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Sermon preached on Genesis 22 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 10/29/2023 in Petaluma, CA.
Sermon Manuscript
Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div.
Today on the calendar is Reformation Sunday, where we remember the historic Protestant Reformation with the nailing of the 95 Theses by Martin Luther on October 31, 1517. This year, we’ll be officially commemorating that next Sunday evening at our annual Reformation Service. But in God’s good providence, today’s passage in our Genesis series is also a very fitting passage for remembering the heritage of the Reformation. We will have opportunity to consider matters of faith, works, and grace, as we see God not only test Abraham here but also confirm his gracious promises to him. Indeed, this grace through faith that God confirms to Abraham, he continues to confirm to us in Christ. Let us dig in.
We’ll begin with our first point to see how God tests Abraham here. That is the language of verse 1, that “God tested Abraham.” Let us begin by distinguishing this from devilish temptations. God never tempts anyone to evil according to James 1:13. The devil desires us to fall into sin, but God does not want his people to sin. So then, in light of that truth, let us address that this is a startling thing for God to use in testing Abraham. Why would God command Abraham to sacrifice his own son? Let us be clear, there are repeated quotations in the Bible where God says the idea of child sacrifice is not something he commands, decrees, or even has come into his mind (e.g. Jer 7:31, 19:5, 32:35). The law of Moses would explicitly forbid it (Lev 18:21). Psalms 106 would lament it as a practice. This leads to one obvious conclusion, a conclusion that we see right here in this chapter. God never intended for Abraham to actually sacrifice his son. We see in verse 12 that God stops Abraham in time, with a twofold call of “Abraham, Abraham,” revealing God’s true purpose. Isaac’s life was never really in danger here. Indeed, child sacrifice was a practice among the heathen religions of the ancient Near East. So, while God tests Abraham here through this trial, this simultaneously serves to show that God does not call us to sacrifice our children to him. God doesn’t want his people to worship like the heathens do.
So then, notice the commendable ways that Abraham responds to this divine test. We don’t see any complaint by Abraham. Nor do we see any hesitation. Rather, in verse 3, after getting this command, he wakes up and gets an early start. God had told him to make the sacrifice at a mountain in Moriah, which was a three-day journey as we see in verse 4. Let us note, that the mountain of Moriah is actually identified as the same location as Jerusalem, in 2 Chronicles 3:1, but I digress. So, he does all this work for them to make this journey. In verse 3, we see him saddling the donkey, cutting the wood for the burnt offering, and bringing a knife along with other supplies. So, Abraham is diligent to obey here.
Let us not miss the full extent of this test. Three times in this passage, God mentions how Isaac is his one and only son. And of course, Abraham knows that this was supposed to be the son God promised to fulfill his promises through. But add to all that what God mentions in verse 2. There he refers to Isaac as one whom Abraham loves. Abraham loves his one and only son Issac. He loves him dearly. And God then tests Abraham if he would give him up in obedience.
Abraham passes the test, praise God. God repeatedly commends Abraham here for this. Verse 12, God through this Angel of the Lord theophany commends Abraham as he stops him from killing Isaac. Verse 15, again, God commends Abraham for how he passed this test.
But let us understand how to take this testing. Is God’s testing of Abraham ultimately a test of his obedience? In other words, is it a works-based test whereby he would earn and merit God’s blessings? If we were to just read this passage alone, we might be tempted to conclude that. I mean, verse 18 specifically speaks of God’s commendation of Abraham because he obeyed. But the rest of Scripture helps explain that what is ultimately being tested here is Abraham’s faith. Indeed, there are hints of that in this chapter, and elsewhere makes this clear. Let’s develop this a little.
First off, we find the Apostle Paul teaching in Romans 4 that Abraham was justified before God through faith and not through his works. Paul makes that point by noting that Romans 15 says this long before Genesis 17 records Abraham obeying God to do the work of circumcision. Well, Genesis 15 is also before Genesis 22. Abraham came into this passage already being justified through faith by God. God called Abraham to believe God’s promises to him. God didn’t command Abraham certain works in order to receive those promises. Paul makes that point in Galatians 3, that later laws by God can’t nullify gracious unconditional promises that he had already made to Abraham. Indeed, by this time, since Genesis 12, God had time and again unconditionally promised Abraham the blessings of a people and a place. No amount of works here or elsewhere would make Abraham earn such grace.
