The Everlasting Covenant - 6.2 Abraham and Isaac

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6.2 Abraham and Isaac
By Hubert F. Sturges, www.everlastingcovenant.com, February 15, 2010

Topics:
Isaac Promised Again (Sixth)
Abraham, Friend of God: tries to save Sodom
Isaac
The Sacrifice
The Sacrifice (Seventh and Final)
The Everlasting Covenant:
A Covenant Mandate


A Special Visit: Isaac is Promised

A short time after the detailed presentation of the covenant in Genesis 17, when the names of Abram and Sarai were changed to Abraham and Sarah, and when circumcision was given as a token of the covenant; And a short time after Abraham had offered Ishmael as the covenant son,

One day as Abraham sat in the door of his tent, he looked up and saw three dusty travelers coming down the road (Genesis 18). Hospitality was his habit and he ran to meet them, insisting that they stop for refreshment. As they ate and talked together, they asked, “Where is Sarah thy wife?”

“Sarah, my wife? How did they know her name?” He indicated no surprise, just saying, “Behold, in the tent.”

The One who spoke continued, “Lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son.”

When Sarah laughed, He added, “Is any thing too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son” (Genesis 18:14). It was clear now who these visitors were. They pointedly referred to “Sarah thy wife” twice. Nothing was said about Hagar.


Abraham Friend of God: tries to save Sodom

The men rose and as they started down the road, One spoke to the others, “Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do?”

“For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; and that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him” (Genesis 18:19).

He continued, “The cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great. . . . I will go down now and see.“

This was a conversation intended for Abraham to overhear. He quickly grasped the intent of their visit and took heart in the information given him. Sodom was going to be destroyed, but maybe, Lot could be saved! He managed to get in front of the Lord, turned and faced Him, “Abraham stood yet before the Lord.” The other two continued on their trip.

What followed was an intense negotiation whereby Abraham tested the judgment and mercy of God. “Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked ?” Pleased with the intercession of Abraham, the Lord eventually assents, “I will not destroy it for ten’s sake” (Genesis 18:22-32). Abraham is satisfied. Surely, Lot has at least ten servants. Why, it wasn’t long before that Abraham himself mustered a small army of 318 from his servant staff!

Abraham had done what he could for Lot. He had, with fear in his heart, interceded directly with God as far as he dared. But Lot, having chosen the environment of Sodom, was impotent in his witness, and ten righteous could not be found. See Genesis 19.

Abraham had become the “friend of God” (James 2:23), not because God was partial, but because Abraham was. Abraham loved God and had made Him first in his life. God was able to speak freely with him, because Abraham had faith to believe great things of God.

What is the significance of the story of Sodom in the overall history of the Covenant of God? First, God will go to great lengths to save souls. Israel had to wait over 400 years because “the iniquity of the Amorites was not yet full” (Genesis 15:16); and he would have saved a whole wicked city if ten righteous persons could have been found there (1)!

God had shown that He is merciful. He is also just, and there is a point beyond which He will not permit evil to flourish without passing judgment. His justice is also an important part of the covenant. He will eventually destroy evil and will restore this earth to its Edenic purity and beauty.


Isaac

Shortly after the destruction of Sodom, Isaac was born. His half brother, Ishmael, had expected to be the heir of Abraham and all that he had. Now Ishmael was thrown into a crisis. At the festival of the weaning of Isaac, Ishmael had had enough and he “mocked” Isaac. This was probably not the first time and it came in addition to the trouble that brewed between Sarah and Hagar. Sarah demanded that they be sent away. Ishmael was also Abraham’s son and it became a “very grievous” issue for Abraham. It required that God Himself tell Abraham that Sarah was right. They needed to be sent away. Ishmael was sent away with God’s promise that he, too, would become a great nation.


The Sacrifice

Abraham failed to trust God completely with his beautiful wife, Sarah, in Egypt (Genesis 12:13) and with Abimelech (Genesis 20:2). When God told him that he would father a great nation, Abraham tried to help out by suggesting Eliezer (Genesis 15:2) and again by taking Hagar as a second wife (Genesis 16:2). All this showed lack of faith. Then God tested Abraham, telling him that Sodom was to be destroyed. Abraham immediately pled for the inhabitants of Sodom. Acting as a mediator with God, he hoped there were at least ten righteous in the city. In this Abraham showed a God-given love for souls bound for judgment. This was a trait copied from his divine Friend. He had begun to be more like God (Genesis 18:18-33).

God desired even greater victory in Abraham’s life. He knew His servant well enough to know that Abraham was ready for the final test (2). See Genesis 22. During the night hours, God spoke to him:

“And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of” (Genesis 22:2).

Abraham was terrified and stricken with grief. Could he be mistaken? No. He knew the voice of God all too well. But how could the promises of the covenant be fulfilled if his only begotten son were sacrificed? Abraham prayed and struggled with God for hours. He thought of waking Sarah, but then held back. She would simply refuse to allow this to happen. Finally, he roused Isaac, called two servants, saddled a donkey and set out early in the morning. When the camp awoke, they were gone (2).

The trip to Mt. Moriah took three days. There was not much conversation. When they came within sight of the mountain, a pillar of cloud rose from its summit. Abraham was reassured that God had spoken. The servants were bidden to stop and wait for them. Abraham and Isaac climbed the mountain.

“And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?
“And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together” (Genesis 22:7-8).

