Set to dark modeSet to dark modeGenesis 22 Commentary
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God tells Abraham to travel to Mt. Moriah and offer Isaac as a sacrifice. Abraham takes Isaac on the three-day journey to the mountain.
Abraham takes Isaac, a knife, and the wood needed for the offering. As they walk, Isaac asks Abraham what they will sacrifice. Abraham replies that God will provide the lamb.
Abraham binds Isaac and places him on an altar. As Abraham takes the knife to slay his son, the angel of the Lord calls to him from heaven.
Just then, Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught in a thicket. Abraham offered the ram as the burnt offering instead of Isaac. The place was then called, “The Lord will Provide.”
God speaks again, saying that because of Abraham’s faithfulness he will be blessed. God promises that Abraham’s descendants will be many and they will conquer their enemies. Through Abraham’s obedience, all the nations of the earth will be blessed.
Abraham, Isaac, and the two servants return to Beersheba where they lived. Abraham’s brother, Nahor, had eight children with his wife Milcah. One of the eight children, Bethuel, became the father of Rebekah. Nahor also had four children with his concubine, Reumah. Rebekah would grow up to marry Isaac.
Genesis Chapter 22 contains perhaps the greatest test of faith in the entire Bible. God asks Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. Abraham obeys. He travels to Mt. Moriah and binds Isaac to an altar, raising a knife to kill his son who was promised to continue his family line. Abraham believed Isaac would fulfill God's promise to make a great nation from him, and concluded that God would raise Isaac from the dead (Hebrews 11:19). The test is completed. God intervenes, telling Abraham not to kill his son, but provides a ram instead for the sacrifice. Abraham names the place of the altar, "Jehovah-Jireh," The Lord Will Provide. The covenant between God and Abraham is reiterated. God promises blessings on Abraham's descendants. Chapter 22 shows how God is completely sufficient. Obedience in Him always works for the good.
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