Q4. God Offers His Only Son, Jesus

[Craig]

Only God can provide the sacrifice that is needed for the atonement of human sin and salvation.

[lighthouse2014]

Q4. How does Abraham's near sacrifice of his beloved, only son Isaac help you understand better Jesus' crucifixion?

The analogy of Abraham sacrificing his only son for an offering to God seems to be a parallel of God offering hos only son for the sins of the world. Abraham was stopped by an angel from the act of sacrificing his only son and God provided a ram that Abraham could use for a sacrifice instead. Abraham was obedient to God, Jesus God's son was obedient to the father in his life, but in this case only God's son could satisfy the just punishment for the sins of man.  

[Rosesam]

Q4. How does Abraham's near sacrifice of his beloved, only son Isaac help you understand better Jesus' crucifixion?

In this story Isaac is a type, a picture of Christ and we see so many similarities in this story to Jesus’ crucifixion. God calls Isaac as his only son whom he loves. At this time he had Ishmael also, but God chose to ignore his son in the flesh. It is in this chapter that we see the first mention of the word love. This love is the love of a father for his son whom he is about to sacrifice on Mount Moriah. In Philippians Paul says that I might know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings. At this point both Abraham and God are in the same page. They both knew what it means to sacrifice their son. They were in the deepest, sorrowful fellowship and that is the deepest form of fellowship.

When Abraham decides to obey God, he takes with him two servants, not three nor one. Just as when Jesus was crucified there were two others with Him. If Isaac becomes a picture of Christ in this story, then we can say that Abraham is a picture of the Father in a way. For he is the one offering to sacrifice his son, his only son, just as the Father was willing to sacrifice His only Son.

It says that after three days of walking they see the mountain in the distance. Again the significance of three days. For three days in Abraham’s mind Isaac was dead and in a figurative sense he got back Isaac alive after three days even though he never knew or experienced resurrection earlier. In this story it was Isaac who was carrying the wood of the burnt offering, just as Jesus carried His cross. The fire was in Abraham’s hands just as Father hurled His wrath of indignation unto His Son for my justification. Just as Isaac willingly allowed himself to be sacrificed, Jesus went willingly to the cross. Even the binding of Isaac was a parallel to Christ, for He was bound by nails to the wood of the cross.

When Isaac asked Abraham where the lamb for the burnt offering was, Abraham says the Lord will provide Himself the lamb. Hebrew didn’t have any comas. In Hebrew rendering this could be read as God will provide, Himself the Lamb (Jesus) for the burnt offering. For when the sacrifice was stalled, they did not find a lamb but a ram, which is a full grown male. Abraham called the place Yahweh-Yireh which means the Lord WILL provide, which is future tense. In the previous chapter Abraham is called a prophet and probably he was prophetically speaking of the distant event when Jesus, the Lamb of God, would be sacrificed on the same place years later. In John 8:56 Jesus says Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day and he saw it and was glad. Even when Moses wrote Genesis some 500 years after this incident it was still called Yahweh-Yireh, which means in the Mount of the Lord it will be provided. In the Mount of the Lord it shall be seen. It was indeed in this place that the provision for all mankind for their salvation was made.

Finally, this chapter ends with a genealogy and the emphasis is on Rebekah who becomes the bride of Isaac. Rebekah is introduced to the reader after the sacrifice of Isaac, likewise the church is born when her Lord sacrificed Himself for her because of His great love for her.

[Godswriter]

Q4. How does Abraham's near sacrifice of his beloved, only son Isaac help you understand better Jesus' crucifixion?

It reminds me that the death of Jesus was not in vain because when He died His blood is what purified me from my sins. It also reminds me how precious the blood of Jesus truly is. It also reminds me that Jesus would want me to spread the gospel as much as possible.

[Irmela]

Total obedience is what is reflected with Abraham taking Isaac and whatever was needed, along to Mt Moriah. 

It is like Abraham was prepared to give his all (if it can be put like this, his future lay in Isaac). And through his SEED mankind would be blessed  .... yet he was prepared to give. 

God did give His All, His only Son, Who not only came BUT willingly GAVE HIS LIFE for mankind. God indeed GAVE   so that ALL mankind could be SAVED. 

Thank You yet again my God for this giving and thank you YESHUA that You came. 

[Krissi]

What amazes me is that God required this of a man. He told Abraham to do the one thing he didn't want to do. There is a lesson here for us, too. Whatever constitutes our "Isaac," God asks us to take our most cherished dream/desire/beloved person/object and tie it to the altar, unsheathe our knife and slay it. There's no promise that He'll intervene in the slaying of our Isaacs. Maybe He wants that Issac to be dead and so lets us kill it.

I'm not talking, here, about murder, but a metaphorical Isaac -- an obsessive love for a child. not the child himself, may have to be given to God sacrificially. Anything we hold or cherish more than Him has to be slain. 

It's what we LOVE that God wants. Our loves. Our Isaacs. Our hopes of loving.

This is a tough lesson. 

[Bianca]

Though Abraham did not have to fully sacrifice Isaac, God did have to fully sacrifice Jesus. It shows God's great love for us all. That he gave up what was most precious to him to gain a larger family. He did this out of love. The most pure love that there is. Jesus willingly gave his life for us. It was and is the most beautiful display of love.