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Sermon #1780 Miscellaneous Sermons Title: Beersheba
— Moriah Beersheba Text: Genesis
21:27-22:19 Subject: AbrahamÕs
Sacrifice of Isaac at Moriah Date: Sunday
Morning — January 4, 2009 Tape # Z-61a Introduction: In Hebrews 5:8 we read that our
Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, ÒThough he were a Son, learned he obedience
by the things which he suffered.Ó And
that which was true of our Redeemer, when he walked upon this earth as a man,
is true of us. If we are the children of God, as long as we live in this body
of flesh, we will be required to learn obedience. And we learn obedience by
the things we suffer at the hand of GodÕs wise and good providence. The life of the believer is a
series of trials, by which his faith is tested, proved, and strengthened. Character
is developed by discipline; and God our Father lovingly develops the
character of his children by loving discipline. Often, it appears, in the
lives of GodÕs saints there is one great trial of faith, for which all other
trials seem to be preparatory. Certainly, that was the case with Abraham and
the great trial of his faith revealed to us in Genesis 22. I want you to turn that chapter
and hold your Bibles open. Actually, my text will be Genesis 21:27-22:19. The
title of my message is Beersheba — Moriah — Beersheba. Our text begins with Abraham and Abimelech making
a covenant at a place Abraham named Beersheba. There he Òcalled on the
name of the Lord, the
everlasting GodÓ (Genesis 21:33). Then Abraham and Isaac go up to the
Land of Moriah. There, upon one of the mountains of Moriah, Abraham
sacrificed his son Isaac to the Lord his God in a substitute lamb. Then,
Abraham, Isaac and the young men, returned to Beersheba and dwelt there
(Genesis 22:19). Genesis 22 is one of the great
chapters of the Bible. Here, for the first
time, God shows us, in a vivid picture, the necessity of a human sacrifice
for the ransom of our souls. Because
it was a man who brought sin into the world, sin must be removed by a man.
Because man had sinned, a man must suffer the wrath of God and die. The blood
of bulls and goats could never take away sin. ÒBut now once in the end of
the world hathÓ the Man, Christ Jesus Òappeared to put away sin
by the sacrifice of himself;Ó and Òafter
he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of
God...For by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctifiedÓ
(Hebrews 9:26; 10:4, 12, 14). Genesis 22 records AbrahamÕs
greatest trial and the greatest revelation of the gospel which God made to
Abraham. I am sure our Lord was referring to this chapter when he said, ÒYour
father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was gladÓ (John 8:56). This chapter is full of Christ and
full of redemption. Genesis 22 could rightly be called, ÒThe Gospel of
Moriah.Ó You may recall that Solomon built the temple on Mount Moriah (1
Chronicles 3:1). Adjoining Mount Moriah is Mount Calvary, where our Savior
laid down his life for us. Proposition: Obviously, everything in our text has typical
and prophetic reference to the redemption of our souls by the sacrifice of
our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. — Everything before us in this
passage of Scripture pictures of GodÕs great sacrifice of his dear Son, the
Lord Jesus Christ, in the place of poor sinners, like you and me. There are so many things
portrayed in this chapter that I cannot possibly cover them all in one
message. It is a picture of... á
Great faith! á
GodÕs great purpose of grace! á
Substitutionary redemption by Christ! á
And GodÕs great provision of grace for his people in
Christ! But I can only
touch the highlights. — Nine Things. ÒAfter these
thingsÓ Notice first, the
time when this trial was brought upon Abraham (v. 1). — ÒAnd it came to pass after these things.Ó — After
all the other trials, hardships, heartaches and difficulties he had already
endured, perhaps Abraham had begun to think, ÒAt last, the storms are over.Ó á
This is the man who had been called to leave his home
and family. á
This is the man who had buried his father, Terah, in Haran. á
This is the man who had to endure the family strife
with Lot. á
This is the man who had to go to war with the heathen
kings to save Lot. á
This is the man who had to wait 25 years for God to
fulfil his promise — Isaac. á
This is the man who had seen his brotherÕs family
swept away in GodÕs wrath. á
This is the man who had been required to cast his eldest
son (Ishmael) out of his house. Abraham must have
thought to himself, after all that he had been through, ÒNow the worst is
over. Now I will live in peace. Ishmael is gone. Hagar is gone. Lot is gone.
