Abraham
Tested
GENESIS 22 – 25:18
22:1-3
"Now it came to pass after these
things that God tested Abraham, and said to him,
'Abraham!' And he said, 'Here I am.' Then he said, 'Take now your son,
your only son Isaac, whom you love,
and go to the
What a stunning command. Abraham must have been absolutely floored. Yet, notice he didn't argue or plead. But, according to Hebrews 11, he sure thought about it. God had promised that through Isaac shall thy seed be called (17:21;21:12). Abraham must have asked himself ... over and over ... "What then will happen to the Word of God and the covenant if I kill Isaac? How will God solve this dilemma?" We read about Abraham's amazing conclusion in Hebrews 11:17-19...
"By faith Abraham, when he was
tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his
only begotten son, of whom it was said, 'In Isaac your seed shall be called,' concluding that God was able to raise him
up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative
sense."
As we look at this, keep in mind that this test occurred when Abraham's faith had developed fully enough to take it. God has determined that his children walk by faith and he works with us to develop that faith. If you or I had met Abraham on his way up the mountain of Moriah and we had asked him, "What are you doing?" He would have said, "I'm going to sacrifice my son. God told me to." To which, we probably would have replied, "You've got to me kidding!" "No," Abraham would have replied, "I'm just trusting him. I've been walking with him for 50 years and he's not failed me yet. Everything he's asked me to do has always turned out for the best." Doubtless, what God asked Abraham to do was the most unique request God has ever asked of any of his children. For Abraham, it was the supreme test of his faith. And, as Abraham proceeded to carry it out, he certainly had no clue that what he was about to do would paint an elaborate picture of what would actually occur in history between God and his own Son some 2000 plus years later.
God said several things here in his command to Abraham that help us to draw the parallel between this event and the future event that it pictured. Let’s look at them. God said...
1.
"Take now your son, your only son Isaac."
Now, how could God say that Isaac was Abraham's only son? Ishmael
was born before Isaac, was he not? The answer lies in the fact that, as far as
the covenant was concerned and as far as Abraham and Sarah were concerned,
Isaac was their only child,
Abraham’s only son by promise. Jesus was God's only Son. As you have it in
John 3:16...
"For God so loved the world that he
gave his only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life."
And again, in
John 1:18...
"No one has seen God at any time.
The only begotten Son, who is in the
bosom of the Father, he has declared him."
2.
"whom you love."
Isaac was a young teenager at this time and, no doubt, old
Abraham had come to love him dearly. We can only imagine how dearly God the
Father loves his only Son. Jesus said in
John 3:35...
"The Father loves the
Son, and has given all things into His
hand."
And again, in
John 5:19-20...
"Then Jesus answered and said to
them, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of himself, but what
he sees the Father do; for whatever he does, the Son also does in like manner.
For the Father loves the Son, and shows
him all things that he himself does; and he will show him greater works than
these, that you may marvel."
3. "go to the
"And when they had come to the
place called
4. "offer him there...”
Make no mistake about it, it was God the Father himself who sent
his Son to be sacrificed on
"Him, being delivered by
the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken
by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; whom God raised up, having
loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that he should be held by
it." Acts 2:22-23
5. “offer
him there as a burnt offering...” Abraham was instructed to offer Isaac as a burnt
offering. A brunt offering was a complete and total sacrifice, totally consumed
by fire for sin. It pictured the future sacrifice of God’s Son who became
sin for us who knew no sin (II
Cor. 5:21). Again, as you have it in
First John 2:2...
"And he himself is the
propitiation
for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world."
This word, propitiation, refers to
anger that has been satisfied. God was not propitiated
for the past and future sins of mankind until Jesus had paid the price for all of those sins. For all sin
from all time, God's
judgment fell on his own Son and consumed him. As you have it in
Isaiah 53:4-5...
"Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed."
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22:3-10
"So Abraham rose early in the
morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and
Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went
to the place of which God had told him. Then on the third day
Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off. And Abraham
said to his young men, 'Stay here with the donkey; the lad and
I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.' So
Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac
his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went
together. But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, 'My father!' And he
said, 'Here I am, my son.' Then he said, 'Look, the fire and the wood, but
where is the lamb for a burnt offering?' And Abraham said, 'My
son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.' So the two of them went together. Then they
came to the place of which God had told him. And
Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and
he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the
wood. And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to
slay his son."
