The Faith of Abraham

[Thomas Green]

This chapter is the chronology of faith, or a record of some of the
outstanding acts which that grace has produced in all ages. The
apostle having mentioned the works wrought by the faith of those who
lived before the Flood (verses 4-7), and having spoken of the
patriarchs in general (verses 8-16), now mentions them in detail. He
begins again with that of Abraham, who in this glorious constellation
shines forth as a star of the first magnitude, and therefore is
fittingly styled the father of the faithful. Three principal products
of his faith are here singled out: his leaving the land of his birth,
upon the call of God (verse 8); the manner of his life in Canaan,
sojourning in tents (v. 9); and his offering up of Isaac. The first
pictures conversion, the second the Christian’s life in this world,
the third the triumphant consummation of faith.

Among all the actings of Abraham’s faith nothing was more remarkable
and noteworthy than the offering up of his son Isaac. Not only was it
the most wonderful work of faith ever wrought, and therefore is the
most illustrious of all examples for us to follow (the life and death
of Christ alone excepted), but it also supplies the most blessed
shadowing out of the love of God the Father in the gift of His dear
Son. The resemblances pointed by the type are numerous and striking.
Abraham offered up a son, his only begotten son. Abraham delivered up
his son to a sacrificial death, and, in purpose, smote him. But
observe too how the antitype excelled the type. Abraham’s son was only
a man. Abraham offered up Isaac under Divine command: God was under no
constraint, but gave Christ freely. Abraham’s son suffered not; Christ
did.

Let it not be forgotten that the chief design before the apostle
throughout this chapter, was to demonstrate unto his tried brethren
the great efficacy of faith: its power to sustain a very great trial,
to perform a very difficult duty, and to obtain a very important
blessing. Unmistakably were these three things illustrated in the case
we are now to consider. As we have already seen, it was not without
good reason that Abraham is designated the father of all who believe.
But among all the actings of his faith none was more memorable than
its exercise upon Mount Moriah. If we consider the object of it, the
occasion of it, the hindrances which stood in his way, and his blessed
victory, we cannot but admire and wonder at the power of Divine grace
triumphing over the weakness of the flesh.

"By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that
had received the promises offered up his only begotten son" (verse
17). For a clearer understanding of this verse we need to consult
Genesis 22: there we read, "And it came to pass after these things,
that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said,
Behold, here I am. And He said, Take now thy son, thine only son
Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and
offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I
will tell thee of" (verses 1, 2). The whole of what follows in Genesis
22, to the end of verse 19, should be carefully read. Before
attempting to expound our present verse and make application to
ourselves of its practical teachings, let us seek to remove one or two
difficulties which may stand in the way of the thoughtful reader.

First, "By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac." The
word "offered up" is the same that is used for slaying and offering up
sacrifices. Here then is the problem: how could Abraham "offer up" his
son by faith, seeing that it was against both the law of nature and
the law of God for a man to slay his own son? Genesis 22:2, however,
shows that his faith had a sure foundation to rest upon, for the Lord
Himself had commanded him so to do. But this only appears to remove
the difficulty one stage farther back: God Himself had laid it down as
a law that "whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be
shed" (Gen. 9:6). True, but though His creatures are bound by the laws
He has prescribed them, God Himself is not.

God is under no law, but is absolute Sovereign. Moreover, He is the
Lord of life, both Giver and Preserver of it, and therefore has He an
indisputable right to dispose of it, to take it away when He pleases,
by what means or instruments He sees fit. God possesses supreme
authority, and when He pleases sets aside His own laws, or issues new
ones contrary to those given previously. By His own imperial fiat,
Jehovah now, by special and extraordinary command, constituted it a
duty for Abraham to do what before had been a sin. In similar manner,
He who gave commandment "thou shalt not make unto thee any graven
image or any likeness" (Ex. 20:4), ordered Moses to make a brazen
serpent (Num. 21:8)! Learn, then, that God is bound by no law, being
above all law.

Second, but how could it be truly said that Abraham "offered up
Isaac," seeing that he did not actually slay him? In regard to his
willingness, in regard to his set purpose, and in regard to God’s
acceptance of the will for the deed, he did do so. There was no
reserve in his heart, and there was no failure in his honest
endeavors. He took the three days’ journey to the appointed place of
sacrifice; he bound Isaac unto the altar, and took the knife into his
hand to slay him. And God accepted the will for the deed. This
exemplifies a most important principle in connection with God’s
acceptance of the Christian’s obedience. The terms of His law have not
been lowered: God still requires of us personal, perpetual, and
perfect obedience. But this we are unable to render to Him while in
our present state. And so, for Christ’s sake, where the heart (at
which God ever looks) truly desires to fully please Him in all things,
and makes an honest and sincere effort to do so, God graciously
accepts the will for the deed. Carefully ponder 2 Corinthians 8:12
which illustrates the same blessed fact, and note the word "willing"
in Hebrews 13:18!

