Gen 22 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Gen 22:1-2: 22:1-2 The greatest test in Abraham’s life came after he had received the promised child following a long wait. He had grown to love Isaac and had enjoyed his presence for a number of years. 22:1 Some time later: Abraham had sent Ishmael away and settled in the land. Now God tested Abraham’s faith by telling him to give up Isaac. This pushed the limits of logic and of Abraham’s knowledge of God. Would he still obey when God seemed to be working against him and against the covenant? Would he cling to the boy or surrender him to God (see Exod 13:11-13 )? Did he believe that God would still keep his word and bless the world through Abraham’s offspring?

Summary for Gen 22:1-2: 22:1-2 ^a The greatest test in Abraham’s life came after he had received the promised child following a long wait. He had grown to love Isaac and had enjoyed his presence for a number of years. 22:1 ^b Some time later: Abraham had sent Ishmael away and settled in the land. Now God tested Abraham’s faith by telling him to give up Isaac. This pushed the limits of logic and of Abraham’s knowledge of God. Would he still obey when God seemed to be working against him and against the covenant? Would he cling to the boy or surrender him to God (see Exod 13:11-13 ^c)? Did he believe that God would still keep his word and bless the world through Abraham’s offspring?
22:2 ^d Obedience to God’s earlier call (12:1-3 ^e) was rewarded with great blessing; now Abraham had the opportunity to show even greater obedience.

• Take your son ... Isaac, whom you love so much: By this detailed description of Isaac, God reminded Abraham that the young man was his beloved son, and intensified his awareness of the cost of the sacrifice.

• The name Moriah is explained by the Chronicler (2 Chr 3:1 ^f) as the place of the later Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

• Go: By wording the command in this way, God helped Abraham to obey by recalling his former call (cp. 12:1-3 ^g).
22:3 ^h Abraham’s immediate, unquestioning obedience is almost as astounding as the test.
22:5 ⁱ We will worship there, and then we will come (or We will worship there so that we may come back): Abraham’s amazing statement makes us wonder what he was thinking. Abraham knew that God had planned the future of the covenant around Isaac and that God wanted him to sacrifice Isaac. He could not reconcile these things in his mind; he could only do what God commanded him to do, and leave the future to God (cp. Heb 11:17-19 ^j).
Summary for Gen 22:7-8: 22:7-8 ^k In response to Isaac’s question, Abraham again showed his faith in the Lord, saying God will provide, although he was not sure how. This theme is central to the entire narrative.
Summary for Gen 22:9-19: 22:9-19 ^l God’s intervention was dramatic and instructive, confirming that he never intended for Isaac to be sacrificed. God later made it clear that child sacrifice was an abomination to him (see Lev 18:21 ^m; 20:1-5 ⁿ; Deut 18:10 ^o; 2 Kgs 16:2-3 ^p; Isa 57:5 ^q; Jer 32:35 ^r). God wanted Abraham to sacrifice his own will and surrender it to God, and when he did, God intervened. This passage sets a pattern for all sacrificial worshipers. Like Abraham, true worshipers of God know that everything belongs to God—it all came from God and must therefore be acknowledged as God’s possession. A true worshiper holds nothing back but obediently gives God what he asks, trusting that God will provide for all needs, and then discovering through experience that God always does so.
22:11 ^s The angel of the Lord stopped Abraham just as he was ready to plunge the knife into his son.
22:12 ^t Now God knew that Abraham would hold nothing back from him, that he did truly fear God. To fear the Lord means to reverence him as sovereign, trust him implicitly, and obey him without protest. The sacrifice that pleases God is a heart broken of self-will, surrendered to God (Pss 40:6-8 ^u; 51:17 ^v) and offering its best to God.

• You have not withheld: Cp. Rom 8:32 ^w, which uses the same verb (“spare”) as the Greek Old Testament uses here. If God gave us his dearest possession, he will surely provide all things for us.
22:13 ^x God provided a ram caught by its horns in a thicket for the sacrifice. God graciously allowed Abraham to substitute an animal sacrifice in place of Isaac. Later, all Israel would offer animals to the Lord, knowing that God’s grace had provided this substitution (Exod 29:10 ^y; Lev 4:15 ^z; 16:20-22 ^aa). In the New Testament, God substituted his only son for all humanity; the perfect sacrifice was made once and for all (Isa 53:6 ^ab, 10 ^ac; John 1:29 ^ad; Heb 7:27 ^ae; 10:1-14 ^af; 1 Pet 3:18 ^ag).
22:14 ^ah As with many patriarchal narratives, the heart of the matter is retained through commemorative naming. Yahweh-Yireh ... means “the Lord will provide” (see 22:8 ^ai). That Abraham used the holy name in this act shows that the patriarchs knew the name Yahweh (cp. Exod 6:2-3 ^aj) but not its full meaning (see study note on Exod 6:2-3).

• To this day: Later Israelites understood this passage as a lesson about their own worship in Jerusalem. Abraham’s sacrifice took place on the mountain of the Lord, later the location of the Temple in Jerusalem (see study note on 22:2). Three times a year, the people of Israel brought their best to God as a sacrifice, trusting that he would continue to provide for their needs.
Summary for Gen 22:15-19: 22:15-19 ^ak After the event, God again confirmed his covenant with Abraham (cp. 15:5 ^al, 18-21 ^am; 17:3-8 ^an). His descendants would be numerous like the stars in the sky (cp. 26:4 ^ao), like the sand on the seashore (cp. 32:12 ^ap), and like the dust of the earth (cp. 13:16 ^aq; 28:14 ^ar).
22:16 ^as by my own name: There is no higher name by which God can swear (Heb 6:13-17 ^at).
22:17 ^au Joshua and Old Testament Israel partially fulfilled the promise that Abraham’s descendants would conquer the cities (literally take possession of the gates) of God’s enemies; this will be fulfilled fully by the church (cp. Matt 16:18 ^av and study note there).
Summary for Gen 22:18: 22:18–25:11 ^aw Abraham passed the test of faith; from this point, his task was to pass the covenant blessings to Isaac. He purchased a burial plot (ch 23 ^ax), acquired a wife for Isaac (ch 24 ^ay), and distributed his property (25:1-11 ^az).
Summary for Gen 22:20-24: 22:20-24 ^ba A report came from the east that Abraham’s brother Nahor (see 11:27-29 ^bb) was flourishing. The actors in the following narrative are introduced here. 22:20 ^bc Milcah, Nahor’s wife, was also his niece (see 11:29 ^bd).
22:21 ^be Uz might have been Job’s forefather (Job 1:1 ^bf).
Summary for Gen 22:22-23: 22:22-23 ^bg Bethuel was the youngest of Nahor’s eight sons by Milcah; he was the father of Rebekah, Isaac’s future wife (see 24:15 ^bh, 67 ^bi). Rebekah would follow Sarah as matriarch of the clan (23:1-2 ^bj).