It is difficult for us, who live today, to understand the context of human sacrifice, which was practiced as early as Abraham’s day. In fact, as I mentioned in my previous study, in all probability, Abraham eldest brother, Haran, was sacrificed by Terah, Abraham’s father (Genesis 11:28). The corrupt wisdom (Romans 1:21-22) behind such a thing was, if one was really devoted to his god, he would not withhold the very best he had, which is something even the Lord would command (Exodus 13:2). This translated to offering the firstborn of every creature one possessed, as a burnt offering, but the act degenerated into sacrificing one own firstborn son, the fruit of one’s own body, in an effort to express his supreme devotion to his god. Nevertheless, as this pertained to the Lord, the firstborn among men would be redeemed with a lamb (Exodus 13:13, 15), a particular lamb, the Passover Lamb, which was Jesus (1Corinthians 5:7)! This is what was revealed to Abraham in the matter of the revelation of God, as God of the Ages (Genesis 21:33). Nevertheless, such a thing, a revelation and belief, doesn’t honor or praise God, if it remains intellectual. What is believed must be brought out in one’s experience and lived out, if one is to praise God in faith.
After the Angel of the Lord stopped Abraham from sacrificing his son, Isaac (Genesis 22:11-12), he called out to him a second time (Genesis 22:15); the first concerned the matter of substitution (ultimately in Christ), but the second concerned revelation of what is and what would come to be.
We are told in the text that, because Abraham was willing to sacrifice Isaac, his son, the Angel of the Lord revealed that the Lord took an oath, swearing by himself, that this would not be forgotten. Later in scripture we are told that in two things it is impossible for God to lie (Hebrews 6:18). The first is to simply say a thing, vis-à-vis whatever God says is true (Psalm 119:160; Proverbs 30:5). The second is for the Lord to confirm a matter with an oath (Genesis 22:16; cp. Hebrews 6:17). Men seek to end contention by taking an oath, swearing by God, who is greater than man (Hebrews 6:16), that the thing held in conflict is true, but God, because there is no one greater than he, swears by himself that the thing under consideration is true (Hebrews 6:13-14, 17).
Therefore, the Angel/Christ confirmed the promises the Lord had made to Abraham from the beginning (Genesis 22:17-18; cp. 12:1-3). In other words, if Abraham was willing to obey the Lord, even when it contradicted everything the Lord promised him, then the Lord would exceedingly multiply his seed. However, the blessing would not only include the physical descendants of Isaac, but it would also embrace the spiritual descendants (Galatians 3:7) of the prophesied Seed, which is Christ (Galatians 3:16), and this would also include the giving of his Spirit (Galatians 3:14). Ultimately, the blessing would reverse mankind’s original rebellion of living off the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, which is understood in man living by his own wisdom (cp. Romans 1:21-23), which, in effect, shuts God out of participating in his own creation (Romans 1:28).
The giving of the Spirit of God (Galatians 3:14) in effect allows mankind to live off the Tree of Life/Christ, which embraces the Lord as a participant in man’s life and labors. In other words, what Abraham did was to make the word of God more important than his own wisdom (the Tree of Knowledge). How could God bless him with descendants, if Isaac was dead? The whole idea is incongruous. Nevertheless, Abraham chose to believe God, instead of the contradiction of Abraham’s own wisdom, and, in doing so, he was able to conceive of the Lord bringing back Isaac from the dead (Hebrews 11:17-19), just has he birthed Isaac out of the dead womb of Sarah, Isaac’s mother.
After these things, Abraham and Isaac returned to the young men, whom they left behind, just as Abraham told them he would (Genesis 22:5, 19). Then, the four men returned to Beersheba, where Abraham had first been given the vision of the God of the Ages (cp. Genesis 11:33).
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