Daily Scripture Reading Genesis 22:1-24

Many churches get together on Sunday morning. Most church leaders work hard to make that gathering fun, enjoyable, pleasant, and something that people will desire to attend. They call those gatherings “worship”.

In today’s passage we will see an example of worship which illustrates the Biblical concept of worship. We will learn that the church services of the 21st century that are called worship services do not meet the Biblical definition of worship.

Gen. 22:1 ¶ Now it happened after these things, that God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”

Notice the word “tested”. The author of Genesis wants you and I to know that God was testing Abraham, but it does not appear Abraham knew he was being tested.

Gen. 22:2 Then He said, “Take now your son, your only one, whom you love, Isaac, and go forth to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.”

Moriah is only mentioned twice in the Old Testament. It is mentioned in this verse and in 2Chron 3:1 which tells us Solomon built the temple on Mount Moriah. Abraham was told to offer Isaac on the mountain at Jerusalem which would eventually become the home of the temple.

Gen. 22:3 So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son; and he split wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.

Gen. 22:4 On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from a distance.

This verse tells us Abraham saw their destination on the third day. The first day was the day Yahweh told Abraham to go make the sacrifice. The second day was the day Abraham rose early and started traveling. The last verse of chapter 21 indicates Abraham was living in the land of the Philistines when Yahweh told Abraham to offer Isaac.

It is about 45 miles from Philistia to Jerusalem. At 30 miles per day, it would have taken them two days of traveling to get to their destination. Thus, they got close enough to see their destination on the third day.

Gen. 22:5 And Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there; and we will worship, and we will return to you.”

The Hebrew word that is translated “return” is in the plural form, indicating Abraham’s belief that both he and Isaac would return.

Take note of the word “worship”. Abraham said he was about to perform an act of worship. The word “worship” is a translation of the Hebrew word “chavah”. That is the same Hebrew word God used in the ten commandments when he told the Israelites not to worship idols.

Think about this from Abraham’s perspective. Did Abraham want to do what he was about to do? Did he want to go worship? Did he expect it to be a joyful experience? Was he looking forward to something that would be pleasant and uplifting? Was he excited to go do this?

The answer to those questions is no. Abraham did not want to go sacrifice Isaac, nor was he under any illusion that his act of worship would be fun or pleasant in any way.

Today, many churches get together on Sunday morning. Many church leaders work hard to make that gathering fun, enjoyable, pleasant, and something that people will desire to attend. They call those gatherings “worship”.

However, true worship happens when humans submit themselves to God, and do something they do not naturally want to do, something that is hard, painful, or unpleasant. True worship involves denying ourselves and doing something that demonstrates our allegiance and servitude to God.

Gen. 22:6 Then Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and put it on Isaac his son, and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together.

Gen. 22:7 ¶ Then Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” And he said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

Gen. 22:8 And Abraham said, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together.

Abraham believed both he and Isaac would return, so he believed Yahweh would provide the sacrifice.

Gen. 22:9 ¶ Then they came to the place of which God had told him; and Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood and bound his son Isaac and put him on the altar, on top of the wood.

It is hard to comprehend what was going through Isaac’s mind at this point. Human sacrifice was somewhat common in ancient cultures, and Isaac may have seen it happen, so perhaps this was not as shocking to him as it is to us.

Gen. 22:10 And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.

Gen. 22:11 But the angel of Yahweh called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”

Gen. 22:12 And He said, “Do not stretch out your hand against the boy, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only one, from Me.”

Look at the word “fear”. Abraham did not want to offer his son Isaac. However, he was afraid to disobey Yahweh, so he did what Yahweh told him to do, even though it would have been very painful to do what he was doing.

Gen. 22:13 Then Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, there was a ram after it had been caught in the thicket by its horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up for a burnt offering in the place of his son.

Yahweh did indeed provide a sacrifice.

Gen. 22:14 And Abraham called the name of that place Yahweh Will Provide, as it is said this day, “In the mount of Yahweh it will be provided.”

Gen. 22:15 ¶ Then the angel of Yahweh called to Abraham a second time from heaven,

Gen. 22:16 and said, “By Myself I have sworn, declares Yahweh, because you have done this thing and have not spared your son, your only one,

Gen. 22:17 indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of his enemies.

Gen. 22:18 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have listened to My voice.”

Gen. 22:19 So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and walked together to Beersheba; and Abraham lived at Beersheba.

Gen. 22:20 ¶ Now it happened after these things, that it was told to Abraham, saying, “Behold, Milcah also has borne children to your brother Nahor:

Gen. 22:21 Uz his firstborn and Buz his brother and Kemuel the father of Aram

Gen. 22:22 and Chesed and Hazo and Pildash and Jidlaph and Bethuel.”

Gen. 22:23 And Bethuel was the father of Rebekah. These eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham’s brother.

Gen. 22:24 And his concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore Tebah and Gaham and Tahash and Maacah.

When Yahweh told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, Abraham knew he was being called to perform an act of worship. Abraham did not want to go sacrifice Isaac, nor was he under any illusion that his act of worship would be fun or pleasant in any way.

Today, most church leaders work hard to make their Sunday morning gatherings fun, enjoyable, pleasant, and something that people will desire to attend. They call those gatherings “worship”.

However, true worship happens when humans submit themselves to God, and do something they do not naturally want to do, something that is hard, painful, or unpleasant. True worship involves denying ourselves and doing something that demonstrates our allegiance and servitude to God. Many Sunday morning church services do not qualify as true worship.

How does today’s passage change your concept of true worship?

To what extent does your church work hard to make your Sunday gatherings pleasant, fun, and desirable, meaning they are the opposite of true worship?

What is an act of self-denial you can perform that would be a true act of worship?

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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”