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God spoke to Abraham in Genesis 17:19

Your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.

But before Isaac had produced any descendant, God commanded Abraham in Genesis 22:2

Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.

How did Abraham reconcile these two sayings from God?

2 Answers2

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This is explained in Hebrews: he reckoned God would raise him from the dead.

Heb 11.17-19

By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.

Robert
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  • Was about to say the same thing with the same quote. – Perry Webb Jul 11 '21 at 20:31
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    Good answer. +1 – alb Jul 11 '21 at 21:21
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    Agreed - good quote and great answer. I would have said the same thing. +1. – Dottard Jul 11 '21 at 22:25
  • Worth noting that Isaac was supposedly a grown man when this happened. I think that Josephus said his age was 25, although I don't know exactly where. The whole real life narrative is very different from the way this is often depicted in Sunday school and cartoons. – Panzercrisis Jul 12 '21 at 11:37
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One of my favorite passages reads as following

“In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭4:18-21‬ ‭

Abraham had faith that God did not lie

As already mentioned Abraham considered that God would bring Isaac back from the ashes

“By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.” ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭11:17-19‬ ‭

Abraham wasn’t concerned about the how God will fulfill His end of the covenant, Abraham was concerned about obeying God which was his end of the covenant. He trusted God on his end and left all the other details to Him.

Nihil Sine Deo
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  • The simple answer and a big problem with Genesis 22:2 is that Isaac was not his only son. Not sure how authors of Hebrews or Romans would know what Abraham was thinking. No evidence from OT – another theory Jul 13 '21 at 09:55
  • @another Abraham had only ONE son born of the promise of God by miraculous means. “But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise.” ‭‭Galatians‬ ‭4:23‬ – Nihil Sine Deo Jul 13 '21 at 14:34
  • @ Nihil Sine Deo - How would Paul know? at the time they only had reference to OT, there is no such reference. This is another one of Pauls gospels. see link https://hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/a/62413/33268 - Arguably if Isaac was a miracle baby and not from Abrahams sperm, than he is just as much a son of God / God as Jesus. One by a virgin & the other was barren. Also G 22:2 has been translated incorrectly - should read 'begotten son' – another theory Jul 15 '21 at 09:05
  • What are you talking about @another. It was a miracle in the sense that Sarah had never had children all her life, was deemed barren, was also past the age of child bearing therefore in menopause, and God promised by this time next year you shall be holding a child, that is from Abraham and Sarah’s. Your argument sounds as though you don’t read the Bible, at least not carefully. – Nihil Sine Deo Jul 15 '21 at 12:13
  • You seem to have missed my points. 1) The link talks about the right of Ishmael, first born - Abraham was married to Hagar, nothing new having more than 1 wife. 2) If Isaac miraculous birth (which I agree) what difference to Jesus birth, should he not be equivalent to Jesus (especially the true translation of G 22:2 is 'begotten son'? 3) How can Paul know apart from refer to OT, where in the OT does it mention anything like this? 4) he was not his only son, no matter how you try and explain it. happy to go to chat if you want. – another theory Jul 15 '21 at 12:45
  • @another I ought to remind you that God says it’s Abraham’s only son. I ought also remind you that he sent away Ismael, basically disowned both he and his mother. A husband can’t send his wife to the curb unless he is disowning her and her child. – Nihil Sine Deo Aug 24 '22 at 03:02
  • @ Nihil sine Deo - God doesn't say only son - the *scriber* say this - obviously wrong or does God not know he has another son? even if not married, still his son. There are enough stories in the bible about all sorts of relationships - still identified as Sons & daughters. God tells Abraham to send her away - Also promises to make Ishmael's decedents a great nation - https://hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/a/74455/33268 – another theory Aug 24 '22 at 09:38
  • Actually @another it does say only יחידך in the Hebrew only son – Nihil Sine Deo Aug 24 '22 at 09:52
  • And someone disowned doesn’t cease to exist just no longer has rights and standing in the family any longer – Nihil Sine Deo Aug 24 '22 at 09:55
  • @ Nihil Sine Deo - yes says 'only' the scriber wrote this - God would know he has another son. God says going to make him into a *great nation* – another theory Aug 24 '22 at 10:31