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.