The Testing of Abraham

A brief analysis of Genesis 22:1-19

Hello friends! You’re reading Peregrino, a newsletter about the journey. In case I haven’t mentioned it, back in August, I was accepted into the “Adult Faith Formation and Parish Leadership” program at the Kino Catechetical Institute. I’m currently taking an introductory class on the Old Testament, and I have written about the Protoevangelium and Noah’s Ark in previous editions. These have been class assignments that our instructor wants us to start thinking about ourselves as catechists, being that echo that proclaims the good news.

And so, today is no different. Here’s a brief analysis of The Testing of Abraham from Genesis 22:1-19. Let’s get right into it.

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“The Sacrifice of Isaac” by Caravaggio

Abraham’s response

I’ll start by noting that when God calls Abraham, his response is immediate, and he replies by saying: “Here I am!” How different would our lives be if we heard God's calling and promptly responded?

Your only one, whom you love

Abraham is to take Isaac, his only son, whom he loves, as an offering to God. Isaac prefigures Jesus because he is the only son of his earthly father, who loves him.

A three-day journey

Abraham gathers wood for the offering, saddles his doney, and with Isaac and two of his servants, they begin their journey. “On the third day, Abraham caught sight of the place from a distance.” These three days prefigure the death and resurrection of Christ, even though Isaac didn’t die and came back from the dead. One could argue that Abraham’s heart was heavy, knowing that his son was dead once God asked for him, and he got Isaac back on the third day.

The Land of Moriah

They get to the land of Moriah, which one day would become Jerusalem—the mount where the sacrifice would take place is where Solomon built the Temple.

Isaac carries the wood

Abraham puts the wood for the burnt offering on Isaac’s back while he carries the fire and the knife. This prefigures Jesus carrying his cross up to Calvary, just like Isaac would carry the wood where he would be sacrificed up a mountain.

How old was Isaac?

Abraham refers to Isaac as “the boy,” we know that Isaac was strong enough to carry enough wood to build an altar up a mountain, and he didn’t talk like a child to Abraham. You’re probably wondering, how old was Isaac? Genesis 17:17 tells us that Sarah was ninety years old when God told Abraham she would conceive Isaac and Genesis 23:1–2 says she died at the age of 127, so he couldn’t be older than thirty-seven years old. I also found that first-century Jewish historian Josephus said, “Now Isaac was twenty-five years old” (The Antiquities of the Jews, 1.13.2). So, between twenty-five and thirty-seven years old.

Where is the sheep?

When Issac asks his father about the sheep for the offering, Abraham responds, “God will provide the sheep.” In John 1:36, John the Baptist says, “Behold the Lamb of God,” referring to Jesus, and in the book of Revelation, Jesus called the Lamb no less than twenty-eight times.

Abraham bounds Isaac up

In Genesis 22:9, we read that Abraham bounds Isaac and puts him on top of the wood on the altar. Isaac willingly cooperated with Abraham, his earthly father, and by extension with his Heavenly Father.

Fear of God

As Abraham takes the knife to sacrifice his son, the angel of God tells Abraham not to lay his hand on the boy. Abraham then looks up to find the ram caught in the thicket, which was offered in place of Isaac.

One thing that caught my attention was that the angel of God knows that Abraham has fear of God, one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. Fear of the Lord understood as a desire not to offend Him and the certainty that He will give us the grace necessary to keep from doing so. 

God’s promise

Then, the angel of the Lord tells Abraham that because he acted as he did in not withholding from God his son, his only one, He will bless him and make his descendants as countless as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore...and in his descendants, all the nations of the earth will find blessing, because Abraham obeyed His command.