Abraham and Isaac – The Ultimate Love and Terror Sacrifice sermon/message notes. In this lesson, we examine the importance of having a spiritual “grove” or place where we consistently seek and commune with the Lord, drawing strength for life’s tests. Reflecting on Abraham’s unwavering faith and his ultimate test of offering Isaac, we see how preparation and obedience are crucial. Just as Abraham’s grove was a source of strength, we must cultivate our own spiritual practices to ensure we can hear God’s voice and pass the trials we encounter.
ABRAHAM, THE FRIEND OF GOD
by Delbert Young
Abraham and Isaac – The Ultimate Love and Terror Sacrifice
Scriptures: Genesis 22:1, Genesis 22:2, Genesis 22:3, Genesis 22:4-7, Luke 9:23, Genesis 22:8-10, Genesis 22:11-12, Matthew 4:4, Genesis 22:13-14
Abraham and Isaac – The Ultimate Love and Terror Sacrifice
In our last look at Abraham, the friend of God, we talked about “Abimelech Is Watching.” Our neighbors watch and observe our lives. They see the good and the bad. We also talked about the grove Abraham planted and how the grove was the place Abraham would go to spend time with the Lord. It was a special place for Abraham. As we are about to see, it is from the grove Abraham obtained strength for a soon coming test we will talk about in this lesson.
Where is your grove? Where do we seek and visit the Lord? We need a grove. If we do not have a grove, we will most likely fail the tests we face in life.
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.
The Test
Abraham dwelled in the land of the Philistines at Beersheba. Within this land, there was the grove Abraham had planted. There, Abraham called upon the name of the Lord. There, Abraham worshiped God Almighty, the everlasting God. Strangely enough, it was there and then “that God did tempt Abraham“. “Tempt” is the Hebrew
word “nacah” (Strong’s #5254) meaning “to test”.
5254 nacah
to test;
Abraham and Isaac – The Ultimate Love and Terror Sacrifice
1. after these things
It was not at a time of weakness Abraham was tested. It was at a time of strength. Abraham had been in the grove visiting with the Lord. The Lord does test us. We need a grove. The grove is where we prepare for the test. Abraham had become well capable of hearing the voice of the Lord say his name. The Lord said, “Abraham.”
This is why he did not kill Isaac. The Lord knew Abraham was able to hear the next time he was called.
Abraham had also become well able to answer the Lord with “Behold, here I am”.
We need to be able to hear the Lord speak to us and quickly say, “Behold, here I am.” The ability to hear and respond quickly to the Lord is what saved Isaac. Isaac is the promise. If we are unable to hear the Lord each time He speaks, we will kill the promise.
Genesis 22:2 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.
Abraham and Isaac – The Ultimate Love and Terror Sacrifice
2. Tough times are not test
Abraham had been through many “tough times”. Abraham loved the Lord more than Ur and land and family. It may have been tough to leave Ur and kindred, but tough is not the test. Abraham loved the Lord more than possessions. It may have been tough to leave possessions, but possessions were not the test. Being sent out of Egypt by Pharaoh was tough, but not the test. Separating from Lot was tough, but not the test. It had been tough to send away Hagar, but Hagar was not the test. It had been tough to send away Ishmael, but Ishmael was not the test.
We tend to think tough times are tests from God. No, at best, they are only struggles we have with our flesh to leave comforts and bad acquaintances for the presence and promises of the Lord.
3. the test
We observe tests differently. When I was in school, there were different types of people. Some prepared diligently for the test and always did well. Those who did well on a test were elevated to a higher level in the eyes of the teacher and the eyes of the class. They passed to the next level with very little difficulty. The teacher saw them as teachable and as those who would listen to instructions. They were the ones rewarded. The class saw them as an example.
There were also those who “sort of” prepared for the test. They were average people and made average grades. They never really excelled on the test. Sometimes, they would pass, and sometimes, they would not.
Abraham and Isaac – The Ultimate Love and Terror Sacrifice
There were also those who never prepared for the test. They knew it was coming but did not prepare. They were unmotivated, and they nearly always failed the test.
Believers are the same. Jesus said there were different types of believers. There are those who only hear the word and those who hear and do. When the floods of life come, only one stand—passes the test. Jesus likened people to different types of soil. There is pathway soil, stony soil, thorny soil, and good soil. One soil is prepared. Abraham is prepared.
The test involved 4 points.
(1) The test is “now.” The Lord said, “…take now thy son“. The test concerns what Abraham produced–“thy son“.
(2) The test involves what Abraham produced but cannot be replaced. The Lord said, “…thin only son Isaac.” Isn’t that interesting? Ishmael was a son, but the Lord said, “…thin only son Isaac.”
(3) The test involved what Abraham loved with great love. The Lord said, “…whom thou lovest.”
