The Sacrifice of Isaac

    "And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.”

    In Hebrews 5:8 we read that our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, “Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered.” And that which was true of our Redeemer, when he walked upon this earth as a man, is true of us. If we are the children of God, as long as we live in this body of flesh, we will be required to learn obedience. And we learn obedience by the things which we suffer by the hand of God’s wise and good providence.

    The life of the believer is a series of trials, by which his faith is tested, proved, and strengthened. Christian character is developed by discipline. And God will develop the character of his saints. It appears that frequently there is one great trial of faith, for which all other trials seem to be preparatory. Certainly, that was the case with Abraham and the great trial of his faith revealed to us in Genesis 22.

    This is one of the great chapters of the Bible. Here, for the first time, God shows us, in a vivid picture, the necessity of a human sacrifice for the ransom of our souls. Because it was a man who brought sin into the world, sin must be removed by a man. Because man had sinned, a man must suffer the wrath of God and die. The blood of bulls and goats could never take away sin. But the Man, Christ Jesus, “after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God...For by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified” (Heb. 10:4, 12, 14).

    Genesis 22 records Abraham’s greatest trial and the greatest revelation of the gospel which God made to Abraham. I am sure our Lord was referring to this chapter when he said, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad” (John 8:56). This chapter is full of Christ and full of redemption. Someone suggested, “It could rightly be called, ‘The Gospel of Moriah’.” Many, with good reason, believe that Mt. Moriah and Mt. Calvary were the same place.

    Everything in this chapter portrays God’s great sacrifice of his dear Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, in the place of sinners. We have before us examples of great faith in Abraham and in Isaac. God’s great purpose of grace in Christ is displayed in Abraham’s confident declaration, “God will provide himself a lamb,” and in his calling the name of the place “Jehovah-jireh.” However, the dominant theme of the chapter is the picture set before us of substitutionary redemption and God’s great provision for his people in Christ. As the ram caught in the thicket was sacrificed in Isaac’s stead and God provided in that ram everything Isaac needed, so Christ died in the room and stead of his people, and God has given his elect all we need for time and eternity in Christ (Eph. 1:3).

    Notice first the time when this trial was brought upon Abraham (v. 1). “And it came to pass after these things” - After all the other trials, hardships, heartaches, and difficulties he had already endured, perhaps Abraham had begun to think, “At last, the storms are over.” This is the man who had been called to leave his home and family. -- This is the man who had buried his father, Terah, in Haran. -- This is the man who had to endure the family strife with Lot. -- This is the man who had to go to war with the heathen kings to save Lot. -- This is the man who had to wait 25 years for God to fulfil his promise in giving him a son, the son he is now required to sacrifice. -- This is the man who had seen his brother Lot’s family swept away in God’s wrath. -- This is the man who had been required to cast his son out of his house.

    Abraham must have thought to himself, after all he had been through, “Now the worst is over. Now I will live in peace. Ishmael is gone. Hagar is gone. Lot is gone. But I have Sarah and Isaac. All is well.” But it was not so. “It came to pass after these things that God did tempt,” test, try, and prove, “Abraham.” Abraham had been tested again and again. But now the Lord seems to say, “My son, give me thine heart” (Pro. 23:26).

    The one who brought this trial upon Abraham was the Lord his God. -- “God did tempt Abraham” (v. 1). The word tempt here means, “to try,” “to test,” or “to prove” (James 1:2, 3, 12). God brought this trial upon Abraham, not because he was angry with him, but because he loved him. The purpose of the trial was to prove to Abraham the reality of his faith and to reveal to Abraham the glory of God’s grace in Christ. When the trial was over, Abraham knew himself better than he did before; and he knew Christ better than he did before.

    All through his life God had been preparing Abraham for this event. Now, “it came to pass after these things.” Our great, sovereign God does all things “in due time” (Rom. 5:6), “in the fulness of time” (Gal. 4:4). “After these things” - After the fall, the flood, the exodus, the tabernacle, the law, the prophets, the kings, and the priests had all run their course, it pleased God to fulfil every prophecy, pattern, and promise of Holy Scripture by the sacrifice of his only begotten Son. All that came before were preparatory events, picturing and pointing to the hour when Christ would die (Acts 10:43; Lk. 24:27, 44-46).

    God’s providence is always on time. “All things are of God” (2 Cor. 5:18). God does all things well. Let us learn these three things, and we will learn to live in peace:

    1.Our trials always come from our heavenly Father.

    2.Our trials are brought upon us by God to prove and improve our faith.

    3.Our trials reveal Christ and make him more precious.

    Read verse 2 and try to realize something of the magnitude of this great trial, which God’s friend and faithful servant was here called upon to endure. "And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of."

    The words of this verse, taken one by one, reveal the greatness of Abraham’s sacrifice, the love behind it, and the agony he endured through it. Can you imagine Abraham’s grief when he received this command? Who can enter into the sorrow he suffered as he contemplated the death of his son by his own hand? What great love he must have had for God to willingly sacrifice his darling Isaac? No mere man ever man such a supreme sacrifice to God.

    Every word in this verse must have been like a sword in his heart! Yet, there is a greater Sacrifice than that of Abraham. Here the Lord God himself is telling us what he has done for us. “Take now thy son” - The Lord Jesus Christ, whom God sacrificed for us, is himself the Son of God. “Thine only son” - Our Savior, whom God gave for the ransom of our souls, is God’s “only begotten Son” (John 3:16). “Isaac” - Isaac means “laughter”, or “delight.” And Christ is the one, the only one, in whom God is well pleased. “Whom thou lovest” - God said, “This is my beloved Son.” Yet, he sacrificed his darling for us, the very chief of sinners! “And offer him for a burnt offering” - Not just a sacrifice, “a burnt offering!” The Lord Jesus Christ is our burnt-offering, our sin-offering, sacrificed for us by the hand of God, according to the will of God (Isa. 53:10; Heb. 10:9-10). “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift!” (1 Cor. 9:15).

