This week’s “Wednesday Word” is a summary of Dr. Wellum’s exposition of Genesis 22 from Sunday May 4, 2008.

Prior to Genesis 22, the birth of Isaac appears to have been the climactic moment in the fulfilling of God’s promise to Abraham. It would seem that everything would now come easily after the arrival of the promised son. However, Genesis 22 presents a major conflict in the unfolding of God’s promise to Abraham: “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” (v. 2)

Abraham, fully aware that the death of Isaac would mean the death of the promised son, immediately set off to obey the command of the Lord (v. 3). However, as the texts implies, Abraham trusting that the Lord will be faithful to carry out his promises, believes that somehow he and Isaac will both return from the mountain (22:5, 8). The author of Hebrews picks this up as well: “He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back” (Heb 11:18).

As, Abraham raised the knife to take the life of his son, he fully illustrated his willingness to follow through in obedience to the Lord. However, an angel appeared saying, “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” (v. 12). Abraham was found completely willing to obey the command of the Lord, even if it meant the death of his son. In this, we are reminded, to trust and obey the Lord just as Abraham did, even if we are uncertain of the path before us.

Furthermore, we are reminded that just as it is with the rest of covenants, there is a need for an obedient son. The original readers would have been alarmed by the sacrificial imagery being conveyed within the narrative. Indeed, they would have recalled the substitutionary nature of the firstborn son from Numbers 3. Isaac, as the firstborn son, stands in the place of the rest of the nation; however, it would be going too far to say that Isaac is a type of Christ in this regard—for a substitution is made on behalf of Isaac (22:13).

Paul in Romans 8 quite possibly alludes to this account of Abraham and Isaac as he seeks to illustrate the faithfulness of God; and in doing so, he reminds us that under the New Covenant, God has provided a substitution on behalf of his people through the giving of his Son, Jesus Christ: “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Rom 8:32). Indeed, only on this ground, may we truly say that we are heirs of the promise (Rom 8:17).

Audio from this week’s lesson: Genesis 22.

~TDG