Genesis 22:12, commentary and pictures

At the final instant on Mount Moriah, with his hand raised to take his beloved only son, Abraham was stopped by a call from heaven commanding him to lay no hand on the lad nor do him any harm, declaring that his willingness proved he feared God because he had not withheld his son. To fear God here means reverent, loyal trust and perfect obedience that withholds nothing, even the dearest gift. His faith held firm through anguish without questioning or rebelling, trusting God could even raise Isaac to fulfill the promise, and his prompt, unhesitating obedience repaired his earlier failure of trust and won him commendation as the father of the faithful and friend of God. The declaration vindicated him before heavenly beings and disproved the charge that he was unworthy of the covenant, while the ram offered in Isaac's place made God's provision for salvation clearer to them. Isaac's offering was designed to prefigure the sacrifice of God's Son, yet unlike Isaac Jesus was not spared but was allowed to die, giving Abraham a measure of the Father's love in giving His only Son and enabling him to see by faith the coming Saviour, and teaching through all ages that nothing is too precious to surrender to God.

Moment and Setting

The voice from heaven broke in at the final instant, when Abraham's uplifted hand grasped the instrument of death and the knife was raised but did not fall, after a last embrace with Isaac on Mount Moriah. The command had been carried to its last moment, and he was stopped before he harmed the lad or did anything to him. The intervention came as a call out of heaven addressing him twice by name, Abraham, Abraham, bidding him lay not his hand upon the lad nor do anything unto him.

The lad was his only son, beloved, the son of his old age and love, given in old age and loved deeply. He was the son of promise, the son through whom God had said the promise would be fulfilled and a great nation would come. To obey therefore seemed to leave Abraham childless.

The place was Mount Moriah, near Salem, on ground that would later become Jerusalem, about eight hundred years before David was crowned. There Abraham had wakened his son Isaac to go at the command of God to offer him up as a burnt offering.

The declaration, now I know that thou fearest God, meant the test had been fully carried out and proved. It tested both the faith of the father and the submission of the son. God looked on and read the heart and saw full consecration, that Abraham had not withheld his son, his only son. His obedience was complete in heart purpose, as fully as if he had taken his son's life with his own hand.

It was the most severe test that could ever come to a human being. It came to Abraham in old age, under a command that seemed terrible and contrary to the promises concerning his son.

Test Proved Faithful

To fear God in this verse means reverence, complete confidence, trust, loyalty and obedience that withholds nothing from God, not even an only son, shown by willingness to sacrifice even the dearest gift. The beloved, only son of promise given in old age was the proof of that fear, for Abraham's readiness to offer Isaac demonstrated faithful obedience and trust under severe trial. His willingness to give up the promised son proved complete surrender to the divine will, and that severe test made his faith and character shine. Faith here is shown by works, and nothing a person possesses is too precious to give to God.

His faith held firm through grief and anguish without letting feeling or self-will rebel against what he understood God required. He resisted doubts while facing a command that seemed to leave him childless, holding to the promise concerning the son through whom the promise would be fulfilled. He did not stop to question how the promise could be fulfilled if Isaac died, but trusted God to fulfill it even by raising Isaac from the dead. That complete inward sacrifice, made in the heart as believing God could raise the dead, was counted to him for righteousness.

His obedience was prompt, willing and perfect, without questioning, murmuring, complaining, hesitating or giving up along the way. Old age did not excuse him, though the command in old age seemed terrible and contrary to the promises concerning his son. He could not reason out the command, so he stopped reasoning and obeyed, at once beginning the long, painful journey to offer his only son who was to become a great nation. By so obeying he came off conqueror, and his trust was implicit.

His faith was not belief alone but trust in God producing fruits and works. He acted in accordance with what he believed God commanded, giving up the pleasures of the world in view of the promised reward. He knew the commanding voice as the same voice that had told him to leave his country for a land God would show him. He was not saved by works through this obedience but saved by faith in Christ and counted righteous, as the sinner today is saved by faith in Christ. His faithfulness in this test repaired his earlier failure to trust God fully when he took Hagar as wife.

For this obedience he is registered and commended as the father of the faithful and the friend of God. He carried out the fearful test in heart purpose as fully as if he had taken his son's life by his own hand. His prompt obedience is the mark of true children of Abraham, in contrast to those who claim Abraham's name and claim to keep truth and law while disobeying.

Vindication Before Heaven

The word from heaven cleared Abraham before the watching heavenly host, answering the charge that he was unworthy to receive the blessings of the covenant. His readiness to yield Isaac proved reverence for God and settled loyalty, exposing the accuser's claims as false. The verdict established that nothing short of complete, perfect obedience can be accepted.

