When we look at this story of Abraham sacrificing his only son out of obedience to God, we always wonder if we ourselves could do that too. Could you and I be obedient to the command of God to that extent? We overlook the fact that Isaac had to be obedient too, he was 37 years old and surely could have overtaken Abraham if he didn’t agree with this sacrifice. I think the reason we have always tried to make Isaac out to be a young boy is because we can’t imagine that he would be willing to give up his life. But he was willing to give up his life to the obedience of God, which is why he was also honored along with Abraham.
We also seem to have the misnomer that being obedient to God doesn’t cost us anything, no pain, no sorrow, no suffering. We have been sold a lie that tells us that if we are children of God then life will be wonderful, heaven on earth, and no pain or sorrow will come our way. If there is a natural disaster, we decide that it was due to lack of faith, or that those people were not Christians. But Jesus said that we would have tribulation in the world, anguish hardship, pressure. He overcame the world but that does not negate the trouble we have here, it instead gives us a better destiny, eternal life. Jesus says we can take rest in Him because he subdued the world, so that when we are in tribulations we can rest in Jesus. Jesus himself was attacked by the devil his entire ministry, not just at the temptations, but the Jews tried to stone him, throw him off a cliff, and everywhere he went he was treated poorly.
John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.KJV
What a hard journey it must have been up that mountain. Were Abraham and Isaac both feeling sorrowful, and sad? Abraham knowing what God had asked, and Isaac suspecting what would take place, would they have walked in silence? I don’t imagine there was much talk of the future; a wife for Isaac, or Abraham’s inheritance being left for Isaac, but I don’t think it was like a funeral procession. Abraham’s obedience to God is amazing, not wavering, or turning back he walked step by step up the mountain. Then Isaac realizing that what he had said to Ishmael is coming to pass, he still went up the mountain. Maybe they both had the type of relationship with God that they so completely trusted in him that they had no fear of the future. Abraham’s life had been in jeopardy several times before, at birth, when he smashed Terah’s idols, and later after Nimrod’s dream. Then Abraham saw God deliver Sarah twice from Kings as well. I think Abraham and Isaac had a wonderful relationship with Yahweh. I think they truly were confident that whatever would happen, God was taking care of them. Even if by sacrificing Isaac that his life on earth would cease to exist, Abraham still regarded Yahweh as supreme ruler over his and Isaac’s life and death.
Jasher 23:50And when they were going along Isaac said to his father, Behold, I see here the fire and wood, and where then is the lamb that is to be the burnt offering before the Lord?51And Abraham answered his son Isaac, saying, The Lord has made choice of thee my son, to be a perfect burnt offering instead of the lamb.52And Isaac said unto his father, I will do all that the Lord spoke to thee with joy and cheerfulness of heart.
What a great attitude Isaac had. No fear, just reverence towards God.
53And Abraham again said unto Isaac his son, Is there in thy heart any thought or counsel concerning this, which is not proper? tell me my son, I pray thee, O my son conceal it not from me.54And Isaac answered his father Abraham and said unto him, O my father, as the Lord liveth and as thy soul liveth, there is nothing in my heart to cause me to deviate either to the right or to the left from the word that he has spoken to thee.55Neither limb nor muscle has moved or stirred at this, nor is there in my heart any thought or evil counsel concerning this.56But I am of joyful and cheerful heart in this matter, and I say, Blessed is the Lord who has this day chosen me to be a burnt offering before Him.
Again, wow.
57And Abraham greatly rejoiced at the words of Isaac, and they went on and came together to that place that the Lord had spoken of.58And Abraham approached to build the altar in that place, and Abraham was weeping, and Isaac took stones and mortar until they had finished building the altar.59And Abraham took the wood and placed it in order upon the altar which he had built.60And he took his son Isaac and bound him in order to place him upon the wood which was upon the altar, to slay him for a burnt offering before the Lord.61And Isaac said to his father, Bind me securely and then place me upon the altar lest I should turn and move, and break loose from the force of the knife upon my flesh and thereof profane the burnt offering; and Abraham did so.62And Isaac still said to his father, O my father, when thou shalt have slain me and burnt me for an offering, take with thee that which shall remain of my ashes to bring to Sarah my mother, and say to her, This is the sweet smelling savor of Isaac; but do not tell her this if she should sit near a well or upon any high place, lest she should cast her soul after me and die.63And Abraham heard the words of Isaac, and he lifted up his voice and wept when Isaac spake these words; and Abraham's tears gushed down upon Isaac his son, and Isaac wept bitterly, and he said to his father, Hasten thou, O my father, and do with me the will of the Lord our God as He has commanded thee.64And the hearts of Abraham and Isaac rejoiced at this thing which the Lord had commanded them; but the eye wept bitterly whilst the heart rejoiced.65And Abraham bound his son Isaac, and placed him on the altar upon the wood, and Isaac stretched forth his neck upon the altar before his father, and Abraham stretched forth his hand to take the knife to slay his son as a burnt offering before the Lord.
