Sermon #601                                   Hebrews Notes

 

     Title:            Abraham’s Great Trial

     Text:            Hebrews 11:17-19

     Readings:     Bob Duff – Genesis 22:1-19

     Subject:       Abraham’s Faith Enduring Great Trial

     Date:            Tuesday Evening – July 31,2000

     Tape #         W-54a

     Introduction:

 

“‘Tis my happiness below

Not to live without the cross,

But my Savior’s power to know

Sanctifying every loss.

Trials must and will befall;

But, with humble faith to see

Love inscribed upon them all –

This is happiness to me.

 

God in Israel sows the seeds

Of affliction, pain, and toil

These spring up and choke the weeds

That would else o’erspread the soil.

Trials make the promise sweet

Trials give new life to prayer,

Trials bring me to His feet,

Lay me low and keep me there.

 

Did I meet no trials here,

No chastisements by the way,

Might I not with reason fear

I should prove a castaway.

Bastards may escape the rod,

Sunk in earthly, vain delight;

But the true born child of God

Must not, would not, if he might.”

 -- William Cowper

 

In Hebrews 5:8 we read that our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, “Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered.” And that which was true of our Redeemer, when he walked upon this earth as a man, is true of us. If we are the children of God, as long as we live in this body of flesh, we will be required to learn obedience. And we learn obedience by the things which we suffer by the hand of God’s wise and good providence.

 

     The life of the believer is a series of trials, by which his faith is tested, proved, and strengthened. Character is developed by discipline. And God will develop the character of his saints. It appears that frequently there is one great trial of faith, for which all other trials seem to be preparatory. Certainly, that was the case with Abraham and the great trial of his faith described in our text.

 

[Hebrews 11:17-19]  "By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son. [18] Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: [19] Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure."

 

Verse. 17 – “By faith Abraham,  when he was tried” -- God’s will is the rule of justice and goodness,  and whatever he requires is just and good. We dare not attempt to call the Almighty to our bar. He gives no account to us of his matters. His command to Abraham, to offer up his son Isaac may be confusing to men. Men may use it to blaspheme his name; but the Lord our God is the Lord of life. He gives it, he preserves it, and he takes it as he will, by whatever means he pleases.

 

Offered up Isaac” -- Abraham showed no reluctance. As soon as he had God’s command, he traveled three days’ journey to the place of sacrifice. He took the wood for the burnt offering, laid it on his son; took fire, and carried a knife in his hand to slay his son. He built an altar, laid the wood in order on it; and bound his son, laid him on the altar before the Lord, took the knife, and stretched forth his hand to slay his darling son. He fully intended to kill his only son upon the mount of sacrifice.

 

For this, he is held before us as a great example of faith. Had God not stopped him, Abraham would have killed his so by faith. He believed God. He trusted the equity, justice, and wisdom of his God and his God’s command. Believing God, he was fully assured of the truth and faithfulness of Lord’s promises, no matter how his providence and commands might seem to contradict them. Moreover, Abraham was fully persuaded that God would, one way or another, fulfill his promises, raise Isaac from the dead, and save his people through that Savior who was to come through his loins! This was great faith indeed! Being great faith, it was greatly tried.

 

And he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son” – The Lord God promised Abraham that he would have a son, -- that a great multitude would be born of him, a people who would inherit the land of Canaan, a people who would inherit the earth. – The promise of God to Abraham was that the Messiah himself, (the Woman’s Seed, the Christ, the Redeemer) would come into the world through Isaac! The Lord calls our attention to this fact specifically in verses 18-19.

 

Verse 18-19 – “Of whom it is said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called.” Now, look at this (v. 19) – “Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead!”

 

Commenting on these words, John Gill wrote, -- “Abraham did not go to the place of sacrifice without thought. Yet he did not consult with flesh and blood. His reasoning was the reasoning of faith; and the conclusion of it was, that God was able to raise him from the dead. He knew that he had received him at first, as it were, from the dead; he sprung from his own dead body, and out of Sarah’s dead womb; and though his faith did not prescribe to God, yet he believed that God would raise his son from the dead, rather than that his promise should fail; and this conclusion proceeded upon the power and faithfulness of God.”