Third, the statement made in Genesis 22:1, "God did tempt Abraham,’’
or as our text says, "when he was tried," for that is exactly what
both the original Hebrew and Greek word signifies: to make trial of.
"It is an act of God whereby He proveth and makes experience of the
loyalty and obedience of His servants" (W. Perkins). And this not for
His own information (for He "knoweth our thoughts afar off"), but for
their own knowledge and that of their fellows. Christ put the rich
young ruler to the proof when He said, "Go, sell that thou hast, and
give to the poor" (Matthew 19:21). So too He made trial of the
Canaanitish woman when He said, "It is not meet to take the children’s
bread and to cast it to the dogs" (Matthew 15:26).

"By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac." In order to
understand and appreciate the fact that it was "by faith" Abraham
offered up Isaac, we must examine more closely the nature of that test
to which the Lord submitted the one whom He condescended to call his
"friend." In bidding him to sacrifice his beloved son, that ordeal
combined in it various and distinct features: it was a testing of his
submission or loyalty to God; it was a testing of his affections, as
to whom he really loved the more: God or Isaac; it was a testing of
which was the stronger within him: grace or sin; but supremely, it was
a testing of his faith.

Carnal writers see in this incident little more than a severe trial of
Abraham’s natural affections. It cannot be otherwise, for water never
rises above its own level; and carnal men are incapable of discerning
spiritual things. But it is to be carefully noted that Hebrews 11:17
does not say, "In submission to God’s holy will, Abraham offered up
Isaac," though that was true; nor "out of supreme love for God he
offered his son," though that was also the case. Instead, the Holy
Spirit declares that it was "by faith" that the patriarch acted,
declaring that "he that had received the promises offered up his only
begotten son." Most of the modern commentators, filled with fleshly
sentiment rather than with the Holy Spirit, completely miss this
point, which is the central beauty of our verse. Let us seek then to
attend unto it the more particularly.

In calling upon Abraham to sacrifice his son as a burnt offering, the
Lord submitted his faith to a fiery ordeal. How so? Because God’s
promises to Abraham concerning his "seed" centered in Isaac, and in
bidding him slay his only son, He appeared to contradict Himself.
Ishmael had been cast out, and Isaac’s posterity alone was to be
reckoned to Abraham as the blessed seed among whom God would have His
church. Isaac had been given to Abraham after he had long gone
childless and when Sarah’s womb was dead, therefore there was no
likelihood of his having any more sons by her. At the time, Isaac
himself was childless, and to kill him looked like cutting off all his
hopes. How then could Abraham reconcile the Divine command with the
Divine promise? To sacrifice his son and heir was not only contrary to
his natural affections, but opposed to carnal reason as well.

In like manner God tests the faith of His people today. He calls upon
them to perform the acts of obedience which are contrary to their
natural affections and which are opposed to carnal reason. "If any man
will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and
follow Me" (Matthew 16:24). How many a Christian has had his or her
affections drawn out toward a non-Christian, and then has come to them
that piercing word, "Be ye not unequally yoked together with
unbelievers" (2 Cor. 6:14)! How many a child of God has had his
membership in a "church" where he saw that Christ was dishonored; to
heed that Divine command, "Wherefore come out from among them, and be
ye separate, saith the Lord" (2 Cor. 6:17) entailed leaving behind
those near and dear in the flesh; but the call of God could not be
disregarded, no matter how painful obedience to it might be.

But when are we put to such a trial as to offer up our Isaac? To this
question the Puritan Manton returned a threefold answer. First, in the
case of submission to the strokes of providence, when near relations
are taken away from us. God knows how to strike us in the right vein;
there will be the greatest trial where our love is set. Second, in
case of self-denial, forsaking our choicest interests for a good
conscience. We must not only part with mean things, but such as we
prize above anything in the world. When God requires it (as He did
with the writer) that we should forsake father and mother, we must not
demur; nay, our lives should not be dear unto us (Acts 20:24). Third,
in mortifying our bosom lust: this is what is signified by cutting off
a "right hand" or plucking out a "right eye" (Matthew 5:29, 30).

