STUDY THEME: ONE SOLITARY LIFE: THE LIFE OF JESUS  10-8-00
BEING PART OF A COVENANT PEOPLE: GEN. 12:1-3; 22:1-2, 7-18
UNIT 1: BEFORE CHRIST; PROMISE AND PROPHECY
PLEASE OPEN YOUR BIBLE TO GENESIS 12. 

It has been a long time since we have done an in-depth study of the "Life
of Jesus." I am pleased that we have now entered a 48 week study of the
one solitary Person who can make a difference between lostness and
salvation. This should, first of all, help us understand how the events,
people and issues set the context for Jesus life. Second, this study will
assist us to examine chronologically Jesus' life, beginning with His
advent and continuing through His ascension. Third, the study theme will
allow us to consider some additional N.T. teachings regarding the living
Lord Jesus. 

Last Sunday we began this nine lesson introductory unit "Before Christ:
Promise and Prophecy," which seeks to establish an appropriate biblical
background for learning about the life of Jesus by studying events,
people, promises, and prophecies in the O.T. that point to our Lord's
coming and the mission He would accomplish.  These 9 lessons come from
all parts of the O.T. and from one N.T. passage.   

Last Sunday we learned how sin entered the world and how God began to
reveal His planned remedy for our sins through Jesus Christ. The theme of
today's lesson is God promised to bring blessings to all people of the
earth through Abraham. This is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Regardless of
what we may think today, God does keep His promise. Abraham's faith is a
model of how people of true faith should respond to God, His call, His
promises, His blessings, and His tests of faith. Did you know that God
started blessing you through Abraham, several millenniums ago? 

Today we will look in Genesis 12 at Abraham's incredible journey of faith
that began while he was still named Abram. Later we will see how God
would bless all nations through him. 

1. PLEASE READ GENESIS 12: 1-3. 

Several centuries passed between the flood and Abraham's birth. That long
period of time, however, was not the problem. Hopelessness and spiritual
darkness were the problems. People lived, had families, and
died---seemingly without any word from God. In Gen. 11:1-9 they tried
building a city with a tower that would reach to the heavens, but that
was an exercise in self-centeredness. What could people do? Until God
acted or spoke, they had no hope. Gen. 11:27-30 stresses that truth by
introducing Abram and reporting that Sarai, Abram's wife, was barren.
Without a child to carry on his name, Abram had no hope for his future.
His name would die when he died. (Abram and Sarai became Abraham and
Sarah in Gen. 17. For convenience from this point the names Abraham and
Sarah will be used. 

In Gen. 12 God broke into history and called Abraham. God had a plan and
He needed a man to implement that plan. We can learn something of
Abraham's beginning from Joshua 24:2 where Joshua reviews Israel's
history. "Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the Lord God of
Israel, your fathers dwelt on the other side of the River Euphrates, even
Terah, the father of Abraham, Nahor, and Haran. (Haran had died before
they left Ur of the Chaldees), and they served other gods." It is clear
that God's calling of Abraham out to Himself was a call also out of
idolatry. Probably moon-worship. 

 The family of Abraham descended from Shem, the son of Noah and had
settled in Ur of the Chaldees east of the Euphrates River some 200 miles
S.E. of Bagdad and about 60 mi. from the head of the Persian Gulf in what
was then Mesopotamia. Abraham was to become the founder of the Hebrew
nation. 

Sarah was 10 years younger than Abraham and was married to him in Ur of
the Chaldees. According to Gen 20:12 she was Abraham's half sister, the
daughter of his father, but not his mother. After the death of his
brother Abraham assumed responsibility for Haran's son Lot. The family,
including his nephew Lot and his father Terah, left Ur to go to the land
of Canaan. After staying some time in Haran until his father died,
Abraham, now 75 years old departed for Canaan, probably by way of
Damascus. Not more then a year later he arrived in Canaan where the Lord
assured him in a vision that this was the land his seed would inherit. 

