Genesis 21:25

Genesis 21:25

The Bible says in Genesis 21:25-32, “And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of a well of water, which Abimelech's servants had violently taken away. And Abimelech said, I wot not who hath done this thing: neither didst thou tell me, neither yet heard I of it, but to day. And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them unto Abimelech; and both of them made a covenant. And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves. And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What mean these seven ewe lambs which thou hast set by themselves? And he said, For these seven ewe lambs shalt thou take of my hand, that they may be a witness unto me, that I have digged this well. Wherefore he called that place Beer-sheba; because there they sware both of them. Thus they made a covenant at Beer-sheba: then Abimelech rose up, and Phichol the chief captain of his host, and they returned into the land of the Philistines. And Abraham planted a grove in Beer-sheba, and called there on the name of the LORD, the everlasting God. And Abraham sojourned in the Philistines' land many days.” This incident shows that Abimelech and Phichol kept their agreement that they had made with Abraham. This could have easily become an explosive situation and could have resulted in war between Abraham and Abimelech. This incident also shows the honesty of Abraham. When the incident happened, Abraham talked about it honestly and openly. That is the way that he talked with God, and that is the way that he talked to man. You have to be an honest person to be rightly related to God. Once you become honest with God, you are able to be honest with the people around you. One of the reasons that many people do not become rightly related to God through faith in Christ is because they do not want to hear the truth. Therefore, truth is not a part of who they are or what they are about. The Bible says in Second Thessalonians 2:10, “And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.”

The Bible says in Genesis 21:33-34, “And Abraham planted a grove in Beer-sheba, and called there on the name of the LORD, the everlasting God. And Abraham sojourned in the Philistines' land many days.” One of the obvious things that we learn about Abraham is that as the years went by Abraham continued to nurture his own relationship with the Lord. Anyone who wishes to be a faithful servant of the Lord Jesus has to be determined to turn to the Lord and to talk to the Lord about every circumstance: day after day and week after week. The Bible says in First Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”

Of course, if you decide to follow the Lord Jesus and have a relationship with Him, you will suffer trials and tribulations. It goes with the territory. One reason that some people stop following the Lord is because of the trials that they must endure. Jesus said in Luke 9:23, “And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” Genesis chapter twenty-two relates one of the trials that Abraham had to face. It says in Genesis 22:1-2, “And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.” In Genesis 22:1 the word that is translated “tempt” actually means in Hebrew “to try” or “to prove” or “to test.” It was time for Abraham to be tested. Every believer will be tested. It says in First Peter 1:7, “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:” The Bible also says in First Peter 4:12, “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.”

No doubt Abraham was given one of the greatest trials that can be given to any parent. The trial related to possibly enduring the death of his son. There may be no greater sorrow on this earth than to lose a child, no matter how you lose him or her. This fact makes it even more amazing that God would give His Son to die on the cross of Calvary. The death of Jesus on the cross showed how much God suffered when He gave His Son, and it also shows how much God loves us all. The Bible says in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

God made it very clear that He was going to ask Abraham to give up his son, Isaac, in a sacrifice. God said to Abraham, “Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering.” Of course, we know that this incident had a direct symbolism to the Lord Jesus Christ who would be given by the Father in sacrifice for the sins of the world.

It must have pleased God greatly that Abraham was willing to sacrifice his only son. Not many people would have such a willingness. There have been Christians who would not let their children become foreign missionaries or serve their county in the military. They fear that their children could die or suffer, and they try to keep that from happening. There have also been many people who turned against God when He took one of their loved ones from them. They could not say, “The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” By the time that God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, Abraham had grown in faith. Abraham now knew that God was going to keep His promises. God had promised that Abraham would be a father of many nations, and God had promised that Abraham would have a son through whom this promise would be fulfilled.

Because God keeps His promises, Abraham knew that God would somehow deliver Isaac from this impending death, and therefore Abraham proceeded to take Isaac to the place of sacrifice. We know what Abraham was thinking concerning the possibility that Isaac would die, because Abraham said in Genesis 22:8 “My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering.” In other words Abraham had confidence that God would intervene and supply another sacrifice so that Isaac would not have to die. Abraham was correct. That is exactly what happened.

The Bible says in Genesis 22:3-8, “And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you, And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.”

The way that God stopped Abraham from sacrificing his son, Isaac, is given in Genesis 22:9-14. It says, “And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.” God saved Isaac just in the nick of time. Sometimes God waits longer than we would like before intervening on our behalf, but we must always remember that God knows best. To live by faith, we must be willing to wait upon the Lord’s will and the Lord’s timing. The Bible says in Isaiah 30:18, “And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.”

The Bible says in Genesis 22:15-24, “And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beer-sheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beer-sheba. And it came to pass after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying, Behold, Milcah, she hath also born children unto thy brother Nahor; Huz his firstborn, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram, And Chesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph, and Bethuel. And Bethuel begat Rebekah: these eight Milcah did bear to Nahor, Abraham's brother. And his concubine, whose name was Reumah, she bare also Tebah, and Gaham, and Thahash, and Maachah.”

Abraham had a very unique relationship with the Lord. Not many people have actually heard God’s voice from heaven. Something like that happens very rarely: maybe once every thousand years or two, but it happened twice in Abraham’s life. It says in Genesis 22:15, “And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time.” Of course, we know that the Lord usually does not speak to people in this way. The most common way that He speaks to us is through His Word by His Spirit. That is why He gave a written Word: so that we can know His words and know His will. It says in Second Timothy 3:16, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”

One thing that we learn from Abraham’s life is how much God appreciates obedience. God said to Abraham in Genesis 22:16, “because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, that in blessing I will bless thee.” Faith in Jesus is always the most important thing of all, but after you have faith in Christ, obedience to God is extremely important. As a matter of fact true faith involves the desire and the intention of obeying Christ. Once you become saved by faith in Christ, God wants you to obey His commands. Jesus said in John 14V15, “If you love me, keep my commandments.”

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