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From: To The Ends Of The Earth Ministries [mailto:Jeff@totheends.com]
To: heb_roots_chr@hebroots.org
Subject: The Binding of Isaac


TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH-Teaching Newsletter #3

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THE BINDING OF ISAAC
By Jeffrey J. Harrison

One of the most popular tourist sites in the Middle
East is the ancient city of Petra in Jordan.  Its name
means rock, as in a steep, rocky cliff.  The city is
well named, for it is surrounded on all sides by steep,
rocky cliffs of reddish-colored sandstone.  In places,
the rock is banded in layers that range from pink to
purple.  This in itself would make it an attraction.
But the ancient residents added to its beauty by carving
from these rocky cliffs some of the most beautifully
decorated tombs the world has ever known.  Many are
of royal proportions, extending up to a height of 40
meters and more, with the most intricate decorations,
all carved from the living rock. 

The city was already famous in the time of the New
Testament, when the apostle Paul probably visited it
during his 3 years in Arabia (Gal. 1:17).

Petra was also known as a religious center.  High up
above the cliffs were the city's high places, where
sacrifices and rituals took place on a regular basis
throughout the year.  These are some of the best preserved
of the high places of ancient times mentioned in the
Bible.  Impressive processions once wound their way
up steep steps cut in the rock to offer sacrifices
to Dhu-Sharra, the chief god of the city, whose name
means the god of Seir, one of the ancient Biblical
names for the land of Edom.

The scholars who first studied Petra in modern times
tended to romanticize the place, speaking of its inhabitants
as a noble, peaceful people.  That was until the discovery
of evidence that among the sacrifices offered on these
high places were human sacrifices.  The prevalence
of human sacrifice in the ancient world has only recently
begun to dawn on scholars.  Groups from Asia to America
to Europe to Africa are now known to have engaged in
human sacrifice, from the Celts of ancient France and
England to the ancient Chinese and Japanese.  The Maya
in South America were also once regarded by scholars
as a noble people.  That was until the discovery of
the most horrific evidence of human sacrifice and ceremonial
blood-letting.  In Asia, Mongol warriors would sometimes
eat the raw hearts or livers of their enemies to "capture
their spirits."  In India, child sacrifice was practiced
to the goddess Kali.  This list could be greatly extended.
 Human sacrifice was more the norm than the exception
around the world. 

In the lands of the Bible, Edom was not alone.  The
ancient Ammonites are also known to have killed their
children in worship.  This practice, mentioned in the
Bible, has recently been confirmed by the excavation
of an ancient temple near the airport in Amman, Jordan.
 Buried jars were found containing young human bones.
 The king of nearby Moab sacrificed his son on the
walls of the city to turn away an attack of Israelites
under King Jehoshaphat of Judah (2 Kings 3:27).  The
ancient Phoenicians, too, known as Canaanites in the
Bible, practiced human sacrifice.  Human bones have
been found at one of their temples in ancient Carthage
in Tunisia. 

But it wasn't only Israel's neighbors that engaged
in this practice.  The kings of Judah themselves made
their children "pass through the fire" (2 Kings 16:3,
17:17, 21:6, 23:10, 2 Chronicles 33:6).  When I first
heard this phrase, I assumed it meant some kind of
initiation ritual.  But in fact, it refers to child
sacrifice.  The site of this ritual in Jerusalem was
known as Topheth, a place of worship deep down in the
Gehinnom Valley, just to the south of the city (Jer.
7:31,32; 19:6,11-14).  This is one of the reasons Gehinnom
(Gehenna) became an image of eternal punishment in
the teaching of Jesus and the rabbis (Matt. 5:22,29,30;
10:28; 18:9; etc.). 

The almost universal practice of human sacrifice is
the true context of God's testing of Abraham in Genesis
22.  God's request that Abraham sacrifice his son reflected
the common practice of many in the world in which Abraham
lived. 

Wherever it occurred, human sacrifice was considered
the highest form of sacrifice, and so took place rarely,
as in the yearly sacrifice to Al-Uzza, a goddess also
worshipped at Petra.  This high regard for human sacrifice
is mentioned by the prophet Micah in the time of King
Ahaz, the king that introduced this horrible practice
to Judah:  What, the prophet asks, will gain the favor
of God (Micah 6:6-7)?  The burnt offering of calves
(a higher quality sacrifice than the ordinary sheep
and goats)?  Or better yet, the sacrifice of thousands
of rams (as King Solomon did at the beginning of his
reign)?*  What about offering thousands of "rivers"
of oil-will that gain God's favor?  Or better yet,
the sacrifice of a child:  "Should I give my first
born for my sin, the fruit of my body for the sin of
my soul?" (Micah 6:7).  The offering of a first-born
child ends the prophet's list as the most precious
possession one could ever give.  Is this what would
finally gain God's favor?  Some had begun to think
so at the time the prophet was writing.  But he answers
the question with a resounding 'No'!  "He has told
you, man, what is good; and what does the LORD require
from you, but to do justice and to love kindness, and
to walk humbly with your God" (Micah 6:8).  Sacrifices
do not impress God nearly so much as a righteous life.
 It's difficult not to hear the Prophet Samuel's rebuke
ringing in your ears:  "To obey is better than sacrifice"
(1 Samuel 15:22). 