Abraham’s great test of faith came when God asked him to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. This was the severest test possible to give any father, and for Abraham it was even worse. All the promises of the covenant depended on Isaac. But it was a test for Isaac too! Isaac at that time was about 20 years old, and Abraham 120. Here is what one writer has said:

“It was with terror and amazement that Isaac learned his fate; but he offered no resistance. He could have escaped his doom, had he chosen to do so; the grief-stricken old man, exhausted with the struggle of those three terrible days, could not have opposed the will of the vigorous youth. But Isaac had been trained from childhood to ready, trusting obedience, and as the purpose of God was opened before him, he yielded a willing submission.” White EG: Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 152.

After this test, Abraham was again given the covenant (Genesis 22:15-18). And he was confirmed as the father of the chosen people of God. The covenant was repeated to Isaac after his twin sons were born. (Genesis 26:3-5).

Abraham demonstrated a strong enduring faith in trusting God that He would fulfill His promise of a son -- even after so many years (3). And now Abraham showed that God was first, even before Isaac, his beloved son through whom the covenant would be fulfilled. After successfully passing this final test, God gave his approval in presenting once more the covenant:

16 “And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:
17 “That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
18 “And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice” (Genesis 22:16-18).

Abraham now fully understood that the Covenant of God must be taken by faith. He also understood that God was fully committed to fulfill His promises. Abraham’s descendants would be as the sand of the sea and in his seed all nations of the earth would be blessed. Galatians 3:16 shows that this “seed” of Abraham is also prophetic of the “seed of the woman,” the promised Messiah (Genesis 3:15) Who would destroy sin and evil and restore all that was lost in Eden, and make all things new again.


The Everlasting Covenant

The Covenant was first offered to Adam and Eve, then to Noah, and then to Abraham. To Abraham the covenant was more fully revealed, and to Abraham was given the greatest tests as to his commitment to the covenant. Tested on his obedience, Abraham learned sensitivity to the voice of God and willingly did God’s will.

Abraham failed several tests of faith. He finally learned to trust God to fulfill His promise even when it was humanly impossible. The supreme test of his faith was when God directed him to sacrifice Isaac – the son of promise, the son through whom the covenant would be fulfilled.

After Abraham "believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness" (Genesis 15:6), his faith weakened. He asked, “Whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it (the land of Canaan; Genesis 15:8)?” Following a custom of the people, the Lord directed a ratification ceremony, sealed by the blood of a sacrifice (Genesis 15:9-16). But the ultimate test of his faith was yet to follow.

In Genesis seventeen the covenant given to Abraham is called the Everlasting Covenant. This could only mean, everlasting into the future and everlasting into the past? Everlasting can have limitations when dealing with the life of a person (1 Samuel 1:22, 28) or with the punishment of the wicked (Matthew 25:41). But when everlasting describes a promise given by the eternal God, everlasting would need to be eternal.

“And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.
“Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.
“And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God” (Genesis 17:1-8).

Abraham was to “multiply exceedingly” and to be father of many nations (Genesis 17:5,6). Further he was given the land of Canaan “for an everlasting possession.” These two features of the Abrahamic covenant echo the instructions of God to Adam:

“And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth” (Genesis 1:28).

There was also the promise “to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee” (Genesis 17:7) and “I will be their God” (Genesis 17:8). Abram’s name was changed to Abraham and Sarai to Sarah. Circumcision was given as “a token of the covenant betwixt me and you” (Genesis 17:10-27). The formalities were to emphasize God’s undying commitment to fulfill His promise.

His descendants would be numerous and become a great nation (Genesis 12:2; 15:5; 17:20; 18:18).
They would inherit the “promised land,” later called the land of Israel (Genesis 12:1; 15:18-21; 17:8).
All other nations shall be blessed in him (Genesis 12:3; 18:18)... through his "offspring" (Genesis 22:18; 26:4)... through the Messiah, the Christ (Matthew 1:1, Romans, Galatians).
Circumcision was the "sign" of this covenant. (Genesis 17:9-14, 23-27; 21:4; etc.).

Seventh and Final Presentation of the Covenant

Abraham was a man of faith but a man who made serious mistakes in his faith. God had chosen Abraham to be father of the “chosen people.” God must have a man of great faith. There was just one more test:

1 “And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.
2 “And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of” (Genesis 22:1-2).

What greater test can be given to a man than what God gave to Abraham? Would Abraham obey God? Would he put Isaac ahead of his relationship with God? Would he make some excuse to not obey God? Many questions have been proposed about this story. What we do know is that he promptly obeyed and that Isaac willingly complied with the instructions from God (2,3).


A Covenant Mandate

With blessings come responsibilities. Along with the promises of the covenant were important responsibilities.

1. Abram was promised a son, and through his seed Jesus Christ would come (Galatians 3:16). And it is through Christ that “all families of the earth would be blessed” (Galatians 3:16).
2. Abram was promised to become a great nation; Canaan was to be his home, but as father of many nations his influence would spread to the whole earth (Exodus 19:5).
3. Abram was to command his household after him, and to ”walk before me, and be thou perfect.” This was a charge to keep the commandments of God (Genesis 17:1; 18:19; 26:5).
4. God would be his shield, Abram would not need to be warlike (Genesis 15:1).
5. Placed at the crossroads of the world, they were to own the gates of their enemies (foreigners)(Genesis 22:17;24:60). As a kingdom of priests they could witness to all they came in contact with.

God never gives an “unfunded mandate.” In His presence and His abundant blessings, God would enable them to fulfill their responsibilities. These promises and responsibilities are again presented to Israel at Sinai, and with the restoration from captivity.