Genesis 22

Read Genesis 22 here or at Bible Gateway.

Gen 22:1-19 {p} Abraham and the binding of Isaac
Gen 22:20-24 {p} The seed of Nahor

Now why would God request a human sacrifice of Abraham? This is one of the passages of the Bible that people point to when they accuse God of being vengeful, wrathful, angry, and judgmental. There are two answers to this question.

The first answer, is that the entire episode of the binding of Isaac (known as The Akideh in Hebrew) is exactly prophetic of the offering of Messiah Yeshua, the Promised Seed realized. The gist of the History that Prophesies Teaching Tool is that the Father offers His only Son, Himself providing the Lamb for the sacrifice. Please see Finding Messiah in Genesis 18:1-22:24 for all the details. The Father, using the Law’s unique way of proclaiming the coming and ministry of Messiah Yeshua, has told the end—the Gospel—from the beginning:

Remember the former things of old,
For I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like Me,
Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things that are not yet done,
Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
And I will do all My pleasure …’ Isa 46:9-10

But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 1 Cor 2:1-8

The second answer is revealed in the Genesis 18:1-22:24 Chiastic Structure:

We see that all the matching elements pair at first glance, but the B pair. How do they match? Simply in this way: The 1B pair reveals the judgment for sin, and the 2B pair reveals the sacrifice for sin. In both the Signs of Messiah and History that Prophesies in the first case, and the Chiastic Structure in the second case, the Bible is proclaiming the Gospel of grace.

If there are questions, these are good resources:

Finding Messiah in Genesis 18:1-22:24 – Christine Miller
Gen 18:1-22:24 Chiastic structure, and why the B pair matches – Christine Miller

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