I think I'll try posting my sermon notes here for a few weeks. I don't always follow my notes exactly in the heat of preaching, but they certainly give the main thrust of the sermon.
Let me know if they're useful, and I'll keep posting. Or if they're not, and I won't!
So here are the notes from last Sunday. Genesis 22
“No other story in Genesis, indeed in the whole OT, can match the sacrifice of Isaac for its haunting beauty or its theological depth.” (Gordon Wenham)
Abraham's faith and obedience are tested to the point of destruction to reveal his deepest emotional attachment.
Does Abraham love God with all his heart, soul, mind & strength, or does he now love Isaac more?
Has the son, the gift from God, replaced God in Abraham's affections?
This is the test God sets Abraham – whom does he love most?
And we know it is a test because v1 tells us, 'Some time later God tested Abraham'
So as we read this, we need to remember this. But we also need to remember that he OT always speaks to us about Jesus, so we'll also be asking, 'What does this tell us about Jesus?'
And as you heard this being read, some of the details might have reminded you of Jesus and his journey to the cross. More of that later.
Before that, let's travel back in time, and see why God put Abraham and Isaac through such a tough test.
First of all we need to go back even further in Genesis. Back to at time when men & women repeatedly walked away from God because they wanted to rule the world for themselves and shut God out.
To thwart their plans, God divided up them into different nations with different languages, and they began to fight against each other and live sub-human lives without God. But God did not give up on humanity.
Back in ch 12, he called to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; ... and all nations of earth will be blessed through you.” God had a plan – a plan to reverse the curse of division. A plan to bless the different nationalities and bring them together under his blessing.
So he chose one man – Abraham – to become a nation through whom he would bless all the nations. But if this one man was to become a great nation, he needed descendants – he needed a son.
And over the last few weeks we've followed Abraham & Sarah as they've grown older & older – so old that their bodies were 'as good as dead'. But God kept his promise and finally, last week, Isaac was born.
In Isaac rests all the hopes of Abraham, Sarah and – though they don't know it – all the scattered, warring nations of the world. Only through Isaac will they be blessed. Only through Isaac will God create a people for himself and through them reverse the curse and judgment on the world.
But now God comes to Abraham and says, Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.
What on earth is God doing? What is he playing at?
Isaac is the promised son – why does he want Abraham to kill off the promise?
Abraham's faith and obedience are tested to the point of destruction to reveal his deepest emotional attachment.
Does Abraham love God with all his heart, soul, mind & strength, or does he now love Isaac more?
Has the son, the gift from God, replaced God in Abraham's affections?
This is the test God sets Abraham – whom does he love most?
And we know it is a test because v1 tells us, 'Some time later God tested Abraham'
So as we read this, we need to remember this. But we also need to remember that he OT always speaks to us about Jesus, so we'll also be asking, 'What does this tell us about Jesus?'
And as you heard this being read, some of the details might have reminded you of Jesus and his journey to the cross. More of that later.
Before that, let's travel back in time, and see why God put Abraham and Isaac through such a tough test.
First of all we need to go back even further in Genesis. Back to at time when men & women repeatedly walked away from God because they wanted to rule the world for themselves and shut God out.
To thwart their plans, God divided up them into different nations with different languages, and they began to fight against each other and live sub-human lives without God. But God did not give up on humanity.
Back in ch 12, he called to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; ... and all nations of earth will be blessed through you.” God had a plan – a plan to reverse the curse of division. A plan to bless the different nationalities and bring them together under his blessing.
So he chose one man – Abraham – to become a nation through whom he would bless all the nations. But if this one man was to become a great nation, he needed descendants – he needed a son.
And over the last few weeks we've followed Abraham & Sarah as they've grown older & older – so old that their bodies were 'as good as dead'. But God kept his promise and finally, last week, Isaac was born.
In Isaac rests all the hopes of Abraham, Sarah and – though they don't know it – all the scattered, warring nations of the world. Only through Isaac will they be blessed. Only through Isaac will God create a people for himself and through them reverse the curse and judgment on the world.
But now God comes to Abraham and says, Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.
What on earth is God doing? What is he playing at?
Isaac is the promised son – why does he want Abraham to kill off the promise?
Now of course, we know what God is doing – v1 has told us – he's testing Abraham. Testing him to find out what he's really like – it's only when the pressure is on that we reveal our true selves. Under stress, we prove our strength. Under provocation, we prove our patience. And God wants to demonstrate that Abraham really is a man who follows God – a man who acts like God.
Back in 18:19, God had said why he chose Abraham: 'I have chosen Abraham so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of LORD by doing what is right and just.' God wants a man who does what God does. A man who imitates God.
And God sets Abraham the ultimate test. Go and sacrifice your son, your only Son, whom you love.
And the question is, 'Will Abraham do what God will do?'
You see it's no accident that God uses similar words to speak about his own Son as he sends Jesus to begins his journey to the sacrifice of the cross. As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."
