‘Here I am’: Responding to Heaven’s call to bring Light to the nations (Genesis 22; Isaiah 33; Matthew 27)

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Genesis 22, Isaiah 33:7–22 and Matthew 27:27–66 are connected by these three themes:
• Sacrifice: Will you give up something you really want for a greater goal?
• Divine provision: Will it be seen and received with gratitude?
• Redemption: Will we accept it when it’s provided? When we are being saved, will we accept it?

In Genesis 22, the binding of Isaac, Abraham is commanded to offer Yitzkhak (Isaac), his “one and only son,” as a sacrifice, but God provides and reveals a ram instead.

God gives vision to those who want to see. Like with אֵל רֳאִי El Ro’i (God (Who) See(s) Me) who appeared to Hagar in Genesis 16, יהוה יִרְאֶה Adonai Yir’eh (The LORD Will See/Provide) appeared to Abraham and revealed what Heaven will do through Abraham’s זֶרַע Zera (Seed). What the Master does and sees, His students should do and see as well. This is the foundation of the Golden Rule. The punchline of the Aqeidah is to reveal. God sees us and will be seen by us. 

Because God sees us, we should revere and reverence and trust in the God who sees, like Hagar’s declaration of “You are the God who sees me” (El Roi) by extending compassion and care to others, seeing their plights and needs, just as God sees and responds to ours. 

The Aqeidah foreshadows the ultimate sacrifice of Yeshua (Jesus), Heaven’s “only begotten son,” showing God’s provision and testing/strengthening faith.

In Isaiah 33:7–22, the passage speaks of judgment, salvation and God’s deliverance. Salvation is not just a theological position, it’s tangible, physical need. We are in a dangerous situation and God has given us a way out. It highlights how the righteous King (Messiah) brings redemption. God called out to the nations that they don’t have to be in subjection to false deities and demons who command them to sacrifice their children for the blessing of rain, fertility and safety.

The fear and suffering of the people mirror both Isaac’s moment on the altar and Yeshua’s suffering before His crucifixion.

In Matthew 27:27–66, we read about the crucifixion of Yeshua. Like Yitzkhak, Yeshua is a willing sacrifice but, unlike Yitzkhak, Yeshua was not spared from death. The soldiers mocked and abused Him, fulfilling what the Prophets wrote about suffering of the Messiah. Yet His death brings atonement for sin — a theme foreshadowed in Genesis 22.

Here I am!

“Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, ‘Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’” (Genesis 22:1 NAS95)

We all have “here I am” moments many times a day, when we are asked to step up to help someone. How do we respond to those calls?

Hineini (“Here I am”): When we read Heaven’s call to(hear), how do we respond? Abraham learned to respond to the call of Heaven and of those around him.

“hāʾᵉlōhı̂m nissâ ʾeṯ-ʾAḇrahām” = “God tested Abraham” (Gn 22:1)

The test here is not an examination where one sits at a desk and answers questions which are then examined by a teacher or professor. God’s testing of Abraham was much deeper than that.

Because nissâ has the same consonants of nēs (“signal pole, standard, ensign, banner, sign, sail,” TWOT), “some Midrashim understood the meaning to be: ‘And God exalted Abraham’ in the sense of a banner that flies above an army or ship for identification. God exalted him by giving him a test which proved his utter faithfulness.” (Tim Hegg)

When the children of Israel left Egypt, they had no bread so God gave them manna, which they collected every day, just enough for the day. On the day before Shabbat, they collected a double portion so they did not collect anything on the Shabbat. God used the manna to test and teach the children of Israel the importance of the Shabbat.

Amalek and the Heel: Overcoming the Subtle Attacks of the Enemy

Amalek had a habit of attacking the rear, the heel of their enemies, attacking the most vulnerable, just as in Genesis 3, the serpent attacks the heel. The attacking of the heel is a motif that shows up a lot in Scripture as a euphemism for attacking your most vulnerable parts.

“A snare seizes him by the heel, And a trap snaps shut on him.” (Job 18:9 NAS95)

Being attacked at the heel is a tactic of subterfuge and cunning, striking in a way that limits movement. If your heel is injured or restrained, it becomes difficult to run, fight, or escape. When one of your appendages is tethered, you face serious challenges in defending yourself or responding to danger.

This is the modus operandi of Amalek. They attack the rear, swarming at the weakest links.

The victory over Amalek in Exodus was granted as long as Moses kept his arms raised. To support him, one person stood on each side, holding up his arms. This scene symbolizes leadership and perseverance—when leaders remain steadfast, their followers find hope and continue the fight. Throughout history, military leaders have served as rallying points for their troops; if they fall, morale often crumbles. Moses’ raised arms served as a banner of guidance and encouragement, ensuring victory. After the battle, a memorial altar was established to commemorate the event.

