Some time afterward, God put Abraham to the test and said to him: Abraham! “Here I am!” he replied. 2 Then God said: Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. There offer him up as a burnt offering on one of the heights that I will point out to you. 3 Early the next morning Abraham saddled his donkey, took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac, and after cutting the wood for the burnt offering, set out for the place of which God had told him. 4 On the third day Abraham caught sight of the place from a distance. 5 Abraham said to his servants: “Stay here with the donkey, while the boy and I go on over there. We will worship and then come back to you.” 6 So Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac, while he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two walked on together, 7 Isaac spoke to his father Abraham. “Father!” he said. “Here I am,” he replied. Isaac continued, “Here are the fire and the wood, but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?” 8 “My son,” Abraham answered, “God will provide the sheep for the burnt offering.” Then the two walked on together. 9 When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. Next he bound his son Isaac, and put him on top of the wood on the altar. 10 Then Abraham reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, “Abraham, Abraham!” “Here I am,” he answered. 12 “Do not lay your hand on the boy,” said the angel. “Do not do the least thing to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you did not withhold from me your son, your only one.” 13 Abraham looked up and saw a single ram caught by its horns in the thicket. So Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering in place of his son. 14 Abraham named that place Yahweh-yireh; hence people today say, “On the mountain the Lord will provide.”
God "testing" Abraham (22:1) was not to lead him into sin but to refine his faith and demonstrate his total trust in God (cf. James 1:2–4). God instructs Abraham to offer Isaac, described as his "only son" whom he loves (22:2). This language parallels God's love for His only Son, Jesus (John 3:16), emphasizing the depth of sacrifice being asked. Mount Moriah, later associated with the site of Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem (2 Chr 3:1), symbolizes the location of future divine worship and sacrifice.
Abraham's immediate obedience underscores his unwavering faith, even when God's command appears to contradict the promise that Isaac would carry forward the covenant (Gen 21:12). Abraham’s trust in God’s ability to fulfill His promises is reflected in his reassurance to his servants: “We will worship and then come back to you” (22:5). The New Testament echoes this faith in Hebrews 11:17–19, which interprets Abraham's actions as a belief that God could raise Isaac from the dead.
The dialogue between Isaac and Abraham heightens the narrative's poignancy. Isaac’s question, “Where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” (22:7), and Abraham’s reply, “God himself will provide the lamb” (22:8), foreshadow Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). This interplay points to God’s ultimate provision in salvation history, fulfilled in Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross.
When Abraham lifts the knife, the angel of the Lord intervenes, halting the sacrifice and affirming Abraham's fear of God (22:11–12). God provides a ram caught in the thicket as a substitute for Isaac (22:13), symbolizing the principle of substitutionary atonement, later fulfilled in Christ's death on behalf of humanity (Isa 53:5–7; 1 Pet 2:24). Abraham names the place “The Lord will provide” (22:14), a prophetic declaration of God’s ultimate provision in Christ.
This passage not only exemplifies Abraham's faith but also prefigures the redemptive work of Jesus. Just as Abraham did not withhold his only son, God did not withhold His beloved Son but gave Him for the salvation of the world (Rom 8:32). Isaac, carrying the wood for his own sacrifice (22:6), mirrors Christ carrying His Cross to Calvary (John 19:17). Both willingly submit to the will of their father, emphasizing trust and obedience even unto death.
Abraham would not have been shocked by God's request to sacrifice Isaac because child sacrifice, though abhorrent to God, was a common practice among the surrounding pagan cultures of the ancient Near East. Abraham, living in this cultural context, would have understood such a command as a test of ultimate loyalty to the deity. However, God's intervention to stop the sacrifice and provide a ram (Gen 22:13) demonstrated His distinctiveness from these pagan deities, revealing that He does not desire human sacrifice but instead calls for faith and obedience, ultimately pointing to the provision of Jesus Christ as the perfect sacrifice.
Almighty God, just as You provided the ram in place of Isaac, You have provided Jesus, the Lamb of God, for our salvation. Strengthen our faith to trust in Your plan, even when we do not understand. Help us to offer our lives to You in obedience, knowing that You are our ultimate provider. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
Sources
- McSorley, Joseph. An Outline History of the Church by Centuries (From St. Peter to Pius XII). 2nd ed., B. Herder Book Co., 1944.
- Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
- Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: New Testament Expanded Edition. Four Courts / Scepter, 2008.
- Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Prentice Hall, 1990.
- Charpentier, Etienne. How to Read the Old Testament. Translated by John Bowden, 1981.
- Komonchak, Joseph, et al., editors. The New Dictionary of Theology.
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