Abraham Tested - Jesus Tested
Theme: A Journey with Abraham
Theme Verse: "By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going." Hebrews 11:8 NIV
Readings: Genesis 22:1-18
Optional: Matthew 26:36-46
Memory Verse: Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." (Matthew 26:39)
This is a very painful lesson to study, but the reason Abraham is such a towering figure in the Bible is that he, like Jesus, desired God's approval and desired to do what was pleasing to God -- to follow God's agenda, not his own. Abraham knew very little about God compared to later generations and had times of failure but the core of his life was to hear God and obey as does here. Jesus says in John 5:30b, 'for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me." and in John 5:44 "How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God?"
Lorenzo Ghiberti (1378-1455) was an Italian designer, sculptor, goldsmith, architect and writer. He was Florentine and first came to prominence as winner of the 1401 competition for a set of bronze doors to the Florence Baptistry. Abraham welcomes the mysterious visitors (God); they tell him that his aged wife Sarah will bear a long-sought son. At God's command Abraham attempts to sacrifice Isaac.
God does test people but doesn't tempt although he allows it. God tested Abraham (Genesis 22:1). Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. (Matthew 4:1) "And lead us not into temptation (or hard testing)." (Matthew 6:13) "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." (James 1:2-3) When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. (James 1:13-14) The English word "tempt" has narrowed in meaning since the translation of 1616 and now usually means only to "entice". But its Biblical meaning is often to "prove" or "test". In Greek "temptation" and "testing" are the same word.
God tests people to see what is in them and to show them what is in their hearts. He doesn't do it to be mean. A teacher or a coach has to test students for the same reason. A soldier is tested under fire to see what he will do. The Bible talks about gold being tested or tried by fire 1) to see how pure it is, and 2) to burn off impurities. The devil and our fallen human nature -- ours and other people's -- tempt us to make us fall ("the world, the flesh and the devil"). God allows this to see what is in us and to strengthen us. God tests to purify and strengthen and protect us. "Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands...to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD." (Deuteronomy 8:2-3) "God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning." (Exodus 20:20) God also does this to strengthen and equip us. It is part of our training as his children, just as an athlete is strengthened by the strenuous training he goes through. "The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the LORD tests the heart." (Proverbs 17:3) "My son, if you come forward to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for a temptation…since gold is tested in fire, and chosen men in the furnace of humiliation." (Ecclesiasticus/Sirach 2:1 & 5) A word received: I tested Abraham and I will test you too. I want you to turn to me for help in the test; then your faith will grow.
Jesus was tempted by Satan to misuse his Messiah-ship. God led him into that to strengthen him for what was ahead. He was tempted/tested other times too such as the time he told Peter, "Get behind me, Satan" and in the Garden when he faced the horror of the cross and what God's call for him was. Hebrews 2:17-18 says, " For this reason he had to be made like his brothers (us) in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted." Jesus knows exactly what we are going through when we are tested or tempted and he wants us to ask him to help us.
Look at the Memory Verse. Jesus says three times in the garden, when he was asking Father God if there was any other way than through the cross, "yet not as I will, but as you will." We are not told Abraham's thoughts but they must have been similar. We only know what he did! The next morning he obeyed. A word received: That is the way it always is for those who walk in my ways, my way or their way, my will or their will. Jesus chose my ways and will, so did Abraham. I want you to choose my way and will as well.
"We worship God when we obey Him." and "Partial obedience is disobedience. Delayed obedience is disobedience." The Purpose Driven Life
We see in both Abraham and Jesus a trusting obedience. This thing God asked of Abraham seems awful and cruel (and was common among the Canaanites), but Abraham knew God's character: loving him, blessing, providing for and protecting him and his family so Abraham really trusted God to make the whole situation come out right. In Genesis 22:5 Abraham says, "we will come back".
Hebrews 11:17-19 suggests that "Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking he did…" God is not asking Abraham to do something that he himself didn't do later. "God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son…" Remember that Jesus also said, "I and the Father are one." "God was IN Christ reconciling the world to himself." (2 Corinthians 5:19) This was something that God (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) had planned "from the foundation of the world." (Revelation 13:8)
We don't know how old Isaac was, Abraham stayed in this area a long time (Genesis 21:34) and returns there (Genesis 22:9). Isaac was old enough for a three-day journey to the mountain of Moriah (verses 2 and 4) and old enough to carry the wood.
