The Similarities Between Isaac and Jesus’ Sacrifice in Genesis 22

The similarities between Isaac and Jesus' sacrifice are many. Read or listen to this chapter from A Father Offers His Son to see how Isaac is a type for Jesus in Genesis 22. Table of ContentsIsaac and Jesus Were Only Begotten Sons"Only" Means "Special"Isaac and Jesus Were Named by GodIsaac and Jesus Were Loved by Their FathersGod’s Love for the WorldIsaac and Jesus Were Burnt OfferingsIsaac and Jesus Were “Offered” UpIsaac and Jesus Were Accompanied by Two Men on Their Way to Be SacrificedIsaac and Jesus Carried the Wood for Their SacrificesIsaac and Jesus Were Willing to Experience Their Father’s FireIsaac and Jesus Were Sacrificial LambsIsaac and Jesus Were in Agreement with Their FathersJesus and Isaac Were Submissive to Their FathersWere They the Same Age When Sacrificed?Isaac and Jesus Trusted Their FathersIsaac and Jesus Were Willing to DieIsaac and Jesus Were Placed on the Wood for Their SacrificesHow Much Worse for Abraham and God the Father?Isaac and Jesus Were Sacrificed by Their FathersWas Jesus Slain Before He Was Born?Isaac and Jesus Were Silent When Laying Down Their LivesIsaac and Jesus Return with Their BridesTwo More Similarities Between Isaac and Jesus' SacrificeConclusion Isaac as a type of Christ is one of the most dramatic in the Bible. The similarities between Isaac and Jesus' sacrifice in Genesis 22 are incredible. Isaac and Jesus Were Only Begotten Sons The typology between Isaac and Jesus is immediately established very strongly in Genesis 22:2. The language used regarding Abraham and Isaac is almost identical to the language used in the New Testament regarding God the Father and His Son. In Genesis 22:2 God said to Abraham, “your son, your only son.” He repeated these words two more times: Genesis 22:12—“And He said, ‘Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.’” Genesis 22:16—[The Angel of the Lord] said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son.” "Only" Means "Special" God does not waste words in Scripture. When He is repetitive, it is for a reason. God does not use highlighting, italics, underlining, or bold for emphasis, but He does repeat Himself when He wants to ensure we do not miss something. God wants us to recognize Isaac was, “[Abraham’s] son, [his] only son.” Abraham had another son, Ishmael, so how can God refer to Isaac as Abraham’s “only” son? The word “only” does not mean “single.” The Old Testament has three Hebrew words for “only.” Here are two of them: Genesis 6:5—“Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only [raq] evil continually.” Genesis 7:23—“So He destroyed all living things which were on the face of the ground: both man and cattle, creeping thing and bird of the air. They were destroyed from the earth. Only [‘ak] Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive.” The Old Testament is primarily written in Hebrew (with small portions written in Aramaic), and the word for “only” in Genesis 22:2 is yachiyd, which means “unique.” It is referring to Isaac being Abraham’s special, one-of-a-kind son. The same word is translated as “precious” elsewhere in Scripture: Psalm 22:20—“Deliver Me from the sword, My precious [yachiyd] life from the power of the dog.” Psalm 35:17—“Rescue me from their destructions, My precious [yachiyd] life from the lions.” The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (TWOT) says yachiyd means, “only begotten son.” This makes Isaac look like Jesus, the only begotten Son of God. “Begotten” does not mean “created.” The writers of the Nicene Creed wanted to make sure nobody misunderstood the word, so they said: I believe… in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by Whom all things were made. The creed teaches Jesus is eternal, and as the Son of God, is equal with God. If begotten does not mean created, what does it mean? The Greek word for “only begotten” is monogenes, and it means, “single of its kind.” Again, it means Jesus is God’s unique Son. This separates Him from believers who are sons and daughters of God by adoption, and angels who are also called “sons of God” (Genesis 6:4, Job 1:6, 2:1, 38:7 cf. Hebrews 1:5-14). Monogenes only occurs nine times in Scripture: Three times Luke used the word to describe parents who lost an “only” (monogenes) child (Luke 7:12, 8:42, and 9:38). Five times John used the word to refer to Jesus as “the only begotten (monogenes) Son” (John 1:14, 18, 3:16, 18, 1 John 4:9). The last use identifies the other individual in Scripture given the same title as Jesus: By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac… His only begotten (monogenes) son. Hebrews 