James also teaches this in James 2 where he explicitly references this event of Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Isaac. People often misunderstand that passage as to think it is actually teaches that Abraham needed both faith and works to be in a right standing before God. They make that misunderstanding because James happens to use the same Greek word of justification that Paul does. But that’s to confuse how later theological terms get developed versus how language can be used in different ways by different people in different circumstances. James says that Abraham’s faith was demonstrated and confirmed to be valid by his works. He doesn’t say we are saved by faith and works but we are saved by a true faith, one that can be recognized by its works. That’s why Jesus can say that we can also recognize false Christians by their bad or lacking fruit (Matt 7:16).
So, God is testing and confirming the faith of Abraham, faith that is shown by his work of obedience here to God. Indeed, the book of Hebrews also teaches this. Hebrews 11:17-19 says, “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, ‘Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.’ He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.” So you see, it was ultimately Abraham’s faith here that was being tested. God had told Abraham that through Isaac his offspring would be named. But God then here tells Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. Hebrews tells us that Abraham had faith that God would keep his promise and so he believed God could even raise up Isaac from the dead after he was sacrificed. Indeed, isn’t that what we see here? Abraham tells his servants in verse 5 that both he and Isaac would go worship and then come back to them. The Hebrew grammar is clear. Abraham says, “we will go worship” and “we will come again” to them. And in a similar way, is there not faith expressed when he answers Isaac about where the offering is, in verse 7, and Abraham simply says that God will provide it. Indeed, that faith shows that it was correct.
This leads us to our second point to consider this idea that the LORD will provide. That is thematic here. As mentioned, Abraham foretold this in some sense in verse 7. But then God provides a ram out of nowhere that becomes the sacrifice in place of Isaac, verse 13. And that results in Abraham memorializing this place by calling it “The LORD Will Provide,” or Jehovah Jireh, as sometimes pronounced from the Hebrew.
This second point again emphasizes grace. Again, if we thought the main point of this passage was to emphasize Abraham’s works, we would be mistaken. This passage emphasizes God’s works. If we thought this passage was about Abraham’s obedience to earn God’s blessings, we miss the point that this is actually about God’s gracious provision for his people. God provides the sacrifice in the place of Isaac, so Abraham and his seed would receive God’s promised blessings.
With that understanding, let us appreciate that Abraham’s faithful obedience becomes a picture of God the Father’s abounding love for us. Three times in this passage the point is made that Isaac is the only son of Abraham. We are supposed to see and commendably recognize how Abraham did not withhold even his one and only son in his obedience to God. But think of how we hear that now in the light of the New Testament? John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” Or Romans 8:32, “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” For our passage to point out repeatedly how Abraham was willing to give up his only son, reminds us that he didn’t actually have to give up his only son. Why? Because the Lord provided for himself the sacrifice. Here it was that ram caught in the thicket. But ultimately, it was Jesus Christ, God’s only son.
That points us to how this same point can be seen when we consider Isaac’s role in all this. Issac serves as a type of Christ here. Jesus willingly went to the cross to die in our place. Well, at this point, we don’t know Isaac’s exact age, but he’s young enough to be called a boy in verse 5 but old enough to not only ask important questions but to be able to carry all the wood for the offering. Yet, we note there is no record of Isaac resisting his father in any of this. As Jesus had to carry his own cross, Isaac has to carry the wood for his own fire. Like Jesus remained under the power of death until the third day, so too is essentially the case for Isaac’s three-day journey to Moriah. Indeed, Jesus would even be sacrificed on that same mountain that Isaac is here offered. And Jesus would actually die. That’s what makes Isaac just a type of Christ, and not the actual Christ. Jesus was God’s provided sacrifice for himself and for us. Isaac here makes us look ahead to how God himself would provide the sacrifice God would need in order to satisfy his demands for justice.
Is not even the place itself a reminder that this all looks ahead to Jesus. When Abraham named the place that the Lord will provide, he also said in verse 14, “On the mount of the LORD it shall be provided.” In other words, Abraham not only emphasizes how the LORD is one to provide for the sacrifice, he also emphasizes this in connection with the place. Since this is the location that would become known as Jerusalem, it is thus where Calvary is too. Abraham’s emphasis there in naming the place the Mount where the LORD will provide not only looks back at what God had just done, but it prophetically foretells the ultimate provision God would provide of his only son on that specific mountain.
On this second point, let me mention something further about how the Lord is providing. I point you to the rather mundane verses at the end of the chapter. Verses 20-24 gives us a little information about the extended family of Abraham, of the children of his brother. Why is that even important to tell us about here? Well, for Isaac to be the seed God has promised, he is going to need a wife. For Jesus to come from Isaac’s line, Isaac will need a wife. Well, the LORD will provide for that too. For we see in verse 23 his future wife named, Rebekah. This also contrasts last chapter which ended with Ishmael taking an Egyptian wife.
