A Gut-Wrenching Request - Genesis 22:1-19

Sermon Series: Extraordinary

I want you to think about your favorite movie for just a moment. And as you begin to think about your favorite movie I want you to think about some of the scenes from that movie that come to your mind. Every movie tells a story and within each movie there are usually certain scenes that stand out more than others. Sometimes those scenes stand out because they are especially funny, they have a great deal of action that excites us, or they are emotionally charged and move our hearts. What’s really cool is when those stand out scenes are like microcosms of the greater story being told. One of my favorite movies is the movie ‘Hitch’ starring Will Smith and Kevin James. In the movie Will Smith plays a character who goes by the name ‘Hitch’ and who works as a unique kind of consultant and marketing strategist. He helps guys with little to no self-confidence win the hearts of women who are way out of their leagues. In the movie he is hired by a clumsy, nerdy guy named Albert Brenneman (played by Kevin James) who is in love with one of his clients – the wealthy heiress, Allegra Cole. As the movie begins there is a scene in which Hitch goes to meet with Albert for the first time. Albert is sitting outside on the steps of his New York City office building attempting to eat lunch. But what comes easily for most of us (i.e. eating lunch) turns into a fiasco for Albert. While eating his sandwich he spills mustard on his pants. Then in an attempt to clean off his pants he knocks over his coke which ends up spraying all over him and the ground. With the stairs covered in spilled coke he is forced to slide over to a different location, once again faced with the reality that things just don’t come easy for a guy like him. All the while Hitch is standing off at a distance shaking his head in disbelief at the difficulty Albert has just accomplishing the task of eating his lunch. The scene begins the movie in a funny way, but the scene also sets the stage for what will transpire throughout the rest of the movie. Hitch is going to have his hands full teaching Albert how to interact with Allegra, how to talk to her on the phone, how to dance in public places, and even how to move in for the first kiss. The scene when Hitch and Albert first meet is just one of several incredibly funny scenes that take place throughout the movie, but it is especially significant because in that short scene the viewer gets an idea of what’s to come.

The Bible, while not a movie, does tell an incredible story. And like many other books and movies there are scenes that stand out in the Bible - parts of the Bible that make lasting impressions on our hearts and minds. The important task for us as readers is not to isolate those scenes and to try to make sense of them on their own. We need to recognize that those scenes are part of a bigger story and are working together with other scenes to tell the bigger story. With that said we want to look at one of the most extraordinary stories in the Bible this week and do our best to see how that story fits within the context of the overarching story of the Bible.

The first thing we need to do is set the stage for the story that we are going to be examining this week. In order for me to do that I have to introduce to you one of the key players – his name is Abraham. But his name wasn’t always Abraham – it was originally just Abram. We first meet Abram in Genesis 11:26 when the author of Genesis introduces Abram as one of the sons of a man named Terah. In the remaining five verses in that chapter Abram doesn’t play a large role. But beginning in chapter 12 the author turns his attention fully to the life of Abram and we the reader have the opportunity to look into the life of one of the most important men in the OT and all of human history. Genesis 12 begins this way, “Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:1-3). From the very first time we have the opportunity to look into this man’s life we are surprised by God’s command. God basically tells Abram, “I want you to get up, pack up all your stuff, and go. I’m not telling you where yet but I promise that I’ll tell you along the way.” Can you imagine that? To add to the complexity of the situation it appears that Abram’s parents and family had settled in a pagan country where they were probably surrounded by the worship of false gods and practicing the beliefs of their neighbors. So not only did God ask Abram to pack up and leave without any specific direction, but Abram was probably not familiar with God and what his responsibilities to Him were.

