Commentary: Genesis 22 Part Three: "Interesting Details"

(Please read "Disclaimer" March 27, 2007 for explanation of this article)

Part three of the drama in Genesis 22! Thank you for your patience! I hope that they have ignited a passion and hunger in you to want to delve deeper into the Word of God! Feel free to use them as study tools!

Two Hints: There are several repeated words and phrases throughout the drama, which indicate significance. First, “your son, your only son,” plays a key role in depicting the type of sacrifice God was requiring from Abraham. Moreover, it is a shadow of the One and Only Son of God, who would be sacrificed on behalf of mankind.

Another repeated phrase, “God will provide.” This depicts the very purpose of the drama, which is to describe another aspect of God’s character; He is a provider. The narrative also repeats the words “burnt offering,” which is the pinnacle of the story; an offering of sacrifice to God in obedience to His command is essential for those in His service. Later, another offering is presented to God, a Lamb (analogous with the lamb that was missing in this story), to satisfy the justice and wrath of a Holy God in heaven; a Lamb that God Himself provided for His people.

Second, there are also noticeable details in the text. The “early morning,” as mentioned previously, serves several purposes. It not only indicates Abraham’s quick response to the Lord, it may also serve as a teaching tool to describe a “proper” form of worship, later depicted by several other characters in scripture: “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” (Mk. 1:35)

Another reference of time in verse 4, “On the third day,” is a very significant detail. It infers Abraham’s waiting upon the Lord as well as a picture of the third day, when the True Sacrifice was presented to the throne of God in Heaven. Verse 9 shows that the wood was laid on the back of Isaac, another shadow of the cross that Christ would bear.

Moreover, this sacrifice is a “burnt offering.” God’s judgment is conducted by fire; furthermore, fire symbolizes purification. The burnt offering, was indicating that Isaac was serving as the remission for Abraham’s sins. He is an innocent substitute for the purpose of presenting Abraham pure before a Holy God, and satisfying the judgment of God on a sinful man, which is also later reenacted by the Son of Heaven on behalf of mankind.

Finally, it is interesting to note that it is a ram caught in the thicket, and caught by his horns. Horns symbolize strength in scripture; and rams, bulls, and other males of herding or cattle animals were prized by their owners, who kept and nourished them specifically for breeding. Thus, this ram is another representative of Jesus, the Prized Son of the Heavens, Who restrained His strength in meekness and submission to the Father’s good will, and donned the crown of thorns (thicket) to take the place of man’s sin upon the altar of the Cross (wood).

To Him be all honor and glory and praise! Amen.

Commentary: Genesis 22 Part Two "Abraham Stretches Out His Hand..."

(Please read "Disclaimer" March 27, 2007 for explanation of this article)

This is the second part of the commentary.

Crisis and Climax: Father and son reach the spot for sacrifice. The tension mounts as the reader begins to observe this father methodically first build the altar, then arrange the wood…then, Abraham binds his son and lays him on top of the altar. Did Isaac struggle? Were both shedding tears? What were their respective thoughts? Did Isaac so trust his father that he laid down deliberately in submission? Were their hearts pumping wildly and was their blood surging through their veins in anticipation, horror, dread? The text does not specify emotions or thoughts, but the readers are “on edge” at the pinnacle of the climax, “Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son…” He was going to go through with it!

And suddenly, out of “no where,” an angel of the Lord cries out, “Abraham, Abraham!” The angel calls his name twice, indicating urgency. And Abraham responds, “‘Here I am.’…‘Do not stretch out your hand against the lad…’”The reader sighs in relief and the tension subsides. There, behind Abraham, a ram was caught in the thicket, and the provision for the sacrifice that Abraham had so confidently declared would be available was indeed available. It is important that the ram would be noticed only after the angel had pointed him out. This further implies that Abraham was not distracted from his mission to prove loyalty to God; his face was steadfast and undaunted on completing the command the Lord had given him to fulfill.

Resolution: In the resolution of the story, the reader learns the purpose for the test. “‘For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.’” Abraham had proven his faith, surrender, and reverence of the God he served. He was willing to lay down that, which was most precious to his heart, his only son, his miracle son, the miracle of God’s promise; he was willing to give back to God what He had given to him. This indicates that Abraham was not satisfied with the hand or the gift; he was devoted to the Face behind the hand, and the Giver of the gift.

Abraham, with the provision in hand, does offer a sacrifice to God and names the place of worship, “Jehovah Jireh: The Lord will provide.” However, the story does not end here; the angel is not finished speaking to Abraham, for He calls out a second time and reiterates the promise of God to multiply Abraham’s abundance of descendents and blessings. Finally, Abraham’s word to his men proves true; both he and Isaac return to their company and all go home.

