Faithful Tested in the Fire  “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.’” - Genesis 22:12
We have seen in the midst of all the trials and blessings in Abraham’s life how he has grown in faith and fearful reverence of God. We see this in 21:33 where he worships God in acknowledgement of the fact that God has been the source of all that he has. God had made all that He had done for Abraham clear for all to see (v. 22). There is, however, a crowning jewel of faith that God wants Abraham to take—the most difficult step that could have been asked of him. He will be asked to literally offer up his son as a sacrifice to God, to give up his son Isaac, the son of promise—the one who was to be the means of beginning the great nation of Israel that God had promised to Abraham. It could not have made any sense to Abraham. Yet he had grown so completely convinced that God would keep His promise that Abraham believed God would literally raise his son from the dead if necessary to fulfill the promise He had given (Heb. 11:17). Step by step God developed Abraham’s faith through the increasingly difficult situations He put him through—situations designed to both test and develop the faith Abraham would need to one day be called the “father of faith” (Rom. 4:16). The scriptures declare that we are not to think it strange concerning the fiery trials that come to test us all, tests designed to perfect our faith (1 Pet. 4:12). Our faith in God is very precious to Him. It is the proof that we truly do believe in His character. We have come to know Him as One who will never lie to us and never be unfaithful to His promises to us. This process of discovering the unchangeable faithfulness of God through the great challenges we all face cuts a pathway to the destiny only faith can open before us. | 
| | Genesis 21:22-22:14  A Covenant with Abimelech
22 And it came to pass at that time that Abimelech and Phichol, the commander of his army, spoke to Abraham, saying, “God is with you in all that you do. 23 Now therefore, swear to me by God that you will not deal falsely with me, with my offspring, or with my posterity; but that according to the kindness that I have done to you, you will do to me and to the land in which you have dwelt.” 24 And Abraham said, “I will swear.” 25 Then Abraham rebuked Abimelech because of a well of water which Abimelech’s servants had seized. 26 And Abimelech said, “I do not know who has done this thing; you did not tell me, nor had I heard of it until today.” 27 So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a covenant. 28 And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves. 29 Then Abimelech asked Abraham, “What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs which you have set by themselves?” 30 And he said, “You will take these seven ewe lambs from my hand, that they may be my witness that I have dug this well.” 31 Therefore he called that place Beersheba, because the two of them swore an oath there. 32 Thus they made a covenant at Beersheba. So Abimelech rose with Phichol, the commander of his army, and they returned to the land of the Philistines. 33 Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there called on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God. 34 And Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines many days. | Abraham’s Covenant With Abimelech (Verses 22-34) v. 22 At That Time – It had been four years since Abimelech had given Abraham the permission to use any of the land under his power for grazing. God is With You – It became evident to Abimelech that Abraham’s prosperity and his life were beyond what can be attributed to man or nature alone. v. 23 Swear – “Shava” (Heb.) The root meaning of this word in Hebrew is seven. Oaths were confirmed by seven sacrifices and seven pledges. It basically meant to give one’s word that he will faithfully perform a promised deed. v. 25 Abraham Reproved – He wisely sought to establish this covenant by first dealing with anything that had been or could possibly be a problem in the future implementation of this covenant. v. 27 Covenant – “Karath” (Heb.) Literally means “to cut.” This is because when an oath was made between different parties, animals were cut in the process of sacrificing them for the purpose of ratifying the agreement before God. | v. 29 Seven Ewe Lambs – Seven sacrificial animals were significant because the number seven represented perfection and thus became a sacred and binding agreement in ancient cultures. We see this same usage in the ancient writings of Herodotus, Homer, and in the ancient Ethiopian language. v. 31 Beersheba – Means “the well of oath.” v. 33 Tamarisk Tree – This tree grew well in desert areas. The word came to describe any grove of trees. Called…the Lord – Abraham worshipped God in obvious acknowledgment of this covenant being the result of God’s ongoing blessing in his life. Everlasting God – “El-Olam” (Heb.) El is a Hebrew word used for God. Modifiers such as holy, living, and great are added to “El” to help describe God. Here “olam” is added to convey God’s eternal nature. Olam’s root meaning is “most distant of times,” and refers to time extending in the past and future infinitely, beyond time. |
| Genesis 22 Abraham’s Faith Confirmed 1 Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2 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.” 3 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. 4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off. 5 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.” | Chapter 22 God Tests Abraham (Verses 1-19) v. 1 God Tested – To test in Hebrew is “Nissah.” It carries the idea of testing the quality of someone or something through placing stress on what is tested. v. 2 Offer Him – God asks Abraham to be willing to allow his heart to come to a place of complete surrender to God. The qualifying phrases “only son” and the son whom Abraham “loved” bring into focus the essence of this test. Abraham had waited 25 years for this promised child who was to bring blessing ultimately to the whole world, a son he deeply loved. Human sacrifice had never been, nor ever was, sanctioned by God. It had, however, been a part of pagan worship worldwide as a supreme act of allegiance to idols. God actually forbids human sacrifice in Leviticus 18:21, 20:1-5; and Deuteronomy 12:31, 18:10. This of course made the request all the more challenging, as it was something Abraham expected would never be asked of him. | Burnt Offering – This was an offering that was entirely consumed on the altar of sacrifice. It signified the total surrender of a worshipper’s heart and life to God. The other forms of offerings were only partially consumed on the altar. The majority of the meat was given to the officiating priests or to the worshippers to partake of in feasts as an aspect of their worship experience. v. 3 Rose Early – Abraham does not talk to anyone nor does he delay. He immediately acts upon God’s command. Place of which God had Told – The three-day journey (v. 4) brought him from Beersheba to what would later be called Jerusalem. This is the area where Abraham had worshipped with Melchizedek, the priest of the most-high God. This land of Moriah is a reference to this same area. v. 5 We Will Come Back – This statement reveals what was later said about this event in Hebrews 11:17-19. There it says that Abraham believed God would resurrect Isaac from the dead if necessary. He was so confident that God would fulfill His promises in and through Isaac that he boldly declared that both he and his son would return. |
| 6 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. 7 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?” 8 And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went together. 9 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. 10 And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” So he said, “Here I am.” 12 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.” 13 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. 14 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.” | v. 6 Took the Fire – Coals or a torch from a recent fire were often transported to enable a new fire to be started easily. v. 8 God Will Provide – Isaac, who was a young man by this time, had questioned where the sacrifice was. In Abraham’s answer we see he simply casts his confidence on his understanding of the character of God. It was God’s will he had set out to fulfill, and it would be God’s responsibility to work out the details that seemed impossible to understand on human terms. v. 9 He Bound Isaac – This reveals the submission and respect Isaac had for his father and his father’s faith. He was a young man and old enough to have resisted. | v. 12 I Know That You Fear God – Abraham’s heart had come to the place where disobedience to God was feared beyond all other fears and all reasoning that could take hold of his actions. v. 13 Ram Caught – God does provide for Abraham just as he had believed God would (v. 8). However, what is interesting is that after the supernatural intervention of an angel, God chooses, by contrast, to provide through a very natural event. This animal had become hung up in a thicket. How important it is to never put God in a box as to how He will work in our lives. v. 14 The Lord Will Provide – “Jehovah-Jireh” (Heb.) This can also be rendered “The Lord will see,” because the root word in Hebrew, “Raah” and means to see, to regard, to be fully aware of—thus the added statement in verse 14, “it shall be seen” (KJV). God saw everything related to this act of faith and would respond just as He had promised. |
|
|
