Genesis 22
World English Bible (WEBPB)
Abraham's Faith Tested
1 After these things, God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” He said, “Here I am.”He said, “Now take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go into the land of Moriah. Offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I will tell you of.”
Genesis 22
World English Bible (WEBPB)
3 Abraham rose early in the morning, and saddled his donkey; and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son. He split the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went to the place of which God had told him.
Genesis 22
World English Bible (WEBPB)
4 On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place far off.
Genesis 22
World English Bible (WEBPB)
5 Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there. We will worship, and come back to you.”
Genesis 22
World English Bible (WEBPB)
6 Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. He took in his hand the fire and the knife. They both went together.
Genesis 22
World English Bible (WEBPB)
7 Isaac spoke to Abraham his father, and said, “My father?” He said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Here is the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”
Genesis 22
World English Bible (WEBPB)
8 Abraham said, “God will provide himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they both went together.
Genesis 22
World English Bible (WEBPB)
9They came to the place which God had told him of. Abraham built the altar there, and laid the wood in order, bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar, on the wood. 10Abraham stretched out his hand, and took the knife to kill his son.
Genesis 22
World English Bible (WEBPB)
11The LORD’s angel called to him out of the sky, and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” He said, “Here I am.”
12He said, “Don’t lay your hand on the boy 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.”
Genesis 22
World English Bible (WEBPB)
13Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and saw that behind him was a ram caught in the thicket by his horns. Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering instead of his son. 14Abraham called the name of that place “the LORD Will Provide”.* As it is said to this day, “On The LORD’s mountain, it will be provided.”
Genesis 22
World English Bible (WEBPB)
15The LORD’s angel called to Abraham a second time out of the sky, 16and said, “ ‘I have sworn by myself,’ says the LORD, ‘because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17that I will bless you greatly, and I will multiply your offspring greatly like the stars of the heavens, and like the sand which is on the seashore.
Genesis 22
World English Bible (WEBPB)
Your offspring will possess the gate of his enemies. 18All the nations of the earth will be blessed by your offspring, because you have obeyed my voice.’ ”
Genesis 22
World English Bible (WEBPB)
19 Then they returned to the servants and traveled back to Beersheba, where Abraham continued to live.So Abraham returned to his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beersheba. Abraham lived at Beersheba.
Genesis 22
World English Bible (WEBPB)
Abraham's Faith Tested
1 After these things, God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” He said, “Here I am.”He said, “Now take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go into the land of Moriah. Offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I will tell you of.”
Genesis 22
World English Bible (WEBPB)
3 Abraham rose early in the morning, and saddled his donkey; and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son. He split the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went to the place of which God had told him.
Genesis 22
World English Bible (WEBPB)
4 On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place far off.
Genesis 22
World English Bible (WEBPB)
5 Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there. We will worship, and come back to you.”
Genesis 22
World English Bible (WEBPB)
6 Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. He took in his hand the fire and the knife. They both went together.
Genesis 22
World English Bible (WEBPB)
7 Isaac spoke to Abraham his father, and said, “My father?” He said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Here is the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”
Genesis 22
World English Bible (WEBPB)
8 Abraham said, “God will provide himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they both went together.
Genesis 22
World English Bible (WEBPB)
9They came to the place which God had told him of. Abraham built the altar there, and laid the wood in order, bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar, on the wood. 10Abraham stretched out his hand, and took the knife to kill his son.
Genesis 22
World English Bible (WEBPB)
11The LORD’s angel called to him out of the sky, and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” He said, “Here I am.”
12He said, “Don’t lay your hand on the boy 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.”
Genesis 22
World English Bible (WEBPB)
13Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and saw that behind him was a ram caught in the thicket by his horns. Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering instead of his son. 14Abraham called the name of that place “the LORD Will Provide”.* As it is said to this day, “On The LORD’s mountain, it will be provided.”
Genesis 22
World English Bible (WEBPB)
15The LORD’s angel called to Abraham a second time out of the sky, 16and said, “ ‘I have sworn by myself,’ says the LORD, ‘because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17that I will bless you greatly, and I will multiply your offspring greatly like the stars of the heavens, and like the sand which is on the seashore.
Genesis 22
World English Bible (WEBPB)
Your offspring will possess the gate of his enemies. 18All the nations of the earth will be blessed by your offspring, because you have obeyed my voice.’ ”
Genesis 22
World English Bible (WEBPB)
19 Then they returned to the servants and traveled back to Beersheba, where Abraham continued to live.So Abraham returned to his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beersheba. Abraham lived at Beersheba.
Get to know God
God helps us to grow in faith in Him
People asked “Why must we have faith in God?” . If you have not really known God, you will find it difficult to answer this question. You will feel that God is making things difficult for us, requiring us to believe the impossible before He grant us our request.
If you have truly known God, you will know that the answer to the above question is that God wants us to have faith in Him simply because He is a good God. Simply because His love for us is so great, so infinite that no words can adequately describe it. The word “good” is completely inadquate to describe the steadfast love of our God. To God, human beings are the crown of all His creation. God watches over us, protects and provides for us even without we knowing how to ask and what to ask for. God is perfectly truthful, there is nothing deceitful, nothing two-faced, nothing fickle in God (James 1:16-18, MESSAGE). God is so merciful, so compassionate that He will always help us when we call unto Him. He will never fail us and will never stop loving us. Because His love for us is so true, so pure, it hurts God immensely when we cannot trust Him.
Abraham began as a man with not much faith. Instead of trusting in God’s protection, He lied to the Pharaoh that Sarah was his sister. He made the same mistake 20+ years later with King Abimelech. When Abraham and Sarah passed their child bearing age and seeing that God had yet to fulfill His promise, Abraham thought that he had to find his own solution by having a child through Hagar. He did not consult God on this matter.
When God’s promise was finally fulfilled, Abraham saw that God is good in every way. God is gracious even when he had little faith and made mistakes. Abraham grew in faith. It was God who helped Abraham to grow in faith through the events and mistakes in his life though God credited it to him.
If you read the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well, you will see that our LORD Jesus helped the Samaritan woman to believe by asking her to bring her husband so that He could demonstrate to her that He is the Messiah, the Son of God. So that she can believe. Jesus was always performing miracles, healing the sick, feeding the multitudes, so that the people could believe.
When the LORD led the Israelites out of Egypt, He performed great miracles so that the children of Israel could see that He is the LORD. So you see, it is God who helps us grow in faith.
When God delayed the birth of Isaac, God was helping Abraham to grow in faith. By the time God tested him, Abraham knew that God is a good God. Though He cannot understand why God wanted him to sacrifice his son, Abraham said in Genesis 22:8 that “God will provide himself the lamb for a burnt offering”. Abraham had grown to know that there is nothing evil in God. Everything God does is for our good.
This is faith. Faith is not believing in the impossible. Faith is believing that God’s love for us is perfect and this perfect love will not allow any evil to happen to us. Faith is believing that the great love God has for us will propel Him to perform miracles to bless us.
Are you wondering…
How to become a believer?
You can be a believer simply by saying this prayer:
Dear God, thank you for so wonderfully make me and thank you for sending your Son, LORD Jesus to die for me so that I can have the blessed life that you intended for me — a life of leadership and fruitfulness. Now I believe and accept Jesus as my LORD and Saviour. I believe that from this time forth, I am a new creation, I am born again and I have the eternal life that Jesus came to give me. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