Following Action: Following this climactic drama, the reader begins to read a very peculiar sequence of names from Abraham’s family tree, namely his brother’s family. One name to note is Rebekah, the granddaughter of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, who would later wed Isaac and give birth to him “two nations,” Edom and Israel. Thus, the account of the family tree serves as a precursor of the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham as being the father of many nations, which is directly related to the angel’s reference to Abraham’s seed in the previous verses.

Commentary: Genesis 22 Part One: "Setting the Stage"

(Please read "Disclaimer" March 27, 2007 for explanation of this article)

This is the first commentary that I will post and I have divided it into several parts. Please be sure to read all of Genesis 22 (I used the NASB) to understand the background of the story. It's the story of Abraham's Sacrifice of Isaac.

Setting the Stage: The story opens with the following statement, “Now, it came about after these things…” In order for the reader to understand the initial setting of the text, he must first observe what “things” had taken place prior to the evolving drama. If one were to look back over Genesis 21, one would observe that God’s promise to Abraham had just been fulfilled; Isaac, the promised son, had been born to Abraham and Sarah in their old age. Another key event in this chapter is that the “mistake” or “works of the flesh,” namely Hagar and Ishmael, have been sent away, and with them the contention and strife that had arisen between the two families. Following this, the reader learns that Abraham is prospering and has made a covenant of peace with the neighboring ruler, Abimelech. In other words, “after these things” tells the reader that “all is well” in the house of Abraham. His life has finally been put in order; God’s promise has been fulfilled, the strife of his mistake has been eliminated, and he is prospering peacefully in the land of God’s promise.

As the story continues, the reader watches Abraham take a journey with his son and two young men of his camp to a designated place on a mountain in the land of Moriah, a site that God had designated as the proper place for the offering. Hence, the readers can ascertain that this is a holy mountain, and the setting will be of a holy ritual, for worship. Moreover, this mountain is ascended away from the characters’ homes; the characters are forced to take a journey to reach this holy place. Though it is located in the Promised Land, this mountain will still be strange to the characters, rather than of a comfortable familiar setting. Other aspects of the setting to note are the times mentioned, early morning departure and the “third day sighting” of the place of worship, which are key elements that will prove revelatory of Abraham’s character as well as to the overall drama of the Biblical narrative in its entirety.

Characters: There are several characters mentioned throughout the chapter. The characters of primary focus are God, Abraham, and Isaac, the angel of the Lord, the ram, and the implied/absent lamb. The incidental characters are the young men, who accompanied Abraham and Isaac. Then, in the “following actions” section, the reader comes across a long list of characters that are not necessarily relevant to the initial drama of the story, but do play a part in connecting this drama to those following it. These names are Milcah, Nahor (Abraham’s brother), Nahor’s sons: Uz, Buz, Kemuel (and Kemuel’s son Aram), Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel; Bethuel’s daughter, Rebekah, Nahor’s concubine Reumah, and her children: Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.


Conflict: The conflict occurs in the first sentence of the narrative, “Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham…” This conflict is a “test,” and the reader discovers the nature of the test in verse 2, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love…and offer him there as a burnt offering…” The conflict Abraham faces is twofold. First, God approaches him with a command that immediately disrupts the peace and order, which he had finally realized in his camp. God commands Abraham to slay his son as an offering to the Lord. Moreover, this son was the result of God’s promise to him, which indicated that he would indeed bear a son from Sarah in their old age, a miracle baby, and that he, Isaac, would be his heir and carry in his loins a great nation. Now, God was, in a sense, revoking this promise that He had made to Abraham concerning all of his descendents. Not only was Abraham being forced to choose between the God he served and the son he loved, he was tested on his faith in the very nature of the God he served: is this God of his, Who had proved Himself faithful in the provision of the miracle wonder of Isaac, about to show Himself false? Regardless of these questions or crises of belief, Abraham does as his God instructs.

Here the reader learns an element of the Abraham’s character, which God is testing, in verse 3, “Abraham rose early in the morning…” Abraham obeyed the command of the Lord quickly, without delay. He did not wait until he thought about the impending consequences of God’s instructions; he listened and obeyed. Moreover, the reader sees in verse 4 the inference of the third day. It can be argued that Abraham may have arrived at the destination of the mountain, but did not pursue to set up an altar for the offering until after the Lord showed him the place He desired for the worship service. These two depictions of time clearly identify Abraham’s devout loyalty and faith to his God.

