†. Gen 22:12a . . And he said: Do not raise your hand against the lad,
or do anything to him.
There are some who feel that the angel stopped Abraham at this point
because he misunderstood the instructions God gave to him back in verse 2;
which were: "Take your son, your favored one, Isaac, whom you love, and
go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering"
But an interpretation of that nature impugns Abraham's intellect as a man
whom God said in Gen 20:7 was a prophet. Abraham no doubt understood
his Master perfectly and knew just what he was expected to do. He had
three days to pray about it and ask for confirmation. Abraham was supposed
to kill Isaac, and that is exactly what he tried to do, and would have done;
had not the angel stopped him in the nick of time. And the angel stopped
him not because it was wrong. No. He stopped Abraham from killing Isaac
because Yhvh had seen enough.
†. Gen 22:12b . . For now I know that you fear God, since you have
not withheld your son, your favored one, from Me.
By omniscience, God has seen the future already even before it takes place.
It's all laid out before him like an open road map. He can see every avenue
and every city all in one glance. However . . . like a traveler; God hasn't
actually been to each place yet. David, in Psalm 139, said God's spirit is
omnipresent, but I have yet to see a scripture that proves God has the
ability to travel in time.
There is a kind of knowing that can be had only first hand; like eating a
jalapeño, petting a horse, or riding a white-knuckle roller coaster. That's the
only way someone can know for themselves what those things are really
like. It's the difference between reading about the Mojave Desert in National
Geographic magazine, and actually hiking in it; breathing the air, tasting the
dust, and feeling the sunshine.
By omniscience, God knows everything; and no doubt already knew ahead of
time every single thing that would take place the day Abraham and Isaac
were on that mountain. None of that took God by surprise. He saw it all
ahead of time-- but only by intellect. God had not actually witnessed it in
real time because the Akedah didn't become a reality in history until it
actually happened.
There's a saying in law that it's not what you know that counts; but what
you can prove. Well; God always knew Abraham was faithful; but it took the
Adedah to prove it.
†. Gen 22:13 . .When Abraham looked up, his eye fell upon a ram,
caught in the thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the
ram and offered it up as a burnt offering in place of his son.
According to a documentary I recently watched on NetFlix; approximately
2,000 Muslim butchers assemble for Mecca every year and slaughter
something like 700,000 to 800,000 sheep to commemorate the ram that
Abraham sacrificed in his son's stead. Islam of course believes the son was
Ishmael instead of Isaac.
The animals aren't consumed by the hajis. Instead; they're processed,
packaged, and shipped to poor people around the world. Well; let's hope
some of the people of Somalia get a number of those sheep this year
because they could sure use them. Ironically, Islamic militants have been
thwarting efforts to get aid to the Somalian people. Where's the spirit of
Mecca in that?
†. Gen 22:14 . . And Abraham named that site Adonai-yireh, whence
the present saying: On the mount of God there is vision.
One of Webster's definitions of "vision" is: unusual discernment or foresight.
For example: it was men of vision who crafted the United States
Constitution, and men of vision who built railroads, and more men of vision
who pushed for construction of New York City's central park.
But I think the "vision" of Gen 22:14b speaks of privy information; in other
words: information that cannot be had any other way except God releases it;
for example:
†. Mtt 11:27 . . No one understands the Son except the Father, and no one
understands the Father except the Son: and those to whom the Son chooses
to reveal him.
That's an interesting statement. It suggests that though someone should
spend years studying the Bible; it's very possible that even after all that;
they still won't understand either God or His son any better.
†. Gen 22:15-18 . .The angel of God called to Abraham a second time
from heaven, and said: By Myself I swear, God declares; because you
have done this and have not withheld your son, your favored one, I
will bestow My blessing upon you and make your descendants as
numerous as the stars of heaven and the sands on the seashore; and
your descendants shall seize the gates of their foes. All the nations
of the earth shall bless themselves by your seed, because you have
obeyed My command.
Abraham obtained God's oath because "you have obeyed My command".
What command was that? The command to offer his son as a burnt offering
(Gen 22:2). See? Abraham didn't make a mistake. He understood God
perfectly; and would have slit Isaac's throat and burned him to ashes had
not God pushed the stop button in the final moments.
Far from being scolded for offering a human sacrifice, Abraham is highly
commended for complying; and the promises God made in previous chapters
are now reaffirmed. He lost nothing; but the rather, gained a spiffy bonus:
the Almighty's oath.
Concerning those promises: the first time around, God merely gave His word
(which is normally good enough, and in and of itself quite immutable).
