks sounding clunky.
[18] ESV and NASB “slaughter” vs. NIV “slay.” “Slaughter” more correctly evokes the sacrificial sense of the word, and the horror of the violence of the act. BDB, 1006.
[19] I chose BDB’s literal “stretch out the hand against” vs. NIV’s dynamic “lay a hand.” BDB, 1018.
[20] Masoretic text has “one” (אֶחָד). Textual criticism, however, would have us select the more difficult reading, hence my translation choice: “behind (him)” (אַחַר).
[21] ESV and NASB have Pluperfect “by myself I have sworn,” whereas NIV renders Present tense, “I swear by myself.” I chose Performative use of the Perfect, in which an action occurs by means of speaking. See AC §3.2.1.f.
[22] Emphatic use of the infinitive absolute. See AC §3.4.2.b.
[23] Emphatic use of the infinitive absolute. See AC §3.4.2.b.
[24] I reflect the infinitive absolute here, against the NIV’s flattening of the emphatic nature of the promise: “and make your descendants as numerous as the stars…”
[25] With NASB, I translated literally as singular “seed,” and “his enemies.” Foreshadowing of the Messiah?
[26] NIV has Abraham “stayed in” Beersheba, rather than “lived/dwelled in.”
Important Grammar and Words
A closer look at four important words can help illuminate the meaning of this passage. The first word, עָקַד, means “to bind,” and is the only use of this word in Scripture.[1] It is used in extrabiblical Rabbinic literature to refer to the binding of an animal’s legs for sacrifice.[2] “The Akkedah,” the informal title of this testing narrative arising from the root word, would become a central and colorful piece of Jewish rabbinic culture and writings; it stood as a singular event in Jewish history and came to invoke singular deliverance for Israel from future enemies.[3] The unique use of the word also emphasizes the uniqueness of the test for the father of faith and the son of promise (see Application). Next, the word נִסָּ֖ה appears in the first line and sets the theme for the whole chapter. The word means to “test,” “try,” “prove,” and this is the first mention of God “testing” someone in Scripture.[4] It won’t be the last—Abraham’s descendants of faith will continue to be tested in their obedience to YHWH. Indeed, later, Moses reminds Israel that God “tested you, to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commandments” (Deut. 8:2). The people of God are regularly tested, not because the omniscient God does not already know the hearts of men, which are “laid bare before him” (Heb. 4:13), but because an obedient faith is vital to receiving the blessings of God. Unfortunately, the word can be employed negatively; the people of Israel soon “try” God’s patience in the wilderness and even get a place named censoriously after their error, מַסָּה, from the same root (Exod. 17:7). Christians should heed these stories and determine to pass our own tests of faith and perseverance. Scripture gives great testimony of those who persevere and receive the crown of life (c.f. the “Hall of Faith” of Hebrews 11); thus, we have much encouragement to withstand the test and pass into eternal blessing and glory in the presence of God!
בָּרַךְ, “to bless,” is another word worth highlighting, as God has previously promised to bless Abraham, but when he has passed the test, the LORD now says, “I will blessingly (greatly—infinitive absolute) bless!” Moreover, the blessing is not only for Abraham, but for the nations who will be blessed by Abraham’s seed, which we understand to be fulfilled in the Messiah and spread unto the ends of the earth. We can be encouraged that when God promises blessing, it is not only for us but is meant to flow through us to bless others. The verb, interestingly, also means “to kneel,” and had connotations of “praise” in early Aramaic. “To kneel down” is, in fact, the first definition, with the subcategory “a. of God,” revealing that to bless God means to kneel before him in reverence and fear—a consistent characteristic of Abraham.[5] Finally, we consider the word יְרֵא, which is used as a participle and means “you are fearing,” or “you are a fearer of God.” This is a substantial theme in the Bible, as God is always on the search for a heart that fears him (Jer. 17:10). Fear of God is not presented in the negative sense of recoiling from a destructive force, but rather holding a high respect for and an obedience toward the glorious and sovereign LORD. Although BDB does hold both negative and positive definitions in its purview, including “to be afraid,” or the noun, “object of terror,” the definitions veer toward “reverence” and “honor” when it comes to God. BDB reminds us that in Scripture, it is the fear of God that is “the beginning of wisdom” in both Psalms and Proverbs.[6] To fear God is to treat him with reverence and attend to his words, as Abraham exemplifies by showing a willingness to obey God rather than grasp even his most precious possession if the LORD requires it. Indeed, Abraham shows by action what true “fear” of God entails.
