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Abraham, Part 12: Preservation

October 1, 2026 by Dan Olinger Leave a Comment

And now for the test of a lifetime.

Sceptics think they find a contradiction here, in that “God tempted Abraham” (Ge 22.1), since James tells us that God doesn’t tempt anyone (Jam 1.13). But such a charge amounts to an admission of ignorance, since human language is more complex than that: words have multiple meanings, and context makes clear that James speaks of temptation to sin, while Moses here speaks of testing or trial.

But that still raises a question: the angel of God will soon say, “Now I know that you fear God” (Ge 22.12). Didn’t he know that before? Then why the test?

That’s a legitimate question. I think it’s pretty clear that God is anthropomorphizing, speaking in human terms for the sake of our understanding. Of course God knew what Abraham would do. But he wanted Abraham–and us–to know as well. Hence the test.

And this is how it proceeds. With no explanation or even preparation, God tells Abraham to take Isaac, the covenant son, and offer him as a burnt offering on a distant mountain (Ge 22.2). If Abraham protested–I find it hard to believe he didn’t–there is no record of further conversation. He gets up early the next morning, chops some wood, and off they go (Ge 22.3).

It’s a three-day journey to the mountain in the land of Moriah (Ge 22.4). He leaves his servants at the foot of the mountain with the animal (Ge 22.5)–remarking that both of them will return–and has Isaac carry up the slope the wood for his own sacrificial fire (Ge 22.6).

It’s clear that Abraham hasn’t discussed all this with his son. Isaac has questions. A burnt offering involves an animal; why haven’t they brought one (Ge 22.7)?

Abraham says that God will provide the sacrificial animal (Ge 22.8). Here most of the modern versions say that God will provide it “for himself,” which properly reflects the Hebrew. The KJV says, “God will provide himself a lamb.” The omission of the Hebrew preposition there has allowed some interpreters to read the sentence as “God will provide himself [as] a lamb,” thereby anticipating Christ’s death on the cross. However, the Hebrew does not allow this reading.

The author of Hebrews tells us what Abraham was thinking–that he was going to kill Isaac, and that God was going to bring him back from the dead (He 11.19). He was determined to obey, and he was equally determined that God would not break his covenant promises.

Thus when Abraham tells Isaac that God would provide a lamb, he is not anticipating what actually happened; he is still shielding his son from the reality of what lay ahead.

We all know what happened. It soon became clear to Isaac that he was the lamb, and he apparently did not resist the outcome (Ge 22.9). Isaac was apparently plenty old enough to resist his aging father; Josephus places him at age 25, and another Jewish tradition places him at 37.

As Abraham was within a second of delivering the fatal thrust (Ge 22.10), the angel of God stopped him, explained the reason for the apparently insane request, and offered an alternative animal (Ge 22.11-13)–what Abraham had predicted, but not what he had expected.

Abraham names the place YHWH-yireh, “YHWH sees” (Ge 22.14). Without the patriarch’s realizing it, YHWH compares Abraham to Himself, one who offers his only Son (Ge 22.16). In his last recorded words to Abraham, God repeats the covenant promises, intensifying them by verbal repetition: “I will certainly bless you, and I will certainly multiply your offspring” (Ge 22.16-17). And all nations of the earth will indeed be blessed, when God offers his own Son as the sacrifice for sin (Ge 22.18)–incidentally, on the same mountain.

And then they all go home (Ge 22.19).

What’s next? Moses includes a little genealogical information to prepare for God’s next faithful step: providing a wife for the living Isaac (Ge 22.23).

Photo by Mick Haupt on Unsplash

Abraham, Part 11: Fulfillment

September 28, 2026 by Dan Olinger Leave a Comment

It’s time.

It’s time for a key element of God’s covenant with Abraham to be fulfilled. It’s time for the aged Abraham, and the aged Sarah, his wife, to have a son.

