Genesis 21 – Isaac Born and Ishmael Sent Away
Part 25 in Pastor David Guzik’s in-depth study of the book of Genesis, expositing through all of chapter 21. This chapter sees the birth of Sarah & Abraham’s son, Isaac, and the tensions and consequences of their machinations which bore Ishmael to Hagar. There is also the swearing of an oath at Beersheba. Pastor David details each verse of the chapter, as well as highlighting some of the ways this chapter speaks to the personage and mission of Jesus Christ.
Words of Faith
And Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.” (Genesis 22:5)
God told Abraham to do something strange: offer his son Isaac, the son of promise, as a sacrifice. Abraham lived as a sojourner, a pilgrim, in the land of Canaan. The priests of many of the Canaanite deities said their gods demanded human sacrifice. The people of Canaan found nothing especially strange about human sacrifice, but Abraham had believed Yahweh was different.
In obedience, Abraham prepared for the journey started out with Isaac and some servants to the appointed place, Mount Moriah. They arrived on the third day, and every day Abraham thought about what God commanded him to do. When they came to the region of Moriah, Abraham told his servants to wait while he and Isaac went further on to worship God.
That’s when Abraham spoke words of triumphant faith: we will come back to you. Abraham believed that both he and Issac would return; that they both would come back, and he said so.
Abraham, the friend of God, fully intended on obeying God’s command to sacrifice Isaac. At the same time, he was confident that they would both return. How could this be?
It wasn’t because Abraham somehow knew this was only a test and God would not really require that he sacrifice Issac. Instead, Abraham’s faith was in understanding that should he kill Isaac, God would raise him from the dead, because God had promised Isaac would carry on the line of blessing and the covenant.
He knew God’s promise: in Isaac your seed shall be called (Genesis 21:12), and Isaac didn’t have any children yet. Abraham understood that God had to let Isaac live at least long enough to have children. If Isaac dies before having children, then Abraham’s covenant lineage is dead, his name is forgotten to history, and God’s promise is proved false.
Hebrews 11:17-19 clearly explains this principle: By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,” concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.
Abraham knew anything was possible, but it was impossible that God would break His promise. He knew God was not a liar. To this point in Biblical history, we have no record of anyone being raised from the dead, so Abraham had no precedent for this faith, apart from God’s promise. Yet Abraham knew God was able. God could do it.
Ultimately, Genesis 22 shows that God did not want human sacrifice and will never call for it. Yet God does want His people to trust Him and to understand that He can never fail in keeping His promises. You can trust His promises today.
