Abraham

ABRAHAM AND ISAAC



The call of Abraham is found in Genesis chapter 12 with clarification found in Acts chapter 7. Where one part of Scripture may seem obscured, we can usually find clarification in other parts with careful searching. The story of Abraham is one of faith and true faith results in obedience. God called Abraham away from his home, country and relatives. It was to be a journey trusting upon God has he traveled through a foreign land. The various trials that Abraham encountered were no doubt difficult but the focus of this article will look at probably his most difficult trial he faced and that having to sacrifice his son Isaac.

Genesis 11:31-32 31 Terah took Abram his son and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife, and they went forth together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go into the land of Canaan, but when they came to Haran, they settled there. 32 The days of Terah were 205 years, and Terah died in Haran.

Genesis 12:4-6 4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, 6 Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land.

Acts 7:2 - 4 2And he said, “Hear me, brethren and fathers! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, 3and said to him, ‘Leave your country and your relatives, and come into the land that I will show you.’ 4“Then he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. From there, after his father died, God had him move to this country in which you are now living.

The relationship of Abram and Sarai was surely that of a true and deep love for one another. They had no children but for Sarai it seemed as a curse. It was a blessing to bear children but somewhat of an embarrassment not to. Sarari was a respectful wife wanting to please her husband and feel complete as a woman who had children. The Scriptures do not spend time in relating this love affair between these two people but as the story unfolds one can feel the close bond between them. It is revealed in what Sarai does for Abram and what Abram does for Sarai.


Genesis 13:14-16 14 The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, "Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, 15 for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. 16 I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted.

Genesis 15:1-6 1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: "Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great." 2 But Abram said, "O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" 3 And Abram said, "Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir." 4 And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: "This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir." 5 And he brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be." 6 And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

It must have been confusing for Abram, for God was telling him about his offspring yet Sarai remained barren. The years were passing by and all these things must have weighed heavy upon Abram’s thoughts. How, he may have thought, will I have offspring from Sarai? Sarai also was probably concerned speaking with her husband knowing he would have offspring according to God’s promise.

Genesis 16:1-3 1 Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. She had a female Egyptian servant whose name was Hagar. 2 And Sarai said to Abram, "Behold now, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her." And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. 3 So, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife.

It was surely a hard decision for Sarai to make giving an Egyptian servant to her husband so he may have the offspring God promised him. Out of respect, Sarai suffered the pain of having her husband have a child from another woman and a servant at that. It was an honor and blessing for women to have children then but Sarai’s barrenness and Hagar’s success seemed almost too much for Sarai to bear. In addition to the humbling experience, Hagar had an attitude of pride in bearing Abram’s son that added to the insult toward Sarai. The pain and embarrassment was difficult for Sarai but the belittling attitude and insubordination from Hagar was too much for Sarai to take.

Genesis 16:4-6 4 And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress. 5 And Sarai said to Abram, "May the wrong done to me be on you! I gave my servant to your embrace, and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked on me with contempt. May the Lord judge between you and me!" 6 But Abram said to Sarai, "Behold, your servant is in your power; do to her as you please." Then Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her.

We must give Abram credit for showing the love and respect for Sarai. Throughout their marriage, this was strong and evident. They were a close and loving couple, though without children, God blessed them. It is not revealed what Sarai had done to Hagar yet it seemed bad enough for her to flee from her master. She was desperate and appeared to have run away suddenly. Sarai had felt she had made a mistake in giving Hagar to Abram but now it was done and Abram would have a child.

Genesis 16:7-9 7 The angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur. 8 And he said, "Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?" She said, "I am fleeing from my mistress Sarai." 9 The angel of the Lord said to her, "Return to your mistress and submit to her."

I see by these verses Hagar may have been disobedient not submitting to Sarai. She may have thought she was privileged as a bearer of Abram’s son but her fears drove her away. Then an angel appeared to her in the wilderness telling her to return to her master and submit for she and her son would be blessed. Hagar would again find herself and her son alone in the wilderness visited by an angel later.

Now we have a chronological setting to help put the story in perspective. Abram was 75 years old when he left Haran with Sarai, Lot and his many servants. At age 86 Ishmael was born. We can take the events that happened between then as covering some 11 years. Abram was 99 years old when Sodom was destroyed and Abram’s and Sarai’s name was changed. Abram became Abraham and Sarai became Sarah. Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born. At that time Sarah was 90 years old.