But I have Sarah and Isaac. All is well.Ó — ÒAnd it came to pass
after these things that God did tempt,Ó test,
try and prove, ÒAbraham.Ó Abraham
had been tested again and again; but now the Lord seems to say, ÒMy
son, give me thine heartÓ (Proverbs
23:26). Look at that opening line of Genesis 22:1 again.
— ÒAnd it came to pass after these things.Ó There must be
a specific reference here to the covenant made between Abraham and Abimelech
at Beersheba. á
Beersheba means Òwell
of oathÓ (Genesis 21:31 –
margin) or Òoath of peace,Ó or Òoath of seven.Ó — Abraham sacrificed
seven ewe lambs, to be a perpetual witness of the oath and covenant between
him and Abimelech. — Seven is the number used throughout the Scriptures
for grace and for perfection and completion. á
Beersheba was one of the cities possessed by the tribe of Judah (Joshua 15:28). It was allotted to Simeon (Joshua
19:2). á
Throughout the Old Testament, Beersheba seems to have
been the reference point of IsraelÕs history. — It was the southern most point of the
land God gave to Israel. á
At Beersheba Abraham and Abimelech and their children
after them (Genesis 21:22-24) were bound
to one another in peace by a
covenant and an oath. ÒGod did
tempt AbrahamÓ Second, the one
who brought this trial upon Abraham was the Lord his God. — ÒGod did
tempt AbrahamÓ (v. 1). The word tempt
here means, Òto try,Ó Òto test,Ó or Òto proveÓ (James 1:2, 3, 12). God
brought this trial upon Abraham, not because he was angry with him, but because
he loved him. The purpose of the trial was to prove to Abraham the reality of
his faith and to reveal to Abraham the glory of his grace in Christ. á
When the trial was over, Abraham knew himself better
than he did before. á
He knew the Triune God better than he did before. á
He knew Christ better than he did before. á
He knew Isaac better than he did before. á
And Isaac knew his father better than he did before. All through his
life God had been preparing Abraham for this event. And now, Òit came to
pass after these things.Ó Our great,
sovereign God does all things Òin due timeÓ (Romans 5:6). And Òin the fulness of timeÓ
(Galatians 4:4). —ÓAfter
these thingsÓ — After the fall, the
flood, the exodus, the tabernacle, the law, the prophets, the kings and the
priests had all run their course, it pleased God to fulfil every prophecy,
pattern, and promise of Holy Scripture by the sacrifice of his only begotten
Son. á
All that came before were preparatory events,
picturing and pointing to the hour when Christ would die (Acts 10:43; Luke
24:27, 44-46). á
GodÕs providence is always on time. ÒAll things
are of GodÓ (2 Corinthians 5:18). And God
does all things well. Learn these
three things: 1. Our
trials always come from our heavenly Father. 2. Our
trials are brought upon us by God to prove and improve our faith. 3. Our
trials reveal Christ and make him more precious. A Very
Great Trial Third, read verse
2 and try to realize something of the magnitude of this great trial. It was
an indescribably great trial, a very heavy, heavy trial. ÒAnd 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.Ó The words of this
verse, taken one by one, reveal the greatness of AbrahamÕs sacrifice, the
love behind it and the agony he endured through it. Can you imagine... á
AbrahamÕs grief when he received this command? á
The sorrow he suffered as he contemplated the death
of his son by his own hand? á
The love he must have had for God, to willingly
sacrifice his darling Isaac? á
The supreme sacrifice he made? Every word in this verse must
have been like a sword in his heart! Yet, there is a greater Sacrifice than
that of Abraham. Here the Lord God himself is telling us what he has done for
us. 1. ÒTake now thy son.Ó — The Lord Jesus Christ, whom God
sacrificed for us, is himself the Son of God. 2. ÒThine only 3. ÒIsaacÓ — Isaac means ÒlaughterÓ or Òdelight.Ó
And Christ is the one, the only one, in
whom God delights, in whom God is well pleased. 4. ÒWhom thou lovest.Ó — God said, ÒThis is my
beloved Son.Ó Yet, he sacrificed his
darling for us, the very chief of sinners! 5. ÒAnd offer him for a burnt offering.Ó —
Not just a
sacrifice, Òa burnt offering!Ó The
Lord Jesus Christ is our burnt-offering, our sin-offering, sacrificed for us
by the hand of God, according to the will of God (Isaiah 53:10; Hebrews
10:9-10). (Isaiah 53:10)
ÒYet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his
soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD
shall prosper in his hand.Ó (Hebrews
10:9-10) ÒThen said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the
first, that he may establish the second. (10) By the which will we are
sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.Ó ÒThanks be unto God for his
unspeakable giftÓ (1 Corinthians 9:15). Difficulties Overcome Fourth, consider
the difficulties Abraham had to overcome to obey GodÕs command. There were
many things Abraham might have argued as reasons for disobedience. But he Òconsulted
not with flesh and blood.Ó God called Abraham to sacrifice his son, but... á
The Lord gave him
no reason for requiring such a
sacrifice. — All Abraham had was GodÕs command. á
The commandment was contrary
to nature, reason, and love. —
But it was crystal clear. á
The commandment appeared
to be contrary to the promise of God.
