Why did God test Abraham with Isaac?
God asked Abraham to give up the very son through whom every promise had to come, and Abraham obeyed, reasoning that God could raise the dead. At the last moment the Angel of Yahweh stopped the knife, a ram died in Isaac's place, and Abraham named the place Yahweh Will Provide. Hebrews reads the scene as a picture of resurrection, James as faith brought to completion, and both point ahead to the Father who actually gave His own Son.
This question arose from studying Why did God call Abraham?.
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The test met Abraham's 'Here I am'
After decades of walking with God, Abraham heard the hardest command imaginable: 'take your son, your only son, whom you love, even Isaac', and offer him on Moriah. Notice how he moves: he rose early, saddled the donkey, split the wood himself, and answered every call, from heaven or from his boy, with 'Here I am.' The test was not information God lacked; it was the visible proof of what a lifetime of faith had grown into.
After these things, God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” He said, “Here I am.” He said, “Now take your son, your only son, whom you love, even Isaac, and go into the land of Moriah. Offer him there for a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I will tell you of.”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. 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.
Abraham rose early in the morning, and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son. He split the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went to the place of which God had told him.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.
The command cut against the promise itself
Isaac was not just beloved; he was irreplaceable, the child through whom God had said, 'In Isaac will your seed be called.' To offer him seemed to unravel the covenant. Hebrews names the tension precisely: the one who had gladly received the promises was offering up his one and only son. Sometimes real trust has to carry a promise and an impossibility in the same arms, and this chapter shows what that looks like.
By faith, Abraham, being tested, offered up Isaac. Yes, he who had gladly received the promises was offering up his one and only son;By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,
even he to whom it was said, “In Isaac will your seed be called”;Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:
God will provide himself the lamb
When Isaac asked where the lamb was, Abraham answered, 'God will provide himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.' A ram caught by its horns died so the son could live, and Abraham called that place Yahweh Will Provide. On Moriah a father got his boy back because a substitute died in his place. On Calvary God actually went through with it: He is 'who didn’t spare his own Son, but delivered him up for us all'.
Isaac spoke to Abraham his father, and said, “My father?” He said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Here is the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”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?
Abraham said, “God will provide himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they both went together.And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and saw that behind him was a ram caught in the thicket by his horns. Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering instead of his son.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.
Abraham called the name of that place Yahweh Will Provide. As it is said to this day, “On Yahweh’s mountain, it will be provided.”And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah–jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.
He who didn’t spare his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how would he not also with him freely give us all things?He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
Abraham reasoned that God raises the dead
Hebrews opens the logic behind the knife: Abraham concluded 'that God is able to raise up even from the dead.' If the promise required a living Isaac, and God demanded an offered Isaac, then resurrection was the only road left, and Abraham took it. That is why he told the servants, 'We will worship, and come back to you.' Then, at the last second, the Angel stopped his hand, saying, 'now I know that you fear God'.
Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go yonder. We will worship, and come back to you.”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.
Abraham stretched out his hand, and took the knife to kill his son.And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
He said, “Don’t lay your hand on the boy, neither do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.”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.
concluding that God is able to raise up even from the dead. Figuratively speaking, he also did receive him back from the dead.Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.
Faith was perfected by obedience
James asks plainly whether Abraham our father was justified by works when he offered Isaac, and answers: 'faith worked with his works, and by works faith was perfected.' The word spoken years earlier, that 'Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him as righteousness', was fulfilled on Moriah, and Abraham 'was called the friend of God.' Faith alone saves, but the faith that saves is never left alone.
Wasn’t Abraham our father justified by works, in that he offered up Isaac his son on the altar?Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
You see that faith worked with his works, and by works faith was perfected;Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him as righteousness”; and he was called the friend of God.And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
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How did God provide a wife for Isaac?→“Yahweh, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house, and from the land of my birth, who spoke to me, and who swore to me, saying, ‘I will give this land to your seed.’ He will send his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there.The Lord God of heaven, which took me from my father’s house, and from the land of my kindred, and which spake unto me, and that sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land; he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence.”What did Esau trade away?→“Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” He swore to him. He sold his birthright to Jacob. Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils. He ate and drank, rose up, and went his way. So Esau despised his birthright.And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.”How did Jacob become Israel?→“Behold, I am with you, and will keep you, wherever you go, and will bring you again into this land. For I will not leave you, until I have done that which I have spoken of to you.”And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.”How did God raise Joseph in prison?→“Yahweh was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man. He was in the house of his master the Egyptian.And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.”What was God doing in Joseph's slavery?→“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save many people alive.But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.”Explore further
Why did Jesus have to die?→Jesus Christ trail“for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God;For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”What is faith, exactly?→The Gospel trail“Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, proof of things not seen.Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”Hold onto these
Verses to meditate on
Abraham said, “God will provide himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they both went together.And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
Abraham called the name of that place Yahweh Will Provide. As it is said to this day, “On Yahweh’s mountain, it will be provided.”And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah–jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.
concluding that God is able to raise up even from the dead. Figuratively speaking, he also did receive him back from the dead.Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.
He who didn’t spare his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how would he not also with him freely give us all things?He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
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