Now, the tension develops. Abraham sees the place where he is supposed to slay his son; what does he do? He instructs his company to remain while he and his son go to this site where “we will worship and return to you…” He is implying that both of them will return after they have conducted the sacrifice. What is his motive for, in essence, deceiving his company? Abraham is not a stranger to deception; he had spoken lies before concerning Sarah to protect himself. So, it is natural to assume that Abraham is concealing his true intentions, his reasons being that did not wish to alarm the boy or his men. However, is it possible that he is so confident in the nature of his God that he believes that, even if he did slay Isaac, God had the power to raise his dead son to life again and His promise of descendents would be fulfilled. In any case, the tension builds as father and son, with all necessary tools in hand, proceed to the sacrifice site alone.

The tension rises even further when Isaac recognizes the apparent absence of the lamb for the sacrifice. “Father, where is the lamb?...” How does Abraham respond? “God will provide…” Is he deceiving his son, or is this answer another depiction of his firm conviction in the faithfulness of his God?

Disclaimer for Commentaries

One of the wonderful blessings about being sick (doesn't that sound strange?) is that I now have ample opportunity to conduct more "in-depth" studies of scriptures. I am now taking a class that requires some pretty "hefty" Bible dissection and, I hope you don't mind, I'd like to share some of these insights with you. I know that most people do not have the time to really "dig deep" in the Word of God, so, if you will allow me, I will share some of the jewels I have mined from specific passages that I am studying in my class. I'm not sure how many of these posts I'll present; they're kind of pulling away from the initial focus of the blog.

If you'd like, you can print these off when you want to study the high-lighted text and use these insights as a type of commentary...you may find them boring, but I found them fascinating! So, indulge my fantsy and enjoy (or endure) my inductive studies...

The Practice of Good Medicine

I had another revelation this morning regarding my illness as a spiritual analogy. In this illness, I am having to take different medications that are supposed to support different organs. Example, I take a thyroid medication for the thyroid, and cortisol for my adrenal glands. However, I have to “tweak” the amount of these meds that I take as according to my symptoms, or as my “health” progresses. If I take too much thyroid, my adrenal glands will become suppressed and my fatigue worsens. If I take too much cortisol, the thyroid becomes strained and I experience all types of excruciating body pains. There has to be a balance of the meds, and this balance changes as my treatment progresses.

I have not been able to get a hold of my doctor this week and I have been adjusting my medicine without the doctor’s direct supervision, and I have had some improvements. I have been praying for wisdom on how to continue to adjust these meds until I can finally consult my doctor, and the Lord revealed something to me that is relevant to the Body of Christ. We have all the medicine that we need in the Word of God for every spiritual ailment we may encounter. The pastor’s preach it, the Sunday School teachers teach it, and we can read it out of our own Bibles. Though all of this Word Study is extremely beneficial, it does us little good if we do not know how to administer it for our particular dilemma. (Sometimes, we cannot even discern what “spiritual symptoms” we are facing, much less know what medicine is right for that ailment). Spiritual ailments we face: jealousy, bitterness/unforgiveness, anger, anxiety, weariness, self-pity, loneliness, despair, or fear, among a myriad of others. Quoting “God is a jealous God…” will not, in any way, benefit the one suffering from jealousy. Nor will recalling that, “God’s wrath is produced out of His justice and righteousness,” be appropriate to quell a surge of resentment or anger.

Moreover, there are times when we have to discern from where the root cause of our predicament is manifesting. Some conditions are not necessarily from us-they can come from an onslaught thoughts and fears thrown at us by the accuser himself. Other times, however, our emotional instability is birthed from a hidden wound that has long remained in our hearts undetected. We must learn how to discern what emotions or spiritual conditions are satanic attacks from those that are the result of past experiences and failures. Then, we must ask the Lord for wisdom on how to combat these issues using the correct “formula” and “balance” of “medication” as found in the Word of God. The medicine is there, but the right medicine must be administered to the right ailment.

Another thing the Lord showed me is that it takes more than just one dose of the Word to bring about complete healing. Let me explain. When we get some type of bacterial infection, we are prescribed an antibiotic regimen that can last anywhere from 7-10 days. Unfortunately, most people stop taking the medicine once they begin to “feel better.” Though their condition is improving, the infection has not been completely eradicated; and, since they stop the medication, their condition returns and the relapse is far worse than the infection’s initial onset. The true “power” of the antibiotic is found in the consistent administration of the medication on the illness. Because so many people have stopped their medications too soon, these bacterial infections have compensated for their “setbacks” and are now far more potent than they were 20 years ago, requiring much stronger antibiotics to be taken for lengthier periods of time.

