Year 1, Week 5, Day 1 Bible Reading Observations
Year 1, Week 5, Day 1
I have a brief observation for today’s reading of Genesis 21-22.
Today’s reading records the birth of Isaac, but also his near early death. The long-awaited arrival of a son to Abraham and Sarah took place: "And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him. Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore him, Isaac.” (Genesis 21:2-3). The LORD first promised a descendant to Abraham back in Genesis 12, which was twenty-five years earlier. But now, the suspense is over; the LORD has done what He said He would do; the LORD has carried out what He promised He would do: “The LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did to Sarah as he had promised.” (Genesis 21:1). The LORD shows Himself faithful: “For he remembered his holy promise, and Abraham, his servant.” (Psalm 105:42).
Today’s reading surprises us with a twist: “After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” (Genesis 22:12). The previous ten chapters have been oriented around the anticipation of an heir for Abraham and Sarah. Now that God had finally provided a son, the LORD directs Abraham to sacrifice him. This test flies in the face of what God has been promising He was up to. One of the challenges of the LORD’s testing is that it will not seem to make much sense to us, at least at the moment: “For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried.” (Psalm 66:10).
One of the things that struck me from today’s reading is the LORD showing what trusting Him consists of. The LORD loves His people trusting Him: “without faith it is impossible to please him” (Hebrews 11:6). What the account of Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son shows us is the nature of a faith that is pleasing to God. The LORD has worked into Abraham’s heart and soul a faith that consists of great confidence in the LORD. Abraham, in route to a straightforward obedience to the LORD’s instructions, confesses a clear confidence in the LORD’s faithfulness: “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.” (Genesis 22:5). Abraham is convinced that both he and Isaac will be back and rejoin his servants whom he told to stay behind. Abraham is convince that the LORD will bring Isaac back to him after he is sacrificed: “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead” (Hebrews 11:17-19). The LORD has instilled this confident faith in Abraham, for the LORD had already shown Abraham that He can breathe new life into a his dead body as well as Sarah’s dead womb: “He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.” (Romans 4:19-21).
Related to Abraham’s confidence in the LORD’s faithfulness, Abraham was also confident in the LORD’s provision: “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” (Genesis 22:8). As Isaac inquired about what would be sacrificed, Abraham confessed a clear confidence in the LORD’s provision. Abraham doesn’t provide Isaac an immediate answer but he does give him an ultimate answer. Abraham knows that the LORD will provide. Abraham’s confidence in the LORD’s faithfulness to provide drives Abraham’s obedience. But then, as Abraham is ready to obey, the LORD interrupts: “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.” (Genesis 22:12). The LORD stays Abraham’s actions. Abraham believed and obeyed. But the thing that was to be remembered was not Abraham and his obedience, but the LORD and His provision: “So Abraham called the name of that place, “The LORD will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the LORD it shall be provided.” (Genesis 22:14).
The LORD responds to these things by adding a new element to the previous promises that He has made to Abraham: "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…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.” (Genesis 22:16-18). The offspring of Abraham will “possess the gate of his enemies,” that is, defeat his enemies. While this promise is new to Abraham, it has been previously declared: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” (Genesis 3:15). Abraham’s obedience has triggered a new enhanced feature of God’s promises. But it will be by the obedience of Abraham’s seed, the Lord Jesus Christ, that the enemy’s defeat will actually be achieved.
What struck you in today’s reading? What questions were prompted from today’s reading?
Pastor Joe