A Journey Through The Old Testament - Elmer Towns

Genesis 22 begins with the phrase wayehi ‘achar haddebarim ha’elleh translated, “Now
it came to pass after these things” (v. 1). This phrase is a summary expression referring not only
to Abraham’s past experiences, but also to his growing experience of faith. And it came to pass
after Abraham’s obedience to the call of God, after his lapse of faith characterized by reasoning
with God, after his choice of separation, after fighting the enemy of faith, after having a faith
based on Christ, after waiting patiently for the Lord, after learning the importance of symbols of
faith, after learning the relationship between communion with God and intercession for man, and
after overcoming the flesh, God still had lessons of faith to teach the man of faith.
Of the four trials of faith in Abraham’s life, this was no doubt the most severe. The
Hebrew word nimmah is a pi’el perfect intensifying the emphasis of the verb; i.e., he completely
tried or he tested thoroughly. Like its English counterpart “tempt,” the verb originally had the
same emphasis as the word test or try (cf. English “attempt”) and only later came to have its
negative connotation. God was testing to affirm Abraham’s faith rather than tempting to destroy
it. Charles Haddon Spurgeon observed the severity of this trial when he noted, “There is scarce a
single syllable of God’s address to him, in the opening of this trial, but seems intended to pierce
the patriarch to the quick.... Oh, trial of trials! Contemplative imagination and sympathetic
emotion can better depict the father’s grief than any words which it is in my power to use. I cast
a veil where I cannot paint a picture.”
There are apparently three sources of trials in Scripture. The first of these comes from
Satan and must be permitted by God. This was certainly the experience of Job. A second source
of trials is circumstances. While there is some dispute over the exact nature of Paul’s thorn in the
flesh, it probably fits into this category. The third source is God. Here Abraham was being tried
directly by God Himself. The most troublesome thing about this is that it is difficult in the midst
of the trial to discern the source or purpose of the trial. Just as Job seemed to think the attack of
Satan was from God directly, it is doubtful if Abraham could have understood the purpose of
God in this trial.
God only tests those who are closest to Him. Abraham had been following God for fifty
years when this great crisis came. In all those years, it is interesting that God never once tested
Lot in this way.
The Lord did not test Abraham to hurt him or disallow him but to approve him. Across
America there are testing companies like Underwriters’ Laboratory involved in the testing of
thousands of patented products each year. In the process of testing a product, it may be exposed
to extreme temperatures, hazardous chemicals, even fire and explosions. This severe testing
procedure is not designed to learn how to destroy the product, but rather to show how strong and
safe the product is. Similarly, the testing of God is the means whereby He measures our faith
and approves it.
God called for the sacrifice of Isaac on a mountain He would show Abraham in the land
of Moriah. The name Moriah means “shown of Jehovah” or “vision of Jehovah.” It was the
mountain which was later the temple site for Solomon’s temple (2 Chron. 3:1). When translating
this verse in the Vulgate, Jerome translated the meaning terram vissionis, “land of vision,” rather
than transliterating the name. Some commentators believe Moriah was originally a descriptive
phrase of an area and only later became a proper name.
The offering Abraham was to offer was a burnt offering of his son. The burnt offering
was one of the five major offerings in the sacrificial system of Israel and was sometimes called
the holocaust because it involved the whole sacrifice being burned on the altar. This offering is
twice emphasized in God’s instruction to Abraham (Gen. 22:2). The Hebrew `alah translated