— But it came from God who made the promise. á
If Abraham obeyed God, as he knew he must, he was sure to suffer much ridicule, persecution, and reproach for it. — What would
he tell Sarah? — What would he say to the Egyptians? God, give me grace to give you
such implicit obedience. Matthew Henry wrote, ÒGodÕs commands must not be disputed, but
obeyed. We must not consult with flesh and blood about them (Galatians
1:15-16), but with a gracious obstinacy persist in our obedience to them.Ó —
ÒWhatsoever he saith to you, do itÓ (John 2:5). AbrahamÕs Sacrifice Now, in the fifth place, I want
us to the sacrifice Abraham made (vv. 3-10). As we read these verses, turn
your thoughts away from Abraham. This is a picture of GodÕs whole purpose of
grace and his work of redemption by the sacrifice of Christ. (Genesis
22:3-10) ÒAnd Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and
took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for
the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had
told him. (4) Then
on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.
(5) And Abraham
said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will
go yonder and worship, and come again to you. (6) And Abraham took the wood of the
burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and
a knife; and they went both of them together. (7) 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? (8) And Abraham said, My son, God will
provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them
together. (9) And
they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar
there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on
the altar upon the wood. (10) And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife
to slay his son.Ó 1. ÒAbraham rose up early in the morning,Ó and prepared
everything with great care (vv.
3-4). (Genesis
22:3-4) ÒAnd Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and
took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for
the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had
told him. (4) Then
on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.Ó Abraham had three long days to
think about what must be done. As they journeyed those days and slept through
those nights, the burden and sacrifice constantly lay upon his heart. But our
heavenly Father planned, purposed and ordained the sacrifice of his darling Son
for us, not three days, nor three thousand days, but from eternity, before
ever the world was made (Revelation 13;8; Ephesians 1:3-4). And he never
thought about altering his purpose! á
Abraham carefully
prepared everything for the sacrifice.
And our great God carefully prepared everything for the sacrifice of his dear
Son for us (Acts 2:23; 4:27-28). á
ÒAbraham saw
the place afar off!Ó — So
the Lord God, from everlasting set his heart and mind upon the place of
sacrifice — Mt. Calvary! 2. Abraham and Isaac went to the mountain of
sacrifice together alone (vv. 5-8).
God is not a stone! He felt the sacrifice! (Genesis
22:5-8) ÒAnd Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and
I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. (6) And Abraham took the wood of the
burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both
of them together. (7) 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?
(8) And Abraham
said, My son, God will provide himself a
lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.Ó Redemption was the work of God
alone, a transaction between God the Father and God the Son. — ÒGod
was in Christ reconciling the world unto himselfÓ (2 Corinthians 5:19). Twelve went with the Son of God to the
Passover. Eleven went with him to the garden. Three went with him to pray.
But when he went to the cross, our Savior was alone (Hebrews 1:3). á
The wood was laid upon IsaacÕs back. — Christ
carried his cross. á
The instruments of death were in the fatherÕs hands. á
IsaacÕs question (v. 7) — He knew that God
could not be worshipped without a blood sacrifice (Exodus 12:13; Leviticus
17:11; Hebrews 9:22). (Exodus
12:13) ÒAnd the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are:
and when I see
the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to
destroy you, when
I smite the land of Egypt.Ó (Leviticus
17:11) ÒFor the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the
altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.Ó (Hebrews
9:22) ÒAnd almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without
shedding of blood is no remission.Ó á
ÒGod will provide himself a lamb for a burnt
offeringÓ (v. 8). — This is clearly
a prophecy of Christ, the Lamb of God. — He is the Sacrifice for God!