When the uplifted hand was stayed and the ram was offered instead of Isaac, the onlooking heavenly beings gained a clearer insight into God's provision for human salvation. The ram standing in Isaac's place pointed to God's Son given in humanity's place, opening the plan of redemption more fully to view. The covenant then confirmed by oath before the beings of other worlds stands as testimony that obedience will be rewarded.

Picture of Christ's Sacrifice

The offering of Isaac was arranged to foreshadow the sacrifice of the Son of God, with Isaac standing as a figure of the Son offered for the sins of the world. The ram caught and offered in Isaac's place represented the Son of God sacrificed in the place of humanity. That rescue forms a deliberate contrast with the death of Jesus, for unlike Isaac He was not spared, no voice was uttered to stop His death, and no angel was permitted to release Him. That unsparing gift stands as the supreme proof of divine love. The command to spare Isaac together with the provision of a substitute shows that no human being can make atonement for himself, and that only the Son of God can bear the guilt of the world.

Through the ordeal Abraham was enabled to look forward to the sacrificial mission of Christ and to grasp the greatness of God's love in giving His only begotten Son to save sinners. As he prepared to obey he was shown by faith the coming Just One, the incarnate Saviour, the Lamb who would die for human sin, and seeing Him he rejoiced. His anguish in consenting to give up his son gave him a measure of the self-denial and love involved when the Father accepted the death of His beloved Son. His obedience was complete in heart purpose, as though he had taken his son's life with his own hand. That experience was permitted so that through it people might know something of the great sacrifice by which fallen humanity, which could never rescue and restore itself, is ransomed by God the Father giving His beloved Son to save a guilty and rebellious race.

As the Father was satisfied with Abraham's willingness, so He was satisfied with Christ's willingness to enter the path of suffering. Therefore He sent an angel to strengthen and deliver Christ, just as He had sent an angel to stay Abraham's hand.

Twisted in Temptation

In the wilderness temptation the adversary falsely presented himself as the angel who stayed Abraham's hand from harming Isaac. He pointed to Moriah, where Abraham's perfect obedience had been tested and proved when his willingness to give up his son caused his hand to be stopped. Abraham had entered the blood-stained path of sacrifice but was not required to travel it to the end, for as the knife was raised to slay Isaac the hand was stayed and the life was saved, God designing only to prove willingness to endure. On that ground the tempter argued that Christ likewise need only set foot in the blood-stained path of suffering to prove willingness, without enduring painful hunger and starvation, suffering and death, claiming to have come to save His life and release Him from further endurance.

Christ rejected that plea and remained steadfast, committed to carrying out the plan of redemption fully in every particular rather than stopping at willingness alone.

Call to Wholehearted Obedience

Nothing is too precious to give to God, for all He gives remains His to be used in His service, and possessions and even the most cherished relationships must be surrendered and laid on the altar when He calls, with entire surrender of the whole will and obedience to the whole will of God placing one under divine protection. Confidence in the divine Word leads to doing that Word, so faith is shown by works and by trusting God through testing, confident that God sees the end from the beginning. The lesson is given to shine through the ages that the Lord who gave can also take away.

Abraham's readiness to give what was most precious rebukes those who cling to earthly possessions and refuse to impart abundance to suffering people or to sacrifice for others and for God's cause and eternal life. In contrast, faithful stewardship regards every entrusted gift as the Lord's and secures heavenly benediction and greater trust, while keeping possessions brings no reward in this life and loss of the life to come. His example stands recorded as God's commended pattern of willing, perfect obedience and self-sacrifice in service to God, teaching that obedience to God's voice is essential to receiving His favor and blessing. God's people today will likewise be tested, with the Lord putting His purposes in place of their own devising even when contrary to human desires and the dictates of the flesh.

The account teaches confidence in God's requirements however difficult or painful, and perfect submission by children to parents and to God. The severe test made Abraham's faith and character shine and illustrates how affliction can prove people firm and true and purge them from unrighteousness, revealing character through complete confidence in God. Had Abraham then turned from God or deviated from the command, he would never have been registered as the father of the faithful and the world would have lost this rich example of faith and victory over unbelief.

The obedience and sacrifice shown at Moriah is applied as an example for courageous missionary labor, sowing beside all waters and going out beyond one's own country and beyond hovering about the churches to the unbelieving world to convert souls despite opposition from selfish motives, bigotry and prejudice. Laying a child on the altar can mean parents, after many prayers, tears and severe soul conflict in a heart bound up with a very young child, surrendering daily care to another faithful household so they can give themselves fully to the work God has given them. God accepts the child so offered, guards and loves him, strengthens and heals the mother for important work, and gives tears yet peace and firm confidence that the child is loved and cared for.