Rephidim, the place where the nēs of Moshe’s arms being held up Adonai was Heaven’s message that Israel would win her first victory against Amalek, an action-name revealed at the memorial altar there is Adonai Nissı̂ (The LORD Is My Banner) (Ex 17:15).

The Serpent’s Bite and the Brass Remedy: Lessons in Deliverance

The “fiery serpent” or the poisonous serpent, was represented as the nᵉḥaš nᵉḥōšeṯ (bronze serpent). Moshe raised up a nēs on a pole as a rallying call for Israel to be healed from the poison of the snake bites (Nu 21:9). It was raised up when the people were at their weakest and most vulnerable.

Yeshua referred to that same bronze serpent (nēs) as a prophetic banner for Himself, as the Aqeidah also was: “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.” (Jn 3:14-15 NASB95). Yeshua was raised up when mankind were at their weakest and most vulnerable. He was raised up at the best, most opportune time for our salvation.

When Moses raised up the serpent, it wasn’t installed just so people could say, “Yeah, I see that. It’s pretty and copper red. That’s cool.” That is not the kind of trust that God was asking the people to express. It’s the same with belief in Yeshua. Belief in Yeshua is not just saying, “Yes, I’ve heard of Him” or “Yes, I’ve read some of His teachings. They’re nice.” That is not real faith, that is not real trust.

Trusting the One Who Sees Everything

Jewish commentators have observed that the Holy One gave Abraham no wiggle room in the instruction:

“Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Issac” (Ge 22:2 NASB95)

• “Your son”: Which one?
• “Your only son”: He has two.
• “Whom you love”: He loved both Yishma’el and Yitzkhak.
• “Isaac”: The promised son. Both Abraham’s and Isaac’s willingness to serve (“hineini”) was put to the test.

The Hebrew word nāsâ means “test, try, prove, tempt, assay, put to the proof, put to the test.” (TWOT) The derivative word, massâ means “trial, test, proving” and an infamous place, Massah (Ex 17:1–7)

“In most contexts nāsâ has the idea of testing or proving the quality of someone or something, often through adversity or hardship. The rendering tempt, used frequently by the AV and ASV, generally means prove, test, put to the test, rather than the current English idea of ‘entice to do wrong.’” (TWOT)

In a passage we reference often because of its counsel on the intersection between faith/trust and proving/testing that trust is James 1[… ]James uses the Greek word peirázō, which the Septuagint (LXX) uses to translate the Hebrew word nāsâ in Gn 22:1.

When you read in Gen. 22 about the testing Abraham endured, you see the same usage in James 1:1-11.

“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
But the brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position; and the rich man is to glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with a scorching wind and withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away.” (James 1:2-11 NAS95)

The end of this reading in James harkens to the book of Ecclesiastes, and this same Hebrew word, nasa, pops up quite often as he “tested” this and that and found all these things he tested, he found them to be of no substance.

“Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.” (James 1:12-13 NAS95)

James seems to be engaging in a circular argument here. God is not testing us to cause us to fail, but to give us what we need to persevere. God desires that we persevere through trials and testing, trusting that He is refining our faith and producing endurance, rather than simply trying to trip us up. The goal is to have Shalom with God. God doesn’t need to test out evil, He knows where evil leads.

“But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.” (James 1:14-15 NAS95)

People find comfort in agony, which seems very odd. It’s easier to compromise our values and give up than to fight for them and stand up. They remember the high, but forget the low, the chaos, the damage.

“Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.” (James 1:16-18 NAS95)

The first fruits are the first of the crop, but this is after a growing season, and after the planting. There’s a lot of work that happens behind the scenes before the harvest, before the pay off. If the farmers don’t take care of what they planted, there will be no first fruits, there will be no harvest.

Heaven progressively gave Abraham the vision to see that the promise of his Seed who would bless all nations would happen, regardless of his attempts to make it happen (Heb 11:17-19).

“By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; it was he to whom it was said, “IN ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS SHALL BE CALLED.” He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type.” (Hebrews 11:17-19 NAS95)

God showed Abraham that Heaven’s plan is not just in the small incidents such as the events of Sodom and Gomorrah, but Heaven is producing a crop, a harvest with all of us.

The exact location of Moriah has been debated as a place name for centuries, derived either from ra’ah (to see) or yarah (to fear). Ra’ah and yarah are spelled the same way in Hebrew.

We have traditionally located Moriah in Jerusalem. It was “the place where Abraham bound Isaac in anticipation of offering him up as a burnt offering to God was the same place where the Temple would eventually be built, and where the sacrifices would be offered upon the altar. Isaac is taken to the very place where the city of Jerusalem would one day witness the sacrifice of another Son.” (Hegg) Indeed, Adonai would be seen centuries later in the appearance of the Lamb on Mount Moriah.

The key is to maintain an active, trusting relationship with the God who sees, rather than a passive or superficial acknowledgment. Hineni – here I am – is the posture that demonstrates our recognition of the all-seeing, all-providing God.

Summary: Tammy