Genesis 22 – 24
Chapter 22 is one of my favorite passages, since it shows God’s great provision for us.
From what we’ve read, we know that Abraham had been waiting many years to have a son with Sarah, as God had promised him. We can only imagine how delighted he was when Isaac, the son of promise, was born.
From this passage, we learn that God tested Abraham’s faith, and since he tested Abraham’s faith, we can be pretty sure that he will do the same with any believer.
We don’t know if God physically appeared to Abraham, but Abraham certainly heard God’s voice. I’m sure it wasn’t what he wanted to hear either. God told him to take his son – and note how God describes that son:
- “Your only son” Isaac
- Whom you love
God tells him to “go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I will show you.
God did not want to give Abraham an out, i.e., he did not want Abraham to think he could sacrifice Ishmael. He spoke clearly and concisely that it was to be Isaac.
Did Abraham wait around and make excuses for not leaving right away. No, the Bible says he left the next morning with two of his servants and his son, Isaac. He was not going to take a chance there would be no wood for the burnt offering, so he chopped the wood before he left.
Now, Moriah was a 3-day journey and those three days must have been agony for Abraham. He knew what a burnt offering meant, how painful it would be for Isaac, but he was obedient and did as God said.
When he arrives, he tells his servants to wait with the donkey, he places the wood on Isaac’s shoulders, and carries the knife and the fire up the mountain.
Isaac is a bright kid and says to Abraham, “We have the fire and the wood, … but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?” Abraham demonstrates his faith by saying, “God will provide a sheep for the burnt offering, my son.” And, he did.
Hebrews 11:17-19 tells us that it was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him, because “Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead.”
Legend says that Mount Moriah is known today as Calvary, where Jesus was sacrificed. He also was brought back from the dead. What a picture of God’s love, provision and redemption.
In view of how Abraham obeyed God, God re-confirms His covenant that He will multiply Abraham’s descendants beyond number, but He adds an addition provision: “And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed—all because you have obeyed me.”
Soon after this happens, Abraham hears that Milcah, his brother Nahor’s wife had borne Nahor eight sons (Genesis 11:29ff mentions Nahor and Milcah). You might recall that, when Abraham’s father Terah left Ur of the Chaldeans with Abraham, Nahor did not go with them.
After bearing Isaac and seeing him grow into an adult, Sarah dies, and Abraham asks the Hittite elders if they will sell him a piece of land so he can give her a proper burial. He arranges to buy the cave of Machpelah from Ephron son of Zohar. Remember how Abraham would not take any of the recovered goods from the king of Sodom because he did not want anyone to say they had made him rich. Although Ephron offers to give Abraham the cave, Abraham insists he pay the full price for it and makes sure it is done in front of witesses.
Now, Abraham actually owns a small piece of the land of Canaan.
In chapter 24, Abraham, a very old man by now, asks his oldest servant to take an oath. (Did you see that the servant placed his hand under Abraham’s thigh in acknowledgment of that oath instead of a handshake as we would do?) The servant agrees to go to Abraham’s homeland (where Nahor stayed) and find a wife for Isaac. He made it clear that he did not want Isaac to marry a Canaanite woman.
Abraham’s servant also relied on the God of his master Abraham as we can see by how he prayed when he got to Abraham’s homeland. What faith! And it works out the way he prays. Rebekah also had a lot of faith. Imagine leaving everyone and everything you are familiar with and traveling with someone you do not know to a place you have never been to marry someone you have never seen. Whew!
The story sounds like something from a real romance novel with genuine love at first sight. The last verse of chapter 24 says “He loved her deeply, and she was a special comfort to him after the death of his mother.”
Tomorrow, it’s Genesis 25 – 26.
Drying Strawberries
Early this morning, I went to a produce stand and bought a half-flat of strawberries. They had just come off the truck and were the freshest, most beautiful strawberries I have ever seen. Using my mandoline, I was able to slice the berries uniformly and fairly quickly. They’ve been drying now for about 6 hours and have just permeated the air in here with a wonderful strawberry aroma.
Tomorrow, I may go see a movie, but we’ll see if the strawberries are done yet.
Until next time…
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