Genesis 22:9-19 The more extreme the test, the greater the blessing, if we do not give up

Genesis 22:9-19

Then they came to the place of which God had told him; and Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood, and bound his Son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 12 He said, “Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” 13 Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son. 14 Abraham called the name of that place The Lord Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “In the mount of the Lord it will be provided.”

15 Then the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven, 16 and said, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. 18 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” 19 So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham lived at Beersheba.

Background

God tests the righteous through adversities in order to prove the quality of their faith. It is only through their works and response to the testing can their righteousness be confirmed. In Genesis 15:6, righteousness is first conferred upon Abraham by God’s foreknowledge of his heart. It is only in Genesis 22, that Abraham’s righteousness is confirmed through his act of sacrificing Isaac. Following Abraham’s sacrifice of his only son, God swears an oath confirming His unconditional fulfilment of His promises towards his descendants and the nations of the earth. In today’s devotion, we learn that it is not what we profess to believe but what we do that secure the blessings of God. God will continue to sanctify His people through a series of tests so that they may become a blessing. Thus, we can safely say that the more extreme the test, the greater the blessing, if we do not give up.

Observation

Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.

The binding of Isaac unmistakably points to the teenager’s consent and unreserved trust towards his father. The next act (stretched out his hand…) underscores Abraham’s resolve to slaughter Isaac which suffices in proving Abraham’s love and obedience towards God. The angel’s call (Do not stretch out your hand against the lad) effectively puts an end to the heart wrenching ordeal. The purpose and verdict of the test are both revealed in a single breath: for now I know that you fear God. To fear God is to honour God in worship through a life of obedience. It is important to note that even though God sees the heart of every man, it is only through the concrete act of obedience that a man is approved. The appearance of the ram speaks of the miraculous and timely providence of God that spares the life of his only son. Abraham names the mount Moriyyah (in the mount of the Lord He may be seen) which also contains the same root as the Hebrew provide. 

By Myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son…

“… because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son” and “… because you have obeyed My voice” explicitly points to God’s approval as being rooted in what Abraham has done, not what he intends to do. Even though God has foreknowledge of every person’s heart, He chooses to validate that knowledge through the concrete acts of man. Had Abraham refused to pick up the knife, he would have returned home without God’s guarantee of blessing. God does not swear to His commitment of blessing unless the act of slaying his son is performed. “I will greatly (really) bless you” contains an infinitive absolute that reinforces the verb “bless” – really bless… really multiply. This construction makes this promise stands out from all previous promises; this promise is distinct from other previous promises in that God swears by Himself. And the use of infinite absolute: really bless has put to rest any doubt of the promise ever coming to pass.

Indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens … In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.

The specifics of the promise appeals to two groups of people: your seed (the Jewish people) and all nations of the earth (the non-Jews). Because Abraham does not withhold his son, God promises a perpetual existence and prosperity for his biological descendants (the Jews) as evident by Israel’s return to sovereignty in the year 1948. God has also fulfilled the promise of blessing coming to all nations of the earth through the incarnation of Jesus Christ (Abraham’s seed): In your seed (Jesus Christ) all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.

Truth

It is not what you profess to believe but what you do that secures the blessing of God.

From the text, we see God swearing the oath of promise because of what Abraham does, not what He thinks Abraham will do. For some reason, God cannot justify His blessing based on His foreknowledge of Abraham alone. Without Abraham’s act of slaying Isaac, his well intentioned act of travelling to the mountain, leaving the servants behind and binding Isaac will amount to nothing. Faith is an inner quality of a man that must find expression and confirmation through works. We can say that God, in considering a man’s faith will most definitely present a test so that faith may be proven by works. The apostle James says,

Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God. You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. James 2:21-24

Therefore, works confirm a man’s faith and justify him: faith was perfected. If that being so, why does God consider Abraham as righteous even before he delivers Isaac to be sacrificed (see Genesis 15:6)? In Genesis 15:6, Abraham’s righteousness is conferred upon him by God’s foreknowledge of Abraham’s heart. Because Abraham desires to be righteous, God predestines him for righteousness. However, it is only at the sacrifice of Isaac that Abraham is confirmed as righteous by his works. It is also here that the fulfilment of the promise in his descendants becomes unconditional. We can understand this principle as evident in the Lord’s prayer,

Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:10

God’s will to save humanity (Your will be done), while it is settled in heaven will not be accomplished on earth until it is justified by Jesus’s act of sacrifice at the cross. Without Jesus’s willing sacrifice, humanity’s salvation remains a promise conceived in heaven. In the same token, God’s will to sustain and save Israel will not be realised on earth until Abraham’s faith is proven by Isaac’s sacrifice. Works of faith are the justification to bring to the earth the promised blessings for our future generations.

