The Book of Genesis
Part 36
We closed our lesson last month by discussing “The Sacrifice of Faith” (Gen. 22:9-10). We saw how that Abraham gave to the Lord the very dearest object of his heart, Isaac, and that by such action the Lord knew that there was nothing in his life that he would withhold.
Today there are Christians who are willing to make some sacrifice for the Lord. Alas! it is only a partial sacrifice. A Christian lady whose husband engaged much in local service for the Lord, when he felt exercised about giving his entire time to the ministry of God’s Word, objected. She feared what she thought might be privations, and maybe loneliness. Because of her insistence, he eventually stiffled his convictions. She held in reservation what she should have given entirely to the Lord.
It is well for us to remember the grammatical connection between Romans 11 and 12. Should we fail to offer the sacrifice in life the Lord requests, He may claim it, for actually it is His: “For of Him and through Him, and to Him, are all things: to Whom be glory forever. Amen.”
The Reward of Faith (Vv. 11 - 13)
For a recompense of his faith, God gave back Isaac to Abraham as if he were a double portion and blessing. He gave Abraham Isaac in birth, now He gives him in a figurative resurrection. Here we have a precious example of a striking New Testament statement, “He that cometh to God must believe that He is (that He exists), and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him” (Heb. 11:6).
The Lord is ever ready to bless His beloved children. He says, “I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end” (Jer. 29:11). Nevertheless, He takes special pleasure in their faith and in. their willingness to sacrifice for Him. Hebrews 11 is a record of the rewards of faith. There are, likewise, many unwritten records of similar rewards in the lives of such men as George Mueller, Hudson Taylor, and David Livingstone, and a host of others who accomplished wonderful things, overcame opposition, and opened continents to the gospel.
The Testimony Of Faith (V. 14)
That sacred spot on the side of Moriah must be marked. The experience had been so real, faith had been triumphant, God had been so near; therefore, some mark must perpetuate the remembrance of all, and witness to the fact that God had seen the full expression of Abraham’s faith, and had accepted it. Moreover, that He had provided a ram to save Isaac, and in so doing provided Abraham a second time with a son.
Jehovah Jireh was not only given as a name to that hallowed place where the Lord looked down and provided out of His fulness, but it is written into the divine account of Abraham’s test of faith. It is his testimony to the truth that there is a great recompense of reward.
With these remarks, we will close our study of the historical event, and pass on to engage in a further examination of this same passage.
A Typical, Study
There is a verse from the Epistle to the Romans which might be used as an introduction to the further study of this important event in the life of the patriarch Abraham: “He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Rom. 8:32).
First, we must understand the terms of this examination: The offerer, Abraham typifies God the Father; the sacrifice, God the Son; the character of the sacrifice is that of a burnt offering; the elements of the sacrifice are those described in the passage under consideration; and the results of the sacrifice are seen to be universal. Let us consider at least some of these salient points.
The Offerer
Frequently it has been pointed out that there are three epistles which bear an evangelical character: Romans, Galatians, and Hebrews. Galatians is the Epistle of the Cross; in it the crucifixion of Christ is prominent. Hebrews is the Epistle of the Throne; Christ there is seen enthroned in glory. Doctrinally speaking, between these two we have the Epistle to the Romans in which the resurrection is so noticeable. Romans is the Epistle of the Empty Tomb.
In calling attention to this, it must not be assumed that there is no sacrifice in Romans, for there is, but it is the sacrifice of the Father rather than of the Son. “God spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up” (Rom. 8:32, and 4:25). This act is surely typified in Abraham’s offering up of Isaac.
God did not spare His Son from the infliction of suffering and death; moreover, He delivered Him over to all the sorrows of Calvary. He surrendered Him fully without any restraint.
An officer at General Headquarters during World War II had an only son in the force fighting in Normandy. Said a higher ranking officer to him one day, “I have been thinking about your boy, wondering if we should transfer him elsewhere; the sector in which he is fighting is most dangerous.”
A day or two later, the father gave his reply, “No, I do not think my boy should be transferred. Other fathers think as much of their boys as I do of mine. They are not spared the rigour and terror of battle, so neither should mine.
A few days later, this father lost his son, killed in action. He spared not his only son.
The Sacrifice
Isaac might not know who or what was to be the offering, and might ask, “Where is the lamb?” The Lord Jesus knew from the very beginning Who the sacrifice would be (Heb. 10: 5-7).
The Lord said to Abraham, “Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest … and offer him there for a burnt offering” (Gen. 22:2).
As far as numbers are concerned, Isaac was not Abraham’s only son; Ishmael was also his son. Isaac was his only son according to the purposes of God; therefore, he was unique. There could be no other son in Abraham’s household comparable to him.
This unique son is a type of the Only Begotten Son of God, the One Whom He spared not to deliver up for us.