Another time He passed between the pieces; thus notarizing the promises
(double whammy). But this time, God anchored the promises with an oath
(grand slam). That is extremely notable.
Would Abraham have failed to obtain the promises had he refused to offer
his son? No. He would still have obtained them because the original
promises-- made prior to the oath --are unconditional and guaranteed by the
immutability of God's integrity. What Abraham would have failed to obtain
was the oath. So then, God has gone to every possible length to assure
Abraham's seed of the certainty of those original promises with: 1) His
testimony, 2) His passing between the pieces, and 3) His oath. You won't
find God taking oaths very often in the Bible.
†. Gen 22:19 . . Abraham then returned to his servants, and they
departed together for Beer-sheba; and Abraham stayed in Beer
sheba.
Isaac isn't specifically named in either the return or the departure, except
that the words "departed together" are highly suggestive of the very same
togetherness of verses 6 and 8. And back in verse 5, Abraham told the
servants that he and Isaac would both return. If Isaac had not been with
Abraham on the return trip, the servants would have surely asked where he
was.
The Targums have a pretty interesting postscript at this point.
T. And the angels on high took Izhak and brought him into the school
(medresha) of Shem the Great; and he was there three years. And in the
same day Abraham returned to his young men; and they arose and went
together to the Well of the Seven, and Abraham dwelt at Beira-desheva. And
it was after these things, after Abraham had bound Izhak, that Satana came
and told unto Sarah that Abraham had killed Izhak. And Sarah arose, and
cried out, and was strangled, and died from agony. (Targum Jonathan)
†. Gen 22:20 . . Some time later, Abraham was informed: Milcah too
has borne children to your brother Nahor:
Just exactly how much time had passed after The Akedah until this
announcement is uncertain.
Nahor was one of Abraham's brothers and Milcah was Abraham's niece
through Haran, another brother: who was also Lot's dad. Milcah was Nahor's
real wife. He also had a concubine named Reumah.
†. Gen 22:21-24 . . Uz the first-born, and Buz his brother, and
Kemuel the father of Aram; and Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and
Bethuel”-- Bethuel being the father of Rebecca. These eight Milcah
bore to Nahor, Abraham's brother. And his concubine, whose name
was Reumah, also bore children: Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and
Maacah.
Bethuel and Rebecca are the only two who really stand out in that list.
However, Genesis records everybody because God, apparently for reasons of
His own, thinks they're all important in some way.
Cont.
/
or do anything to him.
There are some who feel that the angel stopped Abraham at this point
because he misunderstood the instructions God gave to him back in verse 2;
which were: "Take your son, your favored one, Isaac, whom you love, and
go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering"
But an interpretation of that nature impugns Abraham's intellect as a man
whom God said in Gen 20:7 was a prophet. Abraham no doubt understood
his Master perfectly and knew just what he was expected to do. He had
three days to pray about it and ask for confirmation. Abraham was supposed
to kill Isaac, and that is exactly what he tried to do, and would have done;
had not the angel stopped him in the nick of time. And the angel stopped
him not because it was wrong. No. He stopped Abraham from killing Isaac
because Yhvh had seen enough.
†. Gen 22:12b . . For now I know that you fear God, since you have
not withheld your son, your favored one, from Me.
By omniscience, God has seen the future already even before it takes place.
It's all laid out before him like an open road map. He can see every avenue
and every city all in one glance. However . . . like a traveler; God hasn't
actually been to each place yet. David, in Psalm 139, said God's spirit is
omnipresent, but I have yet to see a scripture that proves God has the
ability to travel in time.
There is a kind of knowing that can be had only first hand; like eating a
jalapeño, petting a horse, or riding a white-knuckle roller coaster. That's the
only way someone can know for themselves what those things are really
like. It's the difference between reading about the Mojave Desert in National
Geographic magazine, and actually hiking in it; breathing the air, tasting the
dust, and feeling the sunshine.
By omniscience, God knows everything; and no doubt already knew ahead of
time every single thing that would take place the day Abraham and Isaac
were on that mountain. None of that took God by surprise. He saw it all
ahead of time-- but only by intellect. God had not actually witnessed it in
real time because the Akedah didn't become a reality in history until it
actually happened.
There's a saying in law that it's not what you know that counts; but what
you can prove. Well; God always knew Abraham was faithful; but it took the
Adedah to prove it.
†. Gen 22:13 . .When Abraham looked up, his eye fell upon a ram,
caught in the thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the
ram and offered it up as a burnt offering in place of his son.
According to a documentary I recently watched on NetFlix; approximately
2,000 Muslim butchers assemble for Mecca every year and slaughter
something like 700,000 to 800,000 sheep to commemorate the ram that
Abraham sacrificed in his son's stead. Islam of course believes the son was
Ishmael instead of Isaac.
