Abraham | Knowable Word

Context Matters: God Tests Abraham

August 29, 2022 By Ryan Higginbottom

Perhaps you’ve heard about the way God tested Abraham, that when a long-awaited son was born, God told Abraham to raise his knife. Maybe you’ve been taught from the Scriptures how much Abraham trusted God in that episode and you’ve been inspired to do the same.

Is Abraham’s faith the central theme of this well-known story? Should we come away from it trying hard to be more like this Old Testament patriarch? Are there any aspects of this story that point ahead to the gospel of Jesus?

Context matters. It’s impossible to understand that testing of Abraham without understanding the preceeding chapters in Genesis. When we learn to read the Bible as a whole instead of as a hastily-gathered photo album of Sunday school tales, we’ll see that some of our favorite stories have a deeper meaning than we’ve always assumed.

Abraham’s Only Son

Some Christians say that, aside from the coming of Jesus, the birth of Isaac is the most anticipated event in Scripture. It’s hard to argue!

From the first time that God called Abram he spoke of all the descendants he would eventually have (Genesis 12:2). This certainly required faith instead of sight, because Sarai was barren at the time.

After 25 years, Sarah finally conceived and Isaac was finally born (Genesis 21:1–3). Isaac was the son of the promise, the child through whom God would keep his covenant vows.

Imagine Abraham’s shock, then, when God commands him to “offer [Isaac] … as a burnt offering” (Genesis 22:2). But Abraham rises early and sets off with Isaac.

A quick observation of this passage (Genesis 22:1–19) reveals that the word “son” shows up 13 different times. And three times Isaac is called Abraham’s “only son” (Genesis 22:2, 12, 16). This may strike readers as odd, because Isaac is not Abraham’s only son! Ishmael was Abraham’s first son by Hagar (Genesis 16:1–4). Doesn’t he count?

Well, actually, no. He doesn’t count any more. Not for this purpose.

After God brought Abraham into covenant, Abraham struggled to believe that Sarah would eventually get pregnant. He begged God that Ishmael might be brought in for the purposes of God’s promises (Genesis 17:18). But God insisted that Abraham’s covenant line would be established through Sarah (Genesis 17:19, 21).

As long as Ishmael was around, Abraham might be tempted to think he had a good fall-back option if something happened to Isaac. So, while Abraham loved Ishmael deeply and God promised to bless him, Ishmael was sent away after Isaac was born (Genesis 21:8–14). Now, in terms of those living with Abraham, Isaac was truly Abraham’s “only son.”

So at the beginning of Genesis 22, Isaac is the one and only son in Abraham’s house. He is the promised son. This heightens and focuses the test for Abraham. How exactly can Abraham have millions of descendents through Isaac if he dies?

God’s Provision

On the way to the mountain, Isaac wonders where the animal sacrifice is, but Abraham is confident that God will provide (Genesis 22:7–8). Abraham is sure of much more than this—he knows that Isaac will come back down the mountain with him. He says as much to the young men that came on the trip (Genesis 22:5), and the author of Hebrews tells us that Abraham knew God was able to raise Isaac from the dead (Hebrews 11:17–19).

As Abraham is about to put his son to death, God stops him and provides a ram in his place (Genesis 22:13). God’s intervention and provision are so central to this episode that Abraham calls the place “The Lord will provide” (Genesis 22:14)

Blessings Through the Obedient One

Many Christians have seen a picture of the gospel in Abraham and Isaac. A father was willing to put his cherished, only son to death. Some make the connection between Isaac and Christ because Jesus was also called “beloved” by his father (at both his baptism and transfiguration). Jesus is also referred to as the “only son” of God in the most quoted verse in all the Bible (John 3:16).

But we need to ask a question. Is this gospel connection a coincidence of language? Or does this passage make that case? We can gain a lot of clarity by reading to the end of the passage!

The angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time and repeated (and enlarged!) the covenant promises because of Abraham’s obedience (Genesis 22:16). And note the specific promises that are highlighted: Abraham will be blessed, his offspring will be multiplied, they will possess the gates of their enemies, and in Abraham’s offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed (Genesis 22:17–18). And, in case we missed it the first time, we are reminded that this came about because of Abraham’s obedience (Genesis 22:18).

In other words, because of one man’s obedience to God, the nations of the earth will be blessed. Now there’s a gospel connection!

I’m not claiming that a passage must have just a single arrow that points ahead to Jesus and his gospel. But when we only look at the angle of a substitute or the death of an only son, we might miss the main thrust of the passage.

God puts this man through a terrible test. By God’s grace, he passes. God provides a substitute. And the man’s obedience means untold riches for the world. This story might be better than we ever thought!

Context matters.

For more examples of why context matters, click here.

When the Same Sin Comes ’round Again

August 1, 2022 By Ryan Higginbottom

You’ll be forgiven if, when reading Genesis 20, you get a strong sense of déjà vu. If the two incidents didn’t happen in different locations, we might think a Hebrew scribe lost his place and picked up earlier in the same scroll.

In Genesis 20:2, when entering a new country, Abraham said that Sarah was his sister instead of his wife. Earlier, in Genesis 12:19, when entering a new country, Abram said that Sarai was his sister instead of his wife. Putting the name change aside, aren’t these two events essentially the same? What could the original author have intended for his readers by including these twin episodes?

Striking Similarities

Let’s polish off our observ a tion skills and note many of the similarities between Genesis 12:10–20 and Genesis 20:1–18. (I’ll refer to Abraham and Sarah in both passages.)

Both situations happened when Abraham was “sojourning” in a land to the “south” (Genesis 12:10; 20:1).
Both situations involved a king (Pharaoh, Abimelech) “taking” Sarah for his wife after being told she was Abraham’s sister (Genesis 12:15; 20:2).
Abraham gained great material blessing from both kings (Genesis 12:16; 20:14).
The king and his household suffered because of Abraham’s lies (Genesis 12:17; 20:18).
Both kings confronted Abraham about his deceit (Genesis 12:18–19; 20:9–10).
Abraham was afraid of dying in both places (Genesis 12:12–13; 20:11).

With proper time and space, we could list even more parallels between these passages, but this will do for now. There are a lot of similarities!

Noticeable Differences

Of course, these episodes are different, and it may be some of these differences that help us understand the author’s main point.

The passage in Genesis 20 is much longer, including more interaction between Abraham and the king. (In Genesis 12, Pharaoh speaks to Abram but no response is recorded.)
Abraham’s rationale about calling Sarah his sister comes at the beginning of the passage in Genesis 12 but near the end of the passage in Genesis 20. In fact, in Genesis 20:13, it sounds like Abraham had been insisting Sarah go along with this deception for quite a while.
God speaks with Abimelech at some length in Genesis 20:3–7, resulting in Abimelech rebuking Abraham. We don’t have evidence that God spoke to Pharaoh.
Sarah’s beauty was mentioned twice in Genesis 12 (Gen 12:11; 12:14) but not at all in Genesis 20. (Sarah was around 25 years older in Genesis 20.)
At the end of the passage, Pharaoh sent Abraham away, but Abimelech invited Abraham to live anywhere in the land he wanted (Genesis 12:20; 20:15).
We are not told the nature of the “great plagues” with which God afflicted Pharaoh and his house (Genesis 12:17). However, we know that God “closed all the wombs of the house of Abimelech” (Genesis 20:18).
Abraham prays for healing for Abimelech and his house (Genesis 20:17). We’re not told if or how the plagues ceased in Egypt.

Again, we could go on. Despite all the similarities between these passages, the differences are striking. The episode in Genesis 20 is more extended and more personal than the one in Genesis 12—Abraham is rebuked at greater length, his explanation is drawn out publicly, and his role as a prophet for Abimelech is turned on its head. Finally, Abraham is forced to pray for an end to barrenness in Abimelech’s house, which is the same exact thing he has likely been praying for his own house for 25 years!

Why is This Passage Here?

