Abraham’s Test

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AStudying God’s Word

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Studying God’s Word

Introduction

In the last lesson, we saw God’s faithfulness on display as he reaffirmed his covenant with Abraham.

• • Write on the board, “How does Isaac represent Jesus Christ?”
  What significant changes happened in our study of chapter 17? Abram’s name was changed to Abraham, and Sarai’s name was changed to Sarah.
• Did anything about the covenant change? No, God was faithful to his original promise of a land, a son, and a nation to come from Abraham.
• What sign did God give Abraham to mark the covenant? All of the males were to be circumcised.

  As Isaac was born to the aged parents, God showed his power over nature and his faithfulness to fulfill his promises. Just as the birth of Ishmael brought strife into the household, Isaac’s birth rekindled that conflict, and Hagar and Ishmael were kicked out of Abraham’s household. Even though they were removed, God still kept his promise to make Ishmael a prince and father of many, and his descendants will show up in future lessons.

  • Don’t forget! Review the Optional Supplements and determine where you can use them.
  Today, we are going to continue to examine God’s faithfulness to fulfill the promises made to Abraham. Isaac, the son of promise, comes into sharper focus in today’s narrative. Abraham’s faith will be tested, and we will see a shadow of Christ appear once again.

Abraham’s Test

As God had promised, Isaac was born to Sarah and Abraham. Let us pick up the reading in Genesis 22. Isaac was about 25 years old and was living with Abraham and Sarah at Beersheba. They had lived for a time in the land of the Philistines (21:22–34), but had returned to Canaan.

Let’s read Genesis 22:1–19 together. Have someone read the passage aloud.

• What did God ask Abraham to do? Abraham was told to offer Isaac as a sacrifice on a mountain in the land of Moriah.
• What was the purpose of God’s command? To test Abraham.
• When did Abraham act on God’s command? Early the next morning.
• Who traveled with Abraham? Isaac and two servants.
• How long did the journey take? Three days.
• As they arrived in Moriah, what did Abraham tell the servants? Abraham told them to stay with the donkey, and that he and Isaac would return after they worshipped.
• What was taken to the sacrifice? Abraham took the fire and the knife, and Isaac carried the wood they had split.
• What did Isaac notice was missing? The lamb for the offering.
• In response to Isaac, how did Abraham express his faith in God’s promise? Abraham assured Isaac that God would provide the lamb.
• At what point did God intervene in the act of sacrificing? Isaac had been bound and placed on the altar. As Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to kill his son, the angel of the Lord, Jesus, spoke and stopped him.
• How did God provide a replacement for the sacrifice? A ram, caught by its horns in a thicket, was offered in Isaac’s place.
• How did Abraham name the place of the sacrifice? He called it “The Lord will provide” (Jehovah-jireh).
• What phrase is repeated three times (verses 2, 12, and 16)? “. . . your son, your only son.” God recognized that Isaac was Abraham’s only son.
• What is the main point of the passage? God tested Abraham’s faith by calling him to sacrifice Isaac. Abraham was obedient to God, trusting in his promises.
• What does the passage tell us about God? God is faithful to provide when he has called his children to obey, even in unusual and difficult circumstances. This is evident by the fact that the name of the place is, “The Lord Will Provide,” and from the text we will look at next in Hebrews 11.

Discover the Truth

Abraham demonstrated his faith in God by his obedience, and God reaffirmed his covenant with Abraham. As is often the case, a New Testament passage gives us more insight into this episode.

Turn to Hebrews 11 and listen as I read verses 17–19. Read the passage.

• What additional information does this passage give us about Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Isaac—the son of promise? Abraham knew that God would fulfill his promise to make a great nation from Isaac, so Abraham concluded that God could raise him from the dead after he had been sacrificed.

  Abraham had such solid faith that God would keep his promises that he obeyed the command that would have seemingly ended the promise God had made. If the son of promise was dead, the promise could not have been fulfilled. But God will never ask us to do something that runs contrary to his plans—Abraham knew this to be true by his faith and by his having experienced God’s faithfulness in the past. This is the kind of faith that we should all seek to have—full assurance of God’s promises.

From the Seed to the Lamb Activity

Pass out the From the Seed to the Lamb worksheets.

Once again, God had confirmed his promise for the offspring, or seed, of Abraham to inherit the land of Canaan, to produce a great multitude of offspring, and to bless all nations. As we saw in Galatians 3 a few weeks ago, that blessing was ultimately fulfilled in Christ’s work on the cross. In Acts 3, Peter also used this passage (Genesis 22:18) to explain the blessings of Christ.

Use the information on this worksheet to trace the promise from the Seed of the woman in Genesis 3 to the arrival of baby Jesus and on to the Lamb on the throne in the book of Revelation.

At each of the references, write the next reference in the margin of your Bible with some sort of symbol or word that will remind you of this reference’s meaning. This will create a thread through your Bible, connecting the promise of the Messiah through the ages of history and even into the future.

If you are short on time, allow the students to work for a short time and then encourage them to finish the activity on their own.

Connect to the Truth

Understanding how biblical events are related to one another is an important part of Bible study. That is why we have been using the Seven C’s of History timeline to help frame our study through the Bible. I trust that as you continue to study Scripture, you will find more connections and add them to this short list.