A very important word, רָאָה, “to see,” is highly thematic for this passage; Abraham “sees” the place the LORD shows him to sacrifice, then “sees” the ram in the thicket, his gracious substitute sacrifice, and finally names the place “The LORD Will See to It (Provide).” There is a richness of seeing, showing, provision and response in both parties here through this one word, as Abraham sees (and obeys) God’s instructions, and God sees to the fulfilling of his own promises to Abraham. BDB contains many listings relating to observation, such as “perceive,” “give attention to,” and “cause to see/show.”[7] The range of words highlights the mutual attention offered and required in a relationship between God and man—if we observe his word and look for his help, he will see to his promises and provide for us. It also recalls a significant earlier interchange between YHWH and Hagar, close to death in the desert, who is the first person to name God in the Bible; after his gracious provision, she calls him “The One Who Sees Me,” and says, “I have seen the one who sees me” (Gen. 16:13). As these OT actors attest, it is wondrous to be seen by the LORD who provides (sees) a way in impossible circumstances! (c.f. Rom. 4:17).
Genre and Structure
This passage is written in prose, set within the larger narrative of Genesis, which itself is an ancient narrative in conversation with other Near Eastern literature of the time, in terms of tales of gods, creation accounts, a universal flood, and cultic/religious practices.[1] Chapter 22 stands as a prototypical testing narrative; the story is terse and finely structured, affording the reader a God’s-eye-view behind the scenes, while the main character remains in the dark (c.f. Job). The question is raised from the outset—will our hero pass the test?
The structure of this passage can be framed by a journey motif, and pivoted around the repetition of the significant phrases, הִנֵּה, and “they both walked on together.” These are the hinges that move the narrative through its phases, and they also emphasize Abraham’s tender availability to both God and Isaac during this strange and harrowing event.
I. Intro: God tests Abraham (v. 1)
a. הִנֵּנִי- Abraham’s faithful response (vv. 1-2)
II. Journey to Mt. Moriah (vv. 3-6)
III. Journey up Mt. Moriah: “and they both walked on together” (v. 6)
a. Isaac questions Abraham (v. 7)
i. הִנֵּנִי- Abraham’s faithful response (v. 8)
1. “and they both walked on together (v. 8)
b. Abraham’s near sacrifice of Isaac (vv. 9-10)
i. Angel of the LORD intervenes (v. 11)
1. הִנֵּני- Abraham’s faithful response (v. 11)
2. “Now I know that you fear Me” (v. 12)
c. Abraham’s sacrifice of ram (v. 13)
i. Abraham names the place: “The LORD Will See/Provide” (v. 14)
ii. Angel of the LORD reiterates promise of descendants and universal blessing through Abraham (vv. 15-18)
IV. Journey back to Beersheba (v. 19)
The central theme of this passage is the testing and faithful response of Abraham; thus, I broke the pericope into a 3-stage journey of obedience. Along with the hinge points of faithful response and repeated phrasing, the theme of “seeing” is key on this journey: Abraham goes to the place God tells him and “sees” it in the distance. They climb the mountain and Abraham tells Isaac, “God will see to the sacrifice.” Then on the mountain, Abraham “sees” the provision of the substitute ram, and moreover, gives the mountain an enduring name, “The LORD Will See To It/Provide.” The progressive ways Abraham sees God’s provision, and the way God “sees to” blessing Abraham, are interwoven into the journey’s structure.
