ABRAHAM'S TEST (GEN 22-23)
When Isaac was 37 years old, YAHUAH decided to test Abraham’s belief and said to him, “Abraham, I want you to get your only son Isaac who I know you love very much and travel to the land of Moriah and sacrifice him to Me as a burnt (ASCENDING-NEAR TO ME) offering on the mountain I tell you”.
And Abraham thought it wise not to alarm his wife, for he knew that his son would indeed return home safely with him (because of the blood-covenant YAHUAH had made with him regarding his only son).
AND UNLIKE THE SURROUNDING NATIONS THAT REGULARLY SACRIFICED THEIR CHILDREN TO THEIR PAGAN DEITY MOLOK, ABRAHAM OBVIOUSLY KNEW HIS SON WOULD BE RESURRECTED IN ORDER FOR YAHUAH TO FULFILL THE PROMISES. WOW! HOW MUCH DID HE TRUST YAHUAH!
So rising up early the next morning, Abraham and Isaac kissed and embraced Sarah, took two of their servants, split all the wood they needed for the burnt offering, prepared the donkeys and travelled three days to the land of Moriah as YAHUAH had instructed.
And Satan appeared to Abraham along the pathway as a feeble old man, saying to him, “You stupid fool, what kind of father slaughters his only son, who he’s waited his whole life for. Do you really think this is from Yahuah? How could you do something so cruel to an innocent boy?”
But Abraham knew it was the enemy trying to knock him off his path of obedience, so he told him to ‘GET LOST’ and he did! But a little later he appeared to Isaac as a handsome, rich young man...
... saying, “Did you know that your silly old bugga of a father plans to kill you on that mountain? That’s right! Your whole life will have been for nothing, and your blood will be shed in vain. Don’t listen to him, you are young and so handsome and have so much of your life to live!”
And Isaac turned to his father, “Dad what’s this crack-pot talk’in about?”
“O’ him, that’s just Satan our enemy pestering us to not obey YAHUAH again.” And Abraham told Satan to ‘GET LOST’ and he left them again, moving further up the road and appearing as a mighty river rushing in front of them. The men entered the river up to their legs but as it got deeper and the water rose up to their necks, they all became afraid of the rushing water and Abraham suddenly recognised the place and knew that there was usually no water there at all, so he rebuked the enemy one last time and Satan was terrified at the voice of Abraham and fled for good, and the waters disappeared.
(it’s interesting that Isaac immediately told his father about the enemies lies, unlike Adam and Kuah, who entertained his poison then partook!)
And when they approached YAHUAH’S chosen place from a distance they saw a mighty pillar of fire shooting from the sky on the top of the mountain and the glowing esteem of YAHUAH in the clouds surrounding it and Abraham knew that they were in the right place. So he instructed his servants to stop and stay there with the donkeys while he and Isaac travelled a little further up the mountain to make the burnt sacrifice and worship, telling them they would be back soon. And Abraham took the wood for the fire, placing it on Isaac’s shoulders and, after grabbing the knife and the fire, the two of them travelled further up the mountain. While they were walking, Isaac turned to his father, saying “Hey dad, we’ve got the fire and the wood, but where’s the lamb for the burnt offering? Shouldn’t we find it before we get up there?”
“Don't harm the boy or touch him, for I am satisfied with your obedience and belief and I can see that you fear Me and trust Me and would not hold anything back from me, not even your only son”.
And Abraham looked behind him and saw a ram tangled up by it’s horns in a nearby thistle bush. YAHUAH had prepared this ram as a special sacrifice and had sent it charging towards them to intercept Isaac’s death, but Satan had held it back, tangling it’s horns in the brambles. So Abraham quickly took the ram and sacrificed it to YAHUAH as a burnt (ascending-near) offering instead of his only son. And Abraham named the place of the stone-altar “Yahuah-Yireh” (‘On the mountain of Yahuah it will be seen and provided’) for it was on that very mountain (many generations later) that YAHUAH Himself provided the sacrificial lamb of His choosing (YAHUSHA), Who was lifted up and seen by all.
