Abraham, The Man Willing to Make The Ultimate Sacrifice: Isaac, The Obedient Son

,

In this study we are going to study the final act of faith mentioned for Abraham, and also the faith of Isaac. Both of these men spoke out their faith, and got results. Their lives are a clear indication of how to walk in faith. Let’s go to Hebrews 11 first.

Hebrews:11:9-10,17-20 9: By faith he (Abraham) sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: 10: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.17: By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18: Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: 19: Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure. 20: By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.

Here we are told that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob all lived in tents because they looked for a city of God.

This refers to the kingdom of God, which Jesus mentioned about these men. All three of these men were living their entire lives in faith, looking toward the kingdom of God.

Luke:13:28: There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.

The second action of faith here is the faith of Abraham to offer Isaac. Here in verse 19 it tells us that Abraham accounted that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead. Let us go to the story in Genesis. Let’s read the entire story first, and then we will go into greater depth about the story.

Genesis:22:1-19 1: 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.2: 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. 3: 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. 4: Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. 5: 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, 6: And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. 7: 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? 8: And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. 9: And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.10: And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. 11: And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. 12: 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. 13: 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. 14: 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. 15: And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, 16: And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: 17: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;18: And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. 19: So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beer-sheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beer-sheba.

First of all, let’s read again the first verse. There needs to be some explanation of the wording here.

Genesis:22:1: 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.

This word which is translated tempt in the English, really means to test, not tempt. God does not tempt someone to do evil.

James:1:12-14 12: Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.13: Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 14: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

The second thing, we want to bring out, is what Abraham did as an action to his faith. It tells us in James that faith without works is dead, and gives us the example of Abraham offering Isaac.

James:2:17-24 17: Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. 18: Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. 19: Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.20: But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? 21: Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? 22: Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? 23: 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. 24: Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

So what is the action that Abraham did that caused his faith to work? Let’s look again at both Genesis and Hebrews.

Genesis 22:5-8 5: 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, 6: And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. 7: 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? 8: And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.

Here Abraham twice said something important. He spoke out that he and his son would sacrifice and return. He told this to his men, and he told this to Isaac. He also told Isaac something prophetic. He said that God would provide himself as a lamb. Not only did God provide a ram at this time, but he provided himself, Jesus as the lamb of God. Now let’s look at Hebrews 11 again.

Hebrews 11:17-19 17: By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18: Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: 19: Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.

Abraham spoke his faith. He believed that God would provide a lamb, and he believed that God would even raise Isaac from the dead if necessary. Abraham stood on that promise by speaking God’s word on the matter. It is the same way for us, when we take God’s promises and speak them out in faith, that is our work of faith. Sometimes, we will also need to do as Abraham, and do some physical action as well to show that faith. But when we act in faith, God will provide.

Now let’s go back to Genesis to see Isaac’s faith.

Genesis 22:6-9 6: And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. 7: 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? 8: And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. 9: And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.10: And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.

Notice that Isaac was a strong young man at this time. He was the one who carried the wood, while Abraham carried the fire and knife. Isaac allowed his father to bind him and put him on the altar. Abraham was an old man, and Isaac could have overtaken him, but he did not. So not only was Abraham’s faith shown here, but also Isaac’s.

Now let us look at the result of their faith.

Genesis 22:11-14 11: And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. 12: 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. 13: 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. 14: 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.

Jehovah-Jireh. The meaning of this name is The Lord Who Provides. The name is literally, The Lord Who Sees, or The Lord Who Will See To It. This is what we long for when we have a need that is personal and special; One who will see to our needs and provide for us. This is what Jehovah-Jireh means; the Lord Who will see to it that my every need is met. One Who knows my need because He sees. One Who is able to meet my need in just the right time as He did for Abraham, and One Who can meet it fully. For Abraham, it was the ram caught in the thicket that was offered in Isaac’s place. For us it is Jesus and all that he has promised through his death, burial, and resurrection.

Now let us look at the second thing the angel told Abraham after he offered Isaac.