Both of these passages demonstrate Abraham’s failure to trust the Lord. God had promised a son for him through Sarah, which would be impossible if he were to die! Abraham put Sarah in great danger on multiple occasions because he thought God might need “help” (in the form of deception!) to keep him safe.

So why do we have Genesis 20 in our Bibles?

Abraham’s missteps were not limited to these two incidents. Though he is hailed as a man of faith (Hebrews 11:8–10; 17–19), he struggled to believe how God would provide an heir for him (Genesis 15:1–4). He went along with Sarai’s plan to give her servant Hagar to him as a wife (Genesis 16:1–6).

When we remind readers that context matters on this blog, we mean that the whole context of a passage is important. We often notice what comes before a passage, but what comes after is also important. Considering context means that we try to understand how a passage fits in with the larger story or argument of a book.

Genesis 20 shows us that Abraham failed in the same way repeatedly. Yet, despite these repeated failures, God still kept his promises. As the first audience for this book was likely the Israelites coming out of Egypt after the Exodus—Israelites who failed in the same way repeatedly and needed to trust God to keep his promises to take them safely into Canaan—this was a relevant lesson!

God was also preparing Abraham for an even greater test in Genesis 22. God dealt with Abraham gently and faithfully, never leaving this man to whom he made covenant promises. Knowing the Abraham of Genesis 12, Genesis 16, and Genesis 20, the unflinching confidence we see on display in Genesis 22:1–19 is surprising. But perhaps this confidence is built through steadfast love in response to failure, through faith the size of a mustard seed, and through seeing God keep his promises.

Who is Buried in Abraham’s Tomb?

July 14, 2014 By Peter Krol

Genesis 23:1-20 tells a strange episode in the life of Abraham: the negotiation and purchase of a grave site – the cave of Machpelah – for his wife, Sarah. Coming between the climactic tale of (almost) sacrificing Isaac on Mount Moriah (Gen 22:1-24) and the procuring of a wife for Isaac (Gen 24:1-67), the narrative of Genesis 23 seems out-of-place and awkward. It can be difficult to see any point to this chapter beyond Abraham’s bereavement of his dear wife.

Consider, however, who ends up buried in this tomb: both Sarah (Gen 23:19) and Abraham himself (Gen 25:9-10). Also, Isaac, Isaac’s beloved wife Rebekah, Jacob, and Jacob’s unloved wife Leah (Gen 49:29-30, 49: 31-32, 50:12-13).

Notice specifically that Rachel, the wife whom Jacob loved most, was not buried there (Gen 35:19-20).

Why is this tomb given such emphasis in the narratives of Genesis? I have some suggestions:

It was the only piece of land Abraham ever owned, even though he was promised all of Canaan (Gen 17:8). Thus, it was a bit of a deposit or foretaste on the promise.
Abraham refused to receive it as a gift from any man (just read how extensive the negotiations were in Gen 23:6-16). He was fully committed to owning it legally, publicly, and personally.
This foretaste of the promise for Abraham and the next few generations came only as each person died. They did not enjoy it in their lives; only in their deaths.
As they died in faith, these men and women received part, but not all, of what was promised to them (Heb 11:13-14).
They would only receive the full promise along with us (Heb 11:39-40).
Those buried in this tomb were those who were to become ancestors of the son of promise. Remember that it was Leah, not Rachel, buried in the cave. Leah was the woman who gave birth to Judah, from whom came David and Jesus.

In short, knowing who would be buried in the tomb at Machpelah is the key to understanding why it gets so much press in Genesis 23. Abraham’s investment in the tomb represents his faith in God’s promise to send a Son who would crush Satan (Gen 3:15) and enable God’s people to live with him forever in close companionship (the point of the “Promised Land” of Canaan – see Gen 17:7-8, overturning the fall in Gen 3:23-24).

The only real estate Abraham ever owned was that tomb. His descendant Jesus didn’t even own his own tomb (Matt 27:59-60), but he fulfilled every promise (2 Cor 1:20) and brought us into eternal fellowship with God (Eph 2:13-16).