I also hope that it is very obvious that God’s faithfulness is evident throughout the Bible. The gospel message of the need for a Savior to remove the curse of sin is not something that is limited to the New Testament—it is present through the entirety of the Bible.

Application

As we recap our lesson for today, we are also going to make some more connections between the account of Abraham and Isaac and the Messiah that came from Isaac’s descendants.

Earlier, I passed out some strips of paper with titles and Scripture passages on them. As I review the idea from Genesis, each of you read the passage on the strip, and then we will draw connections between the sacrifice of Isaac and the sacrifice of Jesus. The titles and references from the Scripture strips are in parentheses below.

God had promised Abraham that his son, whom God had given the name Isaac, would be the son of promise through whom the promise of a land and a people would be fulfilled (Son of promise—Matthew 1:19–23). Ask the person with this passage to read it.

• How did the angel’s announcement to Joseph reflect Abraham’s experience? Joseph was given the name Jesus for his promised son, and Jesus would bless his people by removing their sins. Similarly, Abraham had received the announcement of Isaac’s birth and name from God as well as the promises that Isaac would fulfill.

We saw three times in Genesis 22 that God affirmed Isaac was Abraham’s only son (Only begotten Son—John 3:16–18). Ask the person with this passage to read it.

Both passages, and also the Hebrews 11 passage we read earlier, recognize a unique son given through a promise. Isaac and Jesus were both only sons promised by God. Ishmael had been removed from the family and was not the son God had promised to Abraham.

As Abraham and Isaac prepared for the sacrifice, Isaac carried the wood up the hill to where the altar would be built (Carried the wood of his sacrifice—John 19:17–18). Ask the person with this passage to read it.

• What parallel do we see with the offering of Jesus on the cross? Jesus also had to carry the wooden cross (likely just the crossbeam) to the hill where he was crucified.

Isaac, the son of promise, was to be offered as a sacrifice before the Lord, and the text does not mention Isaac struggling or refusing to obey God (Offered as a sacrifice—Ephesians 5:1–2). Ask the person with this passage to read it.

Christ’s willing sacrifice is also an offering before the Lord, the sweet-smelling aroma rising up to God just as the smoke of burnt offerings had done before.

Abraham, the father of Isaac, was to offer his own son as a burnt offering before the Lord (The Father offered the sacrifice—Isaiah 53:10). Ask the person with this verse to read it.

We see from this passage that it pleased God the Father to bruise the Son as Jesus bore the penalty for our sins in his body on the cross.

As Abraham demonstrated his faith through his obedience, God stopped the sacrifice of Isaac and provided a substitute—a ram—to be offered instead of Isaac (A lamb sacrifice—John 1:29–34). Ask the person with this passage to read it.

• How did John the Baptist describe Jesus? As the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world. Jesus was offered in our place just as the ram replaced Isaac. God provided the sacrifice in both cases.

Isaac was as close to death as he could have come. The Hebrews 11 passage also explains that Isaac was dead “in a figurative sense” (A return from death—1 Corinthians 15:3–4). Ask the person with this passage to read it.

Jesus was literally dead in the tomb after he had been offered as a sacrifice, but he did not stay there. On the third day, he rose to life, showing his victory over death.

God had instructed Abraham to travel from Beersheba to the land of Moriah about 40 miles away. God brought Abraham to a specific mountain where the altar was built (Mount Moriah—2 Chronicles 3:1). Ask the person with this verse to read it.

• What connection is there to the death of Jesus? Jesus was crucified in Jerusalem near the Temple. Solomon’s Temple had been built on Mount Moriah in the city that had formerly been called Salem in the land of Moriah. Remember that Melchizedek was the king of Salem.

  It is very likely that the place where Isaac was offered is very close to where Christ was crucified.

  The amazing parallels that we have just seen are another reminder of the awesome sovereignty of God over history. We have the privilege of holding all of this revelation from God in our hands and studying it to understand his wonderful plan and promises for us. This is a privilege we should be sure to thank him for.

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  I hope you are impressed by the way we have seen God’s providence in the last several lessons. We have done a very brief study of Abraham, but I trust you can see God’s character shining through these accounts.
• What can you take from today’s lesson to help you be assured of God’s faithfulness to his promises? Discuss various answers.
• What benefit do you see in tracing the promise of a Savior, as we did in the cross-referencing activity, throughout the entire Bible? It should confirm our trust in God’s sovereign control over all history. Under the rule of Christ, we can expect him to be faithful to the future promises of the consummation of this corrupted creation.
• Some of you may have been asking yourselves whether you could have been as faithful as Abraham in his situation. If you ever doubt your ability, how can you find assurance that your faith will carry you through? It is by fixing our minds on God’s promises, not our own abilities, that we can demonstrate our faith. Abraham constantly looked to God’s promises, not his own ability or courage.
• How might you use the parallels between the sacrifice of Isaac and the crucifixion of Christ to share the gospel with someone you know? This would be an intriguing way to show how God has worked in history. Many people are probably familiar with the account of Isaac, so it would be a great way to start a conversation that is intent upon presenting the amazing hope we have in Christ.

Group Prayer

Be sure to pray with your class and take requests if time allows.

• Praise God for his faithfulness to provide a sacrifice for the sins of mankind.
• Ask God to help the students know him so well through studying his Word that they would be able to exercise complete obedience through faith.
• Thank God for the amazing things revealed to us in his Word.