— He is the Sacrifice from God! Whatever sacrifice God requires, it is
only what God has given! — He is the Sacrifice who is God! 3. At last they came to the place of sacrifice (vv. 9-10). (Genesis
22:9-10) ÒAnd they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham
built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and
laid him on the altar upon the wood. (10) And Abraham stretched forth his
hand, and took the knife to slay his son.Ó á
Abraham built the altar and laid the wood upon it. á
Abraham bound his son and laid him on the altar. á
Isaac willingly submitted to his fatherÕs will. á
Abraham stretched forth his hand to kill his Son!
(Zechariah 13:7). (Zechariah
13:1-7) ÒIn that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David
and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness. — (7)
Awake, O sword,
against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of
hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn
mine hand upon the little ones.Ó Substitutionary Redemption Sixth, verses 11-13 reveal a
beautiful, blessed picture of substitutionary redemption. (Genesis
22:11-13) ÒAnd the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said,
Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. (12) And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do
thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou
hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. (13) And Abraham lifted up his eyes,
and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went
and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his
son.Ó Once AbrahamÕs faith was
proved, God intervened to save Isaac. And the type changes. á
When God spoke Abraham looked — Faith. á
When he looked, he saw a ram — Christ. á
Notice that that ram was caught in a thicket by its
own horns, caught by its own powerful horns! — So Christ was caught in
the thicket of our curse, in the thicket of our sin, in the thicket of divine
judgment by his own sovereign will and power. á
He offered the ram Òin the stead of his Son!Ó (2 Corinthians 5:21). (2
Corinthians 5:20-21) ÒNow then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God
did beseech you by
us: we pray you in
ChristÕs stead, be ye reconciled to God. (21) For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that
we might be made the righteousness of God in him.Ó Jehovah-jireh Seventh, we read in verse 14, ÒAbraham called the name of that place, Jehovah-jireh!Ó á
The Lord will see. — He sees our need! — (Righteousness
and Atonement). á
The Lord will provide. — What we need —
Christ! á
The Lord will be seen in the provision he makes! Isaac Exalted Eighth, when the whole work was
done, Isaac, the object of his fatherÕs love, was exalted (vv. 15-18; Philippians 2:9-11). (Genesis
22:15-18) ÒAnd the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the
second time, (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.Ó á
Isaac was promised a great posterity. — ÒI
will multiply thy seedÓ (v. 17). — ÒHe
shall see his seed!Ó á
He was made to be a great ruler. — ÒHe shall
possess the gate of his enemiesÓ (v. 18; John
17:2; Psalm 2:8). á
He became the source of universal blessedness (v. 18;
Ephesians 1:3). (Philippians
2:9-11) ÒWherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name
which is above every name: (10) That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things
in heaven, and things
in earth, and things
under the earth;
(11) And that every tongue should confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.Ó Back to Beersheba Then, ninth, Abraham went back
to Beersheba and dwelt there with his young men. (Genesis
22:19) ÒSo Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went
together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba.Ó I can almost see the God of
Glory sitting yonder on his throne, the place of his oath and his covenant,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit, dwelling there with his young men (Justice and
Grace — Righteousness and Peace — Truth and Mercy), waiting for
his IsaacÕs glory to be complete in the salvation of all his chosen, ransomed
seed! It is a sure thing, you know. In Christ all the nations of the earth
shall be blessed! — ÒHe shall see of the travail of his soul and
shall be satisfied!Ó (Isaiah
45:20-25) ÒAssemble yourselves and come; draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations: they have
no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image, and pray unto a god that
cannot save.
(21) Tell ye, and
bring them near;
yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient
time? who hath
told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God
and a Saviour; there is none beside me. (22) Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the
earth: for I am God,
and there is none
else. (23) I
have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not
return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. (24) Surely, shall one say, in the LORD have I
righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come; and all that are incensed against him shall
be ashamed. (25) In the LORD shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory.Ó Amen. Don Fortner Listen to sermons
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