* 1 Kings 3:4.  This took place at the "great" high
place of Gibeon, probably the site known today as Nevi
Samuel on the outskirts of Jerusalem.  Recent excavations
have brought to light a huge rock-cut installation
that may be the remains of this ancient Biblical high
place. 

But Abraham, who lived 1,000 years earlier, had no
access to all this theological wisdom.  Remember, Abraham
was the first of the nation of Israel.  Or as the rabbis
taught, he was the first convert to Judaism.  He came
from a pagan world, in which even his own family worshipped
false gods (Joshua 24:2).  He knew only that the greatest
sacrifice that could be offered to a god, and the highest
sign of faithfulness to that god, was a first-born
child offered up in sacrifice.  And it was on the basis
of this widely-held cultural belief that God chose
to test Abraham. 

In later years, it became somewhat embarassing to think
of Abraham and the other patriarchs lacking some of
the most basic insights of Mosaic religion.  So it
became popular to imagine that they knew and obeyed
the Law of Moses hundreds of years before it was given.
 The Book of Jubilees, an apocryphal writing from before
the time of the New Testament, assumed that Abraham
celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles, offered first-fruits,
and offered sacrifices with drink and grain offerings
in strict compliance with the Mosaic code.  The later
rabbis advanced similar ideas.*

*But this attempt to glorify the past led to later
problems:  Among certain heretical groups, the failings
of Abraham and the other patriarchs were considered
distortions of the Biblical text.  This led to the
view of Islam that the Old and New Testament Scriptures
have been corrupted. 

But if Abraham was really so knowledgeable in the Law
before its time, why would he even consider offering
his own son as a sacrifice, something the Law itself
forbids ("You shall not murder" Exo. 20:13).  This
puts Abraham in the disturbing position of carrying
out an order from God that he knows is wrong-as many
modern readers imagine the story.  Abraham is seen
as a wild-eyed crazy man listening to irrational voices.
 Interpretations like this have led non-religious people
to imagine Abraham-or even God himself-to be some kind
of psychopath.  Even Christians sometimes get from
the story the idea that God asks us to do wild things
that go against our better understanding.  Others are
inspired to listen for "voices" from God, convinced
that the more radical and wild the instructions they
receive, the more godly or "spiritual" the communication.
 All these are horrible distortions of the Bible's
message. 

The simple fact of the matter is that Abraham did not
know all the law that would come hundreds of years
later.  He did not know that there was anything wrong
with God's request that he sacrifice his son.  It was
the norm in the culture around him, the highest expression
of commitment you could offer to your god.  God was
dealing with Abraham according to Abraham's own level
of understanding.  But the purpose of it was to bring
Abraham to a new level of understanding, by means of
an experience that would eventually impact the entire
world. 

Genesis calls Abraham's experience a test (Gen. 22:1).
 But if human sacrifice was so widely accepted and
practiced, in what way was it a test?  Isaac was the
son of promise-the one through whom God had promised
to give Abraham many descendants.  But Isaac was still
unmarried.  If he was killed now, what would happen
to that promise?  The command and the promise of God
seemed contradictory. 

Abraham was not the last to experience this contradiction.
 It often seems inconceivable to us that doing things
God's way will result in the goal he has promised.
 But these are precisely the moments when we find out
how much we really trust that God is God, and that
He is greater than our understanding.  The New Testament
says that Abraham resolved the conflict by believing
that, if necessary, God would raise Isaac from the
dead (Heb. 11:17-19). 

Abraham saddled up his donkey and took his son, Isaac,
that God calls his only or "unique" son, to offer him
as a whole burnt offering (Gen. 22:2).  Abraham's goal,
according to tradition, was near the city of Jebus,
which later became known as Jerusalem.*  Here he prepared
to offer Isaac on the same hill where the Jewish Temple
was later built.  This is the site today marked by
the gold-topped Dome of the Rock.�

* Although the Bible itself mentions only the "land
of Moriah", and suggests an uninhabited area. 
� Tradition says that the large piece of bedrock jutting
up from the floor of the Dome is the exact spot.  The
Muslims, however, who control the property rights,
claim it was their ancestor Ishmael that Abraham prepared
to offer here-one of the corruptions they claim exists
in the Biblical text. 

When he arrived, Abraham had to build the altar for
the sacrifice (Gen. 22:9).  The altars of the Bible
have nothing in common with the tables in many churches
called "altars" today.  They were large, square piles
of stone or earth with enough room for a man or even
a cow on top.  The dimensions of altars given in the
Bible were 2� meters (7� feet) square and almost 1�
meters (4� feet) high.  That means it took a long time
to build and prepare-lots of time to think about what
he was about to do. 