(4) The test involved actually giving what Abraham produced, which cannot be replaced and which he supremely loved, to the Lord — dead and burned. The offering is both killed and burned.
Abraham and Isaac – The Ultimate Love and Terror Sacrifice
When only killed, it remains in sight, and we can still view and touch it, and it looks and feels the same for a while. However, when we burn it, it is no longer recognizable to sight or touch as that which we produced and loved. We hear people say, “I gave it to the Lord.” Did they kill it and burn it? If they did not, then they did not actually give it to the Lord.
Genesis 22:3 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. Abraham rose up early in the morning
Abraham probably received the word from the Lord the evening or night before. He responded to the Lord’s instructions as soon as possible.
He responded early–“early in the morning“. Abraham did not wait to see if the test would change. He did what he knew the Lord would have him do, and he did it early. Too often, people do not respond at all or even respond negatively in a test. This was not the way of the friend of God.
Abraham began making arrangements. He saddled his ass, and he took the wood. Moreover, he did these things with his own hands. In a test, it is this way. He also took two young men. In times of test we need people with us. We need young men type people that have vigor and are capable of warfare (1Jo. 2:14). These are strong and believe they are immortal and invincible. This is the attitude we need in a test. An attitude of “I cannot be defeated!”
Abraham and Isaac – The Ultimate Love and Terror Sacrifice
5. went unto the place which God had told him
The place was Mount Moriah. This mount would be the future location for the temple Solomon built for Jewish temple worship. Thousands upon thousands of lambs would be sacrificed here.
Abraham went to the “place of which God had told him.” There were no excuses from Abraham. Often, in tests, people tend to modify the word of God in their test. We attempt to change the commands and fail the test. Abraham did exactly “which God had told him.” I hear people too often tell what the Lord had told them to do, and then when the time came to do it, they modified the instructions.
It does not appear Abraham said anything to Sarah about this journey. If so, there is no report of it. Sarah would have definitely attempted to stop Abraham. In tests, we must be extremely cautious about who we speak to and share about the test. They can cause us to fail the test. It appears Abraham told no one. He did not tell Isaac. He did not tell the young men. And there is no report, he told Sarah. There was no place given for others to cause Abraham to fail the test.
Genesis 22:4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.
Abraham and Isaac – The Ultimate Love and Terror Sacrifice
6. the third day
A test of God does not last a moment, an hour, or a day. It will proceed for days. Matthew Henry says, “The place: In the land of Moriah, three days’ journey off; so he might have time to consider it, and, if he did it, must do it deliberately, that it might be a service the more reasonable and the more honorable.”
We are given time to pass or fail the test. During those three days, Abraham considered every option. He opted to go all the way to Moriah.
Genesis 22:5 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.
Genesis 22:6 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.
Abraham left his young men behind. They were not allowed to hinder the test. When we come to the place of the test, we must leave behind all that could hinder our progress.
Abraham placed the wood on the back of Isaac. We see a type of Christ Jesus as the cross was laid upon Christ’s back, walking up Golgotha.
Abraham and Isaac – The Ultimate Love and Terror Sacrifice
Genesis 22:7 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?
7. behold the fire and the wood
We come to this touching question from the lips of Isaac, who says, “My father….” How did Abraham feel? Abraham was taking Isaac to offer as a burnt offering. This must have greatly tormented Abraham. Abraham responded to the question with, “Here am I, my son.” There was no doubt of the father and son relationship. Even in the writings of the words read millennials later, the love within the verse is overwhelming: “My father… My son…“
Isaac continues, “Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Isaac was well-trained in the ways of offerings to the Lord. Offerings required ingredients: wood, fire, and life (blood).
We often come to worship with no ingredients. What I mean is we come without the fire, and we come without the wood. Neither do we come with a lamb. Certainly, we must bring the Spirit fire (Acts 2:3) that will consume our thoughts and ways, and we must bring the wood. In truth, the wood would be the cross of the individual (Luke 9:23), and the cross is the purpose God has given us.
Luke 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
Abraham and Isaac – The Ultimate Love and Terror Sacrifice
The Lamb is the Lord Jesus. Do we bring Him within our hearts to lift to God? Sometimes, we can find Him at the place of worship, as did Abraham and Isaac. The Lord provided the ram. The Lord should be where we worship. There should be an environment for the presence of the Lord to inhabit. Still, we need to have our hearts prepared. We should have the presence of the Lamb in our hearts ready to lift to the Lord God.
My point is we need to prepare for the offerings we bring to the Lord. We can prepare by prayer, by having praise prior to the meeting, by reading the word, and by encouraging ourselves in the Lord. Paul wrote,
Genesis 22:8-10
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.