Let us notice the time when Abraham was thus tested. The Holy Spirit
has emphasized this in Genesis 22:1 by saying, "And it came to pass
after these things, that God did tempt Abraham." A double reference
seems to be made in these words. First, a general one to all the
preceding trials which Abraham had endured -- his journey to Canaan,
his sojourning there in tents, the long, long wait for the promised
heir. Now that he had passed through a great fight of afflictions, he
is called upon to suffer a yet severer test. Ah, God educates His
children little by little: as they grow in grace harder tasks are
assigned them, and deeper waters are called upon to be passed through,
that enlarged opportunities may be afforded for manifesting their
increased faith in God. It is not the raw recruit, but the scarred
veteran, who is assigned a place in the front ranks in the battle.
Think it not strange then, fellow-Christian, if thy God is now
appointing thee severer tests than He did some years ago.

Second, a more specific reference is made in Genesis 22:1 to what is
recorded in the previous chapter: the miraculous birth of Isaac, the
great feast that Abraham made, when he was weaned (verse 8), and the
casting out of Ishmael (verse 14). The cup of the patriarch’s joy was
now full. His outlook seemed most promising: not a cloud appeared on
the horizon. Yet it was then, like a heavy clap of thunder out of a
clear sky, that the most trying test of all came upon him! Yes, and so
it was just after God had pronounced Job "a perfect man and an
upright" that He delivered all that he had into Satan’s hands (Job
1:8, 12). So too it was when Paul had been rapt to the third heaven,
when he received such "abundance of revelations,’’ that there was
given him "a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet
him" (2 Cor. 12:1-7).

How we need to seek grace that we may be enabled to hold every thing
down here with a light hand. Rightly did an old writer say, "Build not
thy nest on any earthly tree, for the whole forest is doomed to be cut
down." It is not only for God’s glory, but for our own good, that we
set our affections upon "things above." And in view of what has just
been before us, how necessary it is that we should expect and seek in
advance to be prepared for severe trials. Are we not bidden to "hear
for the time to come" (Isa. 42:23)? The more we calmly anticipate
future trials, the less likely are we to be staggered and overcome by
them when they arrive: "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the
fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened
unto you" (1 Pet. 4:12).

Having observed the time when Abraham was tested, let us now consider
the severity of his trial. First the act itself. Abraham was ordered
to slay, not all his bullocks and herds, but a human being; and that
not one of his faithful servants, but his beloved son. Abraham was
bidden, not to banish from home or send him out of Canaan, but to cut
him off out of the land of the living. He was commanded to do a thing
for which no reason could be assigned save the authority of Him who
gave the command. He was bidden to do that which was most abhorrent to
natural feeling. He must not only consent unto the death of his dear
Isaac, but himself be his executioner. He was to slay one who was
guilty of no crime, but who (according to the Divine record) was an
unusually dutiful, loving, and obedient child. Was ever such a demand
made upon a human creature before or since!

Second, consider the offerer. In our text he is presented in a
particular character: "he that had received the promises," which is
the key clause to the verse. God had declared unto Abraham that He
would establish an everlasting covenant with Isaac and with his seed
after him (Gen. 17:9). Isaac, and none other, was the "seed" by whose
posterity Canaan should be possessed (Gen. 12:7). It was through him
that all nations should be blessed (Gen. 17:7), and therefore it must
be through him that Christ, according to the flesh, would proceed.
These promises Abraham had "received": he had given credit for them,
firmly believed them, fully expected their performance. Now the
accomplishment of those promises depended upon the preservation of
Isaac’s life—at least until he had a son; and to sacrifice him now,
appeared to render them all null and void, making their fulfillment
impossible.

"He that had received the promises" — "which noteth not only the
revelation of the promises, concerning a numerous issue, and the
Messiah to come of his loins, but the entertaining of them and cordial
assent to them. He received them not only a private believer, but as a
feoffee in trust for the use of the church. In the first ages of the
world God had some eminent persons who received a revelation of His
will in the name of the rest. This was Abraham’s case, and he is here
viewed not only as a father, a loving father, but as one who had
received the promises as a public person, and father of the faithful—
the person whom God had chosen in whom to deposit the promises" (T.
Manton). Herein lay the spiritual acuteness of the trial: would he not
in slaying Isaac be faithless to his trust? would he not by his own
act place the gravestone on all hope for the fulfillment of such
promises?