When all was prepared, Isaac bound and laid on the
pile of wood on the altar, Abraham stretched out the
knife to kill his son (22:10).  But the Angel of the
Lord called to him from heaven, "Don't stretch out
your hand against the boy and don't do anything to
him; because now I know that you are God-fearing; and
you did not withhold your son, your only one, from
Me" (22:12).  Abraham passed the test.  But the lesson
was just beginning. 

For just at that moment, Abraham looked up and saw
a ram caught in the brush by its horns, the provision
of God to be offered in place of his son (22:13). 
The message was clear:  God does not require human
sacrifice, but is willing to accept a substitute instead.
 Abraham's obedience led eventually to the abolition
of child sacrifice not only in Israel, but later in
Christianity and today even in the pagan nations of
the world.  In a very real and physical way, all the
nations of the earth have been blessed because of Abraham's
obedience, as it says in verse 18:  "And all the nations
of the earth will be blessed* by your seed because
of the fact that you have listened to My voice." 

* Literally, "will bless themselves"

But what is this "seed" mentioned by the Angel of the
Lord?  Paul, using the interpretive methods of the
rabbis, says that this seed-written in the singular,
not the plural-is the Messiah (Gal. 3:16).  Notice
the details:  The son offered by the father is his
only or "unique" son, just as John 3:16 says that God
so loved the world, he gave his only or "unique" Son,
"that every one who believes in Him will not perish,
but will have eternal life."

The "thicket" in which the ram was caught around its
head refers to the tangled scrub brush that you still
see today all over the landscape of Israel.  This brush
is mostly different kinds of thorn bushes.  Jesus also
had a "crown" of thorns around his head, just before
he was offered up (Matt. 27:29).

The name of the offering, usually translated "whole
burnt offering," is more of an explanation than a translation.
 In Hebrew it's called an olah (o-LAH), which means
literally "that which goes up" or "that which ascends."
 The idea was that the sacrifice ascends in the cloud
of smoke to God.  Jesus also ascended in the cloud
to God (Acts 1:9, Daniel 7:13). 

All the elements of the Christian message are here:
 the promised seed which is the Messiah, the only-begotten
son of the father, the crown of thorns, a substitutionary
atonement-even the resurrection, in that Abraham received
back his son as from the dead (Heb. 11:19)-and the
ascension into heaven in the cloud. 

But there's more:  The Angel of the Lord spoke again
from heaven, saying that God would reward Abraham for
his obedience by blessing him with many descendants:
 "I will surely multiply your seed as the stars of
the heavens and as the sand that is on the shore of
the sea" (22:17).  That singular seed, the Messiah,
will be multiplied as the stars of the heavens.  What
is this talking about?  The body of the Messiah, as
described in Daniel 12:3:  "And those who have insight
will shine brightly like the brightness of the firmament
of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness
like the stars forever and ever."  Abraham is not only
the father of Israel, but of all those who come to
his God by faith.  As Paul says in Galatians:  "Know
then that those who are of faith, these are sons of
Abraham.  But the Scripture, foreseeing that God would
make the nations righteous by faith, announced the
gospel in advance to Abraham that, 'All the nations
will be blessed in you'" (Gal. 3:7-8).  Paul says that
God was preaching the gospel to Abraham!  And that
good news is that you, if you are a believer in Jesus,
are the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham, no matter
what nation of the world you come from.  You are one
of that number, like the stars of heaven, that the
Angel of the Lord was talking about.  You are part
of the eternal plan and destiny of mankind that God
revealed to Abraham. 

And the rest of vs. 17?  "And your seed will possess
the gate of his enemies" (Gen. 22:17).  In Matthew,
Jesus says to Peter, "On this rock I will build My
church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it"
(Matt. 16:18).  The word for "rock" here is petra,
not the Petra in Edom, but the steep, rocky cliff of
faith in Jesus.  And the gates of Hades, the place
death, is the gate of Messiah's final enemy.  As Paul
says in 1 Corinthians, "The last enemy that will be
abolished is death" (1 Cor. 15:26).  Or as Jesus himself
puts it in Revelation, "I have the keys of death and
of Hades" (1:18).  Jesus holds the key to the gates
of death, as he has proven by his resurrection.  And
his victory will be completed with the resurrection
of the dead.  "Then will come about the saying that
is written, 'O death, where is your victory? O death,
where is your sting?'" (1 Cor. 15:55 quoting Hosea
13:14). 

What an incredible revelation is contained in Abraham's
experience!  But not only was it a type of things to
come.  The one present with him and speaking these
promises to him would fulfill them:  the Angel of the
Lord who speaks as God and who is God, whom the Christian/Messianic
faith identifies as the Son of God, the arm of God,
the power of God, the radiance of God, who also took
on flesh to become Jesus the Messiah.  He is the one
by whom all these things have and will come to pass.
 

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Copyright c 2000 by To The Ends Of The Earth Ministries,
Inc.  All rights reserved. 

This is the third installment of our To The Ends Of
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