Abraham And Isaac Series

#9~ 11: 13-16~ and 17-19 ~ Heb.11: study~ 6-28-14

Abraham and Isaac:

Today we'll continue our study in Heb.11: "the hall of faith" chapter, our text verses are verses 13-16, and later 17-19, we'll talk mostly about Abraham offering up Isaac. But first let's read a portion of verses 4-5-7-8-& 11.

4By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, --

5By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death ---

7By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet ---

These 3 were before the flood. -- The antediluvians.

---------------

8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.

11Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, ---

~With these people in mind let's read our text, 13-16.

---------------------------

ľ Listen as I read today's text, verses 13-16.

13These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

14For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. 15And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.

16But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

------

Verse 13 -- These all died in faith - it seems that this is referring to Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob and their immediate descendents. ~~ Abel and Noah also died in faith, but the "promises" were not particularly entrusted to them, and if the word "these" should include them it must also include Enoch as well, who did not die at all. --- Also, Noah, Abel, and Enoch did not leave "a country" to go back too.

------------------

17By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,

18Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: 19Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.

When Abraham was confronted with both a promise and a command from God which seemed to contradict each other, he did what we all should do: he obeyed the command and let God take care of the promise - which God was more than able to do. -- Trust the Promiser no matter what, and the promise will be taken care of.

~ Offered up his only begotten son: -- the son of promise --

Abraham had another son (Ishmael, the son of his fleshly attempt to fulfill God's promise); God did not recognize the other son.

Genesis 22:1-2 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt (test) Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. 2And 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.

~ Notice; God referred too Isaac as Abrahams only son. -- Isaac was the son of promise.

-------

By this time Abraham's faith was so strong that he could believe that God would raise Isaac from the dead, though he had never seen such a miracle. Abraham trusted God to keep His promise, and that promise was;

Genesis 17: 19And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; ** (will surely come too pass) and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.

So Abraham had strong faith that even if he slay Isaac, that God would bring him back to life, he knew that God would keep his promise.

Though Abraham was stopped before the actual slaying of his son, Isaac was as good as dead in Abraham's sight; Abraham fully intended to go through with it.

--------

The birth of Isaac seems to have produced a much stronger faith in Abraham, because we notice his immediate response to God's instructions to him from then on as we'll see in verse 3.

--------

Gen.22: is full of types and representations of the gospel. -- the gospel is, the death, burial and resurrection according to 1st. cor.15:1-4 -- LISTEN, as we're about to read; The Son Isaac, is offered on wood, on a hill, after a three day journey.