The animals aren't consumed by the hajis. Instead; they're processed,
packaged, and shipped to poor people around the world. Well; let's hope
some of the people of Somalia get a number of those sheep this year
because they could sure use them. Ironically, Islamic militants have been
thwarting efforts to get aid to the Somalian people. Where's the spirit of
Mecca in that?
†. Gen 22:14 . . And Abraham named that site Adonai-yireh, whence
the present saying: On the mount of God there is vision.
One of Webster's definitions of "vision" is: unusual discernment or foresight.
For example: it was men of vision who crafted the United States
Constitution, and men of vision who built railroads, and more men of vision
who pushed for construction of New York City's central park.
But I think the "vision" of Gen 22:14b speaks of privy information; in other
words: information that cannot be had any other way except God releases it;
for example:
†. Mtt 11:27 . . No one understands the Son except the Father, and no one
understands the Father except the Son: and those to whom the Son chooses
to reveal him.
That's an interesting statement. It suggests that though someone should
spend years studying the Bible; it's very possible that even after all that;
they still won't understand either God or His son any better.
†. Gen 22:15-18 . .The angel of God called to Abraham a second time
from heaven, and said: By Myself I swear, God declares; because you
have done this and have not withheld your son, your favored one, I
will bestow My blessing upon you and make your descendants as
numerous as the stars of heaven and the sands on the seashore; and
your descendants shall seize the gates of their foes. All the nations
of the earth shall bless themselves by your seed, because you have
obeyed My command.
Abraham obtained God's oath because "you have obeyed My command".
What command was that? The command to offer his son as a burnt offering
(Gen 22:2). See? Abraham didn't make a mistake. He understood God
perfectly; and would have slit Isaac's throat and burned him to ashes had
not God pushed the stop button in the final moments.
Far from being scolded for offering a human sacrifice, Abraham is highly
commended for complying; and the promises God made in previous chapters
are now reaffirmed. He lost nothing; but the rather, gained a spiffy bonus:
the Almighty's oath.
Concerning those promises: the first time around, God merely gave His word
(which is normally good enough, and in and of itself quite immutable).
Another time He passed between the pieces; thus notarizing the promises
(double whammy). But this time, God anchored the promises with an oath
(grand slam). That is extremely notable.
Would Abraham have failed to obtain the promises had he refused to offer
his son? No. He would still have obtained them because the original
promises-- made prior to the oath --are unconditional and guaranteed by the
immutability of God's integrity. What Abraham would have failed to obtain
was the oath. So then, God has gone to every possible length to assure
Abraham's seed of the certainty of those original promises with: 1) His
testimony, 2) His passing between the pieces, and 3) His oath. You won't
find God taking oaths very often in the Bible.
†. Gen 22:19 . . Abraham then returned to his servants, and they
departed together for Beer-sheba; and Abraham stayed in Beer
sheba.
Isaac isn't specifically named in either the return or the departure, except
that the words "departed together" are highly suggestive of the very same
togetherness of verses 6 and 8. And back in verse 5, Abraham told the
servants that he and Isaac would both return. If Isaac had not been with
Abraham on the return trip, the servants would have surely asked where he
was.
The Targums have a pretty interesting postscript at this point.
T. And the angels on high took Izhak and brought him into the school
(medresha) of Shem the Great; and he was there three years. And in the
same day Abraham returned to his young men; and they arose and went
together to the Well of the Seven, and Abraham dwelt at Beira-desheva. And
it was after these things, after Abraham had bound Izhak, that Satana came
and told unto Sarah that Abraham had killed Izhak. And Sarah arose, and
cried out, and was strangled, and died from agony. (Targum Jonathan)
†. Gen 22:20 . . Some time later, Abraham was informed: Milcah too
has borne children to your brother Nahor:
Just exactly how much time had passed after The Akedah until this
announcement is uncertain.
Nahor was one of Abraham's brothers and Milcah was Abraham's niece
through Haran, another brother: who was also Lot's dad. Milcah was Nahor's
real wife. He also had a concubine named Reumah.
†. Gen 22:21-24 . . Uz the first-born, and Buz his brother, and
Kemuel the father of Aram; and Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and
Bethuel”-- Bethuel being the father of Rebecca. These eight Milcah
bore to Nahor, Abraham's brother. And his concubine, whose name
was Reumah, also bore children: Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and
Maacah.
Bethuel and Rebecca are the only two who really stand out in that list.
However, Genesis records everybody because God, apparently for reasons of
His own, thinks they're all important in some way.
Cont.
/