    Try to imagine the difficulties Abraham had to overcome to obey God’s command. There were many things Abraham might have argued as reasons for disobedience; but he “consulted not with flesh and blood.” God called Abraham to sacrifice his son, but gave him no reason for requiring such a sacrifice - All Abraham had was God’s command. The commandment was contrary to nature, reason, and love; but it was crystal clear. The commandment appeared to be contrary to the promise of God; but it came from God who made the promise. If Abraham obeyed God, as he knew he must, he was sure to suffer much ridicule, persecution, and reproach for it. What would he tell Sarah? What would he say to the Egyptians?

    Matthew Henry correctly informs us that, “God’s commands must not be disputed, but obeyed. We must not consult with flesh and blood about them (Gal. 1:15-16), but with a gracious obstinacy persist in our obedience to them.” “Whatsoever he saith to you, do it!” (John 2:5).

    Now read verses 3-10. As you do, turn your thoughts away from Abraham. This is a picture of God’s whole purpose of grace and his work of redemption by the sacrifice of Christ. “Abraham rose up early in the morning,” and prepared everything with great care (vv. 3-4).

    Abraham had three long days to think about what must be done. As they journeyed those days and slept through those nights, the burden and sacrifice constantly lay upon his heart. But our heavenly Father planned, purposed, and ordained the sacrifice of his Son for us, not three days, nor three thousand days, but from eternity, before ever the world was made (Rev. 13;8; Eph. 1:3-4). And he never thought about altering his purpose!

    Abraham carefully prepared everything for the sacrifice. And our great God carefully prepared everything for the sacrifice of his darling Son for us (Acts 2:23; 4:27-28).“Abraham saw the place afar off.” So the Lord God, from everlasting set his heart and mind upon the place of sacrifice - Mt. Calvary.

    Abraham and Isaac went to the mountain of sacrifice together alone (vv. 5-8). Redemption was the work of God alone, a transaction between God the Father and God the Son. “God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself” (2 Cor. 5:19). Twelve went with the Son of God to the Passover. Eleven went with him to the garden. Three went with him to pray. But when he went to the cross, our Savior was alone (Heb. 1:3). The wood was laid upon Isaac’s back. Christ carried his cross. The instruments of death were in the father’s hands.

    In verse seven, Isaac asked, “Where is the Lamb for a burnt offering?” He knew that God could not be worshipped without a blood sacrifice (Ex. 12:13; Lev. 17:11; Heb. 9:22). His father answered, “God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering” (v. 8). This is clearly a prophecy of Christ, the Lamb of God. Christ the Sacrifice for God. He is the Sacrifice from God. God requires only what he gives; and he will always accept that which he has given. Jesus Christ is here described as that Sacrifice who is God!

    At last Abraham and Isaac came to the place of sacrifice (vv. 9-10). Abraham built the altar and laid the wood upon it. He bound his son and laid him on the altar. Isaac willingly submitted to his father’s will. Abraham stretched forth his hand to kill his Son. No explanation is needed. This is a picture of our great Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He was delivered to death by the will of God, and put to death as our Substitute by the hand of divine justice (Acts 2:23; Isa. 53:8-10; Zech. 13:7). Yet, he freely volunteered to be our sin-atoning sacrifice (John 10:17-18; Heb. 10:5-14; 1 Pet. 2:24).

    Once Abraham’s faith was proved, God intervened to save Isaac; and the type changes. Verses 11-13 reveal the beautiful, blessed picture of substitutionary redemption. When God spoke, Abraham looked . When he looked, he saw a ram caught in the thicket, which he offered “in the stead of his Son!” (2 Cor. 5:21). That ram represents Christ.

    “Abraham called the name of that place, Jehovah-jireh” (v. 14). That name might be properly translated in three ways. Each translation reveals blessed, soul cheering, gospel truths by which the believer’s heart is encouraged and comforted throughout his earthly pilgrimage. Jehovah-jireh means, “The Lord will see.” He sees all our needs. Particularly, he sees our need for righteousness and atonement. Jehovah-jireh means, “The Lord will provide.” He who is our God provides all that we need in his dear Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is made of God unto us, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption (1 Cor. 1:30). And, Jehovah-jireh means, “The Lord will be seen.” In the provision he makes for his people, in the substitutionary sacrifice of his dear Son for the salvation of his people, the Lord God reveals the glory of his great Being ((2 Cor. 4:4-6; Rom. 3:24-26; Psa. 108:6; Eph. 2:7).

    When the whole work was done, Isaac, the object of his father’s love, was exalted (vv. 15-18). He was promised a great posterity - “He shall see his seed!” He was made to be a great ruler, “possessing the gate of his enemies.” He became the source of universal blessedness. In all these things, Isaac portrays that greatness, glory, and exaltation given to our Lord Jesus Christ as our Mediator, when he had finished his work of redemption upon the earth and put away the sins of his people (Phil. 2:9-11; Heb. 10:10-14; John 17:2; Psa. 2:8; Eph. 1:3).

    In the light of these things, considering what the Lord God has done for chosen sinners in the sacrifice of Christ for the ransom of our souls, lets us lay to heart the following three question.

    1.What trial is too great for me to endure for him who endured such great agony for me?

    2.What sacrifice is too costly for me to make for my Savior, a sinner redeemed by the precious blood of Christ?

    3.What work is too demeaning or too demanding for one who has been purchased by a Savior so demeaned in obedience which demanded his death under the wrath of God as my Substitute?