Forcibly did Matthew Henry, when commenting upon the time at which
Abraham received this trying command from God, say, "After he had
received the promises that this Isaac should build up his family, and
that ‘in him his seed should be called’ (Heb. 11:18), and that he
should be one of the progenitors of the Messiah, and all nations
blessed in Him; so that in being called to offer up his Isaac, he
seemed to be called to destroy and cut off his own family, to cancel
the promises of God, to prevent the coming of Christ, to destroy the
whole truth, to sacrifice his own soul and his hope of salvation, to
cut off the church of God at one blow; a most terrible trial!" If
Isaac were slain, then all seemed to be lost.

It may be asked, But why should God thus try the faith of the
patriarch? For Abraham’s own sake that he might the better know the
efficacy of that grace which God had bestowed upon him. As the
suspending of a heavy weight upon a chain reveals either its weakness
or its strength, so God places His people in varied circumstances
which manifest that state of their hearts—whether or no their trust be
really in Him. The Lord tried Hezekiah to show unto him his frailty (2
Chron. 32:31); he tried Job to show that though He slew him yet would
he trust in God. Second, for the sake of others, that Abraham might be
an example to them. God had called him to be the father of the
faithful, and therefore would He show unto all generations of his
children what grace He had conferred upon him—what a worthy "father"
or pattern he was (condensed from W. Gouge).

In like manner, God tries His people today and puts to the proof the
grace which He has communicated to their hearts: this, both for His
own glory, and for their own comfort. The Lord is determined to make
it manifest that He has on earth a people who will forsake any comfort
and endure any misery rather than forego their plain duty; who love
Him better than their own lives, and who are prepared to trust Him in
the dark. So too we are the gainers, for we never have clearer proof
of the reality of grace than when we are under sore trials. "Knowing
that tribulation worketh patience, and patience experience, and
experience hope" (Rom. 5:3, 4). As another has said, "By knocking upon
the vessel we see whether it is full or empty, cracked or sound, so by
these knocks of providence we are discovered."

Rightly did John Owen point out, "Trials are the only touchstone of
faith, without which men must want (lack) the best evidence of its
sincerity and efficacy, and the best way of testifying it unto others.
Wherefore we ought not to be afraid of trials, because of the
admirable advantages of faith, in and by them." Yea, the Word of God
goes farther, and bids us, "Count it all joy when ye fall into divers
temptations" or "trials," declaring "that the trying of your faith
worketh patience; but let patience have her perfect work, that ye may
be perfect and entire, wanting nothing" (James 1:2-4). So too, "Though
now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold
temptations (or "trials") that the trial of your faith, being much
more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with
fire, might be found unto praise and honor, and glory at the appearing
of Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 1:6, 7).

In conclusion, let us observe how Abraham conducted himself under this
sore trial: "he that had received the promises offered up his only
begotten son." Many instructive details concerning this are recorded
in Genesis 22. There it will be found that Abraham consulted not with
Sarah—why should he, when he already knew God’s will on the matter!
Nor was there any disputing with God, as to the apparently flagrant
disprepancy between His present command and His previous promises. Nor
was there any delay: "And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and
saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his
son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went
unto the place of which God had told him" (Gen. 22:3). And how is his
unparalleled action to be accounted for? From what super-fleshly
principle did it spring? A single word gives the answer: FAITH. Not a
theoretical faith, not a mere head-knowledge of God, but a real,
living, spiritual, triumphant, faith.

"By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac." By faith in
the Divine justice and wisdom behind the command so to act. By faith
in the veracity and faithfulness of God to make good His own promises.
Fully assured that God was able to fulfill His word, Abraham closed
his eyes to all difficulties, and steadfastly counted upon the power
of Him that cannot lie. This is the very nature or character of a
spiritual faith: it persuades the soul of God’s absolute supremacy,
unerring wisdom, unchanging righteousness, infinite love, almighty
power. In other words, it rests upon the character of the living God,
and trusts Him in the face of every obstacle. Spiritual faith makes
its favored possessor judge that the greatest suffering is better than
the least sin; yea, it unhesitatingly avows "Thy loving kindness is
better than life" (Ps. 63:3).

We must leave for our next article the consideration of the remainder
of our passage. But in view of what has already been before us, is not
both writer and reader constrained to cry unto God, "Lord, have mercy
upon reel Pardon my vile unbelief, and graciously subdue its awful
power. Be pleased, for Christ’s sake, to work in me that spiritual and
supernatural faith which will honor Thee and bear fruits to Thy glory.
And if Thou hast, in Thy discriminating grace, already communicated to
me this precious, precious gift, then graciously deign to strengthen
it by the power of Thy Holy Spirit; call it forth into more frequent
exercise and action. Amen."