When God called Abraham in Ur to leave his homeland and kin, God gave
Abraham a sevenfold promise of blessing, which included a promise to make
him a blessing to all nations. All that God said about the destination to
Abraham was "Unto a land that I will show thee". The writer of Hebrews,
in Heb. 11:8 saw Abraham's obedience to God's call as the first of his
three examples of faith: "By faith Abraham went out, not knowing whither
he went." The other two examples of Abraham's faith are his faith in the
birth of the child of promise, and his faith in being willing to offer up
Isaac. 

God promised to make of Abraham a great nation...and make his name great.
This stands in contrast to the human-centered goals of those who tried to
build the tower of Babel. They wanted to make a great name for
themselves. Indeed, Abraham does have a great name. Today Abraham is
honored by adherents of  three great religions: Judaism, Christianity,
and Islam.  

God also promised to bless Abraham and make him a channel of blessing.
Thou shalt be a blessing is literally "be a blessing." Abraham cannot be
a blessing if he stays in Haran. But if he leaves, than a blessing he
will be. Thus Abraham was to be blessed and had the responsibility of
being a channel of blessings.

In Vs. 3 people would be blessed or cursed depending on their response to
Abraham. Pharaoh, for example, faced judgment because he almost committed
sin with Sarah. Ultimately these words applied to responses to the seed
of Abraham, Jesus Christ. People's response to Jesus determines whether
they receive eternal life or everlasting punishment.

In thee shall all families of the earth be blessed is the climax of God's
promises to Abraham. This promise is quoted in Gal. 3:8 Abraham is called
the father of many nations in Gen. 17:5 and Rom. 4:17. The fulfillment of
this promise is in the inclusive family of God based on faith in Jesus
Christ. 

Gen. 12:2-3 shows that God's plan was nothing less than to cancel the
curse of sin that Adam had brought on humanity. The positive side of the
promise was to create a new, all-inclusive family of faith in the seed of
Abraham, Jesus Christ. 

Thus God began a new phase of His redemptive plan with Abraham.
Previously, He had dealt with all people. Now He chose a man of faith
through whom to work. There always had been a line of faith through
people such as Abel, Seth, Enoch, and Noah. Now God chose one of this
line and promised to work through his descendants to eventually reach all
people.

The physical descendants of Abraham often misunderstood their call to be
God's chosen people. They claimed God's promise to bless them, but many
of them failed to accept their role to be channels of blessing to all
people. The biggest crisis in first-century Christianity  was the debate
about whether Gentiles could be included as God's children through faith
in Jesus Christ alone. Those of us who are Gentile believers can be
grateful to God for His promise to Abraham and for His leadership in
fulfilling that promise in New Testament Chrisianity. We also are to be
obedient in telling the good news to all people. The work and support of
missionaries helps fulfill God's plan to offer salvation to all nations. 
   
    
It is now testing time. Let's see how Abraham responded to the test.
Please turn to Gen. 22.  

2. PLEASE READ GENESIS 22: 1-2, 7-12. 

Teachers usually give tests to find out what students know. God does not.
He does not test individuals and nations to learn something He did not
know or to punish them but to develop their characters. God's goal is to
lead them to walk more closely with Him. God used hunger and thirst to
test the Israelites after He brought them out of Egypt. Later he used
foreign nations. His purpose was that his people might learn to rely on
Him and to obey Him. All these experiences of testing, as in the case of
Abraham, revealed what a person or a people was really like.

Genesis reveals more of how God dealt with Abraham than how Abraham
lived. We know God blessed him, fulfilling many of His promises to
Abraham during his lifetime. In Gen. 15 when Abraham complained about not
having a child, God assured him a child would be born in his house. When
Abraham prayed for others in Ch. 18-19 God honored his prayer.

Since Abraham had no son how could God's promise of many descendants in
Ch. 13 and of becoming a great nation in Ch. 12 come about when he had no
children. He came to assume in Ch. 15 that his servant, Eliezar of
Damascus was to be his heir. In Gen 15:4 God rejected Abraham's solution
and promised an heir. Gen 15: 6 says "He believed in the Lord and He
accounted it to him for righteousness. Yet 25 years would pass between
the promise of a son and the fulfillment of the promise in Ch. 21. 