It’s important that we notice in God’s command to Abram the reason that is given. God tells Abram to get up and go to the land that He will show him and that He would make of Abram a great nation, blessing Abram and making his name great. But then God follows with a purpose statement. God says that He is going to do these things for Abram, so that Abram would be a blessing. Even more specifically, verse 3 closes with God telling Abram that through him all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Now the text we want to cover this morning isn’t Genesis 12, but we have to have a good grip on the first part of Genesis 12 because this is where Abram is first introduced to us and when he is first introduced to us his introduction involves this promise from God. This promise from God is the primary promise for the life of Abram and the rest of the story of Abram must be read in light of this promise that God makes to him. So make sure that you note that God promises that through Abram all the families of the earth would be blessed. This isn’t a promise to the Jewish people, who in the OT are considered God’s chosen people. The Jewish people (or Israelites) are descendents of Abraham’s grandson Jacob – so there isn’t even a Jewish people yet. But God is looking forward into the future and foresaw a day when not just those who were Jewish, but all nations and tribes of the earth would be blessed through Abram. (Also be sure to note in the following verse, verse 4, that Abram is 75 years old when this transpires and God makes this promise to him.)

As the next couple of chapters of Genesis unfold Abram’s life story is developed a little more for us - we are given insight into some of his travels and some of his endeavors. Then in chapter 15 we discover more dialogue between Abram and God. In verse 1 of chapter 15 God promises Abram that his reward for his faith will be great. But in verses 2 and 3 Abram tells God he’s not really sure what to do with a great reward because he is childless and doesn’t have anyone to pass that great reward onto. “But Abram said, ‘O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?’ And Abram said, ‘Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir’” (Genesis 15:2-3). Then following this declaration God makes another promise – a secondary promise if you will – that will also play an important part in Abram’s story and life. “And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: ‘This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.’ And he brought him outside and said, ‘Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.’ Then He said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be’” (Genesis 15:4-5). So God has made two remarkable promises to this Abram. The first was that through him all the families of the earth would be blessed. The second was that God would give this very old man a son of his own and that his offspring would become more numerous than the stars in the sky. Then take note of one of the most important verses in all of the OT – verse 6. “And he believed the Lord, and He [God] counted it to him [Abram] as righteousness” (Genesis 15:6). Did you see what the OT teaches Abram’s righteousness was based on? It was based on his belief and faith in God. There are so many individuals who have wrongly understood the Bible and especially the OT. They have been taught that our righteousness is based on how well we keep God’s laws, like the 10 commandments. But at this point in history we are still hundreds of years before God even gave the 10 commandments. Abram’s great grandson, Joseph, would eventually bring the Israelites to Egypt, where they would be put into captivity for 400 years. After that 400 year period is when the OT teaches that the exodus out of Egypt occurred and it was while the Israelites were fleeing Egypt and making their way toward the land God had promised them that they received the 10 commandments. So there is no way that we can say that Abram was considered righteous before God because he kept the law. The law had not yet been given and as verse 6 tells us, God counted Abram righteous because of his belief and faith. This is incredibly important for us to understand – God doesn’t count anyone righteous based on how good they are, how well they live, or what commands they live by. God has always based an individual’s righteousness on right belief and faith. (We’ll get into that more in a few minutes.)

Fast forward a couple of chapters to Genesis 17. Twenty four years have passed in Abram’s life since we were first introduced to him in Genesis 12. “When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, ‘I am God Almighty, walk before me, and be blameless, that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly’” (Genesis 17:1-2). At this stage in Abram’s life he is 99 years old and in an act of impatience on his and his wife’s, Sarah’s, part Abram has had one illegitimate son through Sarah’s servant who Sarah gave to Abram in hopes of producing offspring. But Abram still has no legitimate child and heir. In the next few verses that follow God reminds Abram of his promise to make him the father of a great multitude and even changes his name from Abram, which means ‘exalted father,’ to Abraham, which means ‘father of a multitude.’ God continues to dialogue with Abraham until Abraham breaks in and offers up to God the idea that his illegitimate son with Sarah’s servant might be made his heir. But that wasn’t God’s plan and that wasn’t His promise. “God said, ‘No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him’” (Genesis 17:19). God had every intention of keeping the promise He made to Abraham to establish from him a multitude of people. God was going to give Abraham a son through Sarah, who they were to name Isaac. And it was through Abraham’s legitimate son, Isaac, that God would continue to establish His covenant. Then as the next few chapters unfold we find that about a year later Abraham and Sarah give birth to their one and only son, Isaac, while Abraham is 100 years old and Sarah is 90 years old.

