Insight: Genesis 22:1-18

Here is that passage of the Bible:
    
    Some time later, God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”
    “Here I am,” he replied.
    Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love - Isaac - and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”
    Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 
    On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 
    He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”
    Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. 
    As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”
    “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.
    “The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
    Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.
    When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
    “Here I am,” he replied.
    “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”
    Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place "The Lord Will Provide". And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”
    The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”

[Credit: Bible Gateway, https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2022&version=NIV]

I love this story for many reasons, but I first want to point out a lot of the symbolism: 
  • it was on the third day of traveling that Abraham looked up and saw the place that he was to build the altar (symbolic of the third day that Jesus rose)
  • Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son (symbolic of God’s willingness to make such a sacrifice for our salvation)
  • Isaac must have been willing to be a sacrifice, given that Abraham was elderly and would not have been able to sacrifice him by force if Isaac had not been willing (symbolic of Christ’s willingness to be the sacrifice for our sins)
  • they took a donkey to get most of the way to the place that they would build the altar (symbolic of the donkey on which Jesus rode on in Matthew 21)
  • Isaac carried the wood for the altar while Abraham carried the fire and the knife (symbolic of how Jesus carried the cross)
  • Abraham trusted that God would provide (symbolic of how God provided the sacrifice for our sins at no expense to us)
This passage is packed with so much symbolism (aka typology). For one, the overall story of Abraham and his descendants is symbolic of God and His people. Some people debate this, but I believe that "the angel" spoken of in this story and throughout the Old Testament is Jesus Himself (in many places, "Angel" is capitalized). 

There is so much to learn from this story (and the entire Bible!) but my favorite aspect of the symbolism is the ram that is used for the sacrifice. This ram, an adult male sheep, is symbolic of the old covenant that God made with his people. Due to our sin and disobedience, this covenant, at this point  in the Bible, was already old and broken. The old male ram represents this old covenant. 

However, in the New Testament, Jesus is called the Lamb of God - a new, young, blameless lamb/sheep. This idea of a brand new baby sheep is symbolic of the brand new covenant that God makes with his people. This new covenant wipes the slate clean and allows us to grow closer to God every day and to have a personal relationship with Him. 

In the Old Testament, a relationship with God was not possible as it is today. In fact, the temple was constructed with a specific chamber in which God dwelled, and it was separated from the people by a thick curtain/veil. Only once a year could the high priest enter this "most holy place". 

However, when Jesus was crucified and the price of sin was paid, the veil in the temple tore from top to bottom (and this was a huge, thick cloth - not a coincidence). This showed that the barrier between us and God was finally broken and that we could have a relationship with Him.

Not to mention, the idea of sheep points back to the image of Jesus as our Good Shepherd ❤️ 

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