In the way this faithful God had promised, and at the time he had promised, the child is born (Ge 21.1-2). Nothing is too hard for the Lord (Ge 18.14), even 25 years after the initial promise (Ge 12.2). In obedience to God’s instruction (Ge 17.19), Abraham names him Isaac: “he laughs.” This is a reference to Sarah’s earlier laughter of disbelief (Ge 18.12), but with added meaning; disbelief has now turned to joy (Ge 21.6) at the miracle worked in her (Ge 21.7).

The narrative now turns to two events that necessarily follow from this significant development. First, after Isaac is weaned (probably at age 2 or 3) the existing conflict between Sarah and Hagar grows when Sarah sees Ishmael, now 16 or 17 years old (Ge 16.16; 21.5), “mocking” (Ge 21.9 KJV NASB; ESV “laughing”; NKJV “scoffing”) the baby. Ironically, this is the verb form of Isaac’s name; Ishmael is apparently playing with the child, probably teasing him. Paul later describes Ishmael’s action as “persecution” (Ga 4.29). Sarah will not stand for this.

So she orders her husband to expel the boy and his mother from her house (Ge 21.10).

Abram is troubled (Ge 21.11), and he should be; this directly violates the regional culture. We’ve noted earlier that the Nuzi texts and Hammurabi’s Code imposed on a barren wife the responsibility to provide a fertile substitute; the same texts explicitly state that the resulting child (Ishmael, in this case) may not be expelled from the home.

But Sarah is insistent. God takes the cultural pressure off Abraham (Ge 21.12) by telling him that the expulsion is acceptable and that his blessing will be upon Ishmael as well (Ge 21.13). Abraham provisions Hagar–meagerly–and sends the two off. When the provisions run out, as Abraham had to know they would, the angel of the Lord comes once again to the despairing mother–hearing Ishmael’s cries (Ge 21.17)–and provides for them (Ge 21.15-19). (Ishmael’s name, incidentally, means “God hears.”)

The event ends with a summary (Ge 21.20-21) that indicates that God keeps his promise to bless Ishmael as well. Ishmael will become a skilled archer (Ge 21.20) and therefore able to provide for himself. Centuries later the descendants of his son Kedar (Ge 25.13) will be noted for their skill with a bow (Is 21.17).

Now God has cleared the field for Isaac, the covenant son. Paul will make a point of this (Ga 4.30). The plan continues.

The second event that follows from Isaac’s birth returns us to Abraham’s old friend Abimelech, king of Gerar. When we last saw him, he was being generous to Abraham in an apparent effort to form an alliance with this man that he saw being blessed by God. Now he returns (Ge 21.22) and makes his intentions explicit (Ge 21.23). Abraham, seeing the obvious benefit in the relationship, agrees (Ge 21.24). We have every reason to think this was wise; though Abimelech (or his son) will later come into conflict with Isaac (Ge 26.8ff), that conflict is Isaac’s responsibility (Ge 26.9-10)–and he apparently learned it from his father (Ge 20.2ff).

As soon as Abraham has agreed to Abimelech’s proposal, he tests Abimelech’s good faith. Abimelech’s servants had seized one of Abraham’s wells (Ge 21.25), and Abraham asks Abimelech to right the wrong. When Abimelech shows willingness to discuss the matter (Ge 21.26), Abraham decides to commit to the long-term relationship (Ge 21.27-32). They name the place Beer-sheba (“the well of the covenant,” Ge 21.31). The city still exists today.

And then, Moses tells us, Abraham settles in (Ge 21.28-29). He plants tamarisk tree there (Ge 21.33), indicating the abundance of water. And he worships, for the first time by this name, “the Everlasting God.” The God who keeps his promise after 25 years will keep this covenant forever.

What’s the significance of this event? Why does Moses tell us about it here, hot on the heels of Isaac’s birth?

This is ongoing development of the Abrahamic Covenant. God has given him the promised son, and now he demonstrates that he will bless him–in this case, with peace with this neighbor. And the well serves as a permanent tie to The Land.

Things are proceeding nicely. But a test is coming.

Photo by Mick Haupt on Unsplash

Abraham, Part 10: Certified in Gerar

September 21, 2026 by Dan Olinger Leave a Comment

God’s certification of Abraham continues in a second location: Gerar.

