Download this podcast

The text for this lesson is Genesis 21:1–7; 22:1–19.

Key Point

  • God provided a ram as a sacrifice for Abraham and Isaac. He provides the perfect sacrifice for our sin: His Son, Jesus, the Lamb of God.
  • Law: God requires a payment for my sin.
  • Gospel: God sent His own Son, Jesus, to be sacrificed in payment for my sin.

Discussion Points

  1. Compare Isaac to our Lord Jesus Christ. Read 1 Corinthians 10:13. What did our heavenly Father put His Son through that He did not ask of Isaac? How did His providing of a ram to Abraham and Isaac foreshadow the Lamb of God, who took our place on the sacrificial wood of the cross?
  2. Genesis 22:1 describes the sacrifice as a test. Certainly, Abraham felt that the desire to protect his son conflicted with his desire to submit to the will of his gracious Father in heaven. This was more of a result of the real test than the test itself. What was the real test?
  3. Mount Moriah, where the sacrifice of Isaac was to take place, would later become the location for the temple. See 2 Chronicles 3:1. The ram that took the place of Isaac would be the first of hundreds of thousands of beasts to die for the sins of the Church. Skim Exodus 29:38–46 and Leviticus 5:14–19. Now read Mark 14:53, 64. Where did Jesus receive His death sentence? From whom did He receive it? The lambs and rams of Leviticus 5 were measured out in silver. With what coinage was our sacrificial ram bought?
  4. After the test, God reaffirmed His promise concerning the multitude of Abraham’s offspring. God’s promises seem to be conditional, based on Abraham’s actions. Read James 2:21–23. How does James not contradict the Christian doctrine of justification before God by faith alone? Was Abraham’s promise granted to him because of his works or his faith?
  5. Read Job 19:25–27. How does Job’s profession of faith complement Abraham’s trust in the resurrection of the Redeemer and, consequently, his belief in Isaac’s own rising on the Last Day?
  6. What does the fact that Abraham named the mountain after God’s work rather than his own signify to the future generations? How does God’s providing on this mountain relate to them now? How does it relate to us? How does it relate to your church?

You May Also Like