The promises that God made to Abraham and how some of them played out were pretty remarkable. But the extraordinary story I want to consider with you this week is found in Genesis 22. [Read Genesis 22:1-14] As Genesis 22 begins we find God making an even more difficult request of Abraham then He made back in Genesis 12. The request to pack it all up and move without any specific direction would have been incredibly hard. But now God was asking Abraham to offer his only son, Isaac, as a burnt offering. This was unbelievable! It didn’t make any sense! It was mixed up – “How would God multiply Abraham’s family if his only son was dead?” It was insulting – the burnt offering was the OT sacrifice that made atonement for one’s sins. When a burnt offering was made, the person making the sacrifice would place his hand on the head of the animal being sacrificed as a symbol of the transfer of that individual’s sin onto the animal whose blood would be shed to make atonement for those sins. In offering Isaac as a burnt offering not only would Abraham lose his only heir but he was supposed to symbolically transfer sin onto his son so that his son’s shed blood could atone for the sin. Yet in light of the difficulty of God’s request we once again find Abraham setting out in complete obedience to do as God had requested. Abraham rose early the next morning making the preparations himself, which included cutting the wood, and set out with Isaac and two of his servants. When Abraham saw the place in the distance where the offering was to be made the text tells us that Abraham left the two servants with the donkey and that Abraham then laid the wood of the sacrifice upon Isaac who then carried it up the mountain. (For imagery sake let’s speculate about what this would have looked like. This was probably a significant amount of wood and there was still a great hill to climb. So it’s probably not likely that Isaac carried the wood down by his side or carried it up in front of his chest. The language suggests that Abraham placed the wood up on his back or on his shoulder. Keep that in mind – we’ll touch on the significance of this in just a minute.)

While traveling up the mountain Isaac noticed that something was missing – the lamb for the sacrifice. Upon asking his father about it, we see Abraham’s faith on display once again when he responds to Isaac, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son” (Genesis 22:8). Shortly thereafter the two arrive at the place of the sacrifice, Abraham builds the alter, and then in probably one of the most difficult acts of obedience that we could ever imagine he binds his son Isaac, lays him down on the altar, and then raises his knife above his head to plunge it into his son and kill him. But just before Abraham brings the knife down upon his son, the text tells us, “the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, ‘Abraham, Abraham . . . Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.’” (Genesis 22:11-12). The angel of the Lord stepped in at the last moment and stopped Abraham from killing his son. Then, just as Abraham had believed, he looked up and saw a ram that was caught in a thicket by its horns. God had provided another sacrifice for Abraham. Now Isaac could be unbound, a burnt offering could still be made, and Abraham would still have an offspring through whom God would continue to work out His promise to bless all the families of the earth.

This story stands out in Scripture as one of the most extraordinary because we read it and we have this gut-wrenching reaction to the request God makes of Abraham. “How in the world could God ask Abraham to sacrifice his only son?” we wonder. Then we see Abraham’s obedience to God’s request and wonder, “How in the world could he have enough faith to act in obedience to such a difficult request.” Both God’s request and Abraham’s obedience come as such a shock that it makes a lasting impression upon our minds. And while the story stands out as an extraordinary one, there is often a lingering question that remains in our minds – “Why did God test Abraham in this way and what is this story really all about? And the answer to that question makes this story even more extraordinary.