The same is true when we attempt to medicate our spiritual condition with the Word. The power in the Word is in the consistent dosage of the appropriate scripture to the appropriate ailment. Even if we feel “better,” and the symptoms of depression, anxiety, anger, etc. begin to subside, we should never stop reading, meditating upon, and/or speaking the Word of God over our lives and situations. The decreasing symptoms mean that the medicine is working, but it does not necessarily indicate that our hearts are completely whole in that particular area.

This is the concept that Christ talks about in Matt.12:43-45:

“When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first.”

Now, I am not suggesting that every one who struggles with fear, anger, jealousy, etc. is “possessed by a demon.” But I do know that, unless we treat ourselves with the Word on a regular basis, we will make ourselves vulnerable to all kinds of enemy attacks, and we will be helpless to confront him or defend ourselves. Satan is only defeated by the Blood of the Lamb and the Word of our testimony. (ref. Rev. 12:11)

Our pastors and teachers are not always going to be there to tell us how to administer the Word of God; I am currently recognizing this truth with my physical condition. But we have to come to a place of maturity where we can treat ourselves medicinally/spiritually without constant “people” supervision. Yes, we need the guidance of spiritual mentors and physical doctors; I will continue to try to get a hold of my doctor to work with him in discovering the correct balance of meds. But people will not always be available; God, however, is! He is the Great Physician, and He knows us inside and out! We can consult Him as our Primary Physician for every point of need; and He will lead us in the way everlasting. (ref. Ps. 139:24)

The Body of Christ: Revisited

(This is the second excerpt of the Lord’s revelation on how my illness is related to the Body of Christ as a whole. For those who have not yet read the first part, please see “The Body of Christ” article, 2/14/07)

One of the mysteries of my illness is that I tend to dehydrate despite to unusual amounts of liquids I imbibe. This dangerous scenario has landed me in the emergency room numerous of times, and has always puzzled the doctors. It makes little sense why a young girl, who no doubt drinks the amount of water, which rivals with that of a camel, should still remain “dry.” As a result of this dehydration, my electrolytes, which include sodium and potassium, become imbalanced, making it imperative that I am immediately “IV-ed” with the appropriate amounts of whichever I am missing. Most of the time, my level of sodium is extremely low, and I tend to crave voraciously an excessive amount of salt on all of my food, no matter how “salty” that dish might be.

As I pondered this phenomenon this morning, the Lord started to reveal to me something quite relevant to His Bride. The Church as a whole is “dry.” Despite the pastors’ and teachers’ valiant efforts to provide her with adamant amounts of the Water of His Word, her thirst remains unquenched. The Word is not absorbing. As a result of her “dehydration,” she is desperately lacking the “sodium” or “saltiness” necessary to thrive.

What does this look like in our Church today? First of all, Christ has called us to be “the salt of the earth.”[1] What does it mean to be “salt”? We see the evidence of “saltiness” in our speech,

“Let your speech at all times be gracious (pleasant and winsome), seasoned [as it were] with salt, [so that you may never be at a loss] to know how you ought to answer anyone [who puts a question to you].”[2]

“Let no foul or polluting language, nor evil word nor unwholesome or worthless talk [ever] come out of your mouth, but only such [speech] as is good and beneficial to the spiritual progress of others, as is fitting to the need and the occasion, that it may be a blessing and give grace (God's favor) to those who hear it.”[3]

And in our behavior,

“Have salt within yourselves, and be at peace and live in harmony with one another.”[4]

There are a couple of revelations that the Lord showed me in these references. First, salt is characterized by grace.[2, 3] We are lacking the power of God’s grace in the church. There is a lot of dead works or religious acts operating in the church, but little are done out of the Lord’s leading. People stick with their traditions of what they believe is “religious” behavior, whether it be praying 10 min. everyday, memorizing four verses a week, or even attending every church service; but none of these “rituals” are done out of their love for the Lord, or by the leading of the Holy Spirit. The power of grace, which is the ability to do the impossible as the Spirit leads, has been lost in the majority of the Church.

Secondly, and I believe this is key, the majority of the Church today is not “in the Word” individually. Despite all of the sermons and teaching tapes, unless we as individuals get in the “Word of God” for ourselves, we will remain salt-less and dry in our walk with the Lord.

How can we expect to give out “salt” if we do not consume it first? “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.”[5] If we do not partake of the Word, which is Jesus, we can never suppose that we will sound like Him or behave like Him. Until we, on the individual level, get into the Word of God for ourselves, and fall in love with Him for ourselves, not through our pastors or teachers or mentors, we will remain “dehydrated,” “dry,” and “flavorless” Christians.