Setting the Context
Literary: The pivotal story of the testing of Abraham is set within the larger context of “Beginnings”—the book of Genesis. The story begins with God (“In the beginning, God…” Gen. 1:1) and tells the story of Creation, the Fall of Man, and God’s working within history to set apart a man and a nation for his redemptive purposes in the whole earth. This first book of the Pentateuch ends with the Israelites relocating to Egypt to flee a famine in Canaan, with Abraham’s great-grandson Joseph miraculously having been set in charge of Egyptian storehouses. Joseph’s death and a regime change becomes the precursor to the captivity of the Israelites, who God will powerfully redeem and rescue in the subsequent book of Exodus.
Our particular chapter comes significantly on the heels of chapter 21, which opens by declaring that God had provided the child for Abraham and Sarah that he had promised. At the same time, we observe the expulsion of Hagar and Ishmael, which bears many thematic elements to the Binding of Isaac, including both sons being brought to the point of death, a miraculous intervention by the angel of the Lord, and a promise to establish both sons’ descendants.[2] We hear echoes of a previous call of YHWH to Abraham in chapter 12, to לֶךְ־לְךָ֛ and go where God is leading.[3] We are reminded that Abraham has walked a long and faithful obedience with YHWH, and the strange request of this chapter comes in the midst of God’s well-worn faithfulness to Abraham; in other words, Abraham didn’t wake up one day “hearing voices” and decide to kill his son, but knew and trusted YHWH implicitly after a lifetime of obedience.
The Binding narrative ends with a seemingly non-sequitur genealogy; but those familiar with the Biblical narrative recognize the setup for Rebekah, Isaac’s wife, to enter the story. This is the denouement of Abraham’s test and a passing of the baton to the next generation. In chapter 23, Sarah dies, and Abraham purchases land and a burial cave from the Hittites. This is a significant move into and legitimate claim on the Promised Land: “Abraham has accomplished his chief actions; all that is really left to him is to acquire a suitable burial plot for Sarah, which will be his final gesture in laying claim to the land. At that point, even before Abraham's death, the concerns of the next generation will take center stage (chapter 24).”[4]
Historical- This passage is set in the era of the early patriarchs: “We may safely situate the patriarchs roughly in the first half of the second millennium B.C.”[5] Abraham was chosen from a pagan people to journey to Canaan and become the people of YHWH. He most likely entered the land of the Canaanites around 2000 BC and settled in Beersheba, which later became the southern border of Israel, as referenced in the Israelite expression, “from Dan to Beersheba” (2 Sam. 17:11). In Genesis 11, the pagan nations had been scattered at the Tower of Babel and settled “over the face of all the earth” (Gen. 11:9). After the dispersion, Genesis immediately records the descendants of Shem, Noah’s son, who would be the ancestor of Abraham and the Hebrew people.
The surrounding nations, including the Caananites, the Egyptians, and Mesopotamians, followed pagan gods and had their own creation stories, which mirror the account of Genesis in many ways and reveal that this book was written into and used the language and tropes of ancient Near Eastern literature. Of course, Genesis is unique in proclaiming YHWH alone as the Creator and Sovereign Lord over all the earth—a God unparalleled in the polytheistic pagan accounts.[6]
As for geographical location, Abraham is said to have traveled three days to Mt. Moriah; the traditional site is located in present-day Jerusalem, but this cannot be confirmed. Solomon built his temple on “Mt. Moriah” (2 Chron. 3:1), where the second temple was later rebuilt and stood until 70 AD; this area has been fiercely fought over by Jews and Muslims as a significant Abrahamic location for each religion. Still, it cannot be verified that this site was the altar of Isaac’s sacrifice; and in fact, the Samaritans claimed that the mount of sacrifice was Mt. Gerizim, some ways north.[7]
The time of writing was most likely during the lifetime of Moses, as Israel was preparing to enter the Promised Land, and written by Moses himself. The documentary hypothesis, which proposes that the Pentateuch was composed by competing contributors with competing sources, though long popular, has weakened in acceptance.[8] The Bible’s internal witness strongly suggests Moses as the author, as when God commands Joshua and the people to “obey all the instructions Moses gave you” (Josh. 1:8), and when Jesus refers to the Law as written by Moses’ hand (Matt. 19:8). Thus, if we hold to the authorship of Moses, we can date it to roughly the time before Israel entered the Land, with later minor redactions. The purpose of writing would have been to remind the people of their history and relationship to their covenantal Lord, and enjoin them to obey him as they entered and settled the land of promise (Deut. 8).