Genesis 22:15-18 15: And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, 16: And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: 17: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;18: And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

God again promises to bless Abraham and his seed because of his obedience to God. This is the blessing that Isaac repeated over his sons by faith. Hebrews 11 shows us that Isaac’s greatest action of faith was blessing his sons.

Hebrews 11:20: By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.

Let’s read in Genesis where Isaac blessed them. We will not read the entire story, but let me tell you it. Isaac was getting old, and he wanted to bless his two young sons, Jacob and Esau. He favored the firstborn of his twin boys, Esau. But God looked on their hearts and knew that Jacob, even with his faults had faith, whereas Esau did not. Now Rebekah favored Jacob. So when Isaac told Esau to go hunting, Rebekah roasted a lamb, and sent Jacob in with the lamb to get the blessing. She had disguised him by placing Esau’s clothes on him, and the lamb’s wool on his arms. Now let’s read the rest of the story.

Genesis:27:22-29 22: And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau. 23: And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau’s hands: so he blessed him. 24: And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am. 25: And he said, Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son’s venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought it near to him, and he did eat: and he brought him wine, and he drank.

26: And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son. 27: And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the LORD hath blessed: 28: Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine: 29: Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother’s sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.

Notice that Isaac spoke over Jacob a different blessing than the blessing the angel gave to Abraham. It is a little similar, but had different things in it, about his prosperity in the land. Now let’s read what he said to Esau when Esau came in.

Genesis:27:34-41 34: And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father. 35: And he said, Thy brother came with subtilty, and hath taken away thy blessing. 36: And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me? 37: And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and what shall I do now unto thee, my son? 38: And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one blessing, my father? bless me, even me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept. 39: And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above; 40: And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck. 41: And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob.

The blessing was almost identical to the one he gave to Jacob in the beginning, but the end gives a key. He told Jacob that he would rule, but he told Esau that he would be a servant to Jacob. Esau got mad at this and swore to kill Jacob. Now let us read the second blessing Isaac gave to Jacob. This one was when he was fleeing from his brother. At this time Isaac realized that Jacob was the son of faith, and gave to him the blessing that God gave to Abraham. Jacob shows his faith, by obedience In this passage, Esau also proves that he is not the son of faith by his disobedience.

Genesis:28:1-9 1: And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan. 2: Arise, go to Padan-aram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother’s father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother’s brother. 3: And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people; 4: And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham. 5: And Isaac sent away Jacob: and he went to Padan-aram unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob’s and Esau’s mother. 6: When Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob, and sent him away to Padan-aram, to take him a wife from thence; and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan; 7: And that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Padan-aram; 8: And Esau seeing that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father; 9: Then went Esau unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives which he had Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife.

In both of these examples of faith, Abraham, and then Isaac, the action of their faith was their words. As James says without works, faith is dead, so our faith is dead without words. Let’s go to a final reading in Romans.

Romans:10:8-10 8: But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9: That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10: For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Confession of faith is very important. It is what saves, and it is also how we get the promises of God to work in our lives. It is very important what you say. Take God’s promises and speak them out. Abraham did that, Isaac did that, and they both prove that speaking God’s promises works. Abraham spoke that Isaac would return with him alive. Isaac spoke that Jacob would be blessed, and had the blessing of Abraham. You see the answer to Abraham’s speaking immediately in the story in Genesis. Whereas it took a while to see the blessings operating in Jacob’s life. But Jacob went to Laban’s house with nothing but the clothes on his back, and he came out with riches, wives, and sons.

In our lives, it is very important that we speak our faith. That is the first, and most important action of our faith. If you say you believe, but never speak your faith, you will never get any results. Jesus said in Mark 11 that if you have faith, say to the mountain be removed. The only way faith will have results is with action, and our words are the most important action of faith. So where is your faith? Are you speaking God’s word over yourself and your family, or are you speaking debt, worry, sickness, and trouble over them? Your mouth proves where your faith is, whether in God’s word or in circumstances.

And remember, faith without works, or words to go with it, is dead. It will not work anything in your life. But faith with works, is a two edged sword in your mouth, destroying the work of the devil.