The parallels between the crucifixion of Jesus and Isaac continue here. The text says that...
6. …it was on the third day that Abraham and Isaac arrived at
the place of sacrifice. God gave Abraham his son back on
the third day. Just as God himself would
one day receive his only Son back from the dead on the third day.
7. …Abraham left his servants behind and
went alone with Isaac to the hill of sacrifice. Jesus suffered
in the presence of his Father alone
from the 6th hour to the 9th hour on the cross. The rest of mankind was shut out
by darkness. As you have it in
Matthew 27:45...
"Now from the sixth hour until the
ninth hour there was darkness over all the land."
8. …Abraham laid the wood on
Isaac to carry. Jesus too was compelled to carry his own
cross. As you have it in
John
19:17-18...
"And he, bearing his
cross, went out to a place called the
Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha, where they crucified him,
and two others with him, one on either side, and Jesus in the center."
9. …Isaac was concerned that they hadn't
brought a lamb. Abraham answered his son, God will
provide for himself the lamb for the burnt offering. Of course,
that is exactly what God did on
"The next day John saw Jesus coming
toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God
who takes away the
sin of the world!"
10. …when all was prepared, Abraham bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar. There is a good bit that is left unsaid in this statement. How old do you suppose Isaac was when this occurred? Well, Sarah was 90 when Isaac was born. She died at the age of 127, which is recorded immediately after this event (23:1). So, I believe that Isaac was 33 years old when his mother died and the event of which we are reading occurred in that same year. Isaac was the exact same age as our Savior when he was laid on the altar by his father, Abraham. Now, how do you suppose it was that old man, Abraham, could have possibly subdued, tied up and laid his strapping young son, Isaac, on that altar? The answer, my friend, is that he didn’t have to. Isaac complied. Again, this was just the way it would happen with Jesus. As he himself put it...
"Therefore my Father loves me,
because I lay down my life that I may take it again.
No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of myself.
I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I
have received from my Father." John 10:17-18
Make no mistake about it, Jesus was not held down nor subdued when he was nailed to the cross. He voluntarily laid down his life for you and me. And, Isaac fulfilled the type by submitting to his father, Abraham, in the same manner. What must have been running through Isaac's mind during all of this is unknown. Whether he submitted to being tied and laid on the altar simply out of obedience to his father or whether his father explained what God had asked of him and he willing submitted to the will of God, we don't know. The important thing, however, is that the evidence here points to the fact that Isaac, like Jesus, laid down his life willingly under his father’s hand.
11. … it was a blood sacrifice that was about to take place. There was a knife. Hebrews 9:22b says...
"...and without shedding of
blood
there is no remission (of sin)."
Abraham took a knife and was about to proceed with the blood sacrifice of his only son by cutting his throat! Then, after Isaac's life would have drained away, Abraham would have lit the fire under his now dead son to complete the burnt sacrifice. The picture was now as complete as God would allow it to become. Think of it, as the song says, ‘What a wonderful Savior is Jesus our Lord…”. Here are a few verses that speak of the sacrifice he became for you and me.
"Not with the blood of
goats and calves, but with his own blood he
entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.
For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the
unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much
more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself
without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living
God?" Hebrews 9:12-14
"Therefore, when he (Jesus)came
into the world, he said: 'Sacrifice and offering you (God) did not desire, but
a body you have prepared for me. In burnt offerings and
sacrifices for sin you had no pleasure. Then I said, 'Behold, I
have come;
In the volume of the book it is written of me; To do
your will, O God.'" Previously saying, 'Sacrifice and offering,
burnt offerings, and offerings for sin you did not desire, nor had pleasure in
them' (which are offered according to the law), then he (Jesus) said, 'Behold, I
have come to do your will, O God.' He takes away the first that he may establish
the second. By that will we have been sanctified through the
offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."
Hebrews 10:5-10
"But this Man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till his enemies are made his footstool." Hebrews 10:12-13
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22:11-14
"But the Angel of the
LORD
called to him from heaven and said, 'Abraham, Abraham!'
So he said, 'Here I am.'
