Abraham commanded to offer Isaac

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MOC

Member
Mar 20, 2020
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#1
The story of Abraham attempting the sacrifice of his son at the command of our Lord, is well known. The great faith and trust Abraham had in God cannot be challenged by many Christians today or in ancient times. At the beginning of Genesis chapter 22 God, "did tempt Abraham." The verb "tempt" is better understood as "tested". When God tests Abraham in offering up Isaac as a burnt offering, this may have been the greatest trial or test in Abraham's entire life. The age of Isaac has always been interesting and up for debate. The Bible is not clear on Isaac's exact age when they made their trip to Moriah. Because the Bible is not specific on Isaac's age, we must conclude that its not important enough to know, in order to understand what is written in its context.

Genesis 22:4-6 "Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off......Abraham said unto his young men, abide ye here........And I and the lad will go and worship, and come again to you." It was a three days journey to the land of Moriah. The fact that Abraham tells the young men who accompanied them, that he and his son will return, shows the tremendous amount of faith and trust he has in God! Abraham undoubtedly remembered that God told him that Isaac would have children, Genesis 21:12.

Hebrews 11:17-19 One could only imagine what must have been going through Abraham's mind of what God was asking him to do. A parent murdering their only son or daughter is unthinkable. There must have been a thousand things running through Abraham's mind as to what God's plan was and how it includes eliminating his son. But, this passage reveals to us exactly what Abraham was thinking and shows his unwavering trust in our Lord, " Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead." Abraham's faith was very strong and his relationship he had with God is something we should all try to achieve.
****Interesting to note that the event of Abraham offering his son is where "love" is first mentioned in the Bible, Genesis 22:2.

The story of Abraham offering his son as sacrifice to our Heavenly Father reveals to us the huge amount of faith and obedience he had. He may not have known himself, but through this test, God showed Abraham. God has shown us to follow Him and to trust Him, even when it doesn't make any sense to us, and that putting this trust in Him is being an obedient Christian and setting an example for all. When the Angel of the Lord said, "now I know that thou fearest God," it shows the high amount of respect Abraham has for God's power and Authority.

Symbolism for the Trinity?
Abraham.......................The Father
Isaac...............................The Son
Eliezer............................The Holy Spirit
Abraham's eldest servant is Eliezer, which means "comforter", who went out to find a bride for Isaac, which he finds Rebekah.
 

Webers.Home

Well-known member
May 28, 2018
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cfbac.org
#2
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Isaac was about 3-5 years old when Hagar and Ishmael moved out back in
the 21st chapter of Genesis. Some time had gone by; and in the 22nd
chapter, Isaac is now old enough, and strong enough, to shoulder a load of
wood; and mature enough to understand the particulars of the ritual that he
and his dad were on their way to perform; so Isaac wasn't a little kid in this
incident.

If Sarah's passing in the 23rd chapter can be assumed to occur immediately
following the Akedah, then Isaac's age was right around 37 when he and
Abraham went to the mountain seeing as how his mom was 90 when he was
born and 127 when she died.

Abraham is often alleged to have "attempted" to offer his son. But Heb
11:17 credits him with actually doing it. The trick is: Abraham laid his son on
the altar. From that moment on; Isaac was an offering-- whether dead or
alive makes no difference. That's how it works.

An interesting point to note is that Abraham's son was a burnt offering
(Gen 22:2) even though Abraham never did get around to lighting a fire
under him.

The covenant that Moses' people would eventually agree upon with God in
the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy doesn't permit
human sacrifices. But according to Deut 5:2-4 and Gal 3:17, the covenant
isn't retroactive so that Abraham broke no laws when he offered his son.

Another point to note is that Abraham needed Isaac's consent before
proceeding to wrap him with bindings and lay him upon the altar or
otherwise the whole business would've been a ritual murder. And as Isaac
was much younger than his dad, then I've no doubt that without his consent
Isaac could've easily escaped.
_