BECAUSE YOU HAVE OBEYED ME

Genesis 22:1-19, Key Verse: 18

“And through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”

Last week we learned that God is the One who brings us the true laugh. Abraham was so happy because God granted him Isaac. We hope that the story of Abraham would be a happy ending. But in today’s passage, we are surprised and even shocked because of God’s final test for Abraham. What was God’s test? 

Part I: Sacrifice Isaac As A Burnt Offering (1-8)

Verse 1 says, “Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, ‘Abraham!’ ‘Here I am,’ he replied.” God and Abraham were like friends talking on the cell phone. They knew each other, and this kind of communication seems very natural to them. Look at verse 2. “Then God said, ‘Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah on one of the mountains I will tell you. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.’” When we come to this passage, many questions bother us such as, “Oh my goodness! Offer Isaac as a burnt offering? Why?” If we are surprised like this, then, how much more Abraham must have been confused. 

Many people doubt God’s love when seemingly terrible things happen in their lives. They easily blame God for their misfortune. Then, how would they respond when they are asked to sacrifice their best treasure for God’s purpose? They step back saying, “This is not what I wanted when I believed in God.” And they turn away from God. They even tell others not to believe in God saying that eventually, they will have to give God their best treasure. Somehow, they expose that their true motive in believing God was certain benefits, not God Himself. In the true sense, they did not believe God. 

Abraham was asked to offer his best treasure, Isaac, as a burnt offering to God. Abraham must have been dumb-stunned. He never expected that God would ask him this kind of thing. Then, why did God do so? Verse 1 says that God ‘tested Abraham.’ It means that God wanted to see how Abraham would respond if He asked him to offer Isaac his only son as a burnt offering to Him. God knew that Abraham loved Him. God knew that if He asked him to offer 10 bulls as a burnt offering, Abraham absolutely would obey him. He knew that if He asked Abraham to offer all his money, Abraham would do it. 

But how would he respond if he were asked to offer Isaac his Son as a burnt offering? It was the test of true obedience. Would Abraham love God more than his son? Would he choose to love God's blessing or God, the giver of the blessing? God emphasized "your son, your only son… whom you love." God fully understood how difficult it would be for Abraham to do so. But still knowing everything, he asked Abraham to sacrifice his only son as a burnt offering to Him. He wanted to see how he would respond to this. God knows that we love Him, but He wants to see how much we love him. How much do I love God? This is a good question. 

The first man Adam loved God, but when he had to make his choice between God and his wife, he chose his wife because he loved his wife more than God. Maybe, he would do many things for God, but as long as his wife was concerned, he would make excuses to God. That much was his love for God. God was sorry because of him. Jesus loved God. How much did he love God? God commanded him to die on the cross as a ransom for many. It was really difficult for anyone to obey this kind of direction. But, embracing all difficulties, Jesus obeyed God. That much was Jesus’ love for God his Father. His love for God was complete that Jesus would do anything God asked him to do, and nothing could stop him from loving God. Jesus was indeed free in obeying God because he loved God. 

During the time of Isaiah, the Israel people said, “I love God.” But God said, "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.” (Isa 29:13) Many people say easily, “I love God.” But loving God is not as easy as they think. By the way, how can we love God, when God is invisible? Loving God is not the matter of saying some words, but the matter of obeying God’s command. Jesus says in John 14:21, “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me.” If we love God, then, we surely obey God’s command in spite of difficulties and pains. But those who do not love God do not obey God’s command because of sufferings involved. 

Some people say that they love God, but they are not willing to offer Sunday to God, even a few hours on Sunday, so they do not come to worship service. They are not willing to sacrifice their plan even for the sake of worshiping God; instead, they sacrifice the Sunday worship service for their own plan. Some people say that they love God, but they never bring an offering to God – it is obvious that they love money more than God. God says, “I am a jealous God.” When we love something else, such as pleasures, money, Ishmael, or even Isaac, God is jealous because he really loves us. He wants us to love him alone. So he asks us to offer our Isaac, our best treasure to him as a burnt offering. What is your response to this test? What is your Isaac that you value the most?

What was Abraham’s response? Look at verse 3. “Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about.” The phrase, "Early the next morning Abraham got up…" shows he didn't hesitate or calculate. He was decisive and already Isaac was offered to God as a burnt offering in his heart. He didn't tell anyone, not even Sarah. If he told Sarah, he would be able to come out of this dilemma very easily, saying, “I wanted to obey, but my wife did not want to.” But he did not do so. He overcame his personal feelings. 

What God told him to do seem crazy! But throughout the journey to the very altar of sacrifice, his faith in God and obedience to God's command did not waiver. Also, he overcame his rational way of thinking. Logically, it did not make any sense to offer Isaac, because God had promised that through Isaac, his offspring would be reckoned. It was contradictory to God’s promise itself. Furthermore, offering a human sacrifice is not biblical at all. If he relied on his own reasoning or understanding, surely he would not be able to obey God’s command. 

Nevertheless, he obeyed God overcoming all obstacles, the obstacle of his own logical thinking, the obstacle of his past knowledge and feeling. His faith was the faith of “nevertheless.” People’s disobedience is the disobedience of “because.” Abraham’s obedience was the obedience of “nevertheless”. The situation is the same, but their responses are totally the opposite. It is really the matter of whether they love God or not. Certainly, Abraham did not live by his feelings, not by his logic or reason, but by faith in God only. “Nevertheless” he obeyed.

