Native hunters in the jungles of Africa have a clever way of trapping monkeys.
They slice a coconut in two, hollow it out, and in one half of the shell cut a hole just big enough for a monkey’s hand to pass through. Then they place an orange in the other coconut half before fastening together the two halves of the coconut shell. Finally, they secure the coconut to a tree with a rope, retreat into the jungle, and wait.
Sooner or later, an unsuspecting monkey swings by, smells the delicious orange, and discovers its location inside the coconut. The monkey then slips his hand through the small hole, grasps the orange, and tries to pull it through the hole. Of course, the orange won’t come out; it’s too big for the hole. To no avail the persistent monkey continues to pull and pull, never realizing the danger he is in.
While the monkey struggles with the orange, the hunters simply stroll in and capture the monkey by throwing a net over him. As long as the monkey keeps his fist wrapped around the orange, the monkey is trapped.
It’s too bad-the poor monkey could save its own life if it would let go of the orange. It rarely occurs to a monkey, however, that it can’t have both the orange and its freedom.
Today we will discover the long awaited promise of God to Abraham and the test to determine his willingness to let go of the orange.
Let’s begin with Genesis 21:1-3 “The Lord kept his word and did for Sarah exactly what he had promised. She became pregnant, and she gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age. This happened at just the time God had said it would. And Abraham named their son Isaac.”
It had been 25 years since God’s promise was first announced. But He kept his word. He promised Sarah that she would have a child. And He kept his word. And it happened at God’s determined time.
Problems erupt when we try to get ahead of God’s timing. In promising Abraham a son, Sarah would benefit by becoming a mother. However, she determined to do it the world’s way. She gave her slave to Abraham as a concubine so that she could build a family through her. But Hagar’s pregnancy only built a bitter root in Sarah and she and her unborn child was sent into the desert to die. God protected her and she returned. But this was one problem that would not go away and created an uncomfortable situation for Abraham.
Genesis 21: 8-10 “When Isaac grew up and was about to be weaned, Abraham prepared a huge feast to celebrate the occasion. But Sarah saw Ishmael—the son of Abraham and her Egyptian servant Hagar—making fun of her son, Isaac. So she turned to Abraham and demanded, ‘Get rid of that slave woman and her son. He is not going to share the inheritance with my son, Isaac. I won’t have it!’”
Now Ishmael is doing what any older brother would do, having fun at little brother’s expense. He’s about 14 years older than Isaac and probably a bit rambunctious. His father is the master of the tribe but his mother is a slave with no rights to the master’s wife. He sees his mom mistreated on a daily bases and his father doing nothing about it. Plenty of room for pent up anger on Ishmael’s part.
As for Sarah, it’s really all about the money. In all fairness, Ishmael, as the oldest son was entitled to the largest portion. Sarah is demanding that he be cut entirely from the will. And really crossing the line by making demands of her husband. This puts Abraham in an uncomfortable place. In fact, the Bible says he became greatly distressed, not knowing how to solve the situation.
God comes to him and relieves his mind. He tells him to let Hager and Ishmael leave. He promises to watch after them both and fulfill the promise made to Abraham through Ishmael.
What promise? Remember is name was Abram, which meant exalted father. Now his name is Abraham, which meant father of many nations. Isaac would be one nation, Israel. But Ishmael’s descendants would be many nations scattered throughout the Middle East. And, just as it is today, the Jewish nation and the Muslim nations all claim Abraham as their father. So Abraham sends them away.
Ishmael will return for his father’s funeral and he will die at the age of 137 years. He also will have 12 sons along with two daughters. These 12 sons will become 12 tribes and they will be hostile toward the descendants of Isaac.
Genesis 22:1-2 “Some time later, God tested Abraham’s faith. ‘Abraham!’ God called.
‘Yes,’ he replied. ‘Here I am.’
‘Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.’”
God will test you but never tempt you.
The Hebrew for temptation and testing were exactly the same word. The difference is the motivation behind the action. Tests are designed for growth. Temptations are designed for destruction. God tested Adam by placing the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the garden. Satan tempted Eve with the fruit of the tree.
Let me give you an example of testing and tempting. A professor was about to give his students a multiple choice test. He informed them ahead of time exactly what the ten questions would be. The day of the test he placed the sheets on their desk and left the room. Someone soon discovered he had accidentally included the answers to the test on the back of the last page. Those who had not properly prepared for the test took advantage of his oversight.
What they did not know was that all the answers were incorrect. He had tempted them to cheat leading to a failing grade. His test was designed to give the students who studied knowledge and growth. The temptation was presented to lead to failure.
God will not test you if you are not prepared.
Abraham has been listening and following God’s instructions for at least 35 years, probably more. He had learned to trust God through famine and plenty. He felt God with him in battle. God was with him in his time of trouble with family matters. He had a personal relationship with God. So God knew Abraham was prepared for this test. In other words, God will not give us a pop quiz out of nowhere. If He tests you, He knows you can handle it.
When God called Abraham answered right away. Then God gave him a difficult assignment. “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and sacrifice him to me as a burnt offering.”
Notice how specific God is? He wants to be sure Abraham doesn’t go and grab Ishmael instead. That would have been easier.
And He gives him a task that no one has ever been given. God is asking for a human sacrifice. Isaac represented Abraham’s past, present, and future. Isaac was to be the one who would inherit everything. He would inherit all the livestock, slaves, land, and promises made by God. In asking for Isaac God was asking Abraham to sacrifice everything.