11:17 God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, instead of Ishmael, because He wanted him to sacrifice his only begotten, special, unique, precious son. This looked forward to God sacrificing His only begotten, special, unique, precious Son. Isaac and Jesus Were Named by God In Genesis 22:2 God said, "...your only son Isaac..." The mention of Isaac’s name draws a connection to Jesus. Isaac also had the rare distinction of being named by God, instead of being named by earthly parents. Notice the parallelism between these verses: Genesis 17:19—“Sarah… shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac.” Matthew 1:21—“[Mary] shall bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus.” Isaac and Jesus Were Loved by Their Fathers Genesis 22:2—“Then He said, ‘...whom you love....’” The “Principle of First Mention” encourages Bible scholars to take notice of the first time words are used in the Old and New Testaments, and even in each book of the Bible. The idea is God reveals the truest meaning of a word when it first occurs. Genesis 22:2 contains the first use of the word “love.” Considering the different relationships involving love—for example, mother to a son, daughter to a father, sister to a brother, husband to a wife—makes it more significant that the first time the word “love” is in the Old Testament, it describes the love a father feels toward his son. The first time the word “love” occurs in the New Testament also describes a Father’s love for a Son. God’s words at Jesus’ baptism echo His words to Abraham: “This is My Son, whom I love” (Matthew 3:17 NIV). The parallel verses in Mark 1:11 and Luke 3:22 are also the first time the word love is used in each gospel. As Isaac was the object of his father’s love toward the beginning of the Old Testament, so too was Jesus the object of His Father’s love toward the beginning of the New Testament. God’s Love for the World God stated His love for Jesus at the beginning of Matthew, Mark, and Luke; however, a change takes place in John’s gospel. The first time John uses the word love he describes God’s love, not for His Son, but for the world—a love so great that God was willing to sacrifice the Son He stated His love for in the previous three gospels: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Abraham loved his son, but he was willing to give him up because of his love for God. Similarly, God the Father loved His Son, but He was willing to give Him up because of His love for us. Isaac and Jesus Were Burnt Offerings In Genesis 22:2 God said, "...and offer him there as a burnt offering..." God did not just ask Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. He specifically said to “offer him as a burnt offering.” Again, God is repetitive to make sure we do not miss this. The words “burnt offering” occur six times between verses two and thirteen. Almost every other verse reminds us Isaac was to be a burnt offering. Leviticus 1 describes burnt offerings. They were voluntary acts of worship to express devotion to God, or they could serve as an atonement for unintentional sins. The meat, bones, and organs were completely burnt, and this was God’s portion. The animal’s hide was given to the Levites, who could later sell it to earn money for themselves. Burnt offerings make a fitting picture of Christ. Three times they are called: ...an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord. Leviticus 1:9, 13, 17 Paul applies this imagery to Jesus: [Christ] has given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. Ephesians 5:2 The key verse is Leviticus 1:4. Let’s look at it, piece-by-piece: Leviticus 1:4a says “[The priest] shall put his hand on the head of the burnt offering.” This communicated the transmission of the sin to the sacrifice, and it looked to the way our sins are transmitted to Christ. Isaiah 53:6 says “the Lord has laid on [Jesus] the iniquity of us all.” In many pictures of the account, Abraham has the knife in one hand, and his other hand is on Isaac’s head to maintain the imagery. Leviticus 1:4b says the burnt offering “will be accepted on [the sinner’s] behalf” looking to the way Christ died in our place. Leviticus 1:4c says the burnt offering will “make atonement for [the sinner]” looking to the way Jesus made atonement for our sins. The priest shall: “carry the ashes [of the burnt offering] outside the camp.” Leviticus 6:11 The same language discusses Christ’s sacrifice: He… suffered outside the gate. Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach. Hebrews 13:12-13 Leviticus 1:9 and 13 say “the priest shall burn all on the altar.” Burnt offerings were completely consumed,