God has a unique way of using real, historical people and events to foreshadow future events with even greater significance. And God would use the narratives of those historical people and events in the OT to paint a picture of what He was going to do so that they would both hope in and believe in Him. So let’s look once again at this story in light of what we know transpires hundreds of years later. When we began in Genesis 12 we met a man whose name meant ‘exalted father.’ And we learned from the moment we were first introduced to him that this ‘exalted father’ would be a blessing to all the families of the earth. A few chapters later in Genesis 17 we discover that this ‘exalted father’ would have a son and that it was through his son that the covenant and promises made would be carried out. Then the story of this ‘exalted father’ culminates in Genesis 22. Genesis 22 tells the story of the ‘exalted father’ offering his only son as a sacrifice to atone for sin. In that story it is the ‘exalted father’ who prepares the wood necessary for the sacrifice and it is the ‘exalted father’ who places the wood upon his son’s back. Then we see the son, himself, carrying the wood upon his back to the place where he would be offered as a sacrifice. This is an extraordinary story because God was foreshadowing hundreds of years before it would actually take place exactly what He was going to do to rescue sinful humanity from our sin. You see God the Father is the only exalted father. And while all of humanity has chosen to sin against Him by attempting to put ourselves in His place by exalting ourselves over and above Him, God was going to work in such a way that every family in all the earth would have the opportunity to experience His forgiveness, His salvation, and His incredibly blessings. And His plan was that this forgiveness and this salvation would come through His Son – His only Son, Jesus. Hundreds of years later we would discover that God wrapped His Son in flesh and sent Him to earth so that He could become an atoning sacrifice for all of humanity – ultimately fulfilling the words that Abraham spoke to his son, Isaac in Genesis 22:8, “God will provide for himself the lamb.” At the age of 33, after Jesus had ministered publically for 3 years, we find God taking the wood for the sacrifice and laying it upon His Son’s back. You see, before the Romans would crucify and individual that individual was forced to carry his own cross to the place of his execution. And that’s exactly what happened to Jesus. After He was condemned to death by crucifixion and brutally beaten, the Roman soldiers placed the cross-beam of Jesus’ cross upon his back and forced Him to carry it until He no longer had any strength. And then hanging on the cross, the NT tells us that God poured out all His wrath towards sin upon His Son. In the OT whenever a burnt offering was made sin was transferred symbolically from the sinful individual to the animal whose blood would be shed. But Jesus wasn’t a symbolic sacrifice for sin. When Jesus was hanging on the cross He literally took upon Himself the sin of all humanity – in other words all of our sins (past, present, and future) were literally transferred and placed upon Jesus – the perfect and righteous Son of God. And when Jesus shed His blood and died for the sin of humanity, His shed blood made a way for all of humanity’s sin to be atoned for. And it was only Jesus who could accomplish this. Animals were an imperfect form of sacrifice. Isaac, a sinful human being, would have been an imperfect sacrifice. If all the sins of humanity were going to be paid for then a perfect sacrifice would have to be made. That’s exactly why in Genesis 22:11 the angel of the Lord steps in and stops Abraham from killing Isaac. In the OT the ‘angel of the Lord’ often uses language suggesting his co-equality with God. Notice in verse 12 He even says, “seeing you have not withheld your son . . . from me.” But He is also distinct from God the Father in the OT, often bringing messages from God the Father. This has led many to believe, including myself, that the ‘angel of the Lord’ in the OT is in fact the pre-incarnate Jesus (it’s Jesus before He took on flesh and came to earth). So notice what is taking place in the latter part of this story, Jesus, the only perfect sacrifice, whom Isaac was foreshadowing, steps in and stops Abraham from killing his son. It’s as if Jesus is saying, “Stop! Isaac isn’t the only son who is supposed to be an atoning sacrifice for sin, I am! It isn’t Isaac’s job to fill this role, it’s mine! Abraham your obedience has helped foreshadow what is to come, but that’s enough! I’m coming and I’m going to finish what you have pointed to!”

The story of Genesis 22 ends with the angel of the Lord speaking to Abraham once more. In verse 16 he says, “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.” One last promise is made to Abraham concerning his offspring (note that it doesn’t say his son). A promise is made that Abraham’s offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies and that through that offspring all the nations of the earth will be blessed. These great and incredible promises were never fully fulfilled in Isaac. The question then is, “Through whom were these promises fulfilled?” And the answer is Jesus! Jesus was born into the family of Abraham’s descendants. And because Jesus conquered sin on the cross He proved victorious over Satan. He also made a way for all people from every tribe, nation, and tongue to be forgiven of their sin and reconciled to God the Father. This is the story of the Bible! This is the story of salvation! This is the story of Jesus!