 

From whence also he received him in a figure.” – Abraham received Isaac as one raised from the dead, in a figure, in a picture, for the purpose of teaching us about faith.

 

Let’s look one more time at that great passage to which our text refers (Gen. 22:1-19). Let me show you something of that which is revealed in this great chapter about Abraham’s great trial.

 

Genesis 22 is one of the great chapters of the Bible. Here, for the first time, God shows us, in a vivid picture, the necessity of a human sacrifice for the ransom of our souls. Because it was a man who brought sin into the world, sin must be removed by a man. Because man had sinned, a man must suffer the wrath of God and die. The blood of bulls and goats could never take away sin. But the Man, Christ Jesus, “after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God...For by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified” (Heb. 10:4, 12, 14).

 

     Genesis 22 records Abraham’s greatest trial and the greatest revelation of the gospel that God made to Abraham. I am sure our Lord was referring to this chapter when he said, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad” (John 8:56). This chapter is full of Christ and full of redemption. Someone suggested, “It could rightly be called, ‘The Gospel of Moriah’.” Many, with good reason, believe that Mt. Moriah and Mt. Calvary were the same places.

 

Proposition: This whole chapter is a picture of God’s great sacrifice of his dear Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, in the place of sinners.

 

     There are so many things portrayed in this chapter that I cannot possibly cover them all in one message. It is a picture of...

 

·        Great faith!

·        God’s great purpose of grace!

·        Substitutionary redemption by Christ!

·        And God’s great provision of grace for his people in Christ!

 

But tonight I can only touch the highlights.

 

I. Notice first, THE TIME WHEN THIS TRIAL WAS BROUGHT UPON ABRAHAM (V. 1).

 

[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."

 

“And it came to pass after these things” -- After all the other trials, hardships, heartaches, and difficulties he had already endured, perhaps Abraham had begun to think, “At last, the storms are over.”

 

·        This is the man who had been called to leave his home and family.

·        This is the man who had buried his father, Terah, in Haran.

·        This is the man who had to endure the family strife with Lot.

·        This is the man who had to go to war with the heathen kings to save Lot.

·        This is the man who had to wait 25 years for God to fulfill his promise. - Isaac

·        This is the man who had seen his brother’s family swept away in God’s wrath.

·        This is the man who had been required to cast his son out of his house.

 

     Abraham must have thought to himself, after all that he had been through, “Now the worst is over. Now I will live in peace. Ishmael is gone. Hagar is gone. Lot is gone. But I have Sarah and Isaac. All is well.” But it was not so. “It came to pass after these things that God did tempt,” test, try, and prove, “Abraham.” Abraham had been tested again and again. But now the Lord seems to say, “My son, give me thine heart” (Prov. 23:26).

 

II. Second, THE ONE WHO BROUGHT THIS TRIAL UPON ABRAHAM WAS THE LORD HIS GOD. -- “God did tempt Abraham” (v. 1).

 

The word tempt here means, “to try,” “to test,” or “to prove” (James 1:2, 3, 12). God brought this trial upon Abraham, not because he was angry at him, but because he loved him. The purpose of the trial was to prove to Abraham the reality of his faith and to reveal to Abraham the glory of his grace in Christ. When the trial was over, Abraham knew himself better than he did before; and he knew Christ better than he did before.

 

     All through his life God had been preparing Abraham for this event; and now, “it came to pass after these things.” Our great, sovereign God does all things “in due time” (Rom. 5:6).

 

In the fulness of time(Gal. 4:4) --After these things” -- After the fall, the flood, the exodus, the tabernacle, the law, the prophets, the kings, and the priests had all run their course, it pleased God to fulfill every prophecy, pattern, and promise of Holy Scripture by the sacrifice of his only begotten Son. All that came before were preparatory events, picturing and pointing to the hour when Christ would die (Acts 10:43; Lk. 24:27, 44-46).

