v.1-12
1. R.W.
v.1 Some time after these things God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am!” Abraham replied. 2 God said, “Take your son—your only son, whom you love, Isaac—and go to the land of Moriah! Offer him up there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I will indicate to you.”
11 But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am!” he answered. 12 “Do not harm the boy!” the angel said. “Do not do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God because you did not withhold your son, your only son, from me.”
Summary: The test is to see if Abraham will offer his precious only son to God or withhold him from God and keep the son for himself.
Reflection: Why did God want Ab able to offer his love to God? (1) To see that the thing/person we love was from God. They are just gift from God. They should not be more important than the One who gave us the gift. (2) To the object of our love=You do everything to keep the thing you love the most. To the object of our worship=the ultimate pursue of your life. Therefore, the one we love is the one we worship. God wants to be our number 1 love.
2. The details of the test
v.2 Offer him up there as a burnt offering
v.3 (Abraham) he had cut the wood for the burnt offering, v.6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and put it on his son Isaac, v.7 Here is the fire and the wood, v.9 Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood on it
v.10 Then Abraham reached out his hand, took the knife, and prepared to slaughter his son
Summary: A burnt offering involve burning the sacrifice completely. The wood was repeated many times in this passage. It showed a process of offering. The obedience of Abraham was not only offering his son, but the agony of the process. In his action, in answering the question to Isaac, in each day's journey a father's heart must be aching.
Reflection: Make God our number 1 love was not just a quick and easy decision, pain and agony in the process is part of it.
3. What went through Abraham's mind?
5 So he said to his servants, “You two stay here with the donkey while the boy and I go up there. We will worship and then return to you.”
v.7b where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” 8 “God will provide for himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son,” Abraham replied
NET- It is impossible to know what Abraham was thinking when he said, “we will … return to you.” When he went he knew (1) that he was to sacrifice Isaac, and (2) that God intended to fulfill his earlier promises through Isaac. How he reconciled those facts is not clear in the text. Heb 11:17–19 suggests that Abraham believed God could restore Isaac to him through resurrection.
Summary: Abraham knew that God will do something after he had killed and sacrificed his son in order for Isaac to carry out God's promise, but he still needed to finish killing him in order for him to be resurrected. On one hand, his faith was incredible. He believed that God will do the impossible to resurrect him. On the other hand, his obedience was incredible. He obeyed God to the end even though it was very difficult for him during the process.
Reflection: My faith to God for a long time has been limited to my knowledge. When the rubber meets the road I know how inadequate I am. To obey God in surrendering my comfort, my body's health, and my future are all difficult. However, what sustain Abraham was his faith in God's provision. If this is also a test to me, then I know He has a purpose and thus He will provide.
v.13-24
1. R.W. -The LORD provides, “In the mountain of the LORD provision will be made
Abraham was able to obey and offered up his beloved son because he knew that God would provide v.8. Before v.13 he did not know how. Now, the LORD really did. God was worthy to be trust and therefore we can obey Him.
2. What the LORD provides was a substitute for his son as a burnt offering. Eventually, the LORD provides His own son to substitute for us to die on the Cross. He did not spare His own Son, but Abraham's son. Thank God Who is willing to suffer in our behalf.
questions
1) Killing of your beloved son, and Isaac was not a kid anymore. He could take the wood for the burnt offering v.6. He could have resisted to be killed.
2) The God will provide the solution of the difficult dilemma and situation. Abraham's obedience needed to have action.
3) He already knew that Abraham would do what He told him to do.
4) My number 1 love.
5) He deserved to be our number 1
6) ?
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