Canonical- This episode is referenced often in the NT, as the authors view Abraham’s actions of faith as an example for the church. James, the proponent of a lively and action-centered faith, asks, “Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did” (2:21-22). The author of Hebrews also holds up Abraham as an exemplar and reveals insight into Abraham’s faith: “Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.” (11:19) This further affirms that Abraham was speaking honestly when he declared to his servant boys that “we shall return to you” (Gen. 22:5). Finally, Paul is likely echoing YHWH’s declaration that Abraham “did not withhold” his only son when he says that God himself “did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all” (Rom. 8:32).
These verses explicate Abraham’s testing by describing what a truly obedient faith looks like in practice. These are hearty exhortations to the family of faith to believe and trust God as Abraham did, even if we should find ourselves in baffling trials and seasons of suffering. “James and Hebrews thus use the account of Isaac’s sacrifice not just to shed light on the atonement but on the kind of behavior the pious should imitate. Crises that test faith and obedience to the uttermost are still part of the disciple’s lot.”[9]
Application
It may be natural to read this narrative and shrink in fear, steeling ourselves for a similarly horrific demand to slay the thing (or person!) of most value in our lives. However, we must first remind ourselves of the context of this story within the arc of redemptive history. The calling of Abraham into covenant is a unique, one-time event in God’s redemptive story. Although it will involve the salvation and blessing of generations to come, even unto the Gentiles, the covenant is established with one man chosen to be the “father of all who believe” (Rom. 4:11), and will continue to unfold throughout the OT, into the NT, and unto the return of Jesus. Therefore, we must honor the uniqueness of Abraham and his call, and understand that the testing required of Abraham in the establishment of so universal and eternal a covenant will not be asked of those within the covenant, at least not in the same way. Because of Abraham’s unique election as the father of the covenant and Messianic promises, this particular test had to be without parallel.[10]
While Abraham’s obedience to this “test without parallel” cannot be said to be an unprecedented leap of faith—he had walked obediently with God and experienced his faithfulness through many trials—yet certainly his robust faith was strengthened and confirmed. Isaac also experienced the faithfulness of God in this strange and demanding episode and was likely strengthened in passing this faith on to future generations. For believers well into the Messianic side of this gracious covenant of faith, the obedience of father and son should remind us that our same God is faithful and worthy of prompt obedience. Moreover, no one obeys God in a vacuum; the next generation is looking to each of us for faithful testimony to the Lord’s goodness, and our obedience, or lack of it, will reverberate into the next generation. Do we have stories to share with the next generation of the ongoing and ever-expanding faithfulness of God to us? If not, what a thin and threadbare faith we pass on to them!
What Israel should have learned from this story, on the point of entering the Promised Land, was that YHWH was trustworthy and gracious in establishing his precious covenant with them. It should have stood as an exhortation to continued obedience; if they would faithfully pass their own tests of loyalty, they would enjoy abundant blessings for generations, as did Abraham. Sadly, their obedience waned and faltered; Israel fell into idol worship and rebellion and eventually reaped the worst of covenant curses—exile from the land of promise.
We don’t have to fall into the same snare. Abraham’s story stands as a beacon of beauty and encouragement that even if we should face a test that feels like the death of some great promise or hope, we can yet trust that God will come through for our good. Still, this should impress on us that there is a conditional aspect of being in relationship with God. Our works do not establish the relationship, which is purely an act of grace on God’s part; but our obedience is expected within the parameters of the covenant God has made with us. No less than Jesus himself stressed the importance of obedience as evidence of love and loyalty to him: “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46). It appears in our passage that the promises God had made to Abraham did depend on his passing the test; but he also passed the test because God had proven himself faithful, and Abraham knew he could trust him. It was not a “blind faith,” but a faith built on this long experience with his God. This should encourage us that when God asks for obedience, it is never beyond us to step out in trust. “But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it” (1 Cor. 10:13). God promises us strength by his Spirit to endure any trial or refuse any temptation that would cause us to turn our backs on him.