Let us now turn in our third point for today to briefly consider the oath God takes here starting in verse 15. What we see here is that God confirms his promises to Abraham even as Abraham’s faith was confirmed. This God does via swearing an oath by his own name. This is an amazing thing to consider. Normally, when humans take an oath, they swear by the name of God. The idea is that you’re appealing to God as the ultimate power to hold you accountable if you break your oath. But, there is no one greater than God, so he swears by himself, in his own name, to hold himself accountable. So then, God strengthens his previous promises with an oath.
When we look at the details here about what God is swearing to perform, we see that largely these are the same promises he gave before, but now heightened with the oath. So, we see that he speaks again of blessing Abraham. He speaks again of the great offspring that he would bring through Abraham via Isaac. He again uses the analogy that his seed would be as numerous as the uncountable stars in the sky.
But God also adds some additional details here to these promises. For example, he gives a new analogy about how numerous Abraham’s offspring will be, like the sand of the seashore, verse 17. Then he gives new information about the other nations. In verse 17, he speaks of how Abraham will possess the gate of his enemies. In other words, this speaks of nations that would oppose Abraham, and how God would give his seed a sure victory over them. But then on the other hand, verse 18 says that “All the nations of the earth be blessed” through his seed. That is very similar to what God promised back in Genesis 12, but there God spoke of all families and this speaks in terms of all nations. But what this does is to highlight that there are two responses the nations can have toward Abraham and his seed. They can oppose them or befriend them. If they oppose Israel, it will be for their downfall. If they befriend them, it will be to their blessing.
As we consider this idea of God swearing these promises by himself, I would point you to the inspired application of this in Hebrews 6. There, it comments on this and ultimately applies it to us in terms of our assurance. It says because of God’s promises here that he has confirmed by an oath, we have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. In other words, we can trust God. That is always the case, but it is especially the case when he has sworn such a salvation by his own name. His oath means all the more that we can trust in him.
Trinity Presbyterian Church, today we’ve seen two things confirmed. We’ve seen Abraham’s faith confirmed via this test. And we’ve seen God’s promises confirmed via the oath, and also in how he provided for the sacrifice. We might think of all this in terms of the assurance of our salvation. How can we be assured that we are saved? Well, we can speak of both our objective assurance and our subjective assurance. Our objective assurance is in the sworn gracious promises of God who does not lie. As we trust in God and in his grace, that is this ultimate reason for our assurance. But our subjective assurance seeks to look at our hearts and see that our faith is indeed genuine. As Abraham’s faith was tested and confirmed, do we see that our faith is confirmed? That is a subjective assurance. Scripture calls us each to make our calling and election sure. We are called to examine that we are in the faith. And yes, it is fitting to look for good fruit to be coming from our faith. For yes, faith, without works is dead. We want to have a lively, genuine faith that looks to follow God.
In our Christian faith, we have some practices that show us the importance of a confirmed faith. For example, think of our covenant children who are born into the church. They grow up in the faith and are learning to live out that faith. But at some point, they are old enough to make that official public profession of faith. They are interviewed by the elders and admitted to make that profession. That is even sometimes called Confirmation, as it is process that seek to give confirmation to their faith. Something similar happens when we receive new members that we have them similarly confirm their faith through examination by the session and then by also making a public profession of faith. Then, every time we have the Lord’s Supper, it’s another formal opportunity for each member to examine their hearts to see that they are in the faith. Each time we celebrate the Supper, it is an opportunity to be reconfirmed in your faith. Each of these has elements of both subjective and objective assurance. They are all looking to confirm our faith to be genuine, so that we would be encouraged that we truly have come to know and receive the sure salvation of God that he has sworn to us by himself.
In God’s providence, today’s message comes on the calendar on the day of Reformation Sunday. The reformers contented with the Roman Catholics on this issue of faith and works. A passage like today lets us see the biblical balance of both faith and works which our Protestant faith teaches. We can rightly affirm that we are justified by grace through faith alone, even while we acknowledge that such a faith will be one that expresses itself in godly works. But it is so important that we never lose that nuance that it is nonetheless faith, and not faith plus works, that justifies. That nuance is what the Reformation was all about. It is so important because it drives us back to the same conclusion of Abraham here. When it comes our salvation, we need to see that the LORD will provide – even in Christ alone. Indeed, what a Reformation Day passage. All glory be to God, Soli Deo Gloria.
Amen.
Copyright © 2022 Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div.
All Rights Reserved.
