#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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Jesus, the Son, was offered on wood, on a hill, and was in the grave for three days. ---- Jesus said to the Jews in John 8:56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad. -- He saw in Isaac a type of Christ.
The day that Jesus is speaking of is the day of Christ's sacrificial death.
Isaac was about thirty-three years of age when he was about to be offered, that is about the age of Jesus when He was laid on the wood, "the cross" Jesus was God's Sacrificial Lamb.
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In chapter 23:1 we're told that Sarah was 127 years old when she died, when we consider that she was 91 when Isaac was born, (Gen.17:17 she was 90, Isaac was born the next year) that means that 36 years had passed, Isaac is called a lad in this chapter 22: -- he was probably around 30 to 33 years of age.
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LISTEN this is very important, I want to say this before we get into chapter 22. We all know that God is omniscient, that is, He knows all things, listen, was God testing Abraham so He could know what Abraham would do? Of coarse not, God knew what Abraham would do.
--- The test was not for God, but for Abraham, and the words "Now I know" vs.12 were not for God, but for any man who needed to hear God affirm Abrahams faithfulness, be it Abraham him self or you and I today.
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The act of sacrificing Isaac was also important prophetically, and it is also important to us as it is a testimony of Abrahams faithfulness to God.
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ľ Listen as we read Genesis 22:1-19
1And 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.
ľ Here in Gen.22:2 is the first mention of "LOVE" in the bible.
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We're not told that Abraham hesitated at all, at this point in his life his faith was unshakeable in God, and he would do whatever God commands him to do.
The transaction that is going to take place is between the father and the son, between Abraham and Isaac. -- God also shut man out at the cross.
It was dark from 12 noon unto 3 pm. -- man was shut out, and during those last three hours, the cross became an altar on which the Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world was offered. --- The transaction was between the Father and the Son on that cross. --- Man was outside and was not participating at all; man had no part in our redemption.
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"And get thee into the land of Moriah" many bible scholars believe that this particular part of Moriah -- is the place where the temple was built centuries later and also the place that the Lord Jesus was sacrificed-- just outside the city walls. -- The Temple Mount covers about 35 acres altogether.
ľ The land of Moriah is shown by 2 Chr. 3:1 to be in the vicinity of Jerusalem.
On these mountains God later spoke to David by His prophet Gad to built an altar to the Lord (2 Sam. 24:16-25). Here also Solomon built his temple (2 Chron. 3:1) and Jesus Christ gave His Life.
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3And 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.
There is nothing mentioned in this verse about how Abraham felt, not because he didn't feel, but because he was walking by faith, not feelings.
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4Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. 5And 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.
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-- and come again unto you -- here we see Abrahams faith, that after he slew Isaac God would raise him back to life. --- Listen, God had promised Abraham that Isaac would carry on the line of blessing and the covenant. -- Gen.21:12- -- for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.
I want to point out how that Isaac pictures the Lord Jesus in these verses. -- The third day Isaac was to be offered up, so it was the third day in which Christ also was to be perfected. -- Always remember, when ever we see a "3" in the bible God most of the time is involved.
>LK.13:32 --- and the third day I shall be perfected.
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22:6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; ~ so Isaac carried the wood for the burnt-offering.
~Jesus Christ carried the wood, the cross, upon which He would die.
>JN.19:17 And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha:
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-- and he (Abraham) took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. -- They were both in full agreement; we see nothing that tells us that Isaac rebelled in any way.
> Luke 22:42 -- nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
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Genesis 22:7 -9 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?
8And Abraham said, My son, God will provide HIMSELF a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
ľ And indeed God did provide HIMSELF a Lamb.
>John 17:22 -- even as we are one: --
>John 10: 30 I and my Father are one.
22: 9And 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.
Then they came to the place: Apparently, even on Mount Moriah, there was a specific place God told Abraham to stop, because this was the place that this was to be done.
The binding of Isaac, -- was also typical of Christ as He was bound.
>Matt.27:2 -- And when they had bound him, they led him away, --
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By this time, Abraham was more than 100 years old, and Isaac would have been able to get away had he chosen to do so. --- Yet he fully submits to his father. -- In remembering Abraham's faith, we should never forget Isaac's faith either. -- We'll be talking about Isaacs's faith soon.
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10And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
11And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.
12And 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.
13And 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.
Notice, a substitute. -- Jesus was our Substitute.
14And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: (the Lord will [provide) as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.
15And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time,
16And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:
17That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
18And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
19So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba.
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When Isaac rose from off the wood, "the altar", it was as though he had risen from the dead. -- received Christ in a figure.
