The Silence Between the Steps
Genesis 22:1-14
God Will Provide a Lamb
Abraham’s Faith Tested
22 Some time later, God tested Abraham’s faith. “Abraham!” God called.
“Yes,” he replied. “Here I am.”
2 “Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.”
3 The next morning Abraham got up early. He saddled his donkey and took two of his servants with him, along with his son, Isaac. Then he chopped wood for a fire for a burnt offering and set out for the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day of their journey, Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 “Stay here with the donkey,” Abraham told the servants. “The boy and I will travel a little farther. We will worship there, and then we will come right back.”
6 So Abraham placed the wood for the burnt offering on Isaac’s shoulders, while he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them walked on together, 7 Isaac turned to Abraham and said, “Father?”
“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.
“We have the fire and the wood,” the boy said, “but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?”
8 “God will provide a sheep for the burnt offering, my son,” Abraham answered. And they both walked on together.
9 When they arrived at the place where God had told him to go, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it. Then he tied his son, Isaac, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. 10 And Abraham picked up the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice. 11 At that moment the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
“Yes,” Abraham replied. “Here I am!”
12 “Don’t lay a hand on the boy!”
the angel said.
“Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son.”
13 Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. So he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering in place of his son. 14 Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means “the Lord will provide”). To this day, people still use that name as a proverb: “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”
Lesson Plan: Genesis 22:1–14 – God Will Provide
Theme
God Will Provide: Trusting Divine Provision Amid Testing
Primary Text
Genesis 22:1–14 (The Akedah – Binding of Isaac)
Objective
To understand Abraham's response to divine testing and explore the depth of trust, sacrifice, and provision in faith.
Key Hebrew Words
1. נִסָּה (Nissah) – 'Tested'
• Root: נסה (n-s-h), meaning to try, prove, or examine. Not for God's knowledge, but for the elevation of the righteous.
• Rabbinic Note: Like a banner (nes), God lifts the tested person high.
2. יִרְאֶה (Yireh) – 'Will Provide / Will Be Seen'
• Root: ר-א-ה (to see). The same root is used for both seeing and providing in Hebrew thought.
• Mystical Note: On the mountain, what is hidden becomes visible.
3. עוֹלָה (Olah) – 'Burnt Offering'
• From the root עלה (a-l-h), meaning to ascend.
• Not just sacrifice, but spiritual elevation.
Insight
Midrash teaches that Abraham’s test was not to inform God, but to elevate Abraham.
The Zohar views the Akedah as a spiritual ascent, aligning the divine and earthly realms.
The triple repetition 'your son, your only son, whom you love' emphasizes the emotional and covenantal weight of the trial.
This moment foreshadows the covenant of substitution and provision for generations to come.
Discussion Questions
Why do you think Abraham responded 'Here I am' so quickly?
What does it mean that Abraham believed they would 'come right back'?
How do we recognize divine provision in our own tests?
What significance does the name Yahweh-Yireh have today?
Activities
Role play the moment Abraham says 'Here I am' – explore emotion and trust.
Reflective journaling: Write about a time when you had to trust God without knowing the outcome.
Hebrew word study breakout groups: explore the meanings of 'Nissah' and 'Yireh'.