Abraham's test seems to be a kind of prophecy: just as father Abraham sacrifices his son, his only son, whom he loves, he foreshadows Father God who sacrifices his son, his only son, whom he loves.
And so, Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. With what must have been almost overwhelming fear and dread, Abraham sets out with Isaac.
And he has plenty of time to think about what he's doing – it's 3 days before Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. He said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you."
But how can Abraham say to his servants, 'We will come back to you'? He's off to sacrifice Isaac – what does he mean, we will come back? Is he telling a white lie so as not to worry his servants and Isaac? Or does he genuinely believe that somehow God will change his mind or do something to save Isaac – the fulfilment of his promises, and the hope of the nations?
Well, the writer of the NT book of Hebrews certainly credits Abraham with trusting that God would somehow do something: By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.
And this belief that God can bring life from the dead is exactly what God has taught Abraham over the past decades. God deliberately waited until Sarah's body was as good as dead before giving her a son. Isaac's birth was life from the dead. Now Abraham knows that God is the God of life and death and even life from death – resurrection. Abraham believes that, somehow, he and his son will come back from the sacrifice.
And so, v6, Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife.
As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, "Father?"
"Yes, my son?" Abraham replied.
"The fire and wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?"
Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together.
Back in 18:19, God had said why he chose Abraham: 'I have chosen Abraham so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of LORD by doing what is right and just.' God wants a man who does what God does. A man who imitates God.
And God sets Abraham the ultimate test. Go and sacrifice your son, your only Son, whom you love.
And the question is, 'Will Abraham do what God will do?'
You see it's no accident that God uses similar words to speak about his own Son as he sends Jesus to begins his journey to the sacrifice of the cross. As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."
Abraham's test seems to be a kind of prophecy: just as father Abraham sacrifices his son, his only son, whom he loves, he foreshadows Father God who sacrifices his son, his only son, whom he loves.
And so, Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. With what must have been almost overwhelming fear and dread, Abraham sets out with Isaac.
And he has plenty of time to think about what he's doing – it's 3 days before Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. He said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you."
But how can Abraham say to his servants, 'We will come back to you'? He's off to sacrifice Isaac – what does he mean, we will come back? Is he telling a white lie so as not to worry his servants and Isaac? Or does he genuinely believe that somehow God will change his mind or do something to save Isaac – the fulfilment of his promises, and the hope of the nations?
Well, the writer of the NT book of Hebrews certainly credits Abraham with trusting that God would somehow do something: By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.
And this belief that God can bring life from the dead is exactly what God has taught Abraham over the past decades. God deliberately waited until Sarah's body was as good as dead before giving her a son. Isaac's birth was life from the dead. Now Abraham knows that God is the God of life and death and even life from death – resurrection. Abraham believes that, somehow, he and his son will come back from the sacrifice.
And so, v6, Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife.
As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, "Father?"
"Yes, my son?" Abraham replied.
"The fire and wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?"
Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together.
What a conversation! What could Abraham possible have felt when Isaac began to quiz him about the sacrifice? What could he say? Does he simply duck the question or is he really sure that, somehow, God would provide a lamb?
But, v9, when they reach the place God had told him about, there's still no sign of a substitute for Isaac, so Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.
Isaac was a teenager. Abraham an old, old man. If Isaac had wanted to run off or fight there's no way Abraham could have resisted. And so Isaac is the obedient son. Willing to lay down his life for his father.
But suddenly, v11, the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!"
"Here I am," he replied.
"Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son."
Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.
So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.
The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, "I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me."
So Abraham passed the test: demonstrating that he loves God above anything else. Sacrificing his only son.
Doing what God himself would do.
So Abraham's descendants become a nation. And through that nation, God promised to bless all the nations of the world. But that blessing only finally comes through God's own Son. The Son who carried the wood for the sacrifice – the cross on which he hung and died. The Son who was obedient to death, and willingly laid down his life.
But there's one major difference.
God provided a substitute for Isaac. Isaac lived because the ram died. There was no substitute for Jesus – he was the substitute for us.
But, v9, when they reach the place God had told him about, there's still no sign of a substitute for Isaac, so Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.
Isaac was a teenager. Abraham an old, old man. If Isaac had wanted to run off or fight there's no way Abraham could have resisted. And so Isaac is the obedient son. Willing to lay down his life for his father.
But suddenly, v11, the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!"
"Here I am," he replied.
"Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son."
Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.
So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.
The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, "I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me."
So Abraham passed the test: demonstrating that he loves God above anything else. Sacrificing his only son.
Doing what God himself would do.
So Abraham's descendants become a nation. And through that nation, God promised to bless all the nations of the world. But that blessing only finally comes through God's own Son. The Son who carried the wood for the sacrifice – the cross on which he hung and died. The Son who was obedient to death, and willingly laid down his life.
But there's one major difference.
God provided a substitute for Isaac. Isaac lived because the ram died. There was no substitute for Jesus – he was the substitute for us.
At the beginning of his ministry, John the Babptist saw Jesus coming towards him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
We're not obedient sons of God – we're rebellious people who constantly forget him and rebel against him.
But God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
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