Week 76:Seeing Jesus In OT - The Sacrifice of Isaac

When we read the account of Abraham in OT, we knew that he came a long way. At his old age, He did not have any children. God changed his name from Abram to Abraham which mean "father of many nations" and by His grace, Abraham was blessed with Isaac. After that, Abraham was put to the ultimate test. He was told by God in Genesis 22:1-2 to take his son Isaac, his only begotten son (Hebrews 11:17), to the land of Moriah to offer him there as a burnt offering. Isaac was the son Abraham had waited for so long to have., but he did not hesitate and took his son to the mountain as commanded by God to perform the sacrifice.

When they got to the mountain in the land of Moriah, Abraham laid the wood on Isaac so he could carry it to the place of his own sacrifice. While on their way, the following discussion ensued between Abraham and his son, “But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” Then he said, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” 8  And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.”

So the two of them went together” (Genesis 22:7-8). When they came to the place which God designated, Abraham bound his son Isaac and placed him on the wood to offer him to God. Then as he stretched out his hand with the knife in it to slay his son, the Angel of the Lord stopped Abraham.

The journey to Mount Moriah would take three days and during these three days, Abraham would have considered Isaac as "death". When the Angel of the Lord stopped Abraham, after three days of his son being "dead" in his own mind, Abraham “received him back as a type” .

Hebrews 11:17-19

17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18 of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,” 19 concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.

From here, we can see the similarities in this account to what happened to Jesus Christ. Let’s begin with Abraham’s statement to Isaac, “God will provide for Himself the lamb.” If you finish reading the account, God did not provide Abraham a lamb in place of his son, but a ram (Gen 22:13). It seem like at that time God was revealing what He would do  2000 years later where He provide a Lamb for all mankind. Jesus is “the Lamb of God” (John 1:29)! Amen!

Just like when God said to Abraham "Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you." (Gen 22:2)  Isn't strange God told Abraham to take his ONLY son? Abraham had another elder son, Ishmael! Yet, God said "take your ONLY son." With the benefit of hind sight, it seem like God was prophesying about His only Son, the Son whom He love, where He will be offered as a sacrifice! With the benefit of hind sight, we know that Isaac's sacrifice will not do any good to mankind. Because his blood was tinted with sin originated from the very first generation of Adam. The unclean can never make an unclean clean. Only the blood of the clean can make the unclean clean.

Why would God want Abraham to sacrifice his son then after blessing him a son? God foretold in this chapter about His only Son, Jesus who shall be made as sacrifice for all mankind! Therefore, when we see that sacrifice on the body of our Lord, Jesus, the entire meaning of this account changed and become crystal clear. Only Jesus's blood qualifies to save mankind because His blood is not tainted with sin! The clean can make the unclean clean. Amen! Hallelujah!

Instead of Abraham’s only begotten son being offered, it would be God’s only begotten Son (John 3:16). Just as Isaac had to carry his wood to his place of execution, Jesus had to carry wood (the cross) to the place where He would be executed.

It is also interesting that the location of the sacrifice of Isaac would have been on Mount Moriah. This is where Jerusalem would later be. It is at this location where God would have the temple built (2Chronicles 3:1), and it would also be the place where God offered up His Son as His Lamb in place of Isaac (and us).

And finally, just as Abraham’s son was in his own mind “dead” to him for three days, Jesus would later be dead for three days before he would be brought back from the dead. Abraham received Isaac back after three days as a type (or a shadow) of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The parallels between the sacrifice and resurrection of Christ, with this account of the sacrifice of Isaac, are impossible to miss. 

When Isaac asked Abraham where is the lamb for the burnt offering, Abraham, knowing very well in his heart that his son will become the burnt offering, said "God will provide for Himself a lamb for the burnt offering." Little does he know that he was prophesying about the Lamb of God whom God indeed will provide Himself! Amen!

Indeed, it is clear that God wanted us to see Isaac as a type of Christ in the Old Testament. The greatest gift we could ever receive in life is to know our sins have been forgiven. This is possible because Jesus came and became a sacrifice for all of us. He took our sins so that in exchange we can be made righteous in Him. Amen!

Once we are cleared with this Truth,  our posture with God are no longer dwell in sin-consciousness. Instead, we will come boldly to His throne of grace. This posture is not about the confidence in ourselves, but our conference in God who provided Himself a Lamb for sacrifice. 

Because of this sacrifice, today we can confidently say that nothing  will hinder us from the blessing of God for God is forever for us, He is forever with us! Amen! Hallelujah!

Grace and peace be with you.