Genesis 22:1-19 - Here I Am!
- Chad Werkhoven
- 1 hour ago
- 5 min read
God's tests are for your benefit.
SINCE WE LAST LEFT OFF: God fulfilled His promise to Abraham & Sarah with the birth of their son, Isaac. He replaces Ishmael as the heir of the covenant, and Hagar and Ishmael are sent away - yet God still preserves them according to His mercy. Abraham once again fibs to a neighboring king that Sarah was his sister, but God protected her and publicly reaffirmed His covenant faithfulness by blessing Abraham and establishing peace at Beersheba, showing that the promise rests on God’s Word, not human effort.
Genesis 22:1–19 (NIV)
22 Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”
3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”
6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”
“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.
“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.
9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”
13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.”
15 The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16 and said, “I swear by myself, declares the LORD , that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18 and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”
19 Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set off together for Beersheba. And Abraham stayed in Beersheba.
Q&A 33
Q. Why is Jesus called God’s “only Son”
when we also are God’s children?
A. Because Christ alone is the eternal, natural Son of God.
We, however, are adopted children of God—
adopted by grace through Christ.
Summary
I wonder what sort of emotions flooded into Abraham's heart when once again he heard the voice of the LORD calling out to him. After all, this isn't the first time he heard it, and it often came to him with life altering news like when God called out of nowhere telling him to pack up and move away from his homeland. And since Abraham has more than once tried to rely on shortcuts and half-truths rather than on full obedience to God, he had lots of reasons to fear what God would say to him next.
Still, Abraham's eagerness to hear God's voice is palpable, masterfully communicated in the text:
God said to him, "Abraham!"
"Here I am," he replied.
There's no hesitation, pause or trying to hide on Abraham's part. And think of all of the different ways Abraham could have replied; he could have simply answered "yes," but then we'd wonder about what kind of tone he used - did he mutter the "yes" under his breath, or call it out excitedly? He could have replied "now what?!?" He'd already done so much in demonstrating his faith, and now God was calling out to him again?
But Abraham's reply leaves no doubt about his demeanor. The LORD God was once again calling out to him and Abraham couldn't wait to hear what He said. Abraham didn't just want God to hear his reply, he wanted Him to see it: Here I am!!!
Is this what your reply looks like as the LORD calls out to you from His Word?
Dig Deeper
I once had an instructor who referred to tests and quizzes as 'celebrations of knowledge.' What he meant was that the test wasn't just an opportunity for him to gauge his students' knowledge, but for us as students to be able to see how much we'd learned as well. And so it is that God doesn't just show up to test Abraham to see what he knows or how he'd respond, but so that Abraham could tangibly see his faith demonstrated as well. After all, God already knows what we know. The tests He sends us are not for His benefit (James 1:2-3, 1 Peter 1:6-7, Romans 5:3-4).
But the test God gave to Abraham was one of the toughest tests ever administered. God said, "Take your son, your only son, whom you love - Isaac - and... sacrifice him as a burnt offering." When God speaks to us, we have the blessing of being able to parse each and every word to make sure we understand it correctly. But Abraham didn't read God's Word as we do, he heard it. Had he really heard it correctly? The very next thing we read is that early in the morning Abraham went. It could be that he was eager to obey God's command, but more likely that he couldn't sleep after hearing it.
The fact that Abraham went so quickly once again demonstrated his tremendous faith, but it's not even the biggest demonstration of faith in this celebration of knowledge. That would come when Abraham replied to Isaac's very relevant question about the missing lamb, telling Isaac that God Himself will provide the lamb. What amazing foreshadowing!
But God wasn't done calling out to Abraham, and the second time Abraham heard his voice called out from heaven, he replied with the same exact words. Only this time his reply was even more instant and eager: Here I am!!!! Imagine the relief that he - and Isaac! - felt when God made his faith visible in the form of a ram caught in the thicket.
God has provided the Lamb - His one and only Son, whom He loves (John 3:16). And the celebration of knowledge God presents to you is far easier than the test He gave Abraham. Will you reply as quickly and eagerly as Abraham did?
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, Jehovah Jireh - the LORD who provides;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you'll respond to God's calls and tests as eagerly as Abraham and Isaac;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