8. THEY came to the place
We see so much in this account that is only a preview of the act of Father God and the Lamb Christ Jesus. “God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering” absolutely came to pass at the cross of Christ.
Abraham and Isaac – The Ultimate Love and Terror Sacrifice
We can only suspect and allow our hearts to show us the events of detail for the next minutes as Abraham “came to the place which God had told him of.” The wood would have been unstrapped from the back of Isaac. Stones would be gathered, and an altar built. The wood was laid upon the altar in proper order. It had to have been by this time Abraham tells Isaac that Isaac is the offering. There seems to be no resistance from Isaac or attempt to escape the wood. Isaac’s hands were bound, and Isaac was laid upon the wood.
We can speculate perhaps a kiss goodbye from Abraham, and perhaps Abraham gave Isaac a kiss for Sarah. Abraham’s hand is stretched forth, holding the knife in a slay position to cut the throat of Isaac. Abraham’s only son whom he loved, Sarah’s laughter, and the loins from which the Christ would pass on were now ready to bleed and die to please God.
What must be seen is the willingness of both Abraham and Isaac to do this for God.
Abraham never flinched. We see in this the willingness of Father God, who never flinched, to provide for us the salvation of the whole earth with the death of His son Jesus Christ. Neither did Isaac flinch. Willingly, he offered his hands to be bound. Willingly, he laid upon the wood to be offered, just as Jesus would do.
Abraham and Isaac – The Ultimate Love and Terror Sacrifice
Genesis 22:11 And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.
Genesis 22:12 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.
9. Abraham, Abraham…
Abraham could hear the voice of God! Mark Hanby preaches a message about the “Proceeding word of God.” He uses this passage to make his point. God had told Abraham to offer Isaac. Then God tells Abraham not to offer Isaac. Which is it? We must be able to hear the proceeding word of God, especially in tests. We could unnecessarily kill the promise if we are unable to hear the proceeding word of God. Jesus Christ and the scriptures say it this way,
Matthew 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. (emphasis added)
There is a proceeding word of God for our lives. God will tell us to do this today and three days later tell us to do the opposite of what he told us to do. This is one reason we do not need to tell everyone what God says to us. We make God sound confused. There is a proceeding word of God for each of us.
Abraham and Isaac – The Ultimate Love and Terror Sacrifice
10. now I know that thou fearest God
I have heard it said God already knew Abraham would do this offering of Isaac, but Abraham needed to know. That is not what the verse says. Also, I understand the Lord is and knows the beginning and the ending. Furthermore, I know the principles of predestination and foreknowledge (Rom 8:29). Yet the Lord seems to have hidden from himself the knowledge of Abraham’s obedience. The passage does not say, “Now YOU know Abraham that you fear God”. It says, “…now I know that you fear God.”
We also see what a test is actually about and is, “Do we fear God?” The only way to discover what we fear is by the test. The only way to prove we fear God is by our obedience to Him. The Lord seems to hide our obedience from His foreknowledge. The way He knows if we will be obedient is by the test.
Genesis 22:13 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.
Genesis 22:14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.
11. a ram caught in a thicket
The Lord did provide a sacrifice. A ram died instead of Isaac. The ram was a type of Christ. Christ died for all so we could experience God’s salvation.
When it comes to crunch time in our test, the Lord will provide. He expects us to go to the place. Then, at the last minute if necessary, He will provide the way of escape (1Co 10:13).
Abraham and Isaac – The Ultimate Love and Terror Sacrifice
12. What can we learn from this lesson we can apply to our lives?
A. The grove requires time to grow and become productive. A friendship requires time to develop and become productive and meaningful. We must give the Lord our time.
B. We must be able to hear the Lord quickly and to respond quickly. If we cannot we will kill our Isaac.
C. During tests we must be extremely careful who we talk to about our test. They can cause us to fail the test.
D. The test will not last for a moment or an hour. It will last for days. We will have every opportunity to either fail or pass the test. To pass the test, we must go all the way.
E. We should come prepared with the ingredients for offerings: wood (our personal cross), fire (the Holy Ghost), and a Lamb (prepared hearts full of Christ).
F. There is a proceeding word of God. God will tell us to do something and then three days later tell us to do the opposite of what He first told us to do. We must be able to hear God the next time God speaks to us.
Abraham and Isaac – The Ultimate Love and Terror Sacrifice
Abraham and Isaac – The Ultimate Love and Terror Sacrifice
Other related sermons:
You Got To Laugh: How to Overcome Stress with Laughter
Amazing Power of Love – How to Cultivate Unconditional Love
Abraham The Friend Of God: Tested And Tried
The Gospel of Luke Chapter 2 – How to Guide a Young Family
Abimelech Is Watching sermon notes
Old Abraham Gave Up The Ghost And Died
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