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41 Pharaoh’s Dreams
42 Joseph Sees His Brothers
43 Joseph Sees His Brothers Again
44 Joseph Detains Benjamin
45 Joseph Reveals Himself to His Brothers
46 Israel’s Migration to Egypt
47 Jacob’s Family Settles in Goshen
48 Blessing for Joseph’s Sons
49 Jacob’s Last Words
50 Burial in the Promised Land
42 Joseph Sees His Brothers
43 Joseph Sees His Brothers Again
44 Joseph Detains Benjamin
45 Joseph Reveals Himself to His Brothers
46 Israel’s Migration to Egypt
47 Jacob’s Family Settles in Goshen
48 Blessing for Joseph’s Sons
49 Jacob’s Last Words
50 Burial in the Promised Land
Genesis 22: Sacrifice of Isaac
Why does God test people? In what ways might he do that?
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Genesis 22:1 After this, God spoke to Abraham, testing him.
Abraham said, “Yes, I’m listening.”
Matthew 4:1 The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan.
1 Corinthians 10:13 You are subject to the same kinds of temptations as everybody else, but God is always faithful to those who rely on him. The choice is yours. He won’t allow temptation beyond what you can bear, but with your surrender to him, he will bring the victory.
James 1:13 When your faith is tested, never say God is tempting you to do wrong, for God can do no wrong and his purpose is always good.
King James
Genesis 22:1 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.
Matthew 4:1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
1 Corinthians 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
James 1:13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
How could Abraham know he was hearing God and not the voice that led pagans to sacrifice their children?
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Genesis 22:2 God said, “Take your only son Isaac, the one you love so much, and go the land of Moriah. Sacrifice him as a burnt offering on the mountain I will show you.”
King James
Genesis 22:2 nd he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
What do you think Abraham said to his wife and others before he left on his journey?
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Genesis 22:3 Abraham got up early the next morning, saddled his donkey, and split wood for the burnt offering. With two young servants and his son Isaac, he left for the place where God had directed.
King James
Genesis 22:3 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.
Why didn’t Abraham and his son travel alone?
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Genesis 22:3 Abraham got up early the next morning, saddled his donkey, and split wood for the burnt offering. With two young servants and his son Isaac, he left for the place where God had directed.
King James
Genesis 22:3 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.
Where did Abraham go? Why did it take three days to get there?
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Genesis 22:2 God said, “Take your only son Isaac, the one you love so much, and go the land of Moriah. Sacrifice him as a burnt offering on the mountain I will show you.”
Genesis 22:4 Three days later, Abraham saw the place far away.
King James
Genesis 22:2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
Genesis 22:4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.
Why did Abraham leave his two servants far away from where he and Isaac went?
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Genesis 22:4–5 Three days later, Abraham saw the place far away. Abraham said to his servants, “You stay here with the donkey. My son and I will worship over there and return.”
King James
Genesis 22:4–5 Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.
Considering the stature and strength that would have been necessary to carry all the firewood needed for the sacrifice, how old do you think Isaac was when he climbed to the site of the sacrifice?
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Genesis 22:6 Abraham put the wood for the burnt offering on Isaac’s back. With the firepot and knife in his hand, he walked with his son.
King James
Genesis 22:6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.
At what point do you think Abraham revealed to his son what he was about to do?
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Genesis 22:7ؘ–9 Isaac said, “Father?”
“Yes, son,” Abraham said.
“We have the fire and wood. Where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”
“My son,” Abraham said, “God will provide a lamb for the burnt offering.”
The two kept on walking.
When they came to the place where God had directed, Abraham built an altar. He arranged the wood, then bound his son Isaac and laid him upon the altar.
King James
Genesis 22:7ؘ–9 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.
How could old Abraham have been able to bind his son who was strong enough to carry the firewood up the mountain?
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Genesis 22:9 When they came to the place where God had directed, Abraham built an altar. He arranged the wood, then bound his son Isaac and laid him upon the altar.
