Chapter 22:
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Introduction 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 Revelation Exodus
Genesis 22
Concise Complete
God commands Abraham to offer up Isaac. (1,2) Abraham's
faith and obedience to the Divine command. (3-10) Another sacrifice is provided
instead of Isaac. (11-14) The covenant with Abraham renewed. (15-19) The family
of Nahor. (20-24)
Verses 1-2 We
never are secure from trials In Hebrew, to tempt, and to try, or to prove, are
expressed by the same word. Every trial is indeed a temptation, and tends to
show the dispositions of the heart, whether holy or unholy. But God proved
Abraham, not to draw him to sin, as Satan tempts. Strong faith is often
exercised with strong trials, and put upon hard services. The command to offer
up his son, is given in such language as makes the trial more grievous; every
word here is a sword. Observe, 1. The person to be offered: Take thy son; not
thy bullocks and thy lambs. How willingly would Abraham have parted with them
all to redeem Isaac! Thy son; not thy servant. Thine only son; thine only son by
Sarah. Take Isaac, that son whom thou lovest. 2. The place: three days' journey
off; so that Abraham might have time to consider, and might deliberately obey.
3. The manner: Offer him fro a burnt-offering; not only kill his son, his Isaac,
but kill him as a sacrifice; kill him with all that solemn pomp and ceremony,
with which he used to offer his burnt-offerings.
Verses 3-10
Never was any gold tried in so hot a fire. Who but Abraham would not have argued
with God? Such would have been the thought of a weak heart; but Abraham knew
that he had to do with a God, even Jehovah. Faith had taught him not to argue,
but to obey. He is sure that what God commands is good; that what he promises
cannot be broken. In matters of God, whoever consults with flesh and blood, will
never offer up his Isaac to God. The good patriarch rises early, and begins his
sad journey. And now he travels three days, and Isaac still is in his sight!
Misery is made worse when long continued. The expression, We will come again to
you, shows that Abraham expected that Isaac, being raised from the dead, would
return with him. It was a very affecting question that Isaac asked him, as they
were going together: "My father," said Isaac; it was a melting word, which, one
would think, should strike deeper in the heart of Abraham, than his knife could
in the heart of Isaac. Yet he waits for his son's question. Then Abraham, where
he meant not, prophesies: "My son, God will provide a lamb for a
burnt-offering." The Holy Spirit, by his mouth, seems to predict the Lamb of
God, which he has provided, and which taketh away the sin of the world. Abraham
lays the wood in order for his Isaac's funeral pile, and now tells him the
amazing news: Isaac, thou art the lamb which God has provided! Abraham, no
doubt, comforting him with the same hopes with which he himself by faith was
comforted. Yet it is necessary that the sacrifice be bound. The great Sacrifice,
which, in the fulness of time, was to be offered up, must be bound, and so must
Isaac. This being done, Abraham takes the knife, and stretches out his hand to
give the fatal blow. Here is an act of faith and obedience, which deserves to be
a spectacle to God, angels, and men. God, by his providence, calls us to part
with an Isaac sometimes, and we must do it with
1 samuel
Verses 11-14 It
was not God's intention that Isaac should actually be sacrificed, yet nobler
blood than that of animals, in due time, was to be shed for sin, even the blood
of the only begotten Son of God. But in the mean while God would not in any case
have human sacrifices used. Another sacrifice is provided. Reference must be had
to the promised Messiah, the blessed Seed. Christ was sacrificed in our stead,
as this ram instead of Isaac, and his death was our discharge. And observe, that
the temple, the place of sacrifice, was afterwards built upon this same mount
Moriah; and Calvary, where Christ was crucified, was near. A new name was given
to that place, for the encouragement of all believers, to the end of the world,
cheerfully to trust in God, and obey him. Jehovah-jireh, the Lord will provide;
probably alluding to what Abraham had said, God will provide himself a lamb. The
Lord will always have his eye upon his people, in their straits and distresses,
that he may give them seasonable help.
Verses 15-19
There are high declarations of God's favour to Abraham in this confirmation of
the covenant with him, exceeding any he had yet been blessed with. Those that
are willing to part with any thing for God, shall have it made up to them with
unspeakable advantage. The promise, ver.
18, doubtless points at
the Messiah, and the grace of the gospel. Hereby we know the loving-kindness of
God our Saviour towards sinful man, in that he hath not withheld his Son, his
only Son, from us. Hereby we perceive the love of Christ, in that he gave
himself a sacrifice for our sins. Yet he lives, and calls to sinners to come to
him, and partake of his blood-bought salvation. He calls to his redeemed people
to rejoice in him, and to glorify him. What then shall we render for all his
benefits? Let his love constrain us to live not to ourselves, but to Him who
died for us, and rose again. Admiring and adoring His grace, let us devote our
all to his service, who laid down his life for our salvation. Whatever is
dearest to us upon earth is our Isaac. And the only way for us to find comfort
in an earthly thing, is to give it by faith into the hands of God. Yet remember
that Abraham was not justified by his readiness to obey, but by the infinitely
more noble obedience of Jesus Christ; his faith receiving this, relying on this,
rejoicing in this, disposed and made him able for such wonderful self-denial and
duty.
Verses 20-24
This Chapter ends with some account of Nahor's family, who had settled at Haran.
This seems to be given for the connexion which it had with the church of God.
From thence Isaac and Jacob took wives; and before the account of those events
this list is recorded. It shows that though Abraham saw his own family highly
honoured with privileges, admitted into covenant, and blessed with the assurance
of the promise, yet he did not look with disdain upon his relations, but was
glad to hear of the increase and welfare of their families.
Chapter 22:
| Calvin
| Darby
| Geneva
| Gill
| Jamieson Faussett Brown
| Matthew Henry
| Matthew Henry Concise
| Wesley
| Index
| Bible Gateway |
Introduction 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 Revelation Exodus
Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy
Joshua
Judges
Ruth
1 Samuel
2 Samuel
1 Kings
2 Kings
1 Chronicles
2 Chronicles
Ezra
Nehemiah
Esther
Job
Psalm
Proverbs
Ecclesiastes
Song of Solomon
Isaiah
Jeremiah
Lamentations
Ezekiel
Daniel
Hosea
Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi
Matthew
Mark
Luke
John
Acts
Romans
1 Corinthians
2 Corinthians
Galatians
Ephesians
Philippians
Colossians
1 Thessalonians
2 Thessalonians
1 Timothy
2 Timothy
Titus
Philemon
Hebrews
James
1 Peter
2 Peter
1 John
2 John
3 John
Jude
Revelation