The eye wept bitterly while the heart rejoiced, they were sorrowful while they rejoiced in obeying God.
Jasher 23:66At that time the angels of mercy came before the Lord and spake to him concerning Isaac, saying,670 Lord, thou art a merciful and compassionate King over all that thou hast created in heaven and in earth, and thou supportest them all; give therefore ransom and redemption instead of thy servant Isaac, and pity and have compassion upon Abraham and Isaac his son, who are this day performing thy commands.68Hast thou seen, O Lord, how Isaac the son of Abraham thy servant is bound down to the slaughter like an animal? now therefore let thy pity be roused for them, O Lord.
The angels interceded for Isaac and Abraham. From the book of Enoch and Hebrews we have seen that this is what angels are supposed to do for humans. This is why again I say we are not the center of the story, there are sons of God in the heavenlies that have jobs and are judged on what they do and how well they do it.
Jasher 23:69At that time the Lord appeared unto Abraham, and called to him, from heaven, and said unto him, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him, for now I know that thou fearest God in performing this act, and in not withholding thy son, thine only son, from me.70And Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, a ram was caught in a thicket by his horns; that was the ram which the Lord God had created in the earth in the day that he made earth and heaven.71For the Lord had prepared this ram from that day, to be a burnt offering instead of Isaac.
Yahweh has foreknowledge, he knew ahead of time he would put Abraham and Isaac in this position due to the accusations of the devil. Funny how God knows even the plans satan has to destroy humanity, which is why we should be at peace in Him.
Jasher 23:72And this ram was advancing to Abraham when Satan caught hold of him and entangled his horns in the thicket, that he might not advance to Abraham, in order that Abraham might slay his son.73And Abraham, seeing the ram advancing to him and Satan withholding him, fetched him and brought him before the altar, and he loosened his son Isaac from his binding, and he put the ram in his stead, and Abraham killed the ram upon the altar, and brought it up as an offering in the place of his son Isaac.74And Abraham sprinkled some of the blood of the ram upon the altar, and he exclaimed and said, This is in the place of my son, and may this be considered this day as the blood of my son before the Lord.75And all that Abraham did on this occasion by the altar, he would exclaim and say, This is in the room of my son, and may it this day be considered before the Lord in the place of my son; and Abraham finished the whole of the service by the altar, and the service was accepted before the Lord, and was accounted as if it had been Isaac; and the Lord blessed Abraham and his seed on that day.
Amazing the details Jasher brings us, which is established in Josephus. Jubilees does not add to the text regarding Isaac being a willing sacrifice but does add some other insights.
Jubilees does show us from the angel’s perspective the conversations between God and his messengers. Jubilees also shows the plan of satan to kill Isaac by keeping the ram from Abraham.
Jubilees18:9. And I stood before him, and before the prince of the Mastêmâ, and the Lord said, "Bid him not to lay his hand on the lad, nor to do anything to him, for I have shown that he feareth the Lord." 10. And I called to him from heaven, and said unto him: "Abraham, Abraham"; and he was terrified and said: "Behold, (here) am I." 11. And I said unto him: "Lay not thy hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything to him; for now I have shown that thou fearest the Lord, and hast not withheld thy son, thy first-born son, from me." 12. And the prince of the Mastêmâ was put to shame; and Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, a single ram caught . . . by his horns, and Abraham went and took the ram and offered it for a burnt-offering in the stead of his son. 13. And Abraham called that place "The Lord hath seen," so that it is said "(in the mount) the Lord hath seen": that is Mount Sion.
This is where David, about 1000 years later built an altar to God, at Ornan’s threshing floor after numbering the Israelites. We looked at that record previously where satan instigated David to number the people and God said not to. Therefore the people started to die for David’s sin. Later Solomon built a temple there and today it is the home of the dome of the rock.
Jubilees 18:14. And the Lord called Abraham by his name a second time from heaven, as he caused us to appear to speak to him in the name of the Lord.15. And He said: "By Myself have I sworn, saith the Lord,Because thou hast done this thing,And hast not withheld thy son, thy beloved son, from Me,That in blessing I shall bless theeAnd in multiplying I shall multiply thy seedAs the stars of heaven,And as the sand which is on the seashore.And thy seed will inherit the cities of its enemies,16. And in thy seed will all nations of the earth be blessed; Because thou hast obeyed My voice,And I have shown to all that thou art faithful unto Me in all that I have said unto thee:Go in peace." 17. And Abraham went to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba, and Abraham dwelt by the Well of the Oath. 18. And he celebrated this festival every year, seven days with joy, and he called it the festival of the Lord according to the seven days during which he went and returned in peace. 19. And accordingly hath it been ordained and written on the heavenly tables regarding Israel and its seed that they should observe this festival seven days with the joy of festival.