We will not be beneficial to those we encounter [3]; we will not seize every opportunity to reach out to strangers[6]; we will not know how to respond to those who ask us about our faith or hope[7] because, quite frankly, we have none, or we sure don’t show it.

I know that I have become pretty didactic in this article, but I feel the importance of this truth in the most personal way. Suffering severe dehydration has caused havoc for myself, and my family. I know the dangers that dehydration can have upon one’s physical body-it can be fatal if not properly rectified. How much more so for Christ’s Beloved! I’m not trying to condemn or chastise-I write this from the bottom of my heart and plead with all who read this excerpt- we have to get into the Word of God! Without His Word saturating our hearts, we will dry out, whither, and lose the abundant life God so longs to give to us!

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.” (Matt. 5:13)

[1] Matt. 5:13
[2] Col. 4:6 AMP
[3] Eph. 4:29 AMP
[4] Mk. 9:50
[5] Matt. 12:34
[6] Col. 4:5
[7] 1. Pet. 3:15

Stress Me Not

"And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke the rocks in pieces before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice..." (1 Kings 19:11-12)

Has it occurred to you how high powered, super stimulus our U.S. culture has become? Think about it! Everything is "better tasting," "faster connection," "lower price," "fuller sound," the list goes on and on. We have amusement parks packed with super-powered "thrill rides" intended to scare the socks off of your feet. We have new "energy" drinks to give you a boost at the end of the day. Billboards litter the side of the road, enticing your eyes with flashing colors and images, telling you how you can have a more fulfilling, exciting life! I started thinking, "Were we created for that? Do we have within our mental and physical capacity to always live 'on the go'?"

With my illness, I have to be extremely cautious with the amount of "stimuli" I allow into my environment. Reason? My adrenal glands, the organs that give us our "boosts" or our "fight or flight" hormones (called adrenaline) that enable us to handle any type of stress, excitement, or even slight changes to our "normals," have been severely weakened. Result? Even the slightest alteration to my otherwise "stable" environment (I have been confined to my home for the time being by doctor's orders and as a precaution) can have exhausting consequences on my physical state. For example, this afternoon, I watched a fun, exciting, intense "thriller" of an action film that I had been wanting to see. Little did I realize that, throughout the film, I was tensing my body as I became engrossed in the battle of good verses evil, lovers' feuds, fantastic explosions, daring rescues...oh the adventure, the suspense, the thrill! After the film, I noticed an unnerving jolt of energy surging through my muscles...I knew all to well that this jolt would be short-lived. Sure enough, about an hour later, this surge of adrenaline had run its course and left me physically "wasted," shaky and too weak to hold up my head without support. You might say that my body had "burned out" from excitement. It's morosely humorous, in a way.

I started asking the Lord about this, and posed the same questions I mention at the beginning of this article, and He impressed upon me a remarkable revelation-we were not created for stimulation. Our minds, emotions, and bodies are designed with a "reserve" of adrenaline only for specific occasions, ie. "fighting" or "fleeing;" not 24/7. We are supposed to be calm, at peace, sensitive to His Spirit in all ways. (ref. Phil. 4:6-7) When we rest in Him, we learn patience and wisdom-not reacting, but acting in accordance with His lead.

Then He showed me something else. Satan's tactic is to "over-stimulate" us to the point that we a) burn out, becoming so weak and exhausted that we do not have the strength to fight, or b) become so desensitized that we are no longer capable of hearing God's voice in order to discern a proper course of action. If we are weary, we will be ineffective in our warfare against the enemy in our lives. If we are constantly "on edge," ready to pounce on the next "deal," the next "thrill," we will react out of impulse, either in the market or in relationships, which can lead to all sorts of havoc and regret after the transaction, or emotional outburst, has been made.

In the passage above, Elijah had "burned out" of his ministry and was miserably waiting for death in a remote cave, when the Lord approached him. The Lord called forth wind to blow Elijah away; He sent fire to fascinate his eyes, and an earthquake to rattle his senses. But it wasn't until after all of the stimuli had ended, that the Lord spoke to His beloved servant in a "still small voice." What do you think that says about God? What do you think that says about His thoughts towards our culture? I am so appreciative of God's wisdom and foresight, to see the world we would live in today and bless us with the wisdom and revelation of this illustration! God is calling to us, but we must be silent before Him (ref. Hab. 2:20), strain to listen for His whisper (ref. Isa. 51:1). May we learn the precious gift of how to be still and know that He is God. (ref. Ps. 46:10)