King James
Genesis 22:9 And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.
What do you think Isaac’s reactions were as he was bound and placed upon the altar?
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Genesis 22:9 When they came to the place where God had directed, Abraham built an altar. He arranged the wood, then bound his son Isaac and laid him upon the altar.
King James
Genesis 22:9 And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.
Since he was about to kill the son God said would be the ancestor of a great nation, what did Abraham think would have to happen for the promise to be fulfilled?
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Genesis 22:10 Holding the knife, Abraham raised his hand to kill his son.
Hebrews 11:19 Abraham still believed God and thought his son might somehow be raised from the dead, and there is a sense in which that’s exactly what happened.
King James
Genesis 22:10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
Hebrews 11:19 Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.
How did Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son prove his love? Didn’t God already know that? If so, to whom was that proof important?
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Genesis 22:11–12 The angel of the Lord shouted from the sky, “Abraham. Abraham!”
“I’m here,” Abraham said. “What do you want?”
“Don’t strike the young man,” the angel said. “He is not to be harmed. Your willingness to sacrifice your only son has proven your love and respect for God.”
King James
Genesis 22:11–12 And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.
Why didn’t Abraham see the ram in the thicket earlier? What would he have done if he had?
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Genesis 22:13 When Abraham looked up, he saw a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So he offered the ram as a burnt offering instead of his son.
King James
Genesis 22:13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.
In this experience, what did Abraham see that he hadn’t seen before?
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Genesis 22:14 Abraham called that place Jehovah-jireh, meaning “God saw,” and people are still saying, “On the Lord’s mountain, God sees and provides.”
John 8:56–58 “Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced as he looked forward to my coming. When he saw me, he was overjoyed.”
“You are not even fifty years old,” they said. “How can you say you have seen Abraham?”
“I assure you, before Abraham was born, I am.”
King James
Genesis 22:14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.
John 8:56–58 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.
Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?
Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
Why did God “swear by his own name”? Why is that important?
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Genesis 22:15–18 A second time, the angel of the Lord shouted from the sky. 16 “God says, I swear by my own name that because you have not withheld from me your only son, I will bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars of the sky or the grains of sand on the seashore. Your descendants will conquer the cities of their enemies. Because you have obeyed my voice, through your offspring all nations on Earth will be blessed.”
Matthew 5:34–37 “I say you should not swear at all, not by Heaven because it is God’s throne, not by Earth because it is his footstool, and not by Jerusalem because it is the city of the great King. Do not swear by your head, because you cannot make even one hair white or black. Simply mean what you say, your ‘yes’ meaning ‘yes’ and your ‘no’ meaning ‘no.’ Anything more is of the devil.”
Hebrews 6:13 When God made a promise to Abraham, he swore by himself because no one is greater.
King James
Genesis 22:15–18 And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, and said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
Matthew 5:34–37 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.
Hebrews 6:13 For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself,
When Abraham returned to where he had left his servants, what do you think he said to them? What did he tell Sarah when he got home?
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Genesis 22:19 Abraham returned to his young servants. They broke camp and returned to Beersheba, where they lived.
King James
Genesis 22:19 So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba.
Of what importance is knowing the descendants of Abraham’s brother? Why?
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Genesis 22:20–24 After that, Abraham was told that his brother Nahor’s wife Micah had given birth to many sons. Huz, the firstborn, was followed by his brother Buz and then Kemuel, ancestor of the Syrians. After that came Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel. These were the eight sons Milcah gave to Nahor, Abraham’s brother. Reumah, Nahor’s concubine, had four sons: Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.
King James
Genesis 22:20–24 And it came to pass after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying, Behold, Milcah, she hath also born children unto thy brother Nahor; Huz his firstborn, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram, And Chesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph, and Bethuel. And Bethuel begat Rebekah: these eight Milcah did bear to Nahor, Abraham’s brother. And his concubine, whose name was Reumah, she bare also Tebah, and Gaham, and Thahash, and Maachah.