Notice that Isaac carried the wood for the sacrifice and Jesus carried his own wooden cross.
Sometimes God asks us to give him something or someone we care a lot about. Sometimes he gives it back and sometimes not. God provided a substitute for Isaac but he asked Jesus to go to the cross. Is there anything we are deliberately withholding from God (something more important to us than God)? If so, there will come a time when he asks us to give him that thing (for example, Torre's smoking and scholarship to graduate school). How has God tested you? How has he/is he testing others in our parish?
Abraham and Isaac were accustomed to worshiping God with burnt offerings and sacrifices so Isaac's question in verse 7 is natural. Abraham's answer in verse 8 is a statement of faith. A word received: This is the statement of faith of all those who come to Me. They trust that I will provide and I do. How many can you name who come to Me trusting that I will provide? (Name people from the Bible who do this.)
Human sacrifice, often of children, was common among the Canaanites. After God provided a substitute for Isaac there was to be no more human sacrifice to be allowed among the Israelites. See Leviticus 18:21. "Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molech for you must not profane the name of your God," but they did, over and over. King Solomon even built altars to those gods for his foreign wives.
The purpose of human sacrifice then and as we saw in Liberia was to force the gods you worshiped to give you what you wanted. This was one of the reasons God punished the Israelites with the Exile. What is happening in this story and with Jesus is totally different. Here Abraham was willing to give everything to God. Jesus laid down his life. Isaac didn't run.
The mountain of Moriah later became the threshing floor David bought to build an altar and later the Temple Mount. Abraham named the place (verse 14) "The Lord will provide." (See the map in the hallway.)
God stops Abraham at the last minute. Abraham has passed the test. "Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son." God gives Isaac back to Abraham and promises great blessings to Abraham and his offspring and promises again that through a descendant of Abraham (Jesus) all nations will be blessed (Genesis 22:16-18). God is glorified when he provides in a way it is clear could come no other way. God did provide a lamb, a ram for the sacrifice. Jesus however had to go through the crucifixion. John the Baptist (John 1:29) said of him, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world." Jesus bore our sins on the cross so that by faith in him we might have life.
Notice that Abraham twice responds immediately to God's call to him (Genesis 22:1 & 11) with "Here I am." He didn't hide like Adam and Eve. A word received: This is Abraham's response and this is Isaiah's response (Isaiah 6:8) and this is the response of all who desire Me and My ways. I want you to say as well, when I call you, "Here I am". (The boy Samuel was also instructed by Eli to say, "Here I am.")
Abraham remained faithful through this trial just as Jesus remained faithful through the struggle and trial in the Garden of Gethsemane when even Jesus' friends failed him. A word received: Stay faithful through your struggles by leaning on me and crying out like My Son did. Prayer: Help us Lord remain faithful to you. Help us to remember to cry out to you for help in our times of trial, temptation, and testing.
What does it mean to stay and watch with someone? Jesus' friends failed him in his hour of trial and agony. Jesus found them sleeping and said to Peter, "What? Could you not watch with me one hour?" (Matthew 26:40) A word received: I want the children and the adults to set aside time to be with Me.
"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." Jim Elliot, missionary martyr in South America
Prayer: Lord, help us to keep ever before us the wonder of your majesty, to be obedient and grateful for your plan, even though we can't see or understand it. Help us in times of trial and affliction to keep our focus on the task you set before us and trust in you as Abraham did and cry out to you as Jesus did.
Teaching Ideas for Lesson 22
Please read the Study Guide first.
Go over Memory Verse to make sure the children understand it and then if they have memorized it.
Remind them their parents need to sign a report slip monthly if they have read the lessons, so they will get credit at the end of the year.
Make sure they know what happened in the story. Get them to tell you.
Basic points of the lesson for little ones.
1. God loves all his people. He has a wonderful plan.
2. Sometimes God tests us to make us stronger.
3. When God tests us we can turn to him and ask for help.
4. When we cry out to God, He will always help and listen. God is faithful.
5. The result of God's testing us will always be good when we obey Him.
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