And he said, 'Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for
now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only
son, from me.' Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and
there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So
Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of
his son. And Abraham called the name of the place,
The-LORD-Will-Provide; as it is said to
this day, 'In the Mount of The LORD it shall be
provided.'"
Abraham had passed the test. He had given up his home, his
kin,
He who did not spare his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
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22:15-24
"Then the Angel of the
LORD called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, and said: 'By
Myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this
thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son; 'blessing I will bless
you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven
and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the
gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth
shall be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.' So Abraham
returned to his young men, and they rose and went together to
This is a fitting end to an amazing and unprecedented enactment of the future death of the Son of God. Hebrews 6:13-18 quotes this passage saying...
"For when God made a
promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no one greater, he swore by
Himself, saying, 'Surely blessing I will bless you, and
multiplying I will multiply you.' And so, after he had patiently endured, he
obtained the promise. For men indeed swear by the greater, and an oath for
confirmation is for them an end of all dispute.
Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the
immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable
things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong
consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us."
You and I are found in that promise to Abraham, beloved. When God said, In your Seed all
the nations of the earth will be blessed, the Seed he was speaking about was Jesus. And, my how
he has blessed us, aye? God also confirmed these promises of the Covenant to
Abraham by two immutable (unchangeable) things … by his Word and by His oath
upon Himself (for he could swear by no greater).
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23:1-20
"Sarah lived one hundred
and twenty-seven years; these were the years of the life of
Sarah. So Sarah died in
Kirjath Arba
(that is,
We come here now to the death of Sarah. She was a wonderful
woman of faith. As you have it in
Hebrews 11:11...
"By faith Sarah herself
also received strength to conceive seed,
and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she
judged him faithful who had promised."
You may be asking why this lengthy account of Abraham's acquisition of a burial place for Sarah. I believe there are several reasons.
First of all, in the Psalms, we read, "precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints" Ps.116:15. Perhaps for this reason alone the Lord has given such space here in his Word to the death and burial of his wonderful saint, Sarah.
Second, this
Third, it emphasizes that the bodies of God's children are important. Otherwise, the Lord would just say, "Just forget it, I'll make you another body!" But he doesn't. He made our bodies and gave them life in the first place (Jn. 1:3; Col.1:16). They belong to him. So, he's going to resurrect them. Before Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, he told Martha that he himself was the resurrection (Jn. 11:35). In First Thessalonians 4:15-16 we read...
"For the Lord
Himself
will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with
the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the
clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord."
Concerning God's Old Testament saints, we read in Daniel 12:2-3...
"And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever."
Right now, over there in Israel there is a cave,
somewhere south of
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24:1-9
"Now Abraham was old, well advanced
in age; and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things. So Abraham
said to the oldest servant of his house, who ruled over all
that he had, 'Please, put your hand under my thigh, and I will make you
swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not
take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites,
among whom I dwell; but you shall go to my country and to my
family, and take a wife for my son Isaac.' And the servant said
to him, 'Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I
take your son back to the land from which you came?' But Abraham said to him, 'Beware
that you do not take my son back there. The
LORD God of heaven, who took me from my father's house and from
the land of my family, and who spoke to me and swore to me,
saying, "To your descendants I give this land," he will send
his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there. And
if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be released from this
oath; only do not take my son back there.'
So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to
him concerning this matter."
We come now to the fascinating and wonderful story of a father's provision of a wife for his son. It is a great love story and the story of a servant's faithfulness to his master and a bride's submission to the will of God. All of which, was overseen by the sovereign guidance and leading of the Lord. Psalm 37:23 says...
"The steps of a good man are
ordered by the LORD, and He delights in his way."
Now, Abraham's concerns for Isaac were the same concerns that any godly father has for his son. It is a stark contrast to Hagar getting her son, Ishmael, out of Egypt that we just studied.
First, and foremost, Abraham wanted Isaac to have a
wife that shared his faith.
The first thing he said to his servant was, "swear by the LORD, the
God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son
from the daughters of the Canaanites." Intermarriage with the
heathen has always been a pitfall for God's people. In Deuteronomy 7:2b-4, the people of
"You shall make no covenant with
them nor show mercy to them. Nor shall you make marriages with them.
