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Genesis 22 PowerPoint Slides (PDF)

The Binding of Isaac, Genesis 22:1-19

It is a misnomer to label this section “The Sacrifice of Isaac” since he was not sacrificed. We may say Abraham offered him before God, or we may speak of the episode as the binding of Isaac as the Jews do. God had no intention of requiring Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, but he did test his friend Abraham to the max, as we might say.

The notion of Abraham being put to the test is discovered in Genesis 22:12, 16. However, it is the Epistle to the Hebrews that specifically tells us God was “testing” Abraham, “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son” Heb 11:17.

One notices the exact obedience of Abraham: he rose early, prepared for the trip of several days, took the supplies for a sacrifice including the wood and the knife, and proceeds with the difficult task. The recording of Isaac’s question and Abraham’s reply bring home the difficulty of what Abraham was required to do.

It is interesting that Moses places the birth of Isaac in the previous section adjacent to the binding narrative here. This heightens the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham and the full extent of the nature of God’s test.

The nature of the test is the requirement that Abraham follow God’s instructions when to do so seems to jeopardize the very fulfillment of the promise. But Abraham has learned things are not always as they appear to be. The lesson of Hagar and Ishmael is that Abraham fared no better making his own way towards fulfilling the promise as Sarah suggested it be necessary to do. The resulting, and required, expulsion of the handmaid and Abraham’s son undoubtedly left a bitter taste in him. By now, he has learned to trust God implicitly and even do the most difficult thing of offering Isaac up to God.

For this reason, the apostle Paul says Abraham’s faith in the God who calls into being that which does not exist “grew strong” (Rom 4:17, 20-21), and the writer to the Epistle of the Hebrews sees Abraham’s action a testimony to his belief in the resurrecting God (Heb 11:19).

The theme of the account is God will provide for those who come to him in obedience. The provision of a substitute sacrifice pictures in many ways the atonement of the Son of God (cf. John 1:29).

In Jewish tradition, the binding of the temple sacrifice to the horns of the altar and the blowing of the ram’s horn recalls to Jewish worshippers the offering of Isaac.

God assures Abraham yet again (cf. 13:16; 15:5) that his seed will be numerous and convey a blessing to the world.

News from the Relatives, Genesis 22:20-24

A few words are added here as a transition to the finding of a wife for Isaac. Abraham learns his brother Nahor has children. The mention of Bethuel and his daughter Rebekah becomes important in Genesis 24.

© 2008, Scott Branyan

Genesis 21 PowerPoint Slides (PDF)

The Birth of Isaac and the Disinheritance of Ishmael, Genesis 21:1-21

As we have seen in Genesis 18, it is through the continuing revelation of God to Abraham that he comes to understand the promised son will come through his barren wife Sarah. The narrative of the marvelous fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham is presented here. 

There is great joy in the first few verses of the chapter. Sarah makes a word play on Isaac’s name (“he laughs”) at her expense saying, “God has made me laugh. Everyone who hears this will laugh with me” (15:6). Her rhetorical question in verse 7, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children” leaves the reader to answer, “Yahveh would and did!” ¹ . Everything in the family seems harmonious until Isaac is weaned (v. 8). The custom was to prepare a feast in honor of the child making it to the age of weaning at around 2 years or so of age. This was cause for celebration since the child had survived through the perils of infanthood.

However, Sarah sees something which disturbs her. Ishmael is mocking Isaac–not simply laughing at him but making sport (v. 9). The temporary harmony is broken and Sarah demands Abraham “drive out” the slave woman and her son (neither name is used to emphasize Isaac is the only heir).

God consoles him and tells him to listen to his wife Sarah again (verses 12-13). Abraham who listened to his wife Sarah initially (16:2) is understandably reluctant to drive Hagar and his first born son out. Abraham had an emotional attachment to Ishmael as his first born (cf. 17:18; 21:11).

