22:1-19. Abraham's Trial.

C g¹  1,2. Yahaveh. Command.
   h¹  3-10. Abraham. Journey. 
  g²  11,12. Yahaveh. 1st call.
   h²  13,14. Abraham. The offering.
  g³  15-18. Yahaveh. 2nd call.
   h³  19. Abraham. Return.
Genesis 22)

1 And it came to pass after these things (i.e. after 40 or 50 years in Cannan), that God did tempt Abraham and he said to him, "Abraham": and he said, "Behold me." (tempt = prove, so Ex. 15:25; 16:4; 20:20. Deut. 8:2,16. Judg. 2:22; 3:1,4. Ecc. 2:1; 7:23. 1 Sam. 17:39. 1 Kings 10:1. 2 Chron. 9:1; 33:31. Ps. 26:2. Cp. Deut. 4:34-assayed. In later usage trial meant trouble. Wisd. 3:5; 11:10. Sir.2:1. Judith 8:24-27. Luke 8:13 [cp. Matt. 13:21]. Acts 20:19. Heb.2:18. 1 Pet. 1:6)

about 1871 or 1863 B.C.

2 And He said, "Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love (note the reference to the Anti-type, Christ), and get you into the land of Moriah (=shown or provided by God. Cp. 1 Chron. 21:22; 22:1. 2 Chron. 3:1. Christ crucified also on one of these mountains): and offer (= to offer up, especially a burnt offering) him there for a burnt offering (= to ascend as being wholly burnt) upon one of the mountains which I will tell you of."

3 And (Fig. Polysyndeton = many ands, emphasizing the calmness of Abraham's faith. Each "and" is to be noted, and each act weighed. There are 7 of these = Spiritual perfection) Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his two men with him, andIsaac his son, and cleaved wool for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went to the place of which God had told him.
4 Then on the third day (#3 symbolic of resurrection, cp. v.5 "come again", 1st person plural. Exactly 3 days journey from Beer-sheba to Mriah. Gerizim is 2 days further) Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.
5 And Abraham said to his young men, "Abide you all here with the ass; and I and the lad (this is polite Hebrew, while "the lad and I" would be polite English) will go as far as there (as though pointing) and worship, and come again to you." (This was proof of Abraham's faith. 1st person plural, "We will come again.")
6 And Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son (cp. John 19:17); and he took the fire in his hand (without doubt fire from Abraham's altar 12:2; 13:4,18, and see 21:33, for God accepted a sacrifice only by fire from heaven), and a knife; and they went both of them together. (Cp. the Father and the Son Anti-type. Emphatic by repetition in v.8. John 10:30; 14:10,11; 16:33. The sinner is not seen in the type; his part is subsequent to this, namely to believe in the substitution. See Rom. 8:32. 2 Cor. 5:19)
7 And Isaac spoke to Abraham his father, and said, "My father." and he said, "Behold me, my son." and he (Isaac) said, "Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?"
8 And Abraham said, "My son, God will look out for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering." So they went both of them together.
9 And (see v.3) they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built the altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.
10 And Abraham stretch forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.

11 And the Angel of the Lord called to him out of heaven, and said, "Abraham, Abraham." (Fig. of speech = Duplication. Cp. the 10 Duplications: A). 7 used by God to men; 22:11; 46:2. Ex. 3:4. 1 Sam. 3:10. Luke 10:41; 22:31. Acts 9:4; B). 3 under other circumstances: Matt. 7:21,22 [cp. Luke 6:46; 13:25]. Matt. 2:37 [cp. Luke 13:34]. Mark 15:34 [cp. Matt. 27:46. Ps. 22:1].) and he said, "Behold me."
12 And He said, "Lay not your hand upon the lad, neither do yo any thing to him: for I know that you love God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son from Me."

13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes (Fig. Redundancy), and looked (see 13:14), and behold (Fig. Indicating), behind him was one ram caught in the 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. (Here is the Doctrine of substitution, clearly stated)
14 And Abraham called the name of the place Yahaveh-yireh (= Yahaveh will see, or provide): as it is said to this day, "In the mount the Lord will be seen." (So it was in 2 Sam.24:25. 1 Chron. 21:26. 2 Chron. 7:1-3. And so it will be in the future)

15 And the Angel of the Lord called to Abraham out of heaven a second time (The first time was for substitution, the second was for revelation),
16 And said, "By Myself have I sworn, says the Lord (This oath is the foundation of Israel's blessings [24:7; 26:3; 50:24. Ex. 13:5,11; 33:1]. David's "sure mercies" all grounded on it [Ps. 89:36; 132:11. Cp. Luke 1:73].), for because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son:
17 That I will surely bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven (see 13:16), and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and your seed shall possess the gate (= cities) of his enemies;
18 And in your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed (Proof that the "Mystery" does not mean blessing of Gentiles as such: but the secret concerning Christ and the church [Eph. 5:32]); because you have obeyed My voice."

19 So Abraham returned to his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beer-sheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beer-sheba.

22:20-24. The Posterity of Nahor.

(Introduced here to lead up to Rebekah, the future wife of Isaac. Not proceeding further with Nahor's posterity. See how Abraham's history is broken up into 3 portions by 2 posterities, just as Isaac's and Jacob's histories are broken up.)

20 And it came to pass after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying, "Behold, Milcah, she has also born children to your brother Nahor (= snorting);
21 Huz (= light, sandy soil) his firstborn, and Buz (= contempt) his brother, and Kemuel (= congregation of God) the father of Aram,
22 And Chesed (= increased), and Hazo (= vision), and Pildash (= flame of fire), and Jidlaph (=weeping), and Bethuel." (= dweller in God)
23 And Bethuel begat Rebekah (= ensnarer): these 8 Milcah (= queen, or council) did bare to Nahor (Nahor had 12 in all, as Ishmael had, and as Jacob had), Abraham's brother.
24 And his concubine, whose name was Reumah (= elevated), she bare Tebah (= slaughter), and Gaham (= sunburnt), and Thahash (= badger), and Maachah (= oppression).

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