Therefore, we must see God’s testing as an evidence and prescience of our future glory. Current testings are in fact stepping stones in ascending levels of difficulty so that in reaching the pinnacle, God’s blessing to our descendants may be secured.

Believers must be ready for greater tests while fixing their eyes on the promises.

God’s desire to bless humanity is evident in the apostle John’s prayer, “Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.” 3 John 1:2. The prophet Isaiah envisions a new heaven and earth pointing believers to the kingdom of perpetual joy, health and prosperity (see Isaiah 65:17-24). At the same time, promises fulfilled serve to propel us up the ascending steps of tests towards that great and final test. Therefore, God’s promises serve a dual purpose: to cause us to experience abundant living and to propel us through more demanding tests. Many perceives God’s promises as a means to experience immediate abundance as opposed to strength for greater challenges. They interpret life’s testings as a sign of God’s displeasure. However, a life without testing is one destined for mediocrity. The miraculous birth of Isaac works in strengthening Abraham’s faith to believe that Isaac will indeed resurrect from the ashes of the burned offering.

Prior to God swearing to Himself an oath of promise, God has in multiple times made and ratified His promises to Abraham (see Genesis 12:1-3, Genesis 15, Genesis 17:1-5, Genesis 18:9-15). Why does God reiterate His promises and yet withhold their fulfilment? God reiterates His promises in order to strengthen and propel Abraham through the series of tests that will culminate at the sacrifice of Isaac. When we find our circumstances in contradiction with God’s promises, we must focus at the eventuality of God’s will being done on earth as it is conceived in heaven.

The more extreme the test, the greater the blessing, if we do not give up. 

While Abraham is tested to the extreme as to where his affections lie, Jesus is severely tested in His capacity to love the rebellious sinners and murderers of the world. Here is God’s unchanging principle: The more extreme the test, the greater the blessing to our future generations if we do not give up. Abraham is tested for his loyalty towards God through the loss of his most treasured possession: his only son, Isaac. Jesus is tested for his obedience, having to suffer great injustice by dying for undeserving sinners. Faith in the midst of injustice and voluntary loss of one’s most treasured possession is what the righteous will be tested on.

Many interpret favourable times as God’s reward for their righteousness. And challenging times as punishment from God. They prefer a “happy” and “normal” life, not a full life. Those whose childhood are stolen from them, whose life is peppered with crisis after crisis see life through different lenses. They treasure friendships and constantly seek to become a blessing to others. God blesses the man who exhibits quiet trust and obedience in the midst of injustice and loss. And in becoming sanctified in the process, they become the reason and justification for God’s blessing to the world. Nothing suffices in justifying God’s blessings to future generations than men and women of unwavering trust and loyalty towards God.

Application

Have you been contemplating about a certain charity work towards the needy? Or greater commitment towards doing the will of God? Do not hesitate any longer, instead seek to justify your faith through your good works.

Are you fearful of the testings of life? Some are apprehensive of venturing out and doing something different fearing uncertainties and testings. Testing sanctifies us while bringing greater and more enduring blessings for us and for our children. Therefore, let us be bold and courageous not fearing to take on greater challenges for God’s grace is fully sufficient for us.

Are you currently going through a trial and wondering if God is angry with you. The bible says that God has removed His wrath from all humanity through the sacrifice of His Son (see Romans 5:8-9). All that God is actively doing in our lives is to test us in order that we may be sanctified becoming a blessing to the world.

Dear Lord, I believe that my current testing is a result of your mercy and plan to prosper me. I fix my eyes on your unchanging promises trusting that my trial will expire in your perfect time. I will continue to forgive those who have caused harm to me. I will in obedience release the things that I treasure into your hands. When the test has come to an end, I ask that you bless and restore me in your abundance. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.