Theologically, this episode teaches us not only about God’s faithfulness, but also his sovereignty—he has authority to bestow or require back the life or gifts that he has conferred. He has a right to be obeyed, even in ways we may not understand. Truly, his request of child sacrifice in this passage is one of the most bewildering in the Bible, and is a tricky apologetic theme that would need to be gently covered in any pastoral setting. Especially today, it seems outlandish that God would make so horrific and gruesome a demand. Yet as Dr. Goldstein addressed in lecture, in ancient times, the gods of the pagan nations regularly required human sacrifice.[11] The rendering back of human life to the gods was not an unexpected or outrageous idea in earlier cultures. To readers of the Bible, however, the more baffling aspect is that YHWH himself abominates and condemns the child sacrifice practiced in the pagan cultures surrounding Israel (Lev. 20:1). First, it is vital to remember that we are apprised from the outset that this is a test regarding Abraham’s obedience. The point was not child sacrifice, but obedience to God “unto death” (Phil. 2:8). It is also crucial to remember that God, as Creator, retains the right to take life just as he gives it. The Bible is clear that all of life was created by and belongs to God. Human life is sacred, but only because it is made in God’s image; and God has the right to decide when it begins and when it ends, for his own purposes. Abraham knew that YHWH was sovereign, and that he had promised to make a nation through Isaac, the son of promise. Thus, “the issue lay with the Lord, not Abraham, for he left it to God to resolve the theological and moral problems he himself created.”[12]
Finally, through Abraham’s example, and Jesus’ far greater example of obedience and trust, we too can demonstrate full faith in God. Because Jesus truly went all the way to death on a cross in his obedience (Phil. 2:8), winning eternal life for those who are called to new birth in him, we can follow in his footsteps. Our path may not lead to death, though some will be called to martyrdom, but the path of self-denial and taking up one’s cross will always be the true mark of a disciple. We can take comfort in the promise that with the help of the Holy Spirit, the family of faith can pass any test to which God brings us.
Sermon Outline- “Passing the Test”
I. Introduction: story of the famous “Stanford Marshmallow Experiment” studying kids and delayed gratification
a. A child is offered one marshmallow now, but instructed to wait 15 min and they will receive two
b. Humorous story of the ways children tried to hold out (distractions, singing to themselves, falling asleep)
c. Study concluded the ability to delay gratification predicted higher life outcomes in health, educational goals, etc (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_marshmallow_experiment)
II. Abraham—the Ultimate Test Taker
a. Though humorous, Stanford test highlights our struggle to obey and pass a test for the promise of greater reward
i. Two reasons we (and the children) fail to pass the test: reward doesn’t seem worth it, or we doubt the Tester will deliver on promise of reward
b. Abraham considered God faithful to his promise, passed his test, and received a mighty reward
i. Historical context: ancient world of the patriarchs, in which pagan nations lived in sinful rebellion and enmity with their Creator
ii. God calls a man, Abraham, from among the pagans, to “go to the land I will show you, and I will make you a great nation” (Gen. 12)
1. Abraham promptly obeys—a characteristic theme in his life
iii. God further promises him a son, through whom the promised great nation would come (Gen. 15:4)
1. You think marshmallows are a test? Abraham and Sarah, already too old to give birth, waited 25 years until the child was born
2. Abraham and Sarah stumble and birth a son through a surrogate, but God reiterates promise of child from Sarah’s body, yet blesses Ishmael, too
a. Be encouraged that even the father of faith made mistakes! Yet he “believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness” (Gen. 15:6)
iv. The Son of Promise is born (Gen. 21:2)
1. Remember here that Abraham has walked many years with God and experienced his great faithfulness. For we come now to…
III. The Ultimate Test—the Akkedah
a. “After these things” (the birth of Isaac), “God tested Abraham” (Gen. 22:1)
i. The Ultimate Test—God asks Abraham to offer his beloved son of promise, Isaac, back to God as a burnt offering
ii. Apologetic Issues: how could God ask for child sacrifice?
