An Introduction of the People of the Bible: Abraham and Isaac
The story of Abraham and Isaac is a beautiful story
of faith, prophecy and fulfilment, and covenant. It is one of faith because of
Abraham’s firm belief in God’s promise; of prophecy and fulfilment because God
fulfilled (and still fulfils) exactly what He promised him, and of covenant
because God always works to fulfil His will through a covenant.
The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from
your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I
will show you.
“I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
Roughly 2000BC, God came to Abram in his deep
sleep and established a covenant through him. At the age of 75, Abram
left his homeland, Harran (modern-day Turkey), everything he was used to and
ventured into an arduous journey towards the land of Canaan.
“But my covenant I will establish with Isaac,
whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.” (Genesis 17:21)
Some 24 years after leaving Harran, God came to Abram
again and promised him that His covenant to bless all peoples would pass
through his son-to-be. By that time, Abram had already conceived a son, Ishmael,
through the maidservant (Hagar) of his wife, Sarah. However, Ishmael, widely believed
to be the father of Islam, was not the child of promise. Aged 99, God gave
Abraham his second son, Isaac, who was conceived through Sarah, aged 90 (Genesis
21:1-7). What must have seemed impossible to man is possible for God.
Some time later God
tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”
“Here I
am,” he replied.
Then God said,
“Take your son, your only son, whom you love – Isaac - and go to the region of
Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will
show you.” (Genesis 22:1-2)
How challenging this must have been for Abraham. Although
likely filled with worry and grief, Abraham trusted in God’s promise over his
fears and left without delay “early the next morning” (Gen 22:3).
Taking two young servants with him and wood for the fire, Abraham and Isaac
walked for two days towards the mountain in Moriah. With the mountain in view, Abraham
separated himself and his son, Isaac, from the two servants:
He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey
while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back
to you.” (Genesis 22:5)
Had Abraham spoken ‘honestly’ with the two servants
about his intentions, God’s will may not have been fulfilled. Father and son
continued on. Isaac thought that they would make a customary lamb offering to
God but when they arrived at the top of the mountain, Abraham built an
altar, arranged the wood on it and bound his son, Isaac, upon it. As
Abraham raised his arm to slay his son of promise, the angel of the Lord
stopped him:
“Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “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.” (Genesis 22:12)
The angel of God came to him a second time:
“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.” (Genesis 22:17-18)
Abraham, widely
known as “the father of faith”, believed in God’s promise and reasoned that God
could bring Isaac back to life (Hebrews 11:19). Through Abraham’s obedience,
God, who is often referred to as “The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob”, established
the twelve tribes of Israel through Jacob (later re-named ‘Israel’). Some 400
years after God’s promise to Abraham, the twelve tribes of Israel entered the
land of Canaan under the leadership of Moses and Joshua.
However, because of
the chosen peoples’ continual betrayal over the last 6000 years, God has had to
establish numerous covenants. Although Jesus fulfilled all the promises He had
made with the prophets at the time of the first coming (John 19:30), the
Christian world then betrayed. Today there is a hope for humanity - the new
covenant that Jesus established through the Book of Revelation which will be
fulfilled when he returns (Revelation 21:6). Surely we should know what this new
covenant is, keep it, and work accordingly so that God’s promise and the hope
of humanity of can be fulfilled:-
“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There
will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of
things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4)
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