You shall not give your daughter to their son, nor take their daughter for your
son. For they will turn your sons away from following me, to serve other gods;
so the anger of the LORD will be aroused against you and destroy you suddenly."
In our own day of grace, this principle still holds true. As
you have it in
Second Corinthians 6:14-18...
"Do not be unequally
yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has
righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And
what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an
unbeliever? And what agreement has the
It is unbelievable how much havoc believers cause in their lives and their churches by
disobeying this command. The average church and minister faces one problem after
another because of it. Aware of the absolutely crucial nature of his son's
marrying a fellow believer in the Lord, Abraham sent his servant off to his
brother's house in Mesopotamia to get a believing wife for
Isaac.
Second, it was vital to Abraham that his son, Isaac, stay in the land
that God had given them
Twice, Abraham told his servant not to take Isaac out of the
land. If the girl wouldn't come to
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24:10-28
"Then the servant took
ten of his master's camels and departed, for all his master's
goods were in his hand. And he arose and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of
Is that a beautiful story or what!? The prayer of Abraham’s
servant, when he arrived in
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22:29-49
"Now
Rebekah
had a brother whose name was Laban, and Laban ran out to the man by the well. So it
came to pass, when he saw the nose ring, and the bracelets on his sister's
wrists, and when he heard the words of his sister Rebekah,
saying, 'Thus the man spoke to me,' that he went to the man. And
there he stood by the camels at the well. And he said, 'Come in, O blessed of
the LORD! Why do you stand outside? For I
have prepared the house, and a place for the camels.' Then the man came
to the house. And he unloaded the camels, and provided straw and feed for the
camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him.
Food was set before him to eat, but he said, 'I
will not eat until I have told about my errand.' And he said, 'Speak
on.' So he said, 'I am Abraham's servant. The LORD has blessed
my master greatly, and he has become great; and he has given him flocks and
herds, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys. And
Sarah my master's wife bore a son to my master when she was old; and to him he
has given all that he has. Now my master made me swear, saying, "You shall not
take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I
dwell; but you shall go to my father's house and to my family, and take a wife
for my son." And I said to my master, 'Perhaps the woman will not follow me.'
But he said to me, 'The LORD, before whom I walk, will send his angel with you
and prosper your way; and you shall take a wife for my son from my family and
from my father's house. You will be clear from this oath when you arrive among
my family; for if they will not give her to you, then you will be released from
my oath.' And this day I came to the well and said, 'O LORD God of my master
Abraham, if you will now prosper the way in which I go, behold, I stand by the
well of water; and it shall come to pass that when the virgin comes out to draw
water, and I say to her, 'Please give me a little water from your pitcher to
drink,' and she says to me, 'Drink, and I will draw for your camels also'; let
her be the woman whom theLORD has appointed for my master's son.' But before I had
finished speaking in my heart, there was Rebekah,
coming out with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down to the well and
drew water. And I said to her, 'Please let me drink.' And she made haste and let
her pitcher down from her shoulder, and said, 'Drink, and I will give your
camels a drink also.' So I drank, and she gave the camels a drink also. Then I
asked her, and said, 'Whose daughter are you?' And she said, 'The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milcah bore to him.' So I put the nose ring on her nose and
the bracelets on her wrists. And I bowed my head and worshiped the LORD, and
blessed the LORD God of my master Abraham, who had led me in the way of truth to
take the daughter of my master's brother for his son. Now if you
will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me. And if not, tell me, that I
may turn to the right hand or to the left."
Abraham's servant met Rebekah's brother, Laban, and told him his story. He told him that it boiled down to this, "She
is an answer to prayer." Notice the diligence of this
servant. He would not allow anything to come before his mission. He would not
even eat until he had fulfilled his obligation to his Master. I'm reminded here
of that verse in
First Corinthians 4:1...
"Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful."
How faithful this man was.
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24:50-61
"Then
Laban
and Bethuel answered and said, 'The
thing comes from the LORD; we cannot speak to you either bad or good. Here is Rebekah before you; take her and go, and let her be your
master's son's wife, as the LORD has spoken.' And it came to
pass, when Abraham's servant heard their words, that he
worshiped the LORD, bowing himself to the earth. Then the
servant brought out jewelry of silver, jewelry of gold, and clothing, and gave
them to Rebekah. He also gave precious things to her brother and to
her mother. And he and the men who were with him ate and drank and stayed all
night. Then they arose in the morning, and he said, 'Send me away to my master.'