Now, this is a bit of a puzzle, because we could swear that we’ve read this story earlier. And indeed we have. Abraham–Abram–has earlier gone into Egypt, and he has put his wife at risk there in exactly the same way he does here, because of his fear. God will do more work on him.

Some have suggested that these two similar accounts imply an incompetent editor. But in fact there are significant differences between the two events, and there are logical reasons for Abraham to repeat the ruse.

Abraham is traveling toward Egypt, but he is not there; Gerar (Ge 20.1) is south of Gaza, at the southern extreme of Philistine territory but not yet in Sinai. The local king, Abimelech (“my father is king,” so probably a title rather than a name), “takes” Sarah as a wife (Ge 20.2). We should note that by this time Sarah is pregnant and 90 years old; I doubt that Abimelech’s motive was her beauty, as Pharaoh’s was earlier. This is not said to be a motive here.

Rather, he is following the common custom of the culture. Kings used marriages as alliances, and by now Abraham’s wealth and influence are impressive. This local king would see great benefit in an alliance. There is likely no sexual relationship intended; as we soon learn (Ge 20.4), there was none initiated.

Here God intervenes through a dream (Ge 20.3), explaining directly to Abimelech what the problem is. The Hebrew reads literally, “Behold! You dead!” Abimelech argues his innocence, and on good grounds: misrepresentation by both Abraham and Sarah (Ge 20.5). This Canaanite appears to show more interest in truth and justice than Abraham does.

But God does not condemn Abraham. Rather, he calls him a “prophet” (Ge 20.7)–this is the first use of this theologically significant word in the Scripture–and indicates that he values Abraham’s prayers, as Abimelech should as well.

This revelation came in a dream, in the middle of the night. Abimelech sets out to obey first thing in the morning, informing his staff of the problem (Ge 20.8) and then confronting Abraham (Ge 20.9). He expresses his outrage at the “prophet’s” insult; again he seems more interested in morality and justice than Abraham.

Abraham offers an excuse–weakly (Ge 20.12)–and indicates that this has been his standard policy while wandering (Ge 20.13). The Mosaic Law will eventually prohibit marriages between half-siblings (Le 18.9, 11).

Abimelech’s response is very different from Pharaoh’s–not that Pharaoh’s earlier response was unreasonable or undeserved. There Abraham was expelled (Ge 12.20); Abimelech lavishes gifts on him, adding significantly to his accumulating wealth (Ge 20.14), and then offers to let him dwell anywhere he would like in Gerar (Ge 20.15). He really seems to want an alliance with this man.

Then the king turns to Sarah (Ge 20.16). I can imagine his sarcasm here: “Look, I have given your–ahem–brother ….” This is a rebuke, and indication that these two had better not try this stunt again. And, as far as the record shows, they don’t. But Isaac will try the same thing here a generation later (Ge 26.6ff).

Lesson learned. But consequences not avoided.

As God had predicted, Abraham prays for Abimelech, and God answers his prayer (Ge 20.17).

Only now we learn that God had rendered Abimelech’s female household infertile (Ge 20.18). Apparently this episode had been going on for some time, perhaps months–long enough for the household to realize that there was a fertility problem.

It does make one wonder what Abraham was doing for all that time: twiddling his thumbs? whistling past the graveyard?

He’s not perfect–not by a long shot–and God is working to bring him to the point where he can be a wise father to the covenant son who is about to be born. The God who closes wombs can open them as well.

Lot offers his daughters to a pagan mob. Abraham offers his wife to a pagan king. Deliverance comes not from merit, but from grace (James E. Smith, OT Survey Series).

Photo by Mick Haupt on Unsplash

Abraham, Part 9: Certified at Sodom

September 17, 2026 by Dan Olinger Leave a Comment

Here the story turns to what we might call certification: through two events God grows Abraham–sanctifies him, as we would say in a New Testament context–into the kind of person who can be an effective patriarch. The first of these is the destruction of Sodom and its aftermath, the outcome of Lot’s world-focused life.

