By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; it was he to whom it was said, “In Isaac your descendants shall be called.” He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type.
—Hebrews 11:17–19
Just a few quick observations from this text:
- By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac . . . Genuine obedience is by faith (Romans 14:23).
- By faith Abraham . . . was offering up his only begotten son; it was he to whom it was said, “In Isaac your descendants shall be called.” . . . Abraham trusted God to keep his promise, in spite of incomprehensible evidence to the contrary.
- By faith Abraham . . . was offering up his only begotten son; . . . He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead . . . Abraham believed that God was able to do the impossible to keep his promise.
- By faith Abraham . . . offered up Isaac [and] also received him back as a type. This passage is thick with typology. First, Abraham typifies the Father, offering his only son. Isaac typifies Christ, willingly and knowingly laying down his life in obedience to his father. Abraham’s faith is an example of saving faith in Christ: Abraham surely believed that Isaac would die, yet believed that God would keep his promise and raise him from the dead. Finally, the ram is a type of Christ, and an illustration of substitutionary atonement. Abraham owed God a supreme sacrifice. That sacrifice was his only son, who was more than just precious as a beloved son, but also the fulfillment of God’s promise of Abraham’s future legacy. Isaac was Abraham’s everything, his very life. And that is our debt to God, for our sin. We owe him a death, and he will be paid. But he has provided a substitute. Abraham called the place Jehovah-jireh (the Lord will provide, Genesis 22:14). Jesus is our “ram caught in the thicket.” Calvary is our Jehovah-jireh. Most immediately important to us is that, in Isaac, we see ourselves, desperately in need of a substitute that only God can provide.
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1 Comments:
#1 || 11·06·01··15:11 || William Lee
I just got through reading your observations from Hebrews 11:17-19. I thought it was very good. A fine example of how the entire Bible, in some way or another, centers on Jesus Christ -- as He Himself taught in Luke 24.