But please make sure you listen to this! It is true that Jesus died for you. It is true that your every sin (past, present, and future) has already been completely paid for by His shed blood and atoning death. And it is true that God freely offers forgiveness, salvation, and reconciliation to you. But it is not automatically applied to you. You see, you and I by nature are sinners. And all the desires of our heart and flesh are to exalt ourselves and to make much of ourselves. We’ve attempted to put ourselves in God’s rightful place. So we aren’t running after God or pursuing God – we’re running away from Him. The Bible teaches us that the good news of salvation in Jesus demands a response from every individual. God is today asking you, if you have never heard and responded to this story to stop chasing after sin and self. He’s asking you to repent – which just means that we acknowledge we are running in the wrong direction, that we’re chasing after sin and wrong things, and that we are turning our backs on those things and giving ourselves to following after God and Christ instead. And with our repentance God is asking you to put your faith in Jesus as your Savior and Lord. That means first that you recognize your inability to accomplish your own salvation and believe that God accomplished for you what you could not accomplish on your own. You believe that it is Jesus’ death alone that makes a way for you to have forgiveness and cleansing from sin and you put all of your faith and hope in that act alone! That’s what it means for Jesus to be your Savior. But God also asks that you turn your life over to Christ and that you completely follow after Him. Not as a means of earning grace and favor, but simply as an expression of your gratitude and appreciation for what He accomplished for you. That’s what it means for Jesus to be your Lord. God offers freely the gift of salvation, reconciliation, and forgiveness. But He doesn’t automatically apply it to your life. You have to reach out and receive the gift that He offers to you. Have you received that gift from Him? And if not, what’s keeping you from receiving it freely right now.

Many of you have probably already trusted in Christ as Savior and Lord and have received God’s gift of salvation, forgiveness, and reconciliation. But perhaps this is the first time you have recognized how incredibe God is to have foreshadowed this in the life of Abraham and Isaac hundreds of years before Christ came to earth. God has worked in an extraordinary way, offering His only Son as an atoning sacrifice for your sin. This isn’t just the story of the NT. This is the story of the entire Bible. All the Bible and all of human history have at its center Jesus! And now you have a part in this story. So the question for you today, “Are you living all of your life for Christ? Is your heart overflowing with worship for Him? Are you striving each day to adorn the good news of the gospel and to shine the light of Christ in all you do? And are you telling this incredible story to those who need to hear it?” That’s what sets Christianity in it’s true form apart from religion. Religion (it doesn’t matter – you pick which one) is ultimately the giving of advice/instructions on how you can get right in the sight of that god. But Christianity in its truest form isn’t advice - it’s a story of good news! It’s not about what we have to do to get right with God, it’s about what God has already done for us so that we can be right with Him! But others can’t respond if they don’t hear the story. So we’ve got to share it! And it’s an extraordinary story worth sharing!

Connection Points Questions for Discussion:

1. What is one of your favorite movies and is there a scene from that movie that really stands out to you?  Why is that scene so particularly memorable to you?  Does that scene play a significant role in the development of the overaching story of the movie and if so how?

2. When we isolate the story of God's call to Abraham to offer his son, Isaac, as a burnt offering from the greater story of the Bible, what becomes the point of the story?  Why do you think that?  Is the purpose ultimately to help the reader be a better person, or is it to help the person better understand God and what He has done for them?  Why do you think that?

3. When we read the story of God's call to Abraham to offer his son, Isaac, as a burnt offering in the greater context of the Bible, what becomes the point of the story?  Why do you think that?  Is the purpose ultimately to help the reader be a better person, or is it to help the person better understand God and what He has done for them?  Why do you think that?

4. How does seeing the story of Genesis 22 in the greater context of the Bible encourage us as followers of Christ?  How does it help equip us to share the good news of the Bible with others?