The two angelic messengers, we learn, have come to rescue Lot from the coming fiery judgment on Sodom. As they head toward the doomed city (Ge 18.16, 22), God records his thoughts about Abraham. He has potential, God says, though he has a ways to go yet (Ge 18.17-19). God graciously recognizes and sets out to remediate his faults.

He tells Abraham that he is “investigating” whether to destroy Sodom for its sin (Ge 18.20-21).

Does he need to do that? Of course not; he’s omniscient. But he is displaying longsuffering, and justice (cf Ge 18.25!), and fairness. To call him “the angry Old Testament God” is a simplification worthy of ridicule.

What follows is the notable scene in which Abraham bargains with God for the deliverance of Sodom–and the pace of the narrative slows even more. Abraham finally gets God to agree that if there are just ten righteous people in the city, it will be spared (Ge 18.32). Abraham probably thinks that will be enough; we eventually learn that Lot’s family includes his wife (Ge 19.15), two unmarried daughters (Ge 19.8), at least two sons (Ge 19.12), and at least two married daughters and their husbands (Ge 19.14). That’s ten, at a minimum; that’s enough.

But the sons-in-law and married daughters, we eventually learn, are not believers; they are not “righteous” (Ge 19.14). They thought Lot was joking; so apparently Lot hadn’t laid a proper foundation with them.

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves.

For now, the negotiation ends at ten righteous–which will not in fact be enough.

The scene shifts to Sodom. The two angelic messengers arrive and find Lot sitting “in the gate” (Ge 19.1), possibly indicating a leadership position in the city (city council?). Lot greets them with hospitality (Ge 19.2-3), but at bedtime the men of the city demonstrate their depravity. Some have suggested that their great sin, and the cause of Sodom’s destruction, was their inhospitality and not their sexual proclivities. That seems to me, frankly, to be grasping at straws; Ezekiel later condemns them for their pride, arrogance, and neglect of the poor (Ezk 16.49), but also for “abomination” (Ezk 16.50), a word used routinely for homosexuality (Lv 18.22ff; 20.13; Dt 23.18; 1K 14.24), among other sins–but the other sins are not mentioned in this context.

Lot offers the mob his two unmarried daughters.

Yikes.

Some have tried to soften this by suggesting that Lot is attempting of shock the mob into coming to their senses. Others have suggested that since at least two of his daughters were already married to men of Sodom, Lot believes that the mob will not accept his offer.

But the text doesn’t say any of this.

The angels blind the lustful mob (Ge 19.11) and instruct Lot to get his family out of the city (Ge 19.12-13). As we’ve noted, his married daughters and sons-in-law refuse to leave (Ge 19.14); eventually the angels forcefully push the uncooperative Lot, his wife, and his two unmarried daughters out of the city (Ge 19.16) and toward nearby Zoar (Ge 19.22-23) just before the destruction comes (Ge 19.24).

Famously, Lot’s wife looks back, probably with regret (Lk 17.31-32), and is turned into a pillar of salt, in either a natural consequence of the fiery precipitation or a direct act of God (Ge 19.26).

In the aftermath we learn that Lot’s unmarried daughters aren’t “righteous” either, pursuing their father’s unwilling (drunken) assistance in giving them offspring–Moab and Ammon, whose descendants will be longstanding enemies of Israel.

Ten righteous? More like none righteous.

But this, too, is an oversimplification. Peter tells us that Lot was “righteous” (2P 2.7-8)–but clearly too much of this world.

I’ve noted earlier that Lot is a foil for faithful, if imperfect, Abraham. Here at the end he is bereft of any apparent righteousness, despite his kind hospitality to the traveling angel-strangers. Expositor Warren Wiersbe contrasts the two men:

“Christ Himself visited Abraham, but only the angels went to Sodom to visit Lot. Christ had a message of joy for Abraham and Sarah, but the angels gave a message of judgment to Lot. Abraham was visited in the daytime but Lot in the evening. Abraham was at a tent door; Lot at the city gate. Abraham had power with God but Lot had no influence even with his own family. Abraham saw Sodom destroyed and lost nothing, but Lot lost everything. Only his life was spared. Abraham brought the world blessing, but Lot brought trouble into the world (the Ammonites and Moabites).”

