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The binding of Yitskhak was more of a test of our belief than it was for Abraham or Yitskhak (Isaac). It’s also a “shadow” of the suffering in Gethsemane of the ultimate “one and only son,” Yeshua the Mashiakh (Jesus the Christ).
What was the test that God placed on Abraham? Did Abraham need to prove something to God? While the binding of Yitskhak was undoubtedly a profound test for both Abraham and Yitskhak, it was also recorded for future generations. Abraham trusted that even if Yitskhak were to be killed, God would remain faithful to His promise by bringing Yitskhak back to life. He was confident that, one way or another, God would fulfill His word.
God tells Abraham to bring Yitskhak to a mountain called Mt. Moriah to offer Yitskhak as an עוֹלָה ’olah, or a burnt-whole offering. The name מוֹרִיָּה Moriah can mean “from and seen of Yah” (Strong’s lexicon No. H4179).
Gen. 22:9 tells us that Abraham “bound his son Yitskhak.” The Hebrew word here is עָקַד ’aqad, (Strong’s H6123) and this verse is the only use of this word in the entire Torah.
The significance of Mt. Moriah was passed down through many generations of Abraham’s descendants. According to 2 Chronicles 3:1, Solomon built the Temple on this sacred site, preserving its memory and importance.
“Then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to his father David, at the place that David had prepared on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.”
1st Chronicles 21 records how and why King David met Ornan the Yebusite on Mount Moriah. God did not desire human blood to be shed on Mount Moriah; only a ram caught in a thicket was offered there.
Many commentaries claim that the book of Genesis is merely a collection of fables and stories, but this is not true. Figures like Noah and Abraham followed God’s law as it was revealed to them, even before it was formally written down. They obeyed God’s commands directly, demonstrating their faith through their actions.
Moses did not invent the Torah; rather, he recorded and formalized laws that had already been known and practiced by those who walked with God. While some aspects of God’s law were not written, they were understood and followed by those in relationship with Him.
However, the generation that emerged from the Exodus had lost much of this knowledge. After generations of slavery in Egypt, they were unable to study or freely practice God’s law. As a result, it had to be written down for them so they could relearn how to properly worship and serve God.
In Heb. 11:8 we read:
“By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going.”
Abraham didn’t always understand what God was doing or why. He didn’t fully grasp his role in God’s plan, yet he still obeyed. God didn’t force him to follow—He simply gave His word, and Abraham chose to trust and obey.
Abraham, Yitskhak (Isaac), Ya’akov (Jacob), and Sarah never saw with their own eyes “the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” They held onto His promises by faith, believing in what they could not yet see. They lived and died trusting in God’s word, embracing His promises from a distance. Though they had no land of their own, they believed that their descendants would one day inherit the Promised Land.
Yeshua reminds us that God is the God of the living, not the dead. He tells us that Abraham, Yitskhak, and Ya’akov are not gone—they are alive in Him, their faith fulfilled beyond what they could have imagined.
Speaker: Richard Agee. Reader: Jeff. Summary: Tammy.
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