The episode is something of a commentary upon how sin and dependence upon the flesh complicate the life of even the godly. Abraham who is the friend of God is slow to learn nothing is too wonderful for the Lord (18:14). Barrenness, even in old age, is no difficulty for him.

Abraham is immediately obedient (“So Abraham arose early in the morning … and gave her the boy and sent her away,” 21:14). As is the case with Hagar running away (chapter 16), Moses fills in some of the details concerning Hagar, this time along with Ishmael, as she wanders in the Negev. Hagar who met God at Beerlahairoi in chapter 16 is again comforted and sustained by the angel of the Lord. Moses tells us briefly how Ishmael fared (vv. 20-21).

The Well at Beersheba and Abraham’s Covenant with Abimelech, Genesis 21:22-34

The wells become an important motif in the story of the patriarchs. Like the places of worship, they show the patriarchs claim to the land of Canaan. Isaac will reestablish the wells Abraham claimed (cf. Gen 26:18). Abraham is agreeable to the covenant Abimelech suggests, but not without certain riders to the contract. He sees the importance of water rights and so adds ownership of the well to the agreement. The tamarisk tree grows deep tap roots and its placement by the well would have added yet another testimony to Abraham’s claim. Above all, Abraham calls on the name of the Eternal God (El Olam) as the one who will oversee giving the land to his descendants.

© 2008, Scott Branyan

1. See Gen 18:10 ↩

Genesis 20 PowerPoint Slides (PDF)

Notes in the Reading

v. 1 – “And he sojourned in Gerar.” Gerar is associated with the Philistines (cf. Gen 26:1)

v. 2 – “And Abimelech king of Gerar.” Abimelech may be a title, such as Pharaoh, since it occurs in Gen 26 where perhaps more than 60 years had elapsed and the Abimelech there appears to be a different one.

v. 7 – “For he is a prophet.” The first occurrence of the term in the OT. The word usually means a spokesperson or announcer for God, but here the meaning seems to be emphasizing the close relationship of Abraham to God (cf. 18:17-19) and his intercessory ability (“and he will pray for you”).

Abraham and Abimelech

Because of the resemblance of this section with Genesis 12:10-20, early documentary hypothesis critics assumed such an account could only occur once and concluded these were variant accounts of the same occurrence by different writers [See The Unity of the Book of Genesis, by William Henry Green, p. 255 for a rebuttal to this view]. The view, however, is still around. A note in the New Jerusalem Bible reads, “An Elohistic doublet of 12:10-20, softened down by several indications of a more mature morality.”

Hebrew narrative often makes use of repetition to make a theological point. The repeated dream of Pharaoh is interpreted by Joseph to be one and the same and to indicate what God certainly plans to do (Gen 41.25).

This narrative along with 12:10-20 and Gen 26 emphasizes God’s preservation and deliverance of the matriarch of the nation in spite of the husband’s willingness to put her at risk numerous times. God protects Sarah and Rebekah from the subtle deception Abraham and Isaac seem willing to use to spare their own necks when sojourning out of the land. ¹  More tests of faith and trials are introduced to Abraham and Sarah by God (“God caused me to wander from my father’s house”) so that the climax of Gen 22 and the offering of Isaac is seen to be the act of a mature and unwavering faith.

With the promise of Isaac now directed through Sarah, the seed is seen to be in jeopardy but the loss prevented by immediate divine intervention of Yahveh on Abraham’s behalf.

Abimelech is presented in the narrative as an honorable man. In fact, he and Abraham enter into a covenant relationship later (Gen 21:27). It may be that the early Philistine connection seen here was that of early, peaceful immigrants into the land of Canaan.

© 2008, Scott Branyan

1. For a commentary on God’s protection of the patriarchal family see Psalm 105:8-15. ↩

Genesis18-19 PowerPoint Slides (PDF)

Introduction

Embedded in this rather long part of the Abrahamic narrative are a couple of sub-narratives: the announcement of the birth of Isaac, and the origins of the Moabites and Ammonites.

