Chapter 22

1 Abraham is tempted to offer Isaac. 3 He giveth proof of his faith and obedience. 11 The angel stayeth him. 13 Isaac is exchanged with a ram. 14 The place is called Jehovah-jireh. 15 Abraham is blessed again. 20 The generation of Nahor unto Rebekah.

1. After these things. About 17 tranquil years are passed over in silence. Isaac was now a young man of 20 (see on ch. 21:14; PP 147). It was, as well, 17 years since Abraham had received his last recorded message from God. Suddenly, there came a new revelation, proposing the greatest test that could come to a human being.

God did tempt Abraham. The KJV translators have rendered the Hebrew word nissah, “tempt,” in various ways: (1) When one man tests or proves another. The queen of Sheba came to Solomon “to prove him with hard questions” designed to reveal whether his wisdom was as great as it was reputed to be (1 Kings 10:1). (2) When God tries, tests, or proves a man (Ex. 16:4; Deut. 8:2, 16; 13:3; 2 Chron. 32:31). (3) When a man puts God to the test by trying to compel Him to act in accordance with his own proposals. This is presumption, as distinct from faith (Ex. 17:2, 7; Num. 14:22; Isa. 7:12). Inasmuch as the word “tempt” is now generally used to imply evil intent, the word “test” would be preferable here. God never “tempts” any man (James 1:13).

Behold, here I am. This vision, which came to Abraham at night (PP 147), was the eighth occasion on which God spoke to Abraham (Acts 7:2; Gen. 12:1; 13:14; 15:1; 17:1; 18:1; 21:12). Previous experiences had taught Abraham to recognize God’s voice immediately, and he was ready to answer. This brief introductory conversation consists of but two words in Hebrew, and in this respect differs from similar occasions in the past.

2. Take now thy son. If these words were spoken slowly, as is probable, Abraham must have felt, in sequence, pride, fear, and awe. Repetition was calculated by God to arouse parental affection and to prepare Abraham for the severe test soon to follow. In calling Isaac, Abraham’s “only son,” God implied that he alone was considered a legitimate heir to the promise. This contrasts with the expression of ch. 21:12, 13, where God calls Ishmael “the son of the bondwoman.”

The land of Moriah. The name Moriah appears but twice in the Bible, here and in 2 Chron. 3:1. According to the latter text Solomon built his temple on Mt. Moriah, to the north of David’s city and to the west of the Kidron valley. The land of Moriah must therefore have been the mountainous country round about Jerusalem. The name seems to have been rather uncommon.

Offer him. The sacrifice of human beings, particularly of infants, was common in ancient times. Both the Bible and archeology affirm that the Canaanites practiced such rites. The idea of sacrificing one’s first-born to the deity was therefore nothing strange to Abraham. While God explicitly prohibited such sacrifices (Lev. 18:21), it is not certain that Abraham was clear as to this. Indeed, only on the assumption that he did not understand this divine ban can we explain his failure to protest God’s command to offer up his son.

3. Early in the morning. Abraham seems to have been in the habit of rising early (see chs. 19:27; 21:14). He was a man of action, and now that God had spoken, his only thought was immediate obedience. Anyway, how could he sleep with the weight of this message upon his mind? How impossible it all seemed! What doubts must have tortured his mind! Not trusting himself should he presume to delay, and fearing also the possible opposition and interference of Sarah, he determined to set out immediately for the designated mountain.

In the supreme test of a long, eventful life Abraham obeyed without raising a single question, without offering a single objection, and without seeking human counsel. Where principle is involved, the mature Christian asks no more than a clear perception of duty. His cooperation springs from a heart overflowing with love and devotion. He lives as in the very presence of God, with no human considerations to dim his apprehension of truth and duty. Yet, upon this occasion, what a struggle must have taken place in the heart of the “friend of God,” not as to whether he would obey, but rather for divine assurance that his senses and reason were not deceiving him.

Saddled his ass. The series of terse statements in this verse admirably reflect the calm deliberation and unflinching heroism with which the patriarch proceeded to carry out the divine command. His calm voice and steady hands in no way betrayed the inner emotion of a broken and bleeding heart. Everything needed for the long journey was quickly prepared in a matter-of-fact way. There was no trace of past moments of weakness. As a noble hero of faith, his training complete, Abraham responded immediately when called upon to meet his supreme hour of test. This was the climax of his spiritual experience. He serenely rose to a height never surpassed by mortal man, and qualified for the honor of being called “father of the faithful.”

4. On the third day. Two days of travel brought the travelers—Abraham, Isaac, and two servants—into the land of Moriah. Two sleepless nights had been spent in prayer. Arising early on the morning of the third day, Abraham beheld the divinely appointed sign, a cloud of glory, indicating the mountain on which the sacrifice was to be made (PP 151).

5. Abide ye here. The solemn duty Abraham was about to perform seemed to him too sacred for other human eyes and ears. None but God could understand. For two days he had concealed his thoughts and emotions. Isaac was to be the first to know, and the only one to share with him this hour of passion and pathos.

