10 Weeks in Genesis: Lesson 9
WEEK NINE: WATCH EPISODE 12 FROM BIBLE IN A YEAR STUDY
GOD WILL PROVIDE:
This is one of the coolest stories in the Bible when we were kids, but I feel it should still hold a very special place in our hearts. If we start at the beginning, we see that God tells Abraham, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac." Of course we know that Isaac IS NOT Abraham's only son, but by this point Ishmael has been sent away. We also know from what we looked at in the last couple of weeks that Isaac, as the son of promise, represents the people of faith. Ishmael represented those who would seek righteousness through their own works. God says here, "your only son," indicating to us that the "son of the slave woman does not have an inheritance with the son of the free woman." (As we have previously seen in Galatians 4) In other words, God does not count Ishmael as the son of Abraham. This is consistent with Jesus's teaching to the Pharisees in John 8 when he tells them that they are neither sons of Abraham nor of God but of the Devil. You'll remember in that text that Jesus says, "The slave does not remain in the house forever, but the son remains." Some people skip over Genesis 22:2 missing the larger Biblical implications, but in that we have already looked at Galatians 4 in some detail we can make the connection right away.
In Genesis 22:5, we are told that Abraham, with full knowledge that he was to offer Isaac as a sacrifice to God, said to the servants, "I and the boy will go over there and worship, and we will come again to you." Abraham was not naive. In fact, he fully expected to kill his son that day and he also expected God to raise him from the dead. I would have you turn your attention to Hebrews 11:17-19.
Abraham took the fire and the wood, and when Isaac asked where the sacrifice was, Abraham answered, "God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son." Of course, at some point, Abraham had to bind Isaac and lay him on the altar. I have often wondered what words were exchanged between the hopeful and obedient father and the confused (perhaps terrified) child.
As I said in the video, people try to tie Isaac to Jesus. They say things like, "Jesus IS God's only son. Abraham traveled for three days. Jesus was in the grave for three days. Isaac carried the wood for the offering up the hill like Jesus carried the cross up the hill." But this is nothing more than trying to force the text. The three days in the story of Abraham and Isaac happened BEFORE the offering and not after. Isaac wasn't the ONLY son of Abraham but was counted as the only son. Isaac didn't die, but Jesus did. Furthermore, there isn't a single New Testament reference that compares Jesus to Isaac. There are, however, several examples that compare Isaac to the believers. And again, it wasn't Isaac who died, but the ram. God provided the offering. Jesus is the provided offering. Abraham names the place, "The Lord will provide." As the Jews said, "ON the mount of the Lord it shall be provided."
Back in verse two, we see that this was Mount Moriah. In 2 Chronicles 3:1, we see King Solomon, the son of David, building the temple on Mount Moriah. We know that Jesus was killed just outside the city on none other than Mount Moriah. Because, after all, on the mount of the Lord, it WILL BE provided. And, in fact, it was.
We see again in verse eighteen, "in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed," and we are immediately reminded of Genesis 12:1-3 when God called Abram away from the land of Ur of the Chaldeans. That was when Abraham was just 75. We can't know how old Abraham is in today's chapter. He was 100 when Isaac was born, and now Isaac is old enough to carry the wood up the hill. Is he ten? Twenty? who knows? But when you look at this text, I want you to remember one more thing. Abraham was 80-85 when God promised him a son. He was 100 when Isaac was born. This powerful story is at least ten years later, I would imagine. That means a minimum of 25-30 years has passed between God promising a son to Abraham and Abraham willingly offering that promised son to God. So what? Well, when we venture to James chapter two where we find "Faith without works is dead," and
20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless?21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness"—and he was called a friend of God. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.
Back in Genesis 15:6, Abraham put his faith in God and his righteousness was given to him as a gift. It is vitally important that you understand that. His righteousness was intact in Genesis 15:6. Righteousness has been and always will be BY FAITH. But true faith will ALWAYS produce real works. What James points out is that Abraham's faith was proven as genuine when he walked Isaac up the hill and laid him on the altar. Read that carefully. Abraham wasn't declared righteous by that action. Works don't make men righteous. Abraham PROVED the authenticity of his faith by the way he lived his life, not just the day after the promise but 25-30 years later (or more). I will often note someone who has a momentary passion for God, even if momentary is five years plus. However, the way we can know what someone believes about the promises of God is by how they conduct themselves a decade from now, or two, or five. If you have made it this far in the study, you likely would say of yourself that you are a follower of Christ. What I'll say to you is this: if you really are a follower of Jesus, you will still be walking with him the next time our paths cross. And even the twenty times after that. 1 John 2:18-19 talks about the people among the church who end up leaving the body, they are the antichrists, the disbelievers. They were with the church and departed from walking with Christ, proving they were never of the church of Christ. Denying Jesus, they find themselves to be deniers of the Father. However, those of us who find ourselves as convinced of the promises of God as Abraham, the father of faith, will also find we are never weary of following our redeemer. How we live a decade from now will prove that we really believe what we so tightly cling to today.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
Isaac is a picture of the Believer, not of Christ.
Only Isaac (people of faith) are recognized as sons of God.
God is trustworthy and will uphold all of his promises.
On the mountain of the LORD, it WAS provided.
What we truly and rightly believe about the Lord today will shape how we live a decade from now.
DISCUSSION:
What, if anything, stood out to you today in the video? What thoughts were new or encouraging to you?
Why do you think so many people try to make Isaac a picture of Jesus?
How does a more overarching view of Scripture help to shape your understanding of this story?
(softball question incoming) Why is the location of Genesis 22 so spiritually significant?
How did Abraham's faith in God's promise shape his actions in Genesis 22? How does our faith in God shape the kind of people we will be in the coming decades?
What is a key takeaway from today's lesson you hope to hold on to?
PRAYER:
God, we thank you for your gracious provision of salvation in Jesus Christ. Help us to so believe your work, word, and promises that the days ahead of us would be shaped by our faith in you.