The Announcement of the Birth of Isaac, Genesis 18:1-15

The reader is almost immediately aware of the nature of the “three men,” two of whom are angels (19:1) and the other who is the Lord (18:13, 20). The immediate purpose of the visit had been to announce the birth of Isaac to Abraham and Sarah.

Then the text almost presents the transition to the destruction narrative as a kind of self-dialogue of of Yahveh (18:17-19) and his determination to reveal to him his plan of judgement on Sodom since it involves Abraham’s nephew Lot.

We have several examples of the figure of speech called erotesis ¹ in this narrative.

Sarah asks herself, “Shall I have pleasure since my husband is old?” In other words, shall I conceive being past age? No, is the expected reply.

The Lord asks, “Is anything too difficult (or perhaps “wondrous”) for the Lord?” Again, the reader is expected to answer, of course not.

And then here, the Lord asks, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?” The answer again is, “Since I am in covenant relationship with him, No, I will not.” The purpose of these self answering questions is to involve the hearer or the reader in the narrative. This causes one to essentially “Amen” the point of the narrative. Sarah’s womb was hopelessly closed. But that was not too difficult a situation for Yahveh who is in covenant relationship to Abraham and who will let Abraham know his intimate plans, even when it involves destruction around Abraham’s relatives.

The Intercession of Abraham and the Deliverance of Lot from Sodom’s Destruction, Genesis 18:16–19:29

The nature of the back and forth between Abraham and Yahveh has to do with Abraham as an intercessor for his nephew. Abraham is exceedingly concerned for Lot. He pleads with the Lord on his behalf. Yet, one gets the sense of the discussion, Abraham feels the proper constraints of his position–an inferior petitioning a superior. Yet, he is hopeful Lot and his family along with potential sons-in-law and a few others would be influenced enough by Lot’s righteousness to be 10 in number. The Bible is therefore able to impress us with the depravity of the cities when not even 9 additional souls are found righteous along with Lot.

The sins condemned here in the account are forced rape and homosexuality. The text is very plain that the men of Sodom try to force themselves on Lot’s visitors and even demand to have sex with the men (19:5, 9). Lot himself is only saved by the intervention of his angelic visitors (19:10-11). The perverseness of the sin of the men of Sodom is emphasized in the text by noting the angels struck the men with blindness from the youngest to the oldest (suggesting a wide age of participation in the sin); and even while struck blind, they continue to look for the door to carry out their sin (19:11).

Lot, his wife and daughters ² have to be forced to flee by the visitors. The episode shows us how impossible it is for even godly Lot to live among such a culture without himself and his family being tainted. ³

It is interesting that Zoar, the city to which Lot asks to flee, is the only city so far geographically identifiable of the cities of the plain. When Abraham looks down toward Sodom from the elevation of Mamre, he “saw the smoke rising up from the land like smoke from a furnace” (19:28, NET). The destruction of the cities becomes an illustration of eternal judgment in Jude (1:7).

The Birth of Moab and Ammon, Genesis 19:30-38 

The Bible does not close its eyes to sin among the ranks of its redeemed. Lot had gambled on the beauty of the cities of the plane as holding a reward for him and his family. It was gamble he lost, and how he must have desired the simpler days of tending sheep with his uncle and the difficulties of not enough pasture because of their prosperity.

The account of the birth of Moab and Ammon reveals the planned incest of Lot’s daughters with him in a drunken state. The origins of the Moabites and Ammonites who give Israel trouble when attempting to enter Canaan after the Exodus is here rehearsed.

© 2008, Scott Branyan

1. This is when the speaker or writer asks a question but not to obtain information. The expected reply is apparent to the hearer or reader. ↩
2. The sons-in-law are most likely perspective husbands who are engaged to Lot’s virgin daughters. They think Lot is jesting at them. ↩
3. One is reminded here of Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress where Christian is first seen fleeing the city of destruction. ↩