I and the lad. Each of the three verbs of the sequence thus introduced contains the pronoun “we.” The English translation does not reflect the prophetic faith implicit in the Hebrew. Literally, Abraham said to his two servants, “I and the youth, we will go yonder, and we will worship, and we will come again.” Though he did not understand God’s purpose, he did believe that God would raise Isaac from the dead (Heb. 11:19). Had not God promised, without qualification, that Isaac was to be his heir (Gen. 21:12)? Abraham did not anticipate being spared the gruesome act of slaying his own son, but believed that Isaac would be restored to him. Accordingly, he spoke in faith when he said, “We will come again.” Only by faith was it possible not to expect to return alone, to report to the men that with his own hands he had taken the life of his son and offered him to God (see PP 151, 152). The height of his spiritual experience is evident, not only in his unwavering obedience, but also in his unflinching faith in God’s unfailing promises.

6. They went. Father and son began the ascent in silence, Abraham in meditation and prayer, and Isaac pondering over his father’s unwonted reticence as to the nature and purpose of their journey. Alone with his father, solitude invited Isaac to give expression to his bewilderment over the absence of a lamb.

Abraham’s Journey to Mount Moriah

7. My father. This expression of endearment must have lacerated Abraham’s heart. As used by Isaac, a well-bred young man of a cultured Semitic family, this form of address signified his desire to ask a question. No well-trained son would presume to ask questions or make statements in the presence of his parents without first receiving permission to do so. Abraham gave this permission by replying, “Here am I, my son.”

Where is the lamb? This point-blank question expressed no more than innocent wonder. Nothing in the narrative suggests that Isaac in the least surmised that he was to substitute for the missing lamb. His question was asked in all simplicity of mind, without suspicion or undue inquisitiveness.

8. God will provide. Abraham’s reply constitutes a prophetic utterance from the heights of heroic faith to which his soul had risen. By inspiration it pointed both to the ram of v. 13 and to the Lamb of God, which at the moment were equally beyond his ken. Except for the conviction that he was doing the will of God and that his “only son” would be restored to him, Abraham’s agony at the thought of parting from Isaac would have been beyond endurance. Albeit, the boy’s question must have pierced the father’s heart. Would Isaac understand?

9. Abraham built an altar. Reaching the spot where in later centuries the Temple stood, father and son reared an altar. Salem, the city of Melchizedek, was scarcely more than a stone’s throw to the south. But a little farther, to the northwest, was the hill later known as Golgotha.

Bound Isaac. When all was complete, and nothing remained save the placing of the sacrifice upon the altar, Abraham tremblingly told Isaac all that God had revealed to him, and probably added to that his own faith in Isaac’s restoration. It is difficult to imagine the mingled feelings that must have surged through Isaac’s breast—amazement, terror, submission, and finally faith and trust. If such were the will of God, he would count it an honor to yield his life in sacrifice. A young man of 20, he might easily have resisted; instead, he encouraged his father in the final moments preceding the climax. That Isaac understood and shared his father’s faith was a noble tribute to the careful training he had received through childhood and youth. Isaac became thus a fitting type of the Son of God, who yielded to the will of His Father (Matt. 26:39). In each case the father gave up his only son.

10. Took the knife. Having laid the bound victim upon the wood, Abraham was ready for the last act, the slaying of his son and setting fire to the pile of wood. As a type of the perfect Lamb of God, Isaac offered no resistance and voiced no complaint (see Isa. 53:7).

11. The angel of the Lord called. Whereas in the past God had spoken directly to Abraham, He now sent His angel (see Acts 7:2; Gen. 12:1; 13:14; 15:1; 17:1; 18:1; 21:12; PP 152).

12. Lay not thine hand. The patriarch had amply demonstrated his faith and obedience and had fully satisfied the requirements of his God. Jehovah did not desire the death of Isaac; in fact, He was not interested in any sacrificial offerings as such. But He has ever desired the willing obedience of His servants (1 Sam. 15:22; Hosea 6:6). So far as the will and purpose of father and son could go, the sacrifice was complete. God accepted the devotion of their hearts as a gift far more acceptable in His sight, and took the will for the deed (Heb. 11:17). The heavenly voice also testifies to God’s rejection of human sacrifices (see Deut. 12:31; 2 Kings 17:17; 2 Chron. 28:3; Jer. 19:5; Eze. 16:20, 21). The assertions of Bible critics to the effect that the Hebrews, as a part of their regular order of service, practiced the rite of human sacrifice, so common among the Canaanites and other peoples of antiquity, is without foundation. True, in periods of apostasy the Jews did practice this rite, but this was in direct violation of God’s command (see Ps. 106:37, 38; Isa. 57:5; etc.).

13. Abraham went and took the ram. Discovering the ram and accepting its presence as a further token of the providence of God, Abraham did not need to await instructions from God as to what to do with it. Here was the lamb that Abraham had said God would provide (v. 8). The wood, the fire, and the knife had not been brought, nor the altar erected, in vain.