 

     God’s providence is always on time. “All things are of God” (2 Cor. 5:18). And God does all things well. Learn these three things:

 

A.    Our trials always come from our heavenly Father.

B.    Our trials are brought upon us by God to prove and improve our faith.

C.    Our trials reveal Christ and make him more precious.

 

III. Third, read verse 2 and try to realize something of THE MAGNITUDE OF THIS GREAT TRIAL.

 

[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."

 

The words of this verse, taken one by one, reveal the greatness of Abraham’s sacrifice, the love behind it, and the agony he endured through it. Can you imagine...

 

·       Abraham’s grief when he received this command?

·       The sorrow he suffered as he contemplated the death of his son by his own hand?

·       The love he must have had for God, to willingly sacrifice his darling Isaac?

·       The supreme sacrifice he made?

 

Every word in this verse must have been like a sword in his heart! Yet, there is a greater Sacrifice than that of Abraham. Here the Lord God himself is telling us what he has done for us.

 

A.    Take now thy son” -- The Lord Jesus Christ, whom God sacrificed for us, is himself the Son of God.

 

B.    Thine only son” -- Our Savior, whom God gave for the ransom of our souls, is God’s “only begotten Son” (John 3:16).

 

C.    Isaac” -- Isaac means “laughter”, or “delight.” And Christ is the one, the only one, in whom God is well pleased.

 

D.    Whom thou lovest” -- God said, “This is my beloved Son.” Yet, he sacrificed his darling for us, the very chief of sinners!

 

E.    And offer him for a burnt offering” -- Not just a sacrifice, “a burnt offering!” The Lord Jesus Christ is our burnt-offering, our sin-offering, our trespass offering, sacrificed for us by the hand of God, according to the will of God (Isa. 53:10; Heb. 10:9-10).

 

     “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift!” (1 Cor. 9:15).

 

III. Fourth, CONSIDER THE DIFFICULTIES ABRAHAM HAD TO OVERCOME TO OBEY GOD’S COMMAND.

 

There were many things Abraham might have argued as reasons for disobedience. But he “consulted not with flesh and blood.” God called Abraham to sacrifice his son, but...

 

A.  The Lord gave him no reason for requiring such a sacrifice. -- All Abraham had was God’s command.

B. The commandment was contrary to nature, reason, and love. -- But it was crystal clear.

C. The commandment appeared to be contrary to the promise of God. -- But it came from God who made the promise.

D. If Abraham obeyed God, as he knew he must, he was sure to suffer much ridicule, persecution, and reproach for it.

·       What would he tell Sarah?

·       What would he say to the Egyptians?

 

God, give me grace to give you such implicit obedience. “God’s commands must not be disputed, but obeyed. We must not consult with flesh and blood about them (Gal. 1:15-16), but with a gracious obstinacy persist in our obedience to them” (Matthew Henry). “Whatsoever he saith to you, do it!” (John 2:5).

 

V. Fifth, now I want us to LOOK AT ABRAHAM’S SACRIFICE (vv. 3-10).

 

[Genesis 22:3-10]  "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. [4] Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. [5] 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. [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. [7] 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? [8] And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. [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. [10] And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son."

 

     As we read these verses, turn your thoughts away from Abraham. This is a picture of God’s whole purpose of grace and his work of redemption by the sacrifice of Christ.

 

A.    Abraham rose up early in the morning,” and prepared everything with great care (vv. 3-4).

 

Abraham had three long days to think about what must be done. As they journeyed those days and slept through those nights, the burden and sacrifice constantly lay upon his heart. But our heavenly Father planned, purposed, and ordained the sacrifice of his Son for us, not three days, nor three thousand days, but from eternity, before ever the world was made (Rev. 13:8; Eph. 1:3-4). And he never thought about altering his purpose!