Genesis 17:17-19 17 Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, "Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?" 18 And Abraham said to God, "Oh that Ishmael might live before you!" 19 God said, "No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him.

I think there had to be some confusion in the mind of Abraham after all he laughed at the idea Sarah would bear him a son yet he believed God that it would happen. Sarah, when hearing it laughed also.

Genesis 18:13-15 13 The Lord said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh and say, 'Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?' 14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son." 15 But Sarah denied it, saying, "I did not laugh," for she was afraid. He said, "No, but you did laugh."

We see the old couple that had probably spent 50 years or more together. They had encountered various trials and blessing. Abraham now had a son that he no doubt loved and after hearing that Sarah would bear him a son, he probably was concerned about Ishmael and his future.

Genesis 17:18-21 18 And Abraham said to God, "Oh that Ishmael might live before you!" 19 God said, "No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him. 20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation. 21 But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year."

God assured that Abraham’s first son, Ishmael, would be blessed and taken care of. Abraham and Sarah after years of trials and blessing together would now experience the desire that they both had held most dear. They would have a son together and though some confusion was in their minds, there was also a great joy. Abraham was happy for Sarah that now she would bear a son and become a mother. It would be a son that was part of both of them, a son they could both love as their own. Sarah was happy to be blessed with the ability to have a son that would complete her womanhood. Like Abraham, she also thought of her husband and the joy she could bring him in giving him a son. Had there been doubt and disbelief by them there would have been no effort on their part to even try but they believed God. The moment they came together may have meant more than all the other times they had tried.

The joy was unbelievable when it was confirmed that Sarah would have a son. She had probably felt inferior to Hagar over the years but now that was not ashamed. She was the wife of the man she loved and was going to be the mother of his son. They both saw it as a miracle from God. They were too old to have children naturally and it must have felt like an overwhelming blessing from God. The time had come and Sarah gave birth to the son they named Isaac. To think their joy was great before, now that his son was born joy and rejoicing filled the camp for quite a while.

Genesis 21:1-7 1 The Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did to Sarah as he had promised. 2 And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him. 3 Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore him, Isaac. 4 And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. 5 Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. 6 And Sarah said, "God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me." 7 And she said, "Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age."

There may have been some pride on the part of Sarah but not for what she did or her abilities. It was not a haughty pride but humble. It was the fulfillment of many years of desire by two people in love. God had given them a promise and they believed it, they trusted and it was accomplished. Their life had now been turned around but there was some problems brewing. Hagar was upset about Sarah bearing a son and Ishmael was jealous of Isaac because of the attention and favor he received. Ishmael was 14 years old when Isaac was born and when Isaac was weaned at age 3 to 5 years old, there was a feast in his honor.

Genesis 21:8-10 8 And the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. 9 But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, laughing. 10 So she said to Abraham, "Cast out this slave woman with her son, for the son of this slave woman shall not be heir with my son Isaac."

Other translations say Ishmael was mocking Isaac and Sarah was not pleased about that at all. Yet what turned out to disturb Sarah worked out as a prophecy revealed in the New Testament by Paul.

Galatians 4:22 - 31 22For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the bondwoman and one by the free woman. 23But the son by the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and the son by the free woman through the promise. 24This is allegorically speaking, for these women are two covenants: one proceeding from Mount Sinai bearing children who are to be slaves; she is Hagar. 25Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. 26But the Jerusalem above is free; she is our mother. 27For it is written, “Rejoice, barren woman who does not bear; Break forth and shout, you who are not in labor; For more numerous are the children of the desolate Than of the one who has a husband.” 28And you brethren, like Isaac, are children of promise. 29But as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so it is now also. 30But what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the bondwoman and her son, For the son of the bondwoman shall not be an heir with the son of the free woman.” 31So then, brethren, we are not children of a bondwoman, but of the free woman.

At the time, Abraham was not pleased about the decision by Sarah for he loved Ishmael. It needed divine intervention for peace to prevail.

Genesis 21:11-14 11 And the thing was very displeasing to Abraham on account of his son. 12 But God said to Abraham, "Be not displeased because of the boy and because of your slave woman. Whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for through Isaac shall your offspring be named. 13 And I will make a nation of the son of the slave woman also, because he is your offspring." 14 So Abraham rose early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed and wandered in the wilderness of Beer-sheba.