Abraham and Sarah had been on their pilgrimage with God for about 25
years when Isaac was born. Abraham already had a 14 year-old son,
Ishmael, by Hagar. Yet after Ishmael was born, God said Sarah would bear
the promised child. Abraham and Sarah had difficulty believing they would
have a son, for Abraham was l00 years old and Sarah 90 when Isaac was
born. 

Abraham laughed, as did Sarah; but they laughed more out of skepticism
than out of joy. Still, they were faithful; and in the time God had
promised, Sarah gave birth to Isaac, the son through whom God would
fulfill His promises. God had kept His word, but He was not finished with
Abraham. 

Some time later, in Gen. 22:1 God tested Abraham again. Isaac was old
enough to travel with his father and to carry wood for a burnt offering.
God had brought Abraham to the point where He wanted to give a kind of
final examination. Literally, Vs. 1 begins, "And it was after these
things." That phrase probably conveys that after all God had done for
Abraham and after all Abraham's development as God's servant, God tested
him. 

When God spoke to Abraham, he responded immediately. He was ready to
hear, but what he heard must have chilled his soul. God commanded him to
make a human sacrifice, something He never had done. Worse, the sacrifice
was to be Isaac, God's gift. What God had given, He now wanted back.
God's words even made the demand greater. He said "Take your son, your
only son, Isaac, whom you love." God called Abraham to sacrifice his
future. If Isaac was gone, what about God's promise to make Abraham  a
great nation. Abraham would be back to the days when he wanted God to use
Ishmael for the blessing.

We want to stop and think about God's demand and Abraham's emotional
state. No doubt he was devastated by the command. Yet, nothing in the
text hints at a moment's hesitation on Abraham's part. The account simply
describes what Abraham did. God had told Abraham what to do and where to
go. Abraham's years of walking with God told him when to do it. So early
the next morning Abraham began to obey. Moriah was a long way off. In
many ways the journey would be difficult. The 3 day journey gave much
time for reflecting upon God's command.   

No one had to see what God had commanded Abraham to do. So as he
approached the place God had chosen, he left the servants with the
donkey.  Father and son would walk the last part of the journey
alone--except for the God who never left them. Isaac knew something was
different. His father had brought everything necessary for sacrificial
worship except the sacrifice. We wonder about Isaac's thoughts during
this time. His only question was "where is the lamb."

Abraham was as quick to answer his son as he had been to answer God. Yet 
what did Abraham mean by, "God will provide the lamb?" Here the idea of
substitutionary atonement is introduced, which would find its fulfillment
in the death of Christ. There we see a Heavenly Father needing to make a
sacrifice. He could sacrifice all humanity. That would take care of the
sin problem. Instead, before the foundation of  the world He determined
to sacrifice His own Son. The primary connection between the Genesis
account and God's work in Christ is the father's willingness to sacrifice
his son.  

Did Abraham know that God would provide an animal in Isaac's place? I
don't think he knew. If he knew the whole account was simply a drama, not
a test of his faith. I believe the test was real, painful, and from God.
However, knowing God's promise and His faithfulness, Abraham believed God
would provide another sacrifice, or He would raise Isaac from the dead in
order to keep His promise. At some point Isaac must have realized he was
the intended sacrifice, but he seems to have accepted this without
resisting. 
Everything was in place as Abraham lifted the knife; then in Vs. 11 the
angel of the Lord spoke, stopping Abraham's hand. Abraham had passed the
test: "You have not withheld from me your son." The Lord never intended
for Abraham to kill Isaac; but Abraham did not know that until his faith
had been tested to the limit. God already knew, and now Abraham knew,
that he would obey God even if it required offering his only son. Yet in
an infinitely greater way God "did not spare His own Son at Calvary ." 

The test of Abraham's faith had several characteristics: (1) It was
sudden and unexpected. (2) It came at a time when all seemed fulfilled in
the life of Abraham.  Isaac, the child of promise had been born. (3) It
was in intensely personal test, having to do with offering up his beloved
son. (4) It was a sever test, calling on Abraham to do something that
seemed contrary to God's goodness. 

