Jan 7 (Genesis 20-22)

Genesis 20

(v.2) Abraham is not telling all the truth again, and has Sarah tell Abimelech that she's his sister. Of course, we need to tell our kids that being deceitful is not good and proper, but we also can point out that God uses our failings for His purposes.

(v.7) I find it interesting that God calls Abraham a prophet here. We don't usually think of Abraham as a prophet, but perhaps God says this soley upon what He will do with Abraham and his son Isaac.

Genesis 21

(v.12) No matter what Islam or any other cult says, the promise from God to Abraham, passed down to his son Isaac, not Ishmael. But we also see that God is compassionate, and He promised to bless the descendants of Ishmael because of Abraham.

Genesis 22

This is one of my favorite chapters in Genesis! There are so many important aspects to what God has Abraham do. I stress the following with my kids:

(v.2) I like to point out that God referred to Isaac as Abraham's "only son" to whom Abraham loves. Of course, Abraham loved Ishmael as well, but we see here that God only focused on the son whom He would pass the covenant with. Interestingly, this is the first time the word "love" is mentioned in the Bible. There is a study method for the Bible that uses the "Law of First Mention" because when something is first mentioned, it sets a pattern and rule for the rest of the Word.

So here we have the first mention of love, and it has to do with a father and a son. Keep this in mind for later!

(v.4) As a father, it's hard for me to picture God commanding me to sacrifice my child...but Abraham obeyed without question...this is the epitome of faith. Continuing on with the typology, notice that it took three days to get to the mountain. It is very likely that Abraham considered his son to be dead at the time of God's command, and we see that three days later, his son is alive again...I ask my kids, "Does this sounds familiar?"

(v.8) This is a powerful verse, but it is often mistranslated in many versions. According to the King James version (which is the most accurate to the original texts), God says to Abraham:

"My son, God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt offering..."

This is why a few chapters ago, God told Abimelech that Abraham is a prophet...like Jonah sometime later, both of them acted out prophecy instead of speaking prophecy.

This mountain, where Abraham was to offer his "only son" is called Mount Moriah...centuries later, another Father will offer His Son on the very same spot...then called Golgatha or Calvary!!!

(v.19) Sometimes when things are not documented, we can glean something hidden or deeper. Here, only Abraham is mentioned going down the mountain to his servants...not Isaac. When we look at chapter 24, this will make more sense and give us a picture of Christ with His Bride!

NOTE: We are taught and it's just natural to view Isaac as a child when Abraham takes him to the mount for the sacrifice, but actually Isaac was over 30 years old!!!