This was hard for Abraham even after God explained the situation. He loved Ishmael for he was after all his son and he did care for Hagar because that was the type of caring man Abraham was. He had to let Ishmael go but at least he was assured that God would care for him and Hagar. Here again we see the faith of Abraham trusting what God said but this was a minor event compared to what would be coming later. As a side note, Ishmael was referred to in Scripture as the son of the slave woman. Isaac was called Abraham’s only son and so it was in the eyes of God.

The hopes had been set on Isaac and life settled down to a calmer routine. For a while, life became normal if there is such a thing. Other events became the focus for a short time but then God came again to Abraham but this time it was with a command that broke his heart. Life was good. There was peace among his neighbors and they were enjoying their son and old age. Abraham was wealthy so life was not a struggle for survival. Over the years, they had their trials and life was not always easy and comfortable but they had no idea that those early trials were preparing them for what was ahead.

Genesis 22:1-3 1 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.

We are not told how much time had passed or how old Isaac was. The emotional details are left out of this story for a purpose. God wants us to see Abraham’s faith and not the torment he may have felt when told what to do. Though the emotions are left out of the story, we cannot help but think about the feelings Abraham had. Did he tell Sarah what he had to do? It does not say for I think she may have insisted upon going with them or maybe tried to stop him. It is speculation about what they thought and felt but how would you take something like that?

Hebrews 11:17 - 19 17By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; 18it was he to whom it was said, “In Isaac your descendants shall be called.” 19He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type.

This is interesting because Abraham believed God could raise him from the dead. Was his faith so strong that Abraham was confident we would not lose his son?

Genesis 22:5 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."

Abraham had the faith and trust in God not wavering in his duty. It pictures Abraham moving forward with confidence that it would all work out ok in the end. We can see Abraham’s faith, which does not hesitate or stumble. The story of Abraham is a story of faith for he is the father of all who believe. His example was to be strong that others may follow with assurance but what about Isaac?

Genesis 22:6-8 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.

For Isaac it may have started as an adventure. A young boy taking a trip with his father to perform an offering yet Isaac saw no offering that they were taking. He must have been old enough to question about the missing offering and to carry the wood that was more than just a couple pieces. I doubt he thought of any danger to himself while on the journey but probably taking in the sights and sounds of the countryside while talking with his father. Now the time had come when they had arrived at their destination.

Genesis 22:9-10 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.

The thought of having to do that to my son or having my father do it to me is frightening. Maybe Abraham was not concerned about the outcome but he had to be concerned about the way Isaac was feeling. How was Isaac feeling? As I said earlier, we are not given the emotional background involved in this story but we cannot help but ask the questions or feel some type of emotion ourselves. Did Isaac think his father was delusional or did Abraham take the time to explain to his son what God had told him and that all would be fine? It is not known if human sacrifices were in practice at that time. It may have been totally new to Abraham but it certainly revealed afterward that human sacrifices were not required or accepted by the God of Abraham. There was only one sacrifice God was pleased with.

Genesis 22:11-14 11 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."

The moment had come, Isaac stricken with fear as he was tied to the alter. Abraham was about to kill his son in whom all of God’s promises were made. What an awesome story! We can sit in comfort and safety and read what was real at one time. We are far removed by time and culture from the days of Abraham. It takes an effort to see the realism in these stories. This was not something Abraham wanted to do but had to do. When he raised the knife to kill his son a part of him was also dying. To observe Abraham’s life you can see the difficulties of different events. There was joy, there was sorry, and it seemed to be a pattern in this great mans life. It was not constant but similar to what we all go through in our lives, but of course ours is not as drastic as sacrificing our own child.

Genesis 22:11-13 11 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.

Abraham again experiences a wave of relief and joy. God was true and fully dependable. He may have wiped the tears from his eyes and took a deep breath of relief. Isaac was happy to get untied and climb off the altar. After their hugs of love and tears, Abraham took the ram for the burnt offering. This was another case where God had no intension of having done what He said. I present this as a rough article that may stimulate thought and interest in God’s Word. By no means is it complete or thorough but a start for others to develop thoughts and ideas about this historical story.

Genesis 22:14 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."

“What Abraham was asked to do He’s done, He’s offered His only Son.” (From the song by Michael Card; God Will Provide a Lamb)

Fred Robbins Jan. ‘07