Many of the tests we face have some or all of these qualities. Tests
usually come without warning for reasons we do not understand at the
time. They often come when everything seems to be going smoothly. All
tests are intensely personal. If you are the one who is on  the ash heap
like Job, no one but you knows how painful it is. The tests of life often
seem to contradict God's goodness. He seems to allow us to pass through
trials that make no sense, that even seem to deny His love and care for
us. Abraham is a good model for how to respond to such tests. His
feelings must have been in turmoil, but he immediately obeyed.  

3. PLEASE READ GENESIS 22: 13-14. 

The Lord did not tell Abraham to use the ram instead of Isaac, but that
is the clear implication. Abraham took the ram and sacrificed it as a
burnt offering instead of his son.               
Then he called the place Jehovah Jihreh, meaning The Lord will provide.

Several important truths can be gleaned form this passage. First, God
often does not tell us what He is doing. He does not owe us an
explanation of His actions, and we often wouldn‘t understand if he gave
it or we might mess things up. Second, God was in control. Isaac's life
was never in danger. In fact, in Deut. 18:10, God forbade human
sacrifice. Third, the use of the ram. a male lamb, anticipated the
animals that so often were used as acceptable sacrifices to the Lord.
Fourth, one of the most basic truths of the gospel is the concept of
substitutionary sacrifice. 

That is what Abraham experienced at Moriah. The ram typified the work of
Christ on the cross. Redemption comes only through "the precious blood of
Christ, a lamb without blemish", who "died for our sins once for all". 
God's way often involves revealing His plan to us at the proper time. No
doubt Abraham was stronger in  his faith after this experience. Abraham
knew that no matter what happened in his life, God was with Him and would
not require him to do anything that was not for his good or that was
beyond what he, by God's grace could handle. 

4. PLEASE READ GENESIS 22: 15-18. 

The N.T. uses Abraham as a model of faith. We can see 3why from this
study. First, Abraham was willing to lave his homeland to follow God's
will. Second, even though Abraham was a man of 75 years old he believed
God would give him a son. Third, Abraham was willing to sacrifice Isaac
in obedience to God's command, because he trusted God. Abraham's faith
was so strong that he said in Vs. 5 to his servants as he and Isaac were
preparing to ascend the mountain: "Stay here with the donkey while I and
the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to
you." 

Even though God had told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, Abraham was
confident God would raise the boy from the dead if necessary, since God
had promised Abraham descendants through Isaac. Abraham's confidence in
God's word and power enabled him to obey God to the fullest, no matter
what the cost. Faith or trust and obedience are two sides of the same
reality. Both are responses to God and His word. Faith is believing  God
and trusting Him to keep His word. Obedience is acting on that faith in
actions that do what God says to do. 
When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word, 
What a glory He sheds on our way! Let us do His good will:
He abides with us still, and with all who will trust and obey. 

The climax to this incredible story is found in the Lord's response to
Abraham's faith. Because Abraham was willing to sacrifice "your son, your
only son" the Lord reaffirmed His commitment to the patriarch with these
words: " I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as
the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. God had promised to
bless Abraham, and He did so. Isaac's birth was not the end of God's
blessings in Abraham's life. In many ways it was the beginning. Abraham's
offspring through Isaac would be innumerable--like the sand of the
seashore and the stars of the sky. 

But that's not all. The Lord repeated the messianic element of His
promise to Abraham: "through your offspring all nations of the earth will
be blessed." This blessing has come to all nations on earth through Jesus
Christ, the only savior of the world. Abraham's understanding of the
fulfillment of God's promise was limited, but what a thrill it must have
been for him to know that God would do what He had promised. In Isaiah
41: 8 he is called "a friend of God." Noah was still alive when Abraham
was 50 years old yet I doubt they ever met on this earth. 

God's promise to Abraham was fulfilled in the birth, death and
resurrection of Christ. Abraham became a blessing to all nations through
a Son far greater than Isaac. We can know that we are part of God's
family if we have trusted in Jesus as Savior and Lord. 

NEXT WEEK WE CONTINUE OUR STUDY OF THE LINEAGE OF JESUS BY STUDYING
JUDAH. JESUS WAS CALLED IN REVELATION "THE LION OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH."
PLEASE STUDY GENESIS 49 AND NUMBERS 24. 
A.V. DAUGHERTY  OCTOBER 8, 2000.