Book of Genesis - Ch. 22, Vs. 10-24 (10/29/2000)

All right, let us begin. Genesis 22 verse 10. We had to leave last week in the middle of Abraham offering his son Isaac. And we left it all in a rather precarious position. So let's go back again and Get our picture In our mind of Abraham and his son Isaac.

Abraham’s Trial and the Angel’s Intervention

Isaac has been bound and His father has placed him on the wood on the altar. And Verse 10 and Abraham stretched forth his hand and took the knife to slay to slay his son. He actually Russell took the knife in his hand and the angel of the Lord called out.

Called unto him. Called unto him out of the heaven. Let me read it again. And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven and said Abraham. Abraham. And he said here am I? What if Abraham been hard of hearing.

What if he'd been like Fred and I? What if he had said what you say? Why is it when God speaks you never need to ask who is speaking. You just know don't you? Have any of you ever heard him audibly? Well.

If if you have you'll never forget it. And it'll be audible only to you. But it's it's for real and the reason you do not mistake it. No man ever spoke as this being does. Now the Lord speaks to Abraham.

He said lay not thine hand upon the lead. Neither do thou anything unto him. For now, I know that thou fearest God. Seeing that thou has not withheld thy son thine only son from me. Go back to verse 2.

Bill read verse 2 now go down and read verse 4. Now read verse 5. Now verse 6 it was that what you read. Now verse 7. Here am I. Now a Good. Now the night. Now, let me ask you. We read these verses individually.

God could have stopped him after any one of those verses. Could he not David. Why didn't he? Seem like it could have been fulfilled just with any one of them. Do we learn anything from this? But well, that's certainly true but Let's come back on earth for a moment.

Let's look at it from man's viewpoint. He could have stopped after any one of these verses and it would have been effective. But he did not. Does anybody see another lesson? Yes. What do we learn from that?

All right was Great. Did it continue this far? Because we have God's words. Now I know that you fear God. Did it have to continue that far for God to know that Abraham would have done it? Then what benefit was it?

How could that be? He's the one doing it. Why? Yes, wait, wait just a minute one of my ears quit now. Start over. First of all who's speaking? All right. All Right, that's the point. Do we ever know? Beforehand if we can finish why.

Because we're not finished yet. We just He does. So God brings us to the point where there is no other way of escape. Was Abraham there? The only way he could have escaped was to go ahead and plunge the knife into his son other than just abandoning everything and Disobeying God and he wasn't about to do that when he brings us to the point of no return or the point of No escape.

It is only then That we can experience the greatest Blessing out of it. If he had quit after verse 2 or 5 or 6 or 9 There would not have been as much growth for Abraham Spiritually as there was Carrying it all of the way.

David we're in the same position. We wish things would quit sometimes. We wish I didn't have to face this. We would just rather not go through this. In fact, I'd rather not think of it like that. But Greg not until we go all the way.

Can we ever expect to receive very much spiritual growth? Now a person that is in that position. It's rather difficult to explain to them and make them understand unless they're really really strong in the spirit.

That this is good for you. It's like being run over by that proverbial truck. Jumping up and saying boy. This was really good for me. And that just doesn't happen. But in reality it is. It took me years and years to learn that and never while I was going through it.

And I'm not a whole lot different today. Isaac willingly gave up his life just as who else Christ Jesus. Well God did know. That there was a train coming. You want an experience. Come listen to that on these earphones.

God do but Abraham did not know. Just as Roger was telling us so we do not know. Just as we do not until the time of our trial comes and not until after it's over. Can we really say yes, I did have the faith to do it.

Faith is not known ahead of time. We think we have faith. But you'll never know till after the experience 13 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 Bill.

Isaac's not talking during this. Why? Isaac could have complained. He could have complained before they ever left home. But you talk about a child being raised in loving obedience. It must have been Isaac 33 years old and Pat he could have easily overcome his 133 year old father.

I would think Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah Jireh. Or Jehovah sees As it is said to To this day then the mount of the Lord it shall be seen. And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of the heaven the second time.

That the angel of the Lord is who? Pre-incarnate. And he said by myself have I sworn saith the Lord. Because thou has done this thing and has not with well withheld I son of 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 seashore and The sand shall push and the seed shall possess the gate of his enemy.

I Thought it was interesting that it is the gate not the gates. All right. He said by myself I have sworn David. Who else could he have sworn by? Why? He could swear by no greater than himself. And in thy seed it shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.

The Promise to Abraham and the Singular Seed

Because thou has obeyed my voice. And in thy seed, why didn't he say in thy seeds? Debbie that's right in thy seed in the man, Jesus the Christ. Shall all of the nations of the earth be blessed. Now Greg, how can it be all nations?

When there are seeds of Satan in all nations. In other words is the seed of Satan blessed by this. But we got a good argument started. All right, any other thoughts? Well in another sense your mother's right.

Because they have life. They have opportunity of doing things. Even though they're ordained to serve Satan. They still are among us. Maybe a left-handed blessing at this point. I Was supposed to have a can of sand.

Can you visualize just a small cup of sand. Just pretty old sand. I was going to pour it out here and have June come up and count the grains of sand. But since I don't have the sand June you don't need to come up.

But imagine in your mind of her sitting here for hours and days of Counting the little grains of sand in that small cup. Yet In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed because you have done this.

Other places he's told that his descendants will be like the sand of the seashore stars of the heaven. Meaning that you cannot number them. Man is unable To count that far bill. How far a command count are there words to express it.

Well, it also means that you wouldn't live long enough to count them. Yes. How many years. 75. You'd had to start pretty young. Some Of the things we discuss. It came to pass after these things. That it was told Abraham saying behold Milka she has also born children under thy brother and they whore.

Abraham’s Family Line and the Coming Wife for Isaac

Now this is a bit of history. That has told us this to show that God in his providence is preparing a suitable wife for Isaac and in the next. Not the next chapter, but the next one. We'll read that story.

The first boy's name was huzz. She had huzz and buzz. And Camille the father of a a ram. And Kessed Hazel Pildos Yadlov and Bethuel and Bethuel beget Rebecca these eight milk I had Did bear today or Abraham's brother?

So he's gonna marry in the family. It looks like. And his concubine whose name was Ruma. She also bear teapot. Teapot, excuse me. Don't want to get them mixed up. Gohan tell Talish and Mac are all Mac Mac Mac Mac.

Closing Announcements and Lighthearted Wrap-Up

We're going to stop with that our Day has been long. And we're going to Start with chapter 23 next time and it'll be a short chapter. So we'll probably get in a little bit into 24. Is there anything from anyone now?

All right. Say that again. Oh. And he doesn't have to break arms to do anything else worthwhile. Leave them laughing. I Let's stand and the verge of a Jesus business today. Oh. Well somebody needs to put on this where they put it.

I'll do back.