Genesis 22

GENESIS 22:1-19
Easter 2012

We are going to jump forward in Genesis because this weekend is Easter weekend, more accurately Resurrection Sunday
Traditionally the church remembers the crucifixion of Christ on the Friday before Easter, which has been called Good Friday.
The Bible does not say what day Jesus was crucified, it says He rose on the first day of the week, which we know is Sunday
Mat 12:40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
You cannot get three days and three nights from Friday afternoon to Sunday Morning
If He was crucified on Thursday then you can get 3 days and three nights
Thursday, Friday, Saturday is three days
Thursday night, Friday Night, and Saturday night is 3 nights
This does not matter much, but to make you aware how we should examine our traditions to make sure they are scriptural
There are a lot of traditions surrounding Easter
The name of Easter comes from the Ancient Egyptian name of their goddess of fertility Astarte
The pagan celebration of this goddess was replaced with the resurrection of Jesus Christ, but the name Easter remained
This is why we see fertility symbols like eggs and rabbits on Easter, but they have nothing to do with The resurrection of Jesus
I believe it is quite insulting to God, to continue to associate these symbols with Resurrection Sunday
God had a plan for the crucifixion and resurrection from even before the foundation of the world, and he revealed His foreknowledge of these events ahead of time in the Old Testament
This week and next week I want to look closely at the God's foreknowledge of this
Gen 22:1 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.
Now this may cause some confusion because you may have heard this verse...
Jas 1:13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: as 1:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
This is not a contradiction because the Hebrew word for tempt here in Genesis 22:1 is better translated “Test”.....So whats the difference?
God allows trials and tests in our lives to strengthen our faith,
Satan, the world and our flesh tempt us in order to cause us to sin.
So here God is going to strengthen Abraham's faith.
We all face tests everyday, and when we do, we need to approach these tests with eyes of faith instead of eyes upon how unfair the test may seem.
When we pass these tests, we are blessed knowing that God is changing us from within

Gen 22:2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
WO!!! God is telling Abraham to sacrifice his own son, this is against His own law:
Deu 18:10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,
Lev 18:21 And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.
So is this a contradiction that God would command someone to do this
God would never command anyone to commit a sin, and He stopped Abraham from going through with the act
The fact is that God does call for human sacrifice
What Abraham did not understand was that the human being sacrificed must be sinless, without spot or blemish
Lev 1:3 If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD.
Therefore only Jesus Christ is qualified to be offered as a human sacrifice, because He is the only human ever to be sinless
2Co 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Heb 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

Gen 22:3 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.
Abraham in this account is a type of God the Father who sacrificed his only son
Isaac is a type of Jesus who went up the hill to be sacrificed
The two young men are a type of the Prophets and Apostles who witnessed and testified to the work of God
Gen 22:4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.
The Third day. When God commanded Abraham to kill his son, Abraham already considered Isaac dead, he decided, and then three days later, Isaac would be resurrected in Abrahams heart, because God stopped it
Gen 22:5 And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.
This should remind us of John 14...
Joh 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
By the way we are not saved by saying the sinners prayer, we are saved by believing God
Joh 14:2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. Joh 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. Joh 14:4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Joh 14:5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. Joh 14:7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. oh 14:8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Joh 14:9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? Joh 14:10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Joh 14:11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake. Joh 14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. Joh 14:13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. Joh 14:14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. Joh 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments. Joh 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Joh 14:17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. Joh 14:18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Joh 14:19 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. Joh 14:20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

Gen 22:6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.
Joh 19:17 And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha:
This place by the way is the exact place Abraham took Isaac
Tradition holds that the crucifixion of Jesus took place on Golgatha which is also known as Mt Moriah
777 Feet above sea level

Gen 22:7 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?
Gen 22:8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
Gen 22:9 And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.
Gen 22:10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
Gen 22:11 And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.
Gen 22:12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.
It was not that God did not Know if Abraham would commit to this act of faith, God knows everything
It was for Abraham's sake and ours. God was showing Abraham not only what He would do with His own son, but this also showed Abraham what God had done in His Abraham's heart.
We often doubt ourselves, and think we are faithless pieces of poop. But then God shows us how He is changing us from within, and it comforts us
This angel said this to Abraham to strengthen Abraham's faith and encourage him.
Tell story of when I saw Jesus in a cloud, then I doubted myself, then God showed me again.

Gen 22:13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.
Gen 22:14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.
This was the point of this whole test, to show us that God will do something here
Literally Jehovahjireh means 'The Lord will see to it” or the Lord will do it.
God's point here to Abraham and us, was that on that very spot God was going to do something so great, that the entire Human race will look to this event (Psalm 22:27) which we will get into next week

Gen 22:15 And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time,
Gen 22:16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:
Gen 22:17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
Isaac was Abrahams life, his most cherished pocession, but He was willing to give him unto the Lord
Is that our heart, think of the most important thing in your life, would you be able to give it up to God, if He asked. If you answered yes and meant it, then God is your greatest treasure, and He will bless you
If not, then you are worshiping an idol

Gen 22:18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
Here is a clue that God gave us, the offspring of Abraham will bless all the nations of the earth. Abraham was the father of the Jews, but more specifically Jesus, and it is Jesus who would be the reason for this blessing and the subject of this prophecy

Gen 22:19 So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba.
Notice Isaac is not mentioned as returning to the two young men
The assumption is that he did, Abraham did not leave him tied up on the mountain
Isaac is not mentioned because there is another prophetic picture being painted here
The next time Isaac appears in the Biblical account is when he is coming for his bride, Just like Jesus when He comes for His bride
Gen 24:63 And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels were coming. Gen 24:64 And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel.
What is interesting is the name Rebekah means “A quarrel apeased” Or it could mean a debt paid. Jesus paid our debt and Rebekah is a type of the church.