What to Do When You Are Tested by God – Genesis 21:1-21, 22:1-19
21 Jehovah came to Sarah as he had said, and Jehovah did for Sarah what he had promised. (2) So Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the appointed time of which God had told him. (3) Abraham named the son that was born to him—the son whom Sarah bore to him—Isaac. (4) When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, just as God had commanded him. (5) Now Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. (6) And Sarah said, God has made me laugh. Every one who hears of this will laugh with me. (7) Also she said, Who could have told Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age. (8) The child grew and was weaned. And on the day that Isaac was weaned Abraham made a great feast.
(9) Now Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, the son whom she had borne to Abraham, mocking Isaac. (10) Therefore she said to Abraham, Get rid of this maidservant and her son; for the son of this maidservant shall not be heir with my son, Isaac. (11) Now this matter was very distressful to Abraham because it concerned his son. (12) But God said to Abraham, Do not let this matter concerning the boy and your maidservant be distressful to you. Listen to all that Sarah says to you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring shall be counted. (13) I will also make the maidservant’s son into a nation, because he is your offspring.
(14) So Abraham got up early in the morning; he took some bread and a bottle of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder. Then he gave her the child and sent her away. She left and wandered in the wilderness of Beer-sheba. (15) When the water in the bottle was gone, she put the child under one of the bushes. (16) Then she went and sat down a good distance away from him—about the distance of a bowshot—for she said, Let me not see the child die. So she sat at a distance from him, crying out and weeping. (17) And God heard the boy crying. And the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven and said to her, What is the matter, Hagar? Fear not; for God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. (18) Get up, lift up the boy, and hold him in your arms; for I will make of him a great nation. (19) Then God opened her eyes and she saw a spring of water. Then she went and filled the bottle with water and gave the boy a drink. (20) God was with the boy, and he grew. The boy lived in the wilderness, and when he grew up he became an archer. (21) While he was living in the wilderness of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from the land of Egypt…
22 After these things God tested Abraham. He said to him, Abraham. And Abraham replied, Here I am. (2) And God said, Now take your son, your only son, the son whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah. Offer him there as a burnt offering upon one of the mountains of which I will tell you.
(3) So Abraham got up early in the morning and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and Isaac his son. Then he cut the wood for the burnt offering and departed, journeying to the place of which God had told him. (4) On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. (5) Abraham said to his servants, Stay here with the donkey, while I and the boy go over there; we will worship, and then we shall return to you. (6) Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and laid it upon Isaac his son; in his hand he carried the flint for making the fire and the knife. Then both of them went together. (7) Isaac spoke to Abraham his father, saying, My father. And he said, What do you want, my son? And he said, Here is the flint for making the fire and here is the wood; but where is the lamb for the burnt offering? (8) And Abraham said, God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son. So the two of them continued their journey. (9) Then they came to the place of which God had told him. There Abraham built the altar, and arranged the wood upon it. Then he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. (10) Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.
(11) But the angel of Jehovah called to him out of heaven and said, Abraham, Abraham. And Abraham said, Here I am. (12) Then he said, Do not lay your hand upon the boy, neither do any harm to him; for now I know that you fear God, seeing that you have not held back your son, your only son, from me. (13) And Abraham looked up and saw that behind him there was a ram caught by his horns in the underbrush. Abraham went over and took the ram, and offered him up as a burnt offering instead of his son. (14) Abraham named that place Jehovah Jireh* To this day it is said, On the mountain of Jehovah it shall be provided.
(15) Then the angel of Jehovah called to Abraham out of heaven a second time (16) and said, I have sworn by myself, declares Jehovah, because you have done this thing—you have not held back your son, your only son, (17) I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of the heavens and as the sand of the seashore. Your offspring shall take possession of the city of his enemies. (18) By your offspring shall all the nations of the world be blessed. I solemnly pledge to you these things because you have obeyed my voice. (19) So Abraham returned to his servants, and together they departed and went back to Beer-sheba. And Abraham stayed at Beer-sheba.
*That is to say, “Jehovah will provide”
Now proceed to the next section of this study, entitled, Exploring the Passage.