There remains one more event in God’s sanctification of the patriarch–and a puzzling one indeed.

Photo by Mick Haupt on Unsplash

Abraham, Part 8: Isaac Promised

September 14, 2026 by Dan Olinger Leave a Comment

Analysts of narrative tell us that when the narrator slows down the passage of time and relates the story in more detail, he’s at an important part of the story. And so Abraham’s story moves very slowly here. Gordon Wenham notes, “No other twenty-four-hour period in Abraham’s life is described more fully than this one.”

Abraham is living at Mamre (Ge 18.1), which is about 20 miles south of Jerusalem–although later place names aren’t really in place in these days.

We begin with a scene of hospitality, for which the Middle Eastern peoples are famous even today. Abraham is sitting in his tent door “in the heat of the day” (Ge 18.1); most cultures, including his, and ours before the days of air conditioning, didn’t do their labor at that time of day; they sat around and tried to keep as cool as they could, taking advantage of any available breeze and expending as few calories as possible. Abraham is sitting on the equivalent of his front porch when three men appear (Ge 18.2); do they appear suddenly, miraculously, or do they just amble down the road to him? The passage doesn’t say, but it’s clear that by the end of the conversation Abraham is aware that he’s talking to God himself (Ge 18.23ff).

Some church fathers thought that these three men were the Trinity, but in more recent times the predominant opinion has changed to divine Being and two angels. Since the Son is the only member of the Godhead who has ever been said to incarnate, I’m inclined to think that this is he. Three times here he is called YHWH, the LORD (Ge 18.1, 13, 17).

The hospitality begins. Abraham suggests washing the travel dust off their sandaled feet (Ge 18.4) and then offers them a meal, as one does to people who show up unexpectedly in places without any McDonald’s (Ge 18.3-5), and they accept. It takes a while, obviously; Sarah has to bake pita bread (Ge 18.6)–from “fine flour,” the “good stuff”–and a calf has to be slaughtered, dressed, and cooked (Ge 18.7-8)–and served with “butter,” probably something like our yogurt, mixed with fresh milk.

That’s pretty much an all-day affair. The drink probably came first, followed relatively shortly by the bread while they waited for the major course–which took a while.

It appears that Abraham doesn’t eat with them–probably because by midday he had already eaten. He stands respectfully and attentively nearby, ready to serve.

Scene 2.

After the meal, the men ask about his wife (Ge 18.9), notably using Sarah’s new name, not her given one. This is odd; in that culture a man doesn’t inquire about another man’s wife. One of the men, clearly the leader, changes Abraham’s whole world with a single sentence: within a year, Sarah will have a child (Ge 18.10). The child.

The Covenant is taking a major step forward.

The husband and wife react as you might expect under the circumstances (Ge 18.11). Sarah, who has apparently not heard this promise earlier, laughs in utter disbelief–and I’m not sure we can be too hard on her for that at this point. This laugh anticipates another one, of joy, later in the story (Ge 21.6-7) and will be the reason for this child’s name, Isaac, “laughter” (Ge 21.3-6).

The Man challenges her unbelief and repeats his statement (Ge 18.13-14). Sarah, now afraid, apparently because this Stranger has heard what she thought was her private amusement, denies that she laughed (Ge 18.15). But she did, and the Man knows.

It’s hard not to think of Mary, the mother of Jesus, at this point. She has as much reason to disbelieve her prophecy as Sarah does here. But despite her wonder (Lk 1.34), she believes, apparently immediately (Lk 1.38). And notably, her cousin Elisabeth, like Sarah, has conceived “in her old age” as well (Lk 1.36).

God works his plan here, as he will two millennia later, and as he does today.

Is anything to hard for YHWH? (Ge 18.14).

Photo by Mick Haupt on Unsplash