After preparing enough wood for the burnt offering, he left with Isaac and also two of his servants. It took a total of three days for Abraham to arrive at the place God spoke of. These must have been the longest days of Abraham’s entire life, and a great spiritual battle was going on in his heart – all kinds of mixed emotions and voices of fear and faith, sorrow and confidence. For three days, he fought the battle and kept moving forward step by step – his three days’ journey itself was the expression of his love and obedience to God. He was like Jesus who proceeded to go to Jerusalem to die on the cross in obedience to God’s will, even though no one forced him to do so. 

Then, on the way, Isaac spoke up, “Father? The fire and wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” (7) What a painful and heart-piercing question it was! It was like a hammer knocking Abraham hard. At this, Abraham could have broken down, saying, “I cannot do it,” and cried uncontrollably. But Abraham was not emotional. Instead, he said to Isaac, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” (8) It was Abraham’s faith. 

He did not know how – nothing was clear. But one thing was very clear to him: What he was asked to do was to offer Isaac as a burnt offering and other than that, God would do. He did not worry about how God would fulfill his promise. He trusted that God would do all things necessary. With this simple trust in God, he had been fighting such a fierce battle for the past three days. Proverbs 3:5 reads: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” 

Part II: I Will Surely Bless You (9-19)

When they had reached the place of sacrifice, Abraham built the altar, and then he bound Isaac, and gently laid him there. Taking out the knife he had prepared, he was about to slay the sacrifice. Sweat was now dripping from his face. As he lifted the knife high in the air, every muscle in his body was trembling. He closed his eyes. He got ready to slay his son. Then just as the knife was about to come down, a voice from heaven called out, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” (11, 12)

God saw Abraham’s heart’s desire to obey God no matter what and at any cost. God could see that in Abraham’s heart, Isaac had already been offered as a burnt offering to the LORD. God recognized Abraham’s deep trust and love for Him. It was obvious that since Abraham could obey this command, then, he would do anything for God in any situation. Surely, no one could stop him from loving God wholeheartedly. God felt honored by Abraham. So he intervened and stopped him from slaying his son Isaac. 

God commended Abraham’s love and faith in Him saying, “Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” (12) God’s heart was moved that Abraham loved Him this much. One time, Jesus asked his top disciple Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you truly love me more than these?” Then, Simon Peter answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Through his command to Abraham, God was asking Abraham the same question, “Do you truly love me more than these, even more than your son, Isaac?” Then, Abraham proved that he loved God the most through his obedience. 

From Abraham’s example, we know what it means to fear God. It is to love Him over everything, even our very best treasure. By offering our most treasured thing to God, we prove that there is nothing that exists between God and us. But people withhold Isaac, their best treasure, from God that they eventually fail to obey God. Those who love Isaac more than God cannot obey God. Jesus says, “Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” (Matt 10:37) 

The greatest command is this: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” (Duet 6:5) Those who are willing to offer their Isaac, their best treasure to God as a burnt offering can keep this command, and they are the ones who love God more than anything in the world. They are the ones who fear God. How can we sum up the Christian life? It is to love God with all our heart and love our neighbors as we love ourselves. God’s command to Abraham to offer Isaac as a burnt offering is not only applicable for Abraham who lived 3,500 years ago, but also for all believers even today. Let’s love God by offering our treasures to him, even the best one. 

Look at verses 13, 14. “Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.” When Abraham obeyed God, he could personally experience the LORD who provides everything. Also, when we obey and fear God, and when we offer Him our very best treasure, that we can come to experience this God who provides. Later, on this mountain, Solomon built the first temple. Later on this mountain, God provided the Lamb, Jesus, to sacrifice for the sin of the world. 

Look at verses 15 through 18. “The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, ‘I swear by myself declares the LORD that because you have done this and not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.’” Here God swore by himself, making an unchangeable oath to bless Abraham and his descendants. He was moved to make such an oath because of Abraham’s obedience. 

In these verses God confirmed three blessings. First, He would make Abraham’s descendants as numerous as the stars in the skies. Second, his descendants would take possession of the cities of their enemies. Third, through his descendants, all nations on earth would be blessed. Yes! Through one man’s disobedience, the first man Adam, who loved his wife more than God, sin came into the world, all mankind was cursed. But through one man, Abraham’s obedience to God, God’s blessing came into the world. Through one man, Jesus’ obedience even to the point of his death on the cross, God’s salvation came to many lost sinners including ourselves. Now, then, our obedience to God’s command means also God’s blessing and salvation to many people. Amen!

*Conclusion: Today’s passage is the conclusion of Abraham’s life of faith. When God saw that Abraham was willing to offer even Isaac as a burnt offering, he could see very clearly that Abraham would obey Him no matter what. So, God did not need to test him anymore. Abraham got A⁺, and it was the end of God’s training. Who is the God of Abraham? He is the God who called a hopeless and ordinary person, Abram, and changed him into a source of blessing for all peoples on earth. He did this marvelous transforming work with long patience and faithfulness. As God did to Abraham, He is doing the same thing with each of us in the hope of changing us to be a blessing for many. May God change many young souls through our Genesis Bible study and the upcoming Midwest Regional Summer Bible Conference 2010!