According to Christian writer, Howard Hendricks, God is looking for FAT people. That doesn’t mean people who look like me. It means “Faithful, Available, and Teachable.” He’s looking for people who are willing to release things that they cherish if He asks them to do so. It could be your finances, an unhealthy friendship, or a dream.
Genesis 22:3-5 “The next morning Abraham got up early. He saddled his donkey and took two of his servants with him, along with his son, Isaac. Then he chopped wood for a fire for a burnt offering and set out for the place God had told him about. On the third day of their journey, Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. ‘Stay here with the donkey,’ Abraham told the servants. ‘The boy and I will travel a little farther. We will worship there, and then we will come right back.’”
When God calls go.
If God asked me to sacrifice my child, I believe I would have waited a couple of days. God didn’t tell him to go right away. I would have wanted to pray about it. Maybe talk it over with Debbie. See if she could talk me out of it. I mean she’s the one who demanded Ishmael be sent away. (Not Debbie but Sarah) I might have wanted to seek some counseling. I surly would have wanted to have a going away party. Maybe let it last a week, or a month, or a year.
But Abraham got up the next day. In fact, he got up early the next day. It’s not that he was anxious to kill his son. He was anxious to please his God. You see one thing Abraham had learned is that God always has a plan, and it’s a good plan. It’s a plan for good and not disaster. It’s a plan to bring him hope and a future.
Remember when they arrived at the foot of the mountain, Abraham gave these instructions to his servants. “‘Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will travel a little farther. We will worship there, and then we will come right back.’”
God had not told Abraham to wound his son. He told him to lay him on the alter, stab him in the heart, and burn his dead body. But Abraham had plans to return with his son. How could he have such confidence?
With God all things are possible.
Hebrews 11:17-19 “It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, even though God had told him, ‘Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.’ Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead.”
There was a conflict between the promise of God and the command of God. Isaac was called to be a blessing not a sacrifice. I don’t believe Abraham clearly understood how God would resolve this conflict. But he trusted God to do so even if it meant raising Isaac from the dead.
Genesis 22:6-8 “So Abraham placed the wood for the burnt offering on Isaac’s shoulders, while he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them walked on together, Isaac turned to Abraham and said, ‘Father?’
‘Yes, my son?’ Abraham replied.
‘We have the fire and the wood,’ the boy said, ‘but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?’
‘God will provide a sheep for the burnt offering, my son,’ Abraham answered. And they both walked on together.”
Two things I noticed here. Isaac carried the wood. He wasn’t a little boy. In fact, he was probably out of his teens. Some scholars have him in his early thirties.
And he understood the ritual of burnt offerings. He knew the three components necessary for it; fire, wood, and a sheep. This tells me that Abraham had raised him to follow the Lord as he had done. Isaac was well instructed in the ways of God. Abraham took his parenting responsibility solemnly. And, as we will see, raised a son who trusted both his earthly father and his Heavenly Father.
Genesis 22: 9-10 “When they arrived at the place where God had told him to go, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it. Then he tied his son, Isaac, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. And Abraham picked up the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice.”
Isaac could have resisted. I am sure he was stronger than his father. I am defiantly sure he was capable of outrunning his father. Instead he willingly allowed himself to be bound. That’s how much he trusted both his heavenly and earthly fathers. He knew the promises concerning his future and like Abraham expected things to work out. Abraham is prepared, without hesitation, to end his son’s life. But God intervenes.
Genesis 22:12 “‘Don’t lay a hand on the boy!’ the angel said. ‘Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son.’”
He instructs Abraham not to carry through with the sacrifice of Isaac. God never intended for Isaac to die. God would never require a human sacrifice. Remember, He condemned the taking of another person’s life after the flood. Killing a human, whether it was by man or animal, required a death sentence. God wasn’t seeking a sacrifice. He was seeking obedience. And with obedience came a better promise.
Genesis 22:17 “I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will conquer the cities of their enemies. And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed—all because you have obeyed me.” Now not only will his descendants be numbered as the stars in the sky but also the grains of sand.
A ram was provided for the sacrifice. Abraham returned with Isaac down the mountain. Abraham settled in Beersheba while Isaac moved on to the Negev region. Abraham would live to see the birth of Jacob and Esau. They would be around 15 when their grandfather would die.
As we said last week Abraham would not see the complete prophecy fulfilled but he did see the promise of the Messiah. He just did not realize it. With Easter approaching in two weeks let’s look at that parallel.
Abraham was asked to sacrifice his only son. God would sacrifice his only son. Abraham believed in the resurrection of his son. God would resurrect his son. Abraham placed the wood on the shoulders of his son. God would place the wooden cross on the shoulders of his son. Abraham’s son would willingly participate in being the sacrifice. God’s son would willingly participate in being the sacrifice. God would provide the needed sacrifice for Abraham’s son. God provided the needed sacrifice for Adam’s sons and daughters, us.
Abraham’s greatest descendant would be Jesus. Through him the promises of God would be fulfilled. Heaven will be filled one day with more believers of Christ then stars in the sky and sands on the shore. Jesus will return one day and conquer all the nations and cities of the world and rule over them. The name of Jesus offers the blessing of salvation to every country in the world. And it was because Abraham was obedient.
Are you being obedient to God? Are you willing to release things that are precious to you to follow Jesus? Your obedience to God may have an influence way beyond what you have imagined.