Josephus gives us more details.
Josephus 13:3. As soon as the altar was prepared, and Abraham had laid on the wood, and all things were entirely ready, he said to his son, "O son, I poured out a vast number of prayers that I might have thee for my son; when thou wast come into the world, there was nothing that could contribute to thy support for which I was not greatly solicitous, nor any thing wherein I thought myself happier than to see thee grown up to man's estate, and that I might leave thee at my death the successor to my dominion; but since it was by God's will that I became thy father, and it is now his will that I relinquish thee, bear this consecration to God with a generous mind; for I resign thee up to God who has thought fit now to require this testimony of honor to himself, on account of the favors he hath conferred on me, in being to me a supporter and defender. Accordingly thou, my son, wilt now die, not in any common way of going out of the world, but sent to God, the Father of all men, beforehand, by thy own father, in the nature of a sacrifice. I suppose he thinks thee worthy to get clear of this world neither by disease, neither by war, nor by any other severe way, by which death usually comes upon men, but so that he will receive thy soul with prayers and holy offices of religion, and will place thee near to himself, and thou wilt there be to me a succorer and supporter in my old age; on which account I principally brought thee up, and thou wilt thereby procure me God for my Comforter instead of thyself."
4. Now Isaac was of such a generous disposition as became the son of such a father, and was pleased with this discourse; and said, "That he was not worthy to be born at first, if he should reject the determination of God and of his father, and should not resign himself up readily to both their pleasures; since it would have been unjust if he had not obeyed, even if his father alone had so resolved." So he went immediately to the altar to be sacrificed. And the deed had been done if God had not opposed it; for he called loudly to Abraham by his name, and forbade him to slay his son; and said, "It was not out of a desire of human blood that he was commanded to slay his son, nor was he willing that he should be taken away from him whom he had made his father, but to try the temper of his mind, whether he would be obedient to such a command. Since therefore he now was satisfied as to that his alacrity, and the surprising readiness he showed in this his piety, he was delighted in having bestowed such blessings upon him; and that he would not be wanting in all sort of concern about him, and in bestowing other children upon him; and that his son should live to a very great age; that he should live a happy life, and bequeath a large principality to his children, who should be good and legitimate." He foretold also, that his family should increase into many nations and that those patriarchs should leave behind them an everlasting name; that they should obtain the possession of the land of Canaan, and be envied by all men. When God had said this, he produced to them a ram, which did not appear before, for the sacrifice. So Abraham and Isaac receiving each other unexpectedly, and having obtained the promises of such great blessings, embraced one another; and when they had sacrificed, they returned to Sarah, and lived happily together, God affording them his assistance in all things they desired.
Abraham’s speech is interesting, supposing God was sparing Isaac from the way people die on earth and making a way for Abraham in heaven. Then Isaac says he would not have been worthy to be born if he didn’t obey the commands of God. Interesting that Josephus points out that it was not out of a desire of human blood that God commanded Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, but it was to see how quickly he would observe what God had asked.
How much do we fear God to do what he asks even when it doesn’t make any sense to us? The messenger of Yahweh was sent to Abraham to stop Abraham form sacrificing Isaac and gave him the ram.
Gen 22:13-19 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.14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.
Abraham called that place, Mount Moriah, Jehovah-Jireh, the Lord will see, or the Lord hath seen.
Jehovahjireh OT:3070 Yehovah Yir'eh (yeh-ho-vaw' yir-eh'); from OT:3068 and OT:7200; Jehovah will see (to it); Jehovah-Jireh, a symbolical name for Mount Moriah: KJV - Jehovahjireh.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
Gen 22:15 And 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.19 So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beer-sheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beer-sheba.
The blessing of God came to Abraham and his seed for his obedience and Isaac’s willingness. God says that Abraham’s seed will possess the gates of the enemy. This is interesting as it seems a contradiction when hardship and war abound that Abraham’s seed will seize the doorways of their adversary. Because of Abraham and Isaac, Jesus then did the same but went further to become a living sacrifice, and to rise from the dead. This is why Jesus said be of good cheer because he has overcome the world. On the one hand possessing the gates of the enemy is physical but on the other hand it is also spiritual. Having put satan to shame by obedience, Abraham’s seed now can possess the gates of the enemy, because God has seen. Next we have to look at who the seed of Abraham are.