 

1.     Abraham carefully prepared everything for the sacrifice. And our great God carefully prepared everything for the sacrifice of his darling Son for us (Acts 2:23; 4:27-28).

2.     “Abraham saw the place afar off!” So the Lord God, from everlasting set his heart and mind upon the place of sacrifice -- Mt. Calvary!

 

B.    Abraham and Isaac went to the mountain of sacrifice together alone (vv. 5-8).

 

I don’t know how to explain what I am about to say theologically. Some may think me utterly heretical for declaring it. -- I know that God is pure, eternal, immutable, incomprehensible Spirit. – I know that God has neither body, nor passions. – I know that nothing moves, affects, or in any way alters the eternal God. – But I know this, too: -- God is not a stone! He felt the sacrifice!

 

Redemption was the work of God alone, a transaction between God the Father and God the Son. “God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself” (2 Cor. 5:19).

 

     Twelve went with the Son of God to the Passover. Eleven went with him to the garden. Three went with him to pray. But when he went to the cross, our Savior was alone with God his Father (Heb. 1:3).

 

1.     The wood was laid upon Isaac’s back. -- Christ carried his cross.

2.     The instruments of death were in the father’s hands. – “Awake, O sword!

3.     Isaac’s question – “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?”(v. 7) -- He knew that God could not be worshipped without a blood sacrifice (Ex. 12:13; Lev. 17:11; Heb. 9:22).

4.     “God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering” (v. 8). This is clearly a prophecy of Christ, the Lamb of God.

·        The Sacrificial Lamb for God!

·        The Sacrificial Lamb from God! Whatever sacrifice God requires, it is only what God has given!

·        The Sacrificial Lamb is God!

 

C.    At last they came to the place of sacrifice (vv. 9-10).

 

[Genesis 22:9-10]  "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. [10] And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son."

 

1.     Abraham built the altar and laid the wood upon it.

2.     Abraham bound his son and laid him on the altar.

3.     Isaac willingly submitted to his father’s will.

4.     Abraham stretched forth his hand to kill his Son! (Zech. 13:7).

 

[Zechariah 13:7]  "Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones."

 

VI. Sixth, verses 11-13 reveal A BEAUTIFUL, BLESSED PICTURE OF SUBSTITUTIONARY REDEMPTION.

 

[Genesis 22:11-13]  "And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. [12] 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. [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."

 

Once Abraham’s faith was proved, God intervened to save Isaac. And the type changes.

 

A.    When God spoke Abraham looked. -- Faith.

B.    When he looked, he saw a ram. -- Christ.

C.    He offered the ram “in the stead of his Son!” (2 Cor. 5:21).

 

VII. Seventh, ABRAHAM CALLED THE NAME OF THAT PLACE, JEHOVAH-JIREH(v. 14).

 

·        The Lord will see. -- He sees our need: Atonement! Righteousness!

·        The Lord will provide. -- What we need: -- Christ!

·        The Lord will be seen in the provision he makes!

 

VIII. Last, WHEN THE WHOLE WORK WAS DONE, ISAAC, THE OBJECT OF HIS FATHER’S LOVE, WAS EXALTED (vv. 15-18; Phil. 2:9-11).

 

[Genesis 22:15-18]  "And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, [16] 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: [17] 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; [18] And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice."

 

[Philippians 2:9-11]  "Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: [10] That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; [11] And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

 

A.    He was promised a great posterity. -- He shall see his seed!”

B.    He was made to be a great ruler. -- “Possess the gate of his enemies” (John 17:2; Ps. 2:8).

C.    He became the source of universal blessedness (Eph. 1:3).

 

Application:    In the light of these things, I send you home to meditate on three questions:

1.     What trial is too great?

2.     What sacrifice is too costly?

3.     What work is too demanding?



1 Genesis Notes #17 Tuesday Evening -- October 8, 1991

  Preached in Danville on Tuesday Evening – July 31, 2001