Genesis 22 – The Sacrifice of Isaac

The Testing of Abraham

Contrary to some previous chapters, Genesis 22 shows us that Abraham has really come to trust the Lord.  This is a hard chapter for many to understand. It should be pointed out, especially to children, that God never would have allowed Isaac to be harmed because it is against His very nature (one might even wonder if that certainty was actually part of Abraham’s faith). God finds the sacrifice of humans, especially children (a practice common to worshiping the idol Moloch), to be an abomination; and he makes that clear in other scripture.  Lev 18:21 and 2 kings 23:10 are two of many verses we can refer to.

It is hard to miss the irony of Abraham being willing to sacrifice his only son for God. The second half of God’s promise to him afterward is of an offspring of Abraham in whom all nations will be blessed.  That is Jesus, His only son, who He sacrificed for us. That offspring is referred to in Galatians 3:16-28, when Paul is explaining how we are all heirs to this promise. Reading that passage right after this chapter is enlightening. The genealogies of the last couple of verses may seem irrelevant until we read chapter 24.

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Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Schedules” page of my website at http://graceofourlord.com.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.
/Robert