Gen 21:22-22:19

Genesis 21:22–34 (ESV) —
22 At that time Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army said to Abraham, “God is with you in all that you do. 23 Now therefore swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me or with my descendants or with my posterity, but as I have dealt kindly with you, so you will deal with me and with the land where you have sojourned.” 24 And Abraham said, “I will swear.”
25 When Abraham reproved Abimelech about a well of water that Abimelech’s servants had seized, 26 Abimelech said, “I do not know who has done this thing; you did not tell me, and I have not heard of it until today.” 27 So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two men made a covenant. 28 Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock apart. 29 And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs that you have set apart?” 30 He said, “These seven ewe lambs you will take from my hand, that this may be a witness for me that I dug this well.” 31 Therefore that place was called Beersheba, because there both of them swore an oath. 32 So they made a covenant at Beersheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army rose up and returned to the land of the Philistines. 33 Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba and called there on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God. 34 And Abraham sojourned many days in the land of the Philistines.



• Verses 22-24 gives us insight into Abraham's status, what has changed?
• He is now powerful enough, that other leaders make "parity" treaties with him
• How is Abraham changing and what cause the change?
• He is bold and not afraid of Abimelech
• The birth of Isaac changes Abraham, from this point on, he is very bold and quickly obedient.
• Beersheba means "oath-well"
• The planting of a tamarisk tree (long-lived and evergreen) represents a conviction of Abraham that he will live long in the land. In essence, he now owns part of the land
• Lastly, the passage references Abraham living in the land of the Philistines, why?
• The readers would understand the region
• This people of this region were different from the later Philistines -- probably not even the same people group
• At one point, the people in this region were peaceful and friends to the Jews

Gen 22:1-3 (ESV) After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here am I." 2 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." 3 So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.



• At this point, how would you describe Abraham's life?
• Good, no tension
• Agreement with Abimelech  provides peace
• Promise of a son and heir is fulfilled
• So, when life is good, what does God do?
• He provides a test
• I don't think there is any way of getting around the fact that this is human sacrifice.  A common feature of many religions.  But, God never intended to carry out the sacrifice, which is a VERY BIG difference
• Why?
• Not sure
• Make sure our focus and faith is on Him and not circumstances
• Heb 11:17-19 (ESV) 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, 18 of whom it was said, "Through Isaac shall your offspring be named." 19  He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.
• James 2:20-24 (ESV) Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? 21  Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness"—and he was called a friend of God. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.
• Note:  James is not saying that faith is by works but that works demonstrates faith.  If my life shows no "works" whatsoever, then one would have to wonder if the faith is true faith
• Also called "easy-believism" and "intellectual assent"
• How does Abraham respond to the test?
• Immediately …  the next morning … without question
• Abraham has changed a lot. For much of his life he is a fearful man. He does chase after Lot which is something of a change. He does push God in bold prayer, but these are all later events in his life. He continues to make mistakes, laugh, fear for his life, fear for where he is living, etc. But the birth of Isaac becomes a sort of final turning point in his life. God has promised something and it will happen!
• APPLICATION: 
• Are we growing in faith? Are we taking steps of faith? Are we regularly in the word of God? Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God
• Is there something that God is asking us to do … that we are putting off … that we have not yet responded to?


Gen 22:4-10 (ESV) On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. 5 Then Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you." 6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. 7 And Isaac said to his father Abraham, "My father!" And he said, "Here am I, my son." He said, "Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" 8 Abraham said, "God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son." So they went both of them together.

9 When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.



• It is interesting, that he dumps the servants, any thoughts?
• It would have been a back door way of preventing the act
• It really makes the whole thing an issue between just God and Abraham
• There are some parallels with the Gospel story, what are they?
• Only son
• The son carries the wood on his back
• Isaac calls out "Abba;"  Jesus calls out "Abba" before his death (Mark 14:36)
• First definition in the Hebrew portion of the Strong's Lexicon
• Fifth word in the Greek portion. First is alpha, the beginning, Christ
• Mark 14:36 (ESV) — 36 And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”
• Required sacrifice (the first because God said, the second because of man's need)
• The land of Moriah is a mountainous country around Jerusalem.  It is very possible that this was also the location that Jesus died or the temple of the mount
• One is forced (Isaac); the second is voluntary (Jesus)
• One never intended to happen; the other was the intention from birth (John 12:27;  Mark 10:45)
• Verses 6-8 must have been an incredibly difficult time for Abraham
• Until you have children, you will never totally understand the depth of the pain
• To make matters worse, his son engages him in a question …
• Do you see the prophetic nature of Abraham's answer to Isaac?
• God, Himself, will provide a lamb
• The scriptures don't really say much about Isaac's response.  What do you think Isaac learned?
• The commitment of his Father to God first
• The absolute faith to believe God provides and SEES


Gen 22:11-19 (ESV) But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here am I." 12 He said, "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." 13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 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."

15 And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven 16 and said, "By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, 18 and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice." 19 So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba. And Abraham lived at Beersheba.



• Ultimately, the greatest provision of all was probably provided on these mountains, possibly the very same one … Jesus
• Keil and Delitzsch write “The sacrifice was already accomplished in his [Abraham’s] heart, and he had fully satisfied the requirements of God.”
• Donald Campbell writes “The test, instead of breaking him, brings him to the summit of his lifelong walk with God."
• Abraham learns a new aspect of God in verse 14. Jehovah-Jireh -- The Lord will provide or The Lord sees
• Constable writes "For the first and last time in Genesis, the Lord swore an oath in His own name guaranteeing His promise (v. 16). God thus reinforced, reemphasized, and extended the promise that He had given formerly (12:1–3) because Abraham trusted and obeyed Him (vv. 17–18)."
• This is the ninth revelation of God to Abraham
• The covenant was not based on obedience, nor was the perpetuity of the covenant based on obedience—but rather the reception of covenant blessings was  conditioned on obedience (Pentecost, Thy Kingdom …, pp.66-67)
• An unconditional covenant can still have conditional blessings
• I think the next passage is a glimpse of the answer


Genesis 22:20–24 (ESV) — 20 Now after these things it was told to Abraham, “Behold, Milcah also has borne children to your brother Nahor: 21 Uz his firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel the father of Aram, 22 Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.” 23 (Bethuel fathered Rebekah.) These eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham’s brother. 24 Moreover, his concubine, whose name was Reumah, bore Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.


• Gen 22:20-34  Milcah & Nahor, back in Haran, have sons and daughters
• This story seems out of place, but in a sense, Abraham gets a glimpse now of the fulfillment of the promise (possibly as a result of his obedience)
• They are important later in the story as their line provides wives for Isaac and Jacob


• SUMMARY
• Every time Abraham made a sacrifice for God the Lord responded by giving Abraham more
1. Abraham left his home; God gave him a new one
2. Abraham offered the best of the land to Lot (although Lot went out of the land); God gave him more land
3. Abraham gave up the King of Sodom's reward; God gave Abraham more wealth
• In each case God gave Abraham a deeper relationship with Himself as well as more material prosperity. Note the closeness of this fellowship in Abraham's response to God's revelations: "Here I am" (vv. 1, 11)
• God has not promised Christians great physical blessings, but whenever we make a sacrifice for Him He gives us a deeper relationship with Himself at least. For this reason we should not fear making personal sacrifices for God
• Note too that what God called Abraham to give back to Him was something that He had provided for Abraham supernaturally in faithfulness to His promise. Sometimes God tests our faith by asking us to give back to Him what He has supernaturally and faithfully provided, not just what He has provided through regular channels
• This test of Abraham's faith is the climax of his personal history. It is the last major incident in the record of his life