Genesis 22:9-19

Genesis 22:9-19

[9] And they came  to the place  which God  had told  him of; and Abraham  built  an altar  the wood  in order,  and bound  Isaac  his son,  and laid  him on the altar  upon  the wood.  [10] And Abraham  stretched forth  his hand,  and took  the knife  to slay  his son.  [11] And the angel  of the LORD  called  unto him out of heaven,  and said,  Abraham,  and he said,  [12] And he said,  Lay  not thine hand  upon  the lad,  neither do thou  any thing  unto him: for now  I know  that thou fearest  God,  seeing thou hast not  withheld  thy son,  thine only  son from me. [13] And Abraham  lifted up  his eyes,  and looked,  and behold behind  him a ram  caught  in a thicket  by his horns:  and Abraham  and took  the ram,  and offered him up  for a burnt offering  in the stead  of his son.  [14] And Abraham  called  the name  of that place  as  it is said  to this day,  In the mount  of the LORD  it shall be seen.  [15] And the angel  of the LORD  called  unto Abraham  out of heaven  the second time,  [16] And said,  By myself have I sworn,  saith  the LORD,  for because  thou hast done  this thing,  and hast not  withheld  thy son,  thine only  son: [17] That in blessing  thee, and in multiplying  thy seed  as the stars  of the heaven,  and as the sand  which is upon the sea  shore;  and thy seed  shall possess  the gate  of his enemies;  [18] And in thy seed  shall all the nations  of the earth  be blessed;  because  thou hast obeyed  my voice.  [19] So Abraham  returned  unto his young men,  and they rose up  together  to Beersheba;  and Abraham  dwelt  at Beersheba. 

What does Genesis 22:9-19 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Isaac demonstrated his own faith clearly in this incident. He must have known what his father intended to do to him, yet he submitted willingly ( Genesis 22:9).
"If Abraham displays faith that obeys, then Isaac displays faith that cooperates. If Isaac was strong and big enough to carry wood for a sacrifice, maybe he was strong and big enough to resist or subdue his father." [1]
The possibility of Isaac resisting may be why Abraham bound him on the altar.
"The sacrifice was already accomplished in his [2] heart, and he had fully satisfied the requirements of God." [3]
"The test, instead of breaking him, brings him to the summit of his lifelong walk with God." [4]
Abraham gained a greater appreciation of God as the One who will provide or look out for him (Yahweh-jireh, lit. "the Lord sees") as a result of this incident ( Genesis 22:14). Also, the Lord confirmed His knowledge of Abraham ( Genesis 22:12; cf. Genesis 18:21; Job 1:1; Job 1:8; Job 2:3).
"The story reaches its climax when Abraham demonstrated his loyalty ( Genesis 22:12; Genesis 22:15-18) by obeying God"s command (cf. Genesis 26:5). God then elevated the patriarch to the status of a favored vassal who now possessed a ratified promise, comparable to the royal grants attested in the ancient Near East. God contextalized His self-revelation to Abraham (and to the readers of the narrative) within the relational, metaphorical framework of a covenant lord. Thus one should not be surprised to hear Him speak in ways that reflect the relational role He assumed within this metaphorical framework." [5]
Abraham"s sacrifice of the ram ( Genesis 22:13), like Noah"s sacrifice after he left the ark ( Genesis 8:18 to Genesis 9:17), expressed thanks and devotion to God and anticipated His benevolence toward future generations. This is the first explicit mention of the substitutionary sacrifice of one life for another in the Bible. God appeared again to Abraham (the ninth revelation) at the end of His test ( Genesis 22:15). God swore by Himself to confirm His promises to Abraham ( Genesis 22:16). God so swore only here in His dealings with the patriarchs. Moses referred to this oath later in Israel"s history ( Genesis 24:7; Genesis 26:3; Genesis 50:24; Exodus 13:5; Exodus 13:11; Exodus 33:1; et al.; cf. Hebrews 6:13-14).
". . . the main point of Genesis 22:9-14 is not the doctrine of the Atonement. It is portraying an obedient servant worshipping God in faith at great cost, and in the end receiving God"s provision." [6]
One writer suggested that Genesis 22:15-18 really ". . . describes the establishment of the covenant of circumcision first mentioned in Genesis 17." [7] However the lack of reference to circumcision in the immediate context makes this interpretation tenuous.
For the first and last time in Genesis , the Lord swore an oath in His own name guaranteeing His promise ( Genesis 22:16; cf. Hebrews 6:13-14). God thus reinforced, reemphasized, and extended the promise that He had given formerly ( Genesis 12:1-3) because Abraham trusted and obeyed Him ( Genesis 22:17-18).
"Here again God promised Abraham that he would become the recipient of the covenant blessings. The covenant was not based on obedience, nor was the perpetuity of the covenant based on obedience-but rather the reception of covenant blessings was conditioned on obedience. Remember, an unconditional covenant may have conditional blessings." [8]
Abraham"s "seed" ( Genesis 22:18) refers not only to Isaac but also to Messiah (cf. Galatians 3:16).
The Four Seeds of Abraham in ScriptureNATURAL SEEDAll physical descendants of Abraham( Genesis 12:1-3; Genesis 12:7; et al.)NATURAL-SPIRITUAL SEEDBelieving physical descendants of Abraham( Romans 9:6; Romans 9:8; Galatians 6:16)SPIRITUAL SEEDBelieving non-physical descendants of Abraham( Galatians 3:6-9; Galatians 3:29)ULTIMATE SEEDJesus Christ( Galatians 3:16)
Abraham then returned to the well he had purchased at Beersheba and lived there ( Genesis 22:19).
Moses probably preserved the details of this story because this test involved the future of God"s promised seed, Isaac, and, therefore, the faithfulness of God. He probably did so also because this incident illustrates God"s feelings in giving His Son as the Lamb of God (cf. John 1:29; John 3:16). Other themes in this chapter include testing and obedience, the relationship between God and Prayer of Manasseh , and the relationship between father and son. [9]
Every time Abraham made a sacrifice for God the Lord responded by giving Abraham more.
1.Abraham left his homeland; God gave him a new one.2.Abraham left his extended family; God gave him a much larger family.3.Abraham offered the best of the land to Lot; God gave him more land.4.Abraham gave up the King of Sodom"s reward; God gave Abraham more wealth.5.Abraham gave up Ishmael; God made Ishmael the father of a multitude of Abraham"s posterity.6.Abraham was willing to give up Isaac; God allowed him to live and through him gave Abraham numerous seed.
In each case God gave Abraham a deeper relationship with Himself as well as more material prosperity. Note the closeness of this fellowship in Abraham"s response to God"s revelations: "Here I am" ( Genesis 22:1; Genesis 22:11).
God has not promised Christians great physical blessings (cf. 2 Timothy 3:2), but whenever we make a sacrifice for Him He gives us a deeper relationship with Himself at least (cf. John 15:14). For this reason we should not fear making personal sacrifices for God.
Note too that what God called Abraham to give back to Him was something that He had provided for Abraham supernaturally in faithfulness to His promise. Sometimes God tests our faith by asking us to give back to Him what He has supernaturally and faithfully provided, not just what He has provided through regular channels.
This test of Abraham"s faith is the climax of his personal history. It is the last major incident in the record of his life.
". . . God does not demand a literal human sacrifice from His worshippers, but the spiritual sacrifice of an unconditional denial of the natural life, even to submission to death itself." [10]
The faithful believer will surrender to God whatever He may ask trusting in God"s promise of provision and blessing.