Read for This Week’s Study: Genesis 22, Heb. 11:17, Lev.
18:21, John 1:1–3, Rom. 5:6–8, Genesis 23–25, Rom. 4:1–12.
Memory Text: “Now Abraham was old, well advanced in age; and
the L ord had blessed Abraham in all things” (Genesis 24:1, NKJV).
F
inally, as God had promised, Sarah bore Abraham a son, “in his
old age” (Gen. 21:2), and he named the baby Isaac (see Gen.
21:1–5). But the story of Abraham is far from over, reaching a
climactic moment when he took his son to Mount Moriah to be sacri-
ficed. Isaac, however, is replaced by a ram (Gen. 22:13), which signi-
fied God’s commitment to bless the nations through his “seed” (Gen.
22:17, 18). That Seed, of course, was Jesus (Acts 13:23). Hence, in this
astonishing (and in some ways troubling) story, more of the plan of
salvation is revealed.
Whatever the deep spiritual lessons here, the family of Abraham,
nevertheless, must have been shaken by it, and the future of Abraham
is not clear. Sarah dies after the sacrifice at Moriah (Genesis 23), and
Isaac remains single.
Abraham then takes the initiative to make sure that the “right” future
will follow him. He arranges the marriage of his son to Rebekah
(Genesis 24), who will give birth to two sons (Gen. 25:21–23), and
Abraham himself marries Keturah, who will give him many children
(Gen. 25:1–6). This week, we will follow Abraham to the end of his
life (Gen. 25:7–11).