But her brother and her mother said, 'Let the young woman stay with us a few
days, at least ten; after that she may go.' And
he said to them, 'Do not hinder me, since the LORD has prospered my way;
send me away so that I may go to my master.' So they said, 'We
will call the young woman and ask her personally.' Then they
called Rebekah
and said to her, 'Will you go with this man?' And she said, 'I will go.' So they
sent away Rebekah their sister and her nurse, and
Abraham's servant and his men. And they blessed Rebekah
and said to her: 'Our sister, may you become the mother of thousands of ten
thousands; And may your descendants possess The gates
of those who hate them.' Then Rebekah and her maids
arose, and they rode on the camels and followed the man. So the
servant took Rebekah and departed."
Abraham's servant was a real bulldog when it came to accomplishing his mission.
We could all learn a lesson from him about that level of dedication and determination, aye?
This account probably sounds strange to our culture. It took place in a culture
where marriages were arranged, you see. Rebekah’s father, after
hearing the servant's story, knew immediately that the thing was from the Lord
and gave his consent. Perhaps he had been worrying about a match for his little
girl just as Abraham had for his son, Isaac. Abraham had been right. He was
being led of the Lord when he sent his servant to the house of his kinfolk. It
was exactly the right place to find a wife for Isaac. The only snag was that
mother and brother who didn't want baby sister to leave for at least ten days. Again, however, the
servant insisted he be allowed to continue on with his mission. So, they asked
Rebekah about it and she said she was ready to go.
Now, think about it, Rebekah’s world was turned
upside-down in a matter of hours. One day she was going down to the well where
she had gone a thousand times before and the next day she was astride a camel
headed off into a far country to be the wife of a young and wealthy man she had
never before even met! Life can be like that, sometimes. When you’re following
the Lord, it is such a trip. What an adventure it is to know the true and living
God. And, like
Rebekah, the best was yet to come. This reminds me of
the Rapture. One fine day, we too will be just going about business as usual
and in a split second our world will be turned absolutely upside-down. Our
Bridegroom will have come for us and we will find ourselves traveling with him
to a far country and
to our new home that he has prepared for us. As you have it in
John 14:1-3...
"Let not your heart be troubled;
you believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions;
if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And
if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive
you to myself; that where I am, there you may be also."
Like I said, what an adventure it is to know and follow the true and living God!
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24:62-67
"Now Isaac came from the
way of Beer Lahai Roi, for
he dwelt in the South. And Isaac went out to meditate in the
field in the evening; and he lifted his eyes and looked, and there, the camels
were coming. Then Rebekah lifted her
eyes, and when she saw Isaac she dismounted from her camel; for she had said to
the servant, 'Who is this man walking in the field to meet us?'
The servant said, 'It is my master.' So
she took a veil and covered herself. And the servant told Isaac
all the things that he had done. Then Isaac brought her into his
mother Sarah's tent; and he took Rebekah and she
became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac
was comforted after his mother's death."
You will remember that Beer Lahai Roi was the well named by Hagar. It meant,
"The
Living One Who Sees". This was quite an event. This was high drama. A man was
walking in the fields. His future wife saw him first and was told it was her future
husband. She alit off her camel and covered herself with a veil. The man,
Isaac, hears the story from the servant and then takes his bride by the hand
and leads her to his mother's tent where their marriage was consummated. Not
exactly the way we do it, is it? Yet, in that culture, in that day, it was the
way they did it. And we read, he loved her
and he was comforted after his mother's death.
"He who finds a wife finds a good
thing, and obtains favor from the LORD." Proverbs 18:22
"If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!" Matthew 7:11
25:1-11
"Abraham again took a wife,
and her name was Keturah. And she
bore him Zimran, Jokshan,
Then Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man
and full of years, and was gathered to his people. And
his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the
Keturah means "incense". As it turns out, Isaac was not the only one to be comforted with a new wife after the death of Sarah. Abraham too found a new wife and began yet another line of progeny. Some have criticized Abraham for his marriage to Keturah, "After all," they say, "he was old and will stricken in age (24:1), for crying out loud!" You will recall, though, the Lord had said, in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven (22:17). Therefore, I see this as just one more of the blessings of God on a man of God who believed God.
