This teaching is our 20th session in our verse-by-verse study of the Book of Genesis by pastor Barry – given as part of our family service on 23th July 2017.
Genesis 22 is one of those incredible ‘stand-out’ chapters in the Bible. On the surface we have the account of Abraham being asked by God to go and offer up his ‘only’ son as a burnt offering. Under the surface though, we have a model laid down some two thousand years in advance of the greatest event in human history, when another Father willingly offered up His only begotten Son, so that whosoever believes in Him would not perish, but have everlasting life!
This model becomes even more remarkable when we realise that the place that Abraham was told to offer up Isaac (on top of Mount Moriah), was later to be known as Golgotha, the very spot where Jesus was to be crucified. Abraham renamed the place: “Jehovah-jireh” which means, “In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen” (Gen 22:14). Thus it would seem that on this occasion Abraham actually realised he was acting out prophecy, anticipating what was to come.
This is confirmed in Hebrews 11:17-19: “By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son; of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.”
From the account in Genesis 22, we know that an innocent ram was eventually sacrificed in the place of Isaac, and again in this we see a model in anticipation of Jesus who, like that innocent ram, was sacrificed in our place so that like Isaac, we too could go free.
You can listen to the audio on this web page, or save it for listening to later. We have also made available the Powerpoint slides (in PDF format) that outline the key points of this study.
We hope and pray this teaching will bless you and encourage you to undertake your own personal study and adventure in God’s Word!
