Genesis 22

The Lord Tells Abraham To Offer Isaac as a Sacrifice

1 # Ws 10.5; Si 44.20; 4 Macc 7.13,14; 13.12; He 11.17-19. Some years later God decided to test Abraham, so he spoke to him.

Abraham answered, “Here I am, Lord.”

2 # 2 Ch 3.1. The Lord said, “Go get Isaac, your only son, the one you dearly love! Take him to the land of Moriah, and I will show you a mountain where you must sacrifice him to me on the fires of an altar.” 3So Abraham got up early the next morning and chopped wood for the fire. He put a saddle on his donkey and set out with Isaac and two servants for the place where God had told him to go.

4Three days later Abraham looked off in the distance and saw the place. 5He told his servants, “Stay here with the donkey, while my son and I go over there to worship. We will come back.”

6Abraham put the wood on Isaac's shoulder, but he carried the hot coals and the knife. As the two of them walked along, 7-8Isaac said, “Father, we have the coals and the wood, but where is the lamb for the sacrifice?”

“My son,” Abraham answered, “God will provide the lamb.”

The two of them walked on, and 9#Jas 2.21. when they reached the place that God had told him about, Abraham built an altar and placed the wood on it. Next, he tied up his son and put him on the wood. 10#4 Macc 16.20. He then took the knife and got ready to kill his son. 11But the Lord's angel shouted from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”

“Here I am!” he answered.

12“Don't hurt the boy or harm him in any way!” the angel said. “Now I know that you truly obey God, because you were willing to offer him your only son.”

13Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in the bushes. So he took the ram and sacrificed it instead of his son.

14Abraham named that place “The Lord Will Provide.” And even now people say, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”#22.14 The Lord Will Provide … it will be provided: Or “The Lord Will Be Seen … the Lord will be seen” or “It (a ram) Will Be Seen … it (a ram) will be seen.”

15The Lord's angel called out from heaven a second time:

16 # He 6.13,14. You were willing to offer your only son to the Lord, and so he makes you this solemn promise, 17#He 11.12. “I will bless you and give you such a large family, that someday your descendants will be more numerous than the stars in the sky or the grains of sand along the seashore. They will defeat their enemies and take over the cities where their enemies live. 18#Ac 3.25. You have obeyed me, and so you and your descendants will be a blessing to all nations on earth.”

19Abraham and Isaac went back to the servants who had come with him, and they returned to Abraham's home in Beersheba.

The Children of Nahor

20-23Abraham's brother Nahor had married Milcah, and Abraham was later told that they had eight sons. Uz was their first-born; Buz was next, and then there was Kemuel the father of Aram; their other five sons were: Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel the father of Rebekah. 24Nahor also had another wife.#22.24 another wife: This translates a Hebrew word for a woman who was legally bound to a man, but without the full privileges of a wife. Her name was Reumah, and she had four sons: Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.

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Genesis 22

The Sacrifice of Isaac

1After these things #1 Cor. 10:13; Heb. 11:17; James 1:12, 13; 1 Pet. 1:6, 7God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to #2 Chr. 3:1the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” 3So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. 4On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. 5Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy#22:5 Or young man; also verse 12 will go over there and worship and come again to you.” 6And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and #[John 19:17]laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. 7And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” 8Abraham said, #[John 1:29, 36; 1 Pet. 1:19; Rev. 5:12]“God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.

9When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and #Heb. 11:17; James 2:21laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. 11But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 12He said, #[Mic. 6:7, 8] “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for #[ch. 26:5]now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” 13And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14So Abraham called the name of that place, #ver. 8“The Lord will provide”;#22:14 Or will see as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”#22:14 Or he will be seen

15And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven 16and said, #Ps. 105:9; Luke 1:73; Heb. 6:13“By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring #Jer. 33:22; See ch. 15:5 as the stars of heaven and #See ch. 13:16 as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess #ch. 24:60; Ps. 127:5the gate of his#22:17 Or their enemies, 18and #ch. 12:3; 18:18; 26:4; Gal. 3:8; Cited Acts 3:25 in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, #ver. 3; ch. 26:5because you have obeyed my voice.” 19So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to #ch. 21:31Beersheba. And Abraham lived at #ch. 21:31Beersheba.

20Now after these things it was told to Abraham, “Behold, #ch. 11:29Milcah also has borne children to your brother Nahor: 21#Job 1:1 Uz his firstborn, #Jer. 25:23Buz his brother, Kemuel the father of Aram, 22Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.” 23(#ch. 24:15Bethuel fathered Rebekah.) These eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham’s brother. 24Moreover, his concubine, whose name was Reumah, bore Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.

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