1 God will provide for Himself Genesis 22:1-19 A. Last week Pastor Andrew left off with the story of Sodom and Gomorrah and the serious nature of sin. B. We have two chapters in between that historical account and where we are this morning at the sacrifice of Isaac C. In Chapter 20 we see God persevere Abraham and Sarah s marriage as Abimelech mistakenly attempts to take Sarah as a wife thinking she is Abraham s sister and we see that Abraham learns something about God through his interaction with Abimelech (which we will revisit soon) D. In Chapter 21 we see the promise we have been waiting for this entire sermon series: The promised birth of a son given to Abraham and Sarah in old age. The birth of Isaac reaffirms God s promise to Abraham regarding physical posterity and spiritual posterity. There has been this thread and theme of waiting throughout this sermon series. And I am not sure that we all feel the gravity of how long Abraham and Sarah had to wait. When God first promised Abraham to be a father of many nations he was 75 years old. 15 years later, when Abraham was 90, God renewed that promise. Ten years later, at age 100, God delivered on the promise to Abraham with the birth of Isaac. That is a total of 25 years from when God promised Abraham a son to when he provided that son through the birth of Isaac. Now, we live in an instant society. So much so that we even market things for being instant: Instant Oatmeal Instant Mashed Potatoes Instant Noodles in a Cup Instant Coffee Minute Rice Fast Food On demand TV Expedited Shipping We even got sick of waiting for letters to come in the mail, so we invented e-mail. We got sick of how long it took our computers to turn on in order to check our e-mails, so we invented smart phones so that we receive what we want instantly 24/7. We are a fast-paced society and certainly that is the heat that draws out for us our constant lack of patience. Now God doesn t use the same methods as the world. Patience and waiting is good for our soul and it was certainly good for Abraham and Sarah as we have demonstrated throughout this sermon series. And God could have ended the story with the birth of Isaac in chapter 21 of Genesis, but we have this rather jarring and out of place chapter that is our text this morning because God saw it fit to further condition Abraham s soul and certainly the Lord aims at conditioning our souls as well.
2 So look with me, Genesis 22: Read Genesis 22:1-19 I. God ORDAINS circumstances and situations to SHAPE and MOLD us for His GLORY and our GOOD. VERSES 1-2: After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, Abraham! And he said, Here am I. He said, Take 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. This is Abraham s biggest test. And notice that word in the text is, test. Not tempt, for God doesn t tempt, but God tests the quality of faith for his people. Hebrews 11:17-18 gives commentary to this passage, By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, Through Isaac shall your offspring be name. This is a jarring introduction in this chapter to me. God has finally delivered on his promise after years and years of waiting and now he tells Abraham to offer his promised son up as a burnt offering. And I think the author of Genesis, Moses, feels the tension in this historical event as he writes it under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, so he makes sure that the readers know that this is a test from God. He wants us as readers to know that God isn t really looking to have Isaac offered as a burnt offering. But Abraham did not know this. And this certainly will be the most intense test for Abraham. The language in this passage alone reveals the relationship Abraham has with Isaac; only son, whom you love. Abraham deeply loved the gift God had given him; the gift of Isaac. And now, Abraham s circumstances have changed. The circumstances were live with your promised son as I make you into a great nation. Now the circumstance is; sacrifice your promised son to me as a burnt offering. Think about your circumstances this morning. These are circumstances that are beyond your own control. The death of a loved one Good health to bad health and now you have an incurable disease An unbelieving spouse Unbelieving children The inability to have children
3 The loss of your job due to cut backs Believer, these aren t meaningless sufferings and circumstances for you. There is a good God behind them with a good purpose. James certainly teaches us, Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (Js 1:2-4) Later James says, Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. (Js 1:12) This isn t some cold clinical prescription James is giving. He writes this to a suffering congregation who is being persecuted for their faith. And God here in Genesis 22 isn t being cold and harsh toward Abraham. And it is important for you to understand that this morning. Listen closely to me: That which brings God glory is the best thing for us. And we should know that better than any Christian in history because we have the completed cannon of Scripture. We know how the story of Isaac and Abraham ends. We know that our salvation has been accomplished by Jesus Christ. We know that God s Holy Spirit dwells inside of every believer causing us to persevere through even the most difficult of circumstances. We know that one day Christ will return for His church and wipe away every single tear from our eyes. Therefore, a. Our circumstances shouldn t drive us toward HOSTILITY and BITTERNESS toward the God who created, saved, and sustains us. If we find ourselves there, we find ourselves deficient in our understanding of who God is. If we find ourselves there we demonstrate that we aren t worshipping the God who created us, but rather the gifts that he gives to us. Abraham did not do this. He demonstrated great faith during this test. VERSES 3-10: So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. On the third day Abraham lifted up his
