(Genesis) Genesis 22:15-16 — J. Vernon McGee

God's Oath to Abraham After the Test

Now will you notice, as we move along, and the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time. Now God has a message for it. And he said, "...by myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son.".

Abraham's Faith Demonstrated Through Obedience

Now just a minute, I have a question to ask. Did Abraham do it? No. He didn't offer his son. Well, God says to him, because you've done this thing. You see, friends, Abraham believed God and he went far enough to let you and me know, to let God know, God already knew, but to let the created universe know that he was willing to give his son.

And so God counted it to him that he had done it. You see that he's justified by faith, but he's also justified before man by his works. He demonstrated that he had that faith. Now will you notice, God says to him, "...because you've done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son.".

Abraham's Seed and the Blessing of the Nations

Notice how God plays upon that, because God gave his only son. "...that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I'll multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, and as the sand which is upon the seashore.

And thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies.". Now notice this, "...and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.". Now that is the fact that today the gospel of Christ has gone out pretty much to the world.

There are many that have not heard, that's true, even in our own midst. But nevertheless, the blessing has come to all nations, and the only blessing the nations have is through Christ, "...because thou hast obeyed my voice, and that obedience rested upon his faith.".

Faith Must Lead to Action

And it always will lead to action. Faith without works is dead. So we leave off at this particular juncture today, my beloved. Pick right up there tomorrow and continue on with Abraham's story. Now we have come through in the 22nd chapter the final crisis in the life of Abraham.

Abraham's Final Crisis and the Condemnation of Human Sacrifice

Actually you could not ask Abraham to go any farther than he's gone here. Not only to sacrifice his own son, but to go contrary to all the teachings he'd been given from God. He had been taught that human sacrifice was wrong, and God does condemn it.

The Need for a Savior

But the important thing is that now God is making it clear that there will have to be a man to stand in the gap. There will have to be a man that will be capable of becoming the Savior of the race if anyone is to be saved.

And so that is a great lesson that's given to us in this. And as we went through the details of Abraham going to the mountain, actually right in the same area where the Lord Jesus himself was crucified, and that Abraham said God would provide himself a lamb, and they found a ram and offered him.

The Ram, the Lamb, and God's Sacrifice

But God did provide a lamb 1 ,900 years later in Christ, and now we find that God stayed his hand. And why didn't God let Abraham go through with it? I think it's self-evident. The fact of the matter is it was wrong, and God stopped Abraham.

God Spared Abraham's Son but Not His Own

God spared Abraham's son, but God spared not his own son, but gave him up freely for us all.