The Offering of Isaac

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Introduction: Several approaches are possible with this lesson. You may want to emphasize the doctrinal approach in which the offering of Isaac is a wonderful type of the sacrifice of God’s only Son, Jesus Christ, on the cross. Or, you might approach the lesson from the standpoint of Abraham and his faith in the Lord. You might even go back over his life and review the growth of his faith through the years. A third approach, especially good for teaching children, would be to consider the viewpoint of Isaac. He obviously submitted to his father and trusted him. Isaac is certainly an example of an obedient child. Yet, all of these approaches emphasize surrender and sacrifice. You might do well to consider what it means to be truly surrendered to the Lord.

I.          THE PERSON TO BE OFFERED (22:1-2) 

A.  God Did Tempt Abraham (v.1a) 

1.         God tempts no man to sin (James 1:13-15)

2.         Abraham’s temptation was a trial of his faith (Hebrews 11:17; 1Peter 1:6-7) 

B.   Abraham was available to God’s call (v.1b;Exodus 3:4; 1Samuel 3:5-8; Isaiah 6:8) 

C.  God’s Command was a Most Difficult One (v.2) 

1.         Take your only son Isaac [NOTE: Abraham had also had Ishmael. However, Ishmael was a son of the flesh and Isaac was the son of promise (see Galatians 4:22-31). Also, Ishmael had been rejected and cast out (Genesis 21:12-14). Isaac is therefore Abraham’s only son (Genesis 22:12).]

2.         Go to the land of Moriah [Mount Moriah was later to be the location of Solomon’s Temple (2Chronicles 3:1). Tradition places the temple on the same spot as the offering of Isaac. Certainly, they were in the same area.]

3.         Offer your son for a burnt offering [How could Abraham do this? Hebrews tells us that he was so sure of God’s promise that his seed would be through Isaac, that he figured that God would raise him from the dead after he was killed (Hebrews 11:17-19). Now that’s faith!] 

II.         THE PREPARATION FOR THE OFFERING (22:3-6) 

A.  The Obedience of Abraham (v.3) 

B.   The Day of Resurrection (v.4) –the third day (Exodus 19:11; Esther 5:1-2; Hosea 6:2; Matthew 16:21; 27:62-65; Acts 10:40; 1Corinthians 15:3-4) 

C.  The Faith of Abraham (v.5) –“I and the lad will go…and come again” 

D.  The Elements of the Offering (v.6) 

1.         The wood (a picture of the cross)

2.         The sacrifice – Isaac (a type of Christ)

3.         The fire (a picture of the judgment Christ experienced on the cross – Isaiah 53:10-11)  

III.        THE PROVISION OF THE OFFERING (22:7-14) 

A.  The Problem of Provision (v.7) – “but where is the lamb?” 

B.   The Promise of Provision (v.8) – “God will provide himself a lamb” (Isaiah 53:7; John 1:29-36; 1Peter 1:19; Revelation 5:6,12) 

C.  The Unflinching Obedience of Abraham (v.9-10) 

D.  The Provision of the Substitute (v.11-13) 

1.         The availability of Abraham (v.11; cp.v.1)

2.         The praise of the Lord (v.12) – “for now I know that thou fearest God”

3.         The substitution of the ram (v.13) – “in the stead of his son” (Leviticus 1:4) 

E.   The Name of That Place (v.14) 

1.         Called Jehovah-jireh

2.         Meaning “the Lord will provide”

3.         The saying, “In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen” – related to the idea that the Lord will provide 

IV.       THE PROMISE BECAUSE OF THE OFFERING (22:15-19) 

A.  The Second Call From Heaven (v.15) 

B.   The Oath of the Lord (v.16) –He swore by himself (Isaiah 45:23; Hebrews 6:13-14) 

C.  The Promise Made to Abraham (v.17-18) 

1.         The multiplying of his seed (v.17a)

a.    As the stars of the heaven

b.   As the sand of the sea shore

2.         The possession of the gate of his enemies (v.17b)

3.         The blessing of all nations in his seed (v.18; Galatians 3:14-18) 

D.  Abraham Goes to Beersheba (v.19) 

Conclusion: Notice how God blesses the faith and sacrifice of Abraham. God provided the ram because Abraham did not withhold his only son from Him (v.12-13). He blessed Abraham because he obeyed His voice (v.18). What might God do in our lives if we would obey Him entirely?

MEMORY VERSES:

1.         Genesis 22:8

2.         Genesis 22:18

3.         John 1:29