The 100th Blog...Yay!...and Genesis 22...and the Swedish Chef...and Abraham...and...and...

Don't get frustrated, Swedish chef. We'll come back to Job.

If you follow ye old blog with any frequency you know that I switch from subject to subject as suits my fancy. I'm known as quite the rebel, (not really), so my moods are hard to predict, (no comments from my wife please). I am however, dedicated to the subjects I have already brought up. So fret not, we will finish the blog on Job. I wanted to switch back, (for now), to Genesis and Abraham because Abraham called and said he was feeling neglected. Out of a desire not to offend the leading Jewish patriarch I have returned to tell his story. We join him now in Genesis 22:1-19. What I would suggest is that you open the page for the link on a separate page so you can view the verses. Either that or just open the Bible. Whichever option you think the Swedish chef would like best. One other thing: Genesis 22 is one of the most deep and incredible chapters of the Bible, so I'm going to spend two blogs on it. The first is going to be mainly observing the text and the second will look more in depth at its meaning and significance. Here we go:

How did we get here? If you're interested in the long answer to that question you can go back and read my blogs on Genesis and particularly Abraham, (or you could just read Genesis 12-21, it's your choice). The short answer is that Abraham was called by God out of his homeland. God told him he would make him a great nation, make his name great, and in him all of the nations of the earth would be blessed. God also promised Abraham that he would have a son through his wife Sarah, (even though Sarah and Abraham were in their 70's), who would inherit the promises God gave to Abraham.

Abraham has been walking with God now for about 40 years or so. He has grown much in his faith and relationship with God, despite many stumbles and failings. God finally provided a son to Abraham through his wife Sarah, which was quite a miracle because both parents were about 100 when they conceived, (way to go Abraham!). All joking aside, God worked a miracle to provide a son for them, Isaac, who would be the heir to the promises given by God. So there. Now you completely understand Genesis 12-21...or at least the general idea.

Now Abraham has his son, the promised child from God. Genesis 22 seems to be, according to commentators, about 20 years down the road. Abraham and Sarah have been able to live with, raise, and enjoy their son for some time now. What a blessing. Now that we know the background, let's dig in to the chapter.

"After these things God tested Abraham..." (v1). A big part about reading and understanding the Bible is to pay attention to the context/background, (see prior paragraphs), and language. At the start of this chapter the Bible clearly states what is about to happen. God is going to test Abraham. The testing is the entire premise for what is going to happen in Genesis 22.

(v2). Whoa. Stop a minute. Let's think about this. Abraham had waited 25 years for the son God promised to him. He had endured years of waiting and trusting God. He had finally received the son God was going to use to create a great nation and through whom the world would be blessed according to God's promises. Abraham and Sarah had spent the last 15-20 years or so raising and loving this child. Now God calls him to take his son to the land of Moriah and sacrifice him to God. The language used in this sentence makes it painfully clear that God knows what he is asking Abraham to do. Each word of God's command cuts even deeper, "Take your son/your only son Isaac/whom you love"...Not only is it Abraham's son, but it is his only son that he loves deeply. To describe this as a difficult situation would be a gross understatement.

Ask yourself how you would feel in this situation? What would you do? What would your thoughts be about God? About his plan? About his heart? Why would God do this to him? How could this possibly line up with God's previous promises to Abraham about Isaac?

So what does Abraham do? "So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him , and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God told him. On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar," (v3-4). Faced with the most difficult command God has ever given, Abraham gets up in the morning, prepares the materials to sacrifice his son, and heads towards the mountain. The journey takes three days. I wonder if Abraham wasn't hoping God would speak to him in that time and order him to go back home with Isaac. Either way, Abraham obeyed God. 

Verses 5-8. Abraham and Isaac take the long walk alone up the mountain. Abraham tells his servants who traveled with him to stay and wait while he and Isaac go and worship. He makes an incredible statement to them, "I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you." Abraham is acting in faith in God and in his promises. God had told Abraham that in Isaac would the covenant promises be fulfilled. He told him that from Isaac a great nation would come. Abraham did not understand what God was going to do, but he trusted that God would be faithful to his promises and that somehow the Lord was going to bring Isaac back with him. Abraham didn't know how it was going to work out, but he trusted God and his promises. Abraham takes the wood for the burnt offering, the wood by which he will apparently burn up the dead body of his son, and lays it on Isaac's shoulders. Abraham takes the knife and the torch and they both head up the mountain. Man! What a picture! The father leading his own son up a mountain where he will kill him.

Isaac realizes there is wood, a knife, and a torch, but no lamb for a burnt offering. (Remember, God had made it clear that the only acceptable offerings were blood sacrifices. See also Cain/Abel, Noah and previous times in Abraham's life). Isaac asks his father where the lamb is for the offering. Abraham answers, "God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son."  Abraham believed God would provide the sacrifice for the offering needed. Abraham trusted God.

(9-10) Now they get to the place where Abraham was to build the altar and sacrifice his son. Tom Nelson, commenting on these verses, points out that here the text slows down so you can feel the drama and emotion in each word. It's like when you're watching a murder mystery movie. It's the final scene, the killer slowly enters the room, every move is magnified and in slow motion before the climactic scene. It's the same way in these verses. You can almost hear dramatic music in the background. "Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son."

I'm told women like Sawyer. 

So what happens? It's if all of a sudden time stops and then you go to a commercial break. WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN? WHO KILLED JR? WHAT IN THE WORLD WAS THE TV SHOW LOST REALLY ABOUT? IS DARTH VADER REALLY LUKE SKYWALKER'S FATHER? WHY AM I TYPING IN ALL CAPS!?

"But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, 'Abraham, Abraham!' And he said, 'Here I am.' Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me," (11-12). Whoa. That was close.

God allows Abraham to get the very end of the sacrifice and then stops him. He calls out twice, like you do when you're trying to stop your kids from touching the stove. ABRAHAM! ABRAHAM! Abraham stopped from killing Isaac, (as Rembrandt's painting to the right shows so well), and his son was spared. Instead of Isaac, a ram is found caught in a thicket by his horns. Abraham is able to take the ram and sacrifice it instead of Isaac. There is a very important point here about the sacrifices God requires. Not only was the blood of an animal provided for the sacrifice, but it was an animal without any blemish. The ram was caught by his horns. The body was not marred or damaged. The ram was without fault. God requires the blood of a undamaged and unblemished sacrifice. If the ram had been scarred or damaged in any way it would not have been a fit sacrifice for God. The Lord provided just the right sacrifice, (see Abraham's comments earlier), instead of Isaac.

(14-19) Abraham in grateful praise, sacrifices the animal and names that place "The Lord will provide". God declares to Abraham that he will bless him greatly because of his faithful obedience. Pay attention to the unilateral and unconditional language God uses. "By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice," (16-18).

Has anyone ever made a movie about Genesis 22? What an incredible drama! What incredible faith! What emotion! What obedience! Maybe they should do a whole TV series on the Bible. They could call it, "The Bible". I really should check on that. Seems like a good idea.

Anyway, I told you before this was going to be mainly an observational blog. Next time we'll dive into what this all means and the incredible implications from this chapter. But it's important we take time to just read the story and breathe in all of what happened and the drama therein. That way we'll be ready once it comes to understanding and applying the lessons and truths from the story. Stay tuned for the next blog. I think it'll be a good one. Beaker agrees.