Genesis 22

“Now I know . . .” said God. It’s easy for us to say, I fear the Lord, I have faith in the Lord. But true faith is more than words; it leads to action. The genuineness of our faith is proved by our actions, by our obedience (James 2:21–22).

13–14 The Lord provided a ram for the burnt offering. The ram was a substitute sacrifice; it was sacrificed instead of Isaac. Here we see the first example of substitutionary sacrifice in the Bible—one life given for another (see Exodus 12:3–7 and comment). This type of sacrifice is the basis of the sacrifice of ATONEMENT (Romans 3:23–25), which is further described in Leviticus Chapter 16. It is we sinful humans who deserve the death penalty, but God in His mercy has provided a substitute: in the Old Testament the substitute was an animal; in the New Testament the substitute is Jesus Christ, the final and perfect sacrifice, after which there is no longer any sacrifice needed for our sins (Hebrews 10:11–18).

The Lord provided a ram; and so Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide⁹² (verse 14). But the Lord has provided us with something far greater than a ram. Just as Abraham offered up his son Isaac, so God Himself did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all (Romans 8:32). Jesus is the “ram”—the Lamb of God (John 1:29)—the Savior of the world (John 3:16).

15–19 God had made a number of great promises to Abraham, which we have already read about in previous chapters (Genesis 12:2–3; 13:14–17; 15:5; 17:6–7). But now God repeated those promises once more—but with a difference. This time, because Abraham had obeyed (verse 18), God guaranteed the promises with an oath.⁹³ Abraham’s faith had been tested; now it was strengthened even more. God had confirmed His promises with an oath; now Abraham could have no doubt that they would all come true.

Abraham’s faith and obedience have implications for believers today. Abraham is not only a historical figure; he is also a model for each of us. Just as Abraham was called to lay on the altar his only son, so we too are called to lay on the altar “our only son”—that thing or things we hold most dear in this life. Indeed it might be our only son, or only daughter. It might be our work, our profession. It might be our reputation, our self-image. It might be our life style, our comfort, our possessions.

Today God expects from us the same degree of obedience and commitment that He expected from Abraham. Jesus said, “. . . any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:33). With God it is all or nothing. God does not want ninety-percent commitment. We are in a covenant relationship with God, and that means one hundred percent—both from His side and from ours.

Our relationship with God is like a marriage relationship. If you ask someone to marry you and promise to be faithful ninety percent of the time, how well do you think that will go over!

God asks us to totally surrender our wills to Him. He asks this of all Christians, not just a few. It means that we be willing to lay on the altar everything we have-including life itself (Romans 12:1). In Christ, God offered Himself on the altar for us; are we willing to do the same for Him?

Countless Christians have testified that when, by God’s grace, they have reached that point of willingness to give their lives to God without condition or restraint, then the fullness of God’s covenant blessings has been poured out upon them as never before. This is the deepest meaning of Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac on Mount Moriah.

Nahor’s Sons (22:20–24)

20–24 This small section about Nahor’s sons is important because here we are introduced to the family from which Isaac’s wife Rebekah will be chosen (Genesis Chapter 24). Having established Isaac as Abraham’s true heir and the inheritor of God’s covenant promises, God now undertakes to find Isaac a wife, through whom the true covenant line will continue. God leaves nothing to chance. God provides for our needs before we are even aware of them.

When Abraham first left his homeland to set out for Canaan, his brother Nahor remained behind. During the intervening years, Nahor fathered twelve sons, one of whom, Bethuel, became the father of Rebekah (verse 23).