GENESIS 22:1-14= THE AGONIZING LOVE OF A FATHER

INTRODUCTION

From the news on the internet dated July 11^th, 2008:

When Martinez steps off the airplane, he will be in the country that took his only son, a 20-year-old skateboarder and budding graphic artist whose loss is felt every single day of his father’s life.

This deployment — in fact, his entire enlistment — is completely his doing. Nobody forced this on Martinez, except maybe the sniper who put one well-placed bullet in Spc. Francisco G. Martinez on March 20, 2005, in Ramadi.

Joining the Air Force Reserve, after a 17-year break in his military service, was Martinez’s way of making sense of and coping with his son’s death, a way to remember him by being around young men his age serving their nation.

…

Packed tightly in one of his trunks is his son’s camping chair, used by "Paquito" during his tour in Iraq. Big Francisco has always been known as Paco; by extension, his son was Paquito, a 2002 Eastern Hills High School graduate.

"My son sat in this chair," Martinez said. "I’ve taken it on every exercise we’ve had, and now it’s going to Iraq with me."

Martinez is old enough — 44 years — to be the father of many of the men he will share a trailer with in northern Iraq.

A computer programmer and systems analyst accustomed to a six-figure salary, Martinez now wears the stripes of a staff sergeant, the equivalent of a buck sergeant in the Army, pulling down half (about $4,400 a month) of what he used to earn.

(http://www.star-telegram.com/news/story/753969.html)

From this news story, we catch the glimpse of the love of a father for his son, who died as a soldier in Iraq.  He gives up his job, his income, leaves his wife and family and everything else behind, to be in the military all because of the loss of his son, who was tragically killed in Iraq. The love for his only son is real and it must have agonized him.  I hope this provides a modern insight to the agonizing love of a father, and Scripture also gives us an account of the agonizing love of a father in the story of Abraham’s sacrifice of Issac.

LESSON ONE: HAVING FAITH IN GOD IS THE ULTIMATE DEMAND OF GOD

ISSAC IS VALUABLE

For Abraham, Issac was everything: Verse one mentioned sometimes later, and its in reference to sometimes later after Genesis 21.  In Genesis 21 we see God delivering His promise of a son to be born to Abraham and Sara who was old in Age. According to Genesis 21:5, Abraham was 100 years old when Issac was born! Issac was the object of Sarah’s laughter (21:6-7) and celebration (21:8).

Genesis 22:2 shows God saying to Abraham about Issac as “your son, your only son, whom you love, Issac”.

YET, GOD COMMANDS ABRAHAM TO GIVE HIM UP

Abraham was to go to Moriah at a mountain (v.2)

He was to offer up Issac (v.2)

ABRAHAM FOLLOWED

Abraham arose early instead of procasting (v.3)

Took Issac and two servants (v.3)

Despite having two men, he split the woods himself (v.3)

Since, Issac was old enough to talk, and Issac was born when Abraham was over a 100 year old, this must have been quite a labor for Abraham since he was old

It must have been hard for him to work and prepare for his son’s death, with each hack of the ax

He faithfully travel on a three day’s journey to Moriah (v.4)

What must have gone through his mind as he raises his eyes to see the place? (v.4)

ABRAHAM DISPLAYS HIS FAITH

He goes alone with him and his son (v.5)

Unusually he said “We will worship and return”, in the first person plural in the Hebrew (v.5)

Abraham placed the wood and laid it on His Son (v.6)

He took in his hand the fire and the knife (v.6)

This very knife was going to kill his son! Remember the contrast of the opening introduction of the father going to Iraq!

Issac’s word “My father!” (v.7) Abraham’s response of “My son” (v.7)

            We get a glimpse of their love even at this moment

Issac’s agonizing question: Where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” (v.7)

ABRAHAM DISPLAYS HIS FAITH

“God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering” (v.8)

            But they had no burnt offering that they brought themselves

Abraham was either lying or he had true faith in God

The New Testament reveal that Abraham’s unusual and deep faith in God, TURN WITH ME TO Hebrews 11:17-19

His faith was one of action when they continued walking together (v.8)

Then we get to four rapid succession of verbs of what Abraham did:

Arriving to the location, (1) built an altar, (2) arranged the woods, (3) bounded Issac and (4) laid him on the altar (v.9)

THE DILEMMA

Actual moment of faith: Abraham raises the knife to kill his son (v.10)

            It leaves us hanging, but as we pause for what happen our mind races many thoughts: How can God do such a thing? Isn’t this evil what God is demanding? How can God be so harsh to have demanded Abraham to give up his one and only son???? Why did God torture him, does God knows what its like to go through what Abraham must have went through?

And the actual answer to the last question is Yes, God knows what it was like for Abraham to go through what he went through, which leads us to the second lesson of this message:

LESSON TWO: TO APPRECIATE THE DEPTHS OF WHAT GOD HAS DONE THROUGH JESUS CHRIST ON OUR BEHALF

OUT OF GOD’S LOVE, HE SPARED ABRAHAM FROM KILLING HIS OWN SON

v.11-12

For the second time in this text we see God raises up his eyes.  Was he looking down from exhaustion? From seeing his own son still alive? Whatever it was, when he raised his eyes up, he sees and a ram that is offered instead (v.13)

The interesting thing is that the offering is for God, yet it was God that provided the offering (v.14)

            This leads Abraham to dedicate this mountain as a place where the Lord will provide (v.14)

            This area was later to be Jerusalem, and the mountain itself the location of the Temple of God

When we look at the text again, one can not help but to see the Parallel of this even to Jesus Crucifixion

Notice:

(1) Just as Issac was valuable to Abraham so is Jesus to the Father (cf. v.2)

                        (2) Jesus offering His life in Jerusalem (cf. v.2)

                        (3) Jesus carrying wood to His death (cf. v.6)

 (4) “Issac’s agonizing question: Where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” (v.7)

            TURN WITH ME TO JOHN 1:29 AND READ ALOUD

                        (5) The father sacrificing their ONLY SON

Except this time, in the case of Jesus, when the knife was in God’s Hands, no one stopped Him, nothing forstalled the upcoming death of Jesus His Son, nothing was holding Him back to save Him for the lethal blows of His father’s knife….yet why DID GOD DO THIS TO HIS ONLY SON??? WHY?

Let us READ JOHN 3:16 and never be calloused at those words again:

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

CLOSING: So often it is easy for us to see the death of Jesus and say, “Well, God was going to raise him back to life any ways” and we miss the anguish and the agony that the Father must have gone through to show us His love to save us.  May Genesis 22 remind us and may God enable us to appreciate the love that the Father has shown us in the death of HIS SON.