4 eyes and saw the place from afar. Then Abraham said to his young men, Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you. And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. And Isaac said to his father Abraham, My father! And he said, Here am I, my son. He said, Behold, the fire and the wood but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? Abraham said, God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son. So they went both of them together. When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. II. Our faith should be INFORMED by God s CHARACTER. I said at the beginning of this message that Abraham learned something about God through his interaction with Abimelech and I will just give you the summary and trust you will read the account on your own. Through the outcome of Genesis 21, Abraham learned that God is everlastingly faithful. He expresses that by calling God something He had not been called before although God always has been this, Everlasting/Enduring God. And if we were to read our text, Genesis 22 in the Hebrew, the first few verses would have read, After these things THAT GOD tested Abraham what is the significance of this, the text is stating, That God, the everlasting and enduring God is the God who tested Abraham. This is how Abraham s faith is informed in this testing. While Abraham did not know whether or not he was going to have to offer Isaac as a burnt offering, he did know that the God who called him to this test was the Everlasting and Enduringly Faithful God. And because of this, Isaac was not held stingingly by Abraham. He held the good gift of Isaac with an open hand to his Everlasting God. a. Good GIFTS from God cannot become the ULTIMATE things. Good gifts becoming ultimate things are idols. You see, a right view of God should lead us to flee idolatry. We spot this in children easier than we spot it in ourselves, don t we? Children don t mask idols and I at least appreciate the honesty of the tantrum. Everything is theirs and they hold it with a clinched fist. Mine! It s Mine! I Want! Now! Not Later! As adults, we are still like this, we just pout and brood and have emotional upsets when no one is there to tell us no.
5 Coastal- God is conditioning our souls. He is conditioning us to desire Him above all else. And many times, the good gifts He gives us are clouding our devotion for Him. Those good gifts that become ultimate gifts and take up all of our time. We plan our entire lives around those gifts. We think about those gifts all the time. And God is so good, that He doesn t allow us to stay devoted to gifts. Sometimes He takes those gifts from us, so that we may declare our neediness for Him and find Him all sufficient and all satisfying. So, what are the gifts that you are holding this morning with a clenched fist? What is it in your heart that you demand? Respect? Education? A good salary? Children? Obedient children? The perfect home? A healthy body? Are you willing to open your clenched hand and find that the Lord is so much more satisfying than these things? III. God PROVIDES the SACRAFICE He demands. VERSES 11-14: But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, Abraham, Abraham! And he said, Here am I. He said, Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me. And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called the name of that place, The LORD will provide; as it is said to this day, On the mount of the LORD it shall be provided. I hope you see the beauty in this passage. I hope you see Christ in this passage. What did God teach Abraham and Isaac in this passage and what is He teaching us? There are a few notes we need to make of this passage: a. Abraham FORESHADOWS what God the Father does for us in the GOSPEL. Just as Abraham did not hold back his only son whom He loves, so too God does not withhold His only son for us. What passage does this remind us of? John 3:16, For God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whosoever believes in [into] him should not perish by have everlasting life.
6 Unlike Abraham, God really did sacrifice Jesus on behalf on every sin His church would ever commit. Making all those sacrifices in the Old Testament obsolete. They were only pictures to begin with. Demonstrating our need for saving. b. Isaac FORESHADOWS what God the Son does for us in the GOSPEL. Isaac, was willing to lay down His life to His everlastingly faithful God. Many scholars place Isaac s age between 18-33 years old. Josephus says 33. Either way, Isaac could easily overpower his over 100-year-old Father. But he submits and is willing to offer himself as a burnt offering. Philippians 2:8 [8] And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (ESV) The sacrifice of Isaac with all its tension and drama, should direct our gaze to the God who provides for Himself. Only God can meet God s demands and The Lord teaches this to Abraham and Isaac and all of those after them including you and me; Abraham s spiritual children. IV. God ACCOMPLISHES His PURPOSES. VERSES 15-19: And the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven and said, By myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice. So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba. And Abraham lived at Beersheba. a. Abraham s OBEDIENCE was a result of the faith God PRODUCED in him. Those years or waiting. Those years of struggle. Those years of going back and forth between being faithful and faithless, led to this point for Abraham. God conditioned Abraham s soul so that He could accomplish His will in Abraham at the right time. And God is doing the same with His church. b. THE FATHER S planned salvation, accomplished by THE SON and applied by the THE SPIRIT makes Abraham s offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. Think about that for a moment. When we see our Savior face to face, it s not going to be like a sad birthday party that no one shows up to. Sometimes I think that is how we picture eternity. Just a few of us there. Everyone else is in hell. That is not so. There is a hell, and those that are not in Christ will go there. However, eternity with God will be enjoyed by a multitude as numerous as the starts of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore.
The gospel, all throughout history, here in the present, and in the future is accomplishing exactly what God predestined it to do before He even created the world. It is producing people who confess Jesus as Lord, repent of sin and persevered by the power of the Holy Spirit. 7