1. vital to note that this story is introduced to us as a “test.” The point is not that God desires child sacrifice, which he later condemns among the nations, but that the test must be commensurate with the high calling and covenant he has established with Abraham
b. Abraham promptly obeys
i. Despite the difficulty, we see clues of Abraham’s faith in action:
1. He tells his servant boys on the way to the sacrifice that “we (Isaac and I) will worship and then we will return to you” (v. 5)
2. Hebrews reveals that Abraham considered that God could raise Isaac from the dead, if need be, to fulfill his promise (Heb. 11:19)
3. Abraham trusts God’s promise to establish his line through Isaac—he leaves it to the LORD to fulfill that promise
c. Abraham passes the test
i. The Angel of the Lord stops his hand from killing Isaac
1. “Now I know that you fear Me” (v. 12)
2. He reiterates the promise with great gusto and added nuance
a. “All nations will be blessed through you” (v. 18)
IV. God—the Ultimate Rewarder
a. God faithfully establishes Israel, Abraham’s descendants, as a nation before him
b. Through Israel, God sends the greatest Seed, his own Son, for the blessing of the whole world: re: “all nations will be blessed through you”
c. Jesus brings blessing beyond expectation: the salvation of sinful man from sin and death, unto eternal life!
V. The Family of Faith—"Passing the Test since 2000 BC!”
a. The church today carries on this promised blessing to the world through the gospel and mission of Jesus Christ, greatest of Abraham’s descendants
b. Important: we should not anticipate our own test of child sacrifice like Abraham
i. unique test for the Abrahamic covenant—it will not be repeated as such
c. However, God regularly tests character and the heart’s posture toward obedience
1. God tested Israel in the wilderness “to see what was in your hearts, whether you would obey or not” (Deut. 18)
2. Jesus was tested in the wilderness for faithfulness to God (Jn. 4)
3. Christians can expect to undergo tests and trials
d. The purpose of tests and trials
i. To refine and purify faith
1. “These [trials] have come…” (faith refined as gold) (1 Pet. 1:7)
ii. To build perseverance and maturity
1. “Consider it pure joy…” (James 1:2-4)
iii. Delayed gratification for the far higher rewards of heaven
1. No mere marshmallows—these are heavenly treasures! (Lk. 12:33)
iv. To bring glory to God (re: 1 Pet. 1:7)
VI. Conclusion:
a. How do we respond when we are tested and tried? How can we build endurance?
b. Do we believe that God is faithful to his promises, like Abraham? Do we believe that he and his kingdom are worthy of our obedience and devotion?
c. Pray and ask for the Spirit’s help to desire God’s will, to pass our own tests and bring him glory!
[Pass out marshmallows as congregants dismiss.]
[1] Tremper Longman, How to Read Genesis, (Downers Grover, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2005), 24.
[2] Mathews, Commentary, 285
[3] Mathews, Commentary, 283.
[4] Alter, Genesis, 107.
[5] Longman, Genesis, 35.
[6] Ibid., 71.
[7] https://bibleatlas.org/mount_moriah.htm
[8] Longman, Genesis, 53.
[9] Gordon J. Wenham, Word Biblical Commentary, vol. 2: Genesis 16-50 (Mexico City, Mex: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2000), 118.
[10] Mathews, Commentary, 285.
[11] Aaron Goldstein, “Genesis 22—Apologetic Issue Discussion” (lecture, Covenant Theological Seminary, St. Louis, MO, April 18, 2022).
[12] Mathews, Commentary, 285.
Photos by Siora Photography, Ben White on Unsplash.com.