Notice also that we have Abraham's will here in these verses.
He left everything to Isaac, the son of promise, and gave gifts to his other
sons while taking the precaution of sending them away to the east lest they
cause trouble for Isaac after his death. These sons went into
May I step aside here for a moment? For what its worth, may I
say that a formal will is not a bad idea for anyone. Do you have one, dear
saint? It can be a source of blessing in the event of your death, you know. A
good will has closed the door on Satan to disrupt a many an otherwise fine
family. Abraham took precautions before he died to insure the well being of his
family. We should all do the same. As you have it in
Proverbs 22:3...
"A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, but the simple pass on and are punished."
Now, we come to the death and burial of Abraham. This was the
death of a great saint. According to the New Testament, he is the pattern and
spiritual father of all who believe. As you have it in
Galatians 3:6-7...
"...just as Abraham "believed God,
and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Therefore know that only
those who are of faith are sons of Abraham."
Our text says that Abraham was 175 years old when he died and
he died in a good old age, an old man and full of years. The Lord blessed his servant, Abraham, with long life
and then he gathered
him
to his people. I
like that way of putting it, don’t you? It is a realistic and good way to look
at death. The doctrine of soul sleep, as taught by the Jehovah Witnesses, is in
error. Abraham didn't enter into “soul sleep” … he was gathered to his people. It was a blessed event for Abraham as well as
for his people that had gone before him and
for his Lord. As you have it in
Psalm 116:15...
"Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints."
And, by the way, you often hear the question, "Do you think I will recognize anyone is heaven?" The answer is. "Absolutely!" Death means reunion, brother. At death, a child of God is gathered to his people, you see. At 68 years of age now, I have a good number of my people already up there in heaven. If you'll indulge me for a moment, up there is my trombone playing Uncle H.C. and his wife; Aunt Ruth, my wonderful teacher Aunt Earlene, my always cheerful and chatty Aunt "Nanny" and her husband Uncle Loyce, my super gregarious dad, Herbert Sr. and my dear saintly mother, Rene, my hillbilly friends from my teen years, Marvin Peacock and his wife; my uncles on my dad's side, Bob and Raymond, my brother-in-law, Johnny, who was killed in Viet Nam; Marion, my friend at Northwest Baptist Church; my dear cousins, La Jean and Ava Jo .... and many other friends. These are some of my people. I look foreword to seeing each and every one of them again when I too am gathered to my people. There is a story that Jesus told in Luke 16, that relates to this. There we read...
"There was a certain rich man who
was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. But there
was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate,
desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table.
Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. So it was that the
beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom.
The rich man also died and was buried. And being in torments in Hades,
he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and
Lazarus in his bosom. Then he cried and said, 'Father Abraham,
have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in
water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.' But Abraham said,
'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise
Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted
and you are tormented.' And besides all this, between us and you there is a
great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor
can those from there pass to us.' Then he said, 'I beg you therefore, father,
that you would send him to my father's house, 'for I have five
brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place
of torment.' "Abraham said to him, 'They have Moses and the prophets; let them
hear them.' And he said, 'No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the
dead, they will repent.' But he said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the
prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.'" Luke
16:19-31
That scripture does not say it is a parable. Therefore,
it
was a true story. In effect, this is the continuing story of Abraham. I won't
get into it much here but, before the cross, the place of the dead had two
compartments ... hell and paradise. Apparently, they were visible to one
another, making
"For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so
God will bring with him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we
say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the
coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice
of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise
first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up
together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.
And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with
these words."
Now, that's going to be a reunion, brother and sister. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
25:12-18
"Now this is the
genealogy of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian,
Sarah's maidservant, bore to Abraham. And these were the names of the sons of
Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: The firstborn of
Ishmael, Nebajoth; then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah,
Our chapter ends with the recorded fulfillment of God's Word to Abraham concerning his son, Ishmael. As we had it back in 17:20...
"And as for Ishmael, I have heard
you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply
him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a
great nation."