14. Jehovah-jireh. Remembering now his own prophetic words to Isaac, Abraham named the spot Jehovah-jireh, “Jehovah will provide.” This name, Moses adds, gave birth to the proverb, “In the Mount of Jehovah it shall be seen [literally, “provided”].” The meaning of this proverb is somewhat obscure. The word here translated “seen” is the same as that rendered “provide” in v. 8. The proverb is obviously reminiscent of Abraham’s expression of faith that in the amount divinely appointed, God Himself would provide a means of salvation. This proverb constituted an expression of the Messianic hope, whether or not such a meaning was entirely clear to those quoting it. Upon this sacred spot, in the holy of holies of Solomon’s Temple, the Shekinah glory of God later took up its abode. Hard by this mount occurred the rejection by the Jewish leaders of the true Lamb of God.

15. The angel of the Lord. After the ram had been offered, the angel spoke again. Prior to the experience recorded in ch. 22 God had communicated with Abraham seven times (see on v. 1). This is the last recorded divine revelation to Abraham. God accepted his loyalty and obedience and reaffirmed the promises made so often in the past.

16. By myself have I sworn. The purpose of an oath is to provide confirmation of what has been stated. Men call upon God to witness their integrity. Since there is none higher than God (Heb. 6:13), He swears by Himself (see Isa. 45:23; Jer. 22:5; 49:13; etc.). In thus committing Himself, God, for man’s sake, follows a custom familiar to men, to convince them of the dependability of His promises.

17. Possess the gate of his enemies. Here alone among the promises given to Abraham is reference made to the “enemies” over whom his seed should triumph. This is probably a prediction that his descendants would be victorious over their enemies in the future conquest of Canaan. It may include, as well, the triumph of truth over pagan religious systems, that is, the conversion of the heathen through the missionary labor of the spiritual children of Abraham.

20. It was told Abraham. Some unidentified messenger came to Beersheba with news from Abraham’s brother Nahor in Haran. This news takes the form of a brief table of Nahor’s descendants. It is included here by way of showing the descent of Rebekah, soon to become Isaac’s wife.

Milcah. This daughter of Haran, who had married her uncle Nahor (ch. 11:29), had given birth to eight sons, named in the following verses. It is not implied that Milcah had but recently begun to bear children (see on ch. 11:30), but that many years had passed since Abraham last heard from Nahor’s family.

21. Huz his firstborn. This name appears also in the list of Aram’s sons (ch. 10:23). Two distinct individuals are indicated.

Buz his brother. With Dedan and Teman, Buz is mentioned as an Arabian tribe (Jer. 25:23). Elihu was a “Buzite” (Job 32:2, 6). The land of BaЖzu, in the Assyrian inscriptions of Esarhaddon, seems to have been the area inhabited by this tribe. Whether the tribe of Buz descended from Nahor’s son Buz is uncertain.

Kemuel. Not mentioned elsewhere in the Bible. There was, however, an Ephramite chieftain by this name at the time of the Exodus, and also a Levite of David’s time (Num. 34:24).

The father of Aram. This grandson of Nahor is not the ancestor of the Aramaeans (see ch. 10:22). He may, however, have been named in honor of Aram the son of Shem.

23. Bethuel begat Rebekah. Nothing is known of the other sons of Nahor except Bethuel, his youngest. Bethuel is important as the father of Laban and Rebekah (see chs. 24:15, 24, 47, 50; 25:20; 28:2, 5). The name Bethuel, literally, “dwelling of God,” may indicate that he was a pious man. The omission of Laban’s name from this list suggests that he was not yet born.

24. Thahash, and Maachah. Of Tebah and Gaham nothing is known except their names. Thahash may have given his name to the Tachsi region of the Lebanon, mentioned in the Amarna Letters, and Maachah to a region at the foot of Hermon (see 2 Sam. 10:6, 8; 1 Chron. 19:7; etc.).

That three of Terah’s descendants, Nahor, Ishmael, and Jacob, should each have 12 sons has been pronounced by critical scholars an artificially contrived symmetry. But the critics do not explain why important men like Abraham and Isaac did not have 12 sons also.

Ellen G. White comments

1-19PP 147-155; SR 80-83

1, 2 PP 147

2 DA 468; PP 148; SR 80; 4T 144, 253

2-121T 454

3 4T 144, 253

3, 4 PP 151

3-63T 368

5-8PP 152

7 3T 368

7, 8 DA 112; PP 155; SR 82

8 DA 469

9 GC 18; PK 37; 3T 368

9, 10 PP 152

10, 11 3T 368

11, 12 PP 152; SR 82

12 DA 469; PP 155; 1T 351; 3T 368; 4T 18, 145

13 SR 83

13-18PP 153

15-18SR 83

16 1T 203

16-18GC 18; PK 37

18 AA 222; PK 368; PP 370

19 3T 368