ABRAHAM & ISAAC (2)
(Message by Tanny Keng)
1. The Supreme Test of Faith
a) God tested Abraham to see how strong his faith really was. Was Abraham really worthy to be the ancestor of two great nations of people? Would Abraham go so far as to sacrifice his only remaining son if God asked? So God said to Abraham,
i) "Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you." (Genesis 22:2)
b) Abraham did not hesitate. He took Isaac and set out for the land of Moriah. He gathered firewood. He built an altar and placed the wood on it. He tied up Isaac and placed him on the altar. He took his knife and lifted it up to kill his son as a sacrifice to God.
i) At that moment the angel of the LORD shouted to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!" "Yes," he answered. "I'm listening." "Lay down the knife," the angel said. "Do not hurt the boy in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld even your beloved son from me." (Genesis 22:11-12)
c) Abraham had passed the test. He had demonstrated that he was willing to obey God - no matter what!
2. Father of Three Great Religions
a) Three great religions - Christianity, Islam and Judaism - trace their spiritual heritage to Abraham.Ishmael had twelve sons who became princes of twelve Arabian tribes. The Muslims of today trace their heritage to Abraham through Ishmael.
b) Isaac had twin sons - Esau and Jacob. Jacob had twelve sons who were the ancestors of the twelve tribes of Israel. The Jews trace their lineage to Abraham through Isaac and Jacob.
c) Because of their shared heritage with the Jews, Christians also count Abraham as their spiritual father.
3. Questions
a) Was it a Sin for Abram to Take Hagar as a Wife?
i) In cases where a wife could not bear children, it was a common practice in the ancient world for the husband to take a second wife to bear his children. Nothing in the laws of that time prohibited such an arrangement.
b) Was it a Sin for Abraham and Sarah to Own Slaves?
i) Slavery was very common in the ancient world, and owning slaves was considered normal and proper at Abraham's time in history. Later Jewish law did not prohibit slavery, but it did prohibit mistreatment of slaves and allowed them to gain their freedom after six years. Slavery is incompatible with Jesus' message of love and respect for all people. However, it took many hundreds of years for human societies to abolish slavery.
4. Lessons
a) It was not Abraham's wealth, intelligence, power, race or nationality that qualified him to be the ancestor of whole nations of people. It was his faith and willingness to obey God - no matter what. He left his home and his homeland when God called him. He proved his obedience by his willingness to sacrifice his own son, if God told him to do it. Throughout the Bible, men and women who were willing to put their whole trust in God were the ones God used to accomplish His great works.
The End ...
1. The Supreme Test of Faitha) God tested Abraham to see how strong his faith really was. Was Abraham really worthy to be the ancestor of two great nations of people? Would Abraham go so far as to sacrifice his only remaining son if God asked? So God said to Abraham,
i) "Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you." (Genesis 22:2)
b) Abraham did not hesitate. He took Isaac and set out for the land of Moriah. He gathered firewood. He built an altar and placed the wood on it. He tied up Isaac and placed him on the altar. He took his knife and lifted it up to kill his son as a sacrifice to God.
i) At that moment the angel of the LORD shouted to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!" "Yes," he answered. "I'm listening." "Lay down the knife," the angel said. "Do not hurt the boy in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld even your beloved son from me." (Genesis 22:11-12)
c) Abraham had passed the test. He had demonstrated that he was willing to obey God - no matter what!
2. Father of Three Great Religions
a) Three great religions - Christianity, Islam and Judaism - trace their spiritual heritage to Abraham.Ishmael had twelve sons who became princes of twelve Arabian tribes. The Muslims of today trace their heritage to Abraham through Ishmael.
b) Isaac had twin sons - Esau and Jacob. Jacob had twelve sons who were the ancestors of the twelve tribes of Israel. The Jews trace their lineage to Abraham through Isaac and Jacob.
c) Because of their shared heritage with the Jews, Christians also count Abraham as their spiritual father.
3. Questions
a) Was it a Sin for Abram to Take Hagar as a Wife?
i) In cases where a wife could not bear children, it was a common practice in the ancient world for the husband to take a second wife to bear his children. Nothing in the laws of that time prohibited such an arrangement.
b) Was it a Sin for Abraham and Sarah to Own Slaves?
i) Slavery was very common in the ancient world, and owning slaves was considered normal and proper at Abraham's time in history. Later Jewish law did not prohibit slavery, but it did prohibit mistreatment of slaves and allowed them to gain their freedom after six years. Slavery is incompatible with Jesus' message of love and respect for all people. However, it took many hundreds of years for human societies to abolish slavery.
4. Lessons
a) It was not Abraham's wealth, intelligence, power, race or nationality that qualified him to be the ancestor of whole nations of people. It was his faith and willingness to obey God - no matter what. He left his home and his homeland when God called him. He proved his obedience by his willingness to sacrifice his own son, if God told him to do it. Throughout the Bible, men and women who were willing to put their whole trust in God were the ones God used to accomplish His great works.
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