But Abraham reassured his son, “Don’t worry my boy, our Master Yahuah will provide the lamb Himself today” and they kept walking until they arrived at the place which YAHUAH wanted. And Abraham built a stone-table, placed the wood on it, bound his son Isaac and laid him down on top of the wood. And Isaac trusted in YAHUAH and also in his father’s intentions and he did not struggle, fight or argue in any way, but was willing to be sacrificed in obedience as a burnt (ASCENDING-NEAR TO ME) offering for YAHUAH. Then Abraham stretched out his hand, took the knife and was about to kill his only son when YAHUAH called out from the sky, “Abraham, Hey Abraham STOP!”
And Abraham suddenly stopped, “Yes Master?”
And YAHUAH spoke to Abraham a second time, “My son because you have chosen to obey My voice and not withhold anything from Me, not even your only son whom you love, I will definitely bless you, and indeed your children will be as many as the stars of the skies, and as many as the sand on the seashore and they will conquer any enemy that rises against them. And through all your descendants, the nations of the earth will be blessed, because on this very day you have chosen to listen and obey My voice”. And they all returned home to Beersheba.
IT HAS BEEN WRITTEN THAT SATAN WENT TO SARAH BEFORE THE BOYS RETURNED HOME AND TOLD HER THAT ABRAHAM HAD SACRIFICED ISAAC AS AN OFFERRING AND THE SHOCK OF LOSING HER ONLY SON CAUSED HER TO HAVE A HEART ATTACK AND DIE ?
So at the age of 127 years, Sarah died in the land of Canaan and a completely devastated Abraham wept over the body of his bride for many days.
Then he went to the town-elders of Kath and said “I know I’m a foreigner here with no rights, but I’d really appreciate it if you’d give me some land to bury my wife on please?” And because he had a good reputation with them, the elders said “Of course you can Abraham, you are not only our friend but you’re a Prince of Alahim among us, please bury your wife wherever you want, it’s no problem for us”.
So Abraham said “Thankyou, could you ask Efron, owner of the cave at Makpelah if I could buy his field for whatever silver he wants, for I want to bury my wife there”.
And Efron, who was sitting amongst them stood up saying “No it’s fine Abraham, you don’t need to buy the land (or own it!) you can use the field and the cave to bury your wife in.”
But Abraham insisted (HOLDING CUNNINGLY TO YAHUAH’S PROMISES OF THE LAND IN CANAAN) saying “Please understand me, I want to pay you for the land,(AND OWN THE TITLE DEED, INSTEAD OF LIVING ON SOMEONE ELSE’S PROPERTY) so please tell me how much silver you want?”
And Efron said, “Well if you insist, the land is actually worth 400 sheqels of silver, but it’s really not necessary Abraham, we shouldn’t be talking numbers right now while you’re still in mourning, please just go and bury your wife”.
But Abraham weighed out 400 sheqels (approx 5kg) of silver (currency of the merchants) and gave it to Efron, officially purchasing from the elders of Kath, the deed to the field, and the cave in Makpelah (near Mamre) and all the trees within it’s surrounding borders. And Abraham finally buried Sarah, his darling wife, on the land in Mamre, which YAHUAH had just legally given him (and where he had built the first stone-table to YAHUAH, Who had visited him in that very spot years before, raising up His Eternal-Blood-Covenant of Deliverance with him).
THIS PIECE OF LAND IN CANAAN WAS IMPORTANT TO ABRAHAM BECAUSE HE GUARDED THE PROMISES OF YAHUAH AND A SMALL PART OF IT WAS NOW LEGALLY HIS (BECAUSE HE DIDN’T GIVE IN) !
HOW THE LAND WAS ACQUIRED WAS VERY IMPORTANT. FOR INSTANCE, HAD ABRAHAM ACCEPTED IT AS A GIFT, NOT ONLY WOULD THAT HAVE BEEN INSULTING TO THE HITTITES THAT HE WOULD DO SUCH A THING, BUT IT LIKELY WOULD HAVE BEEN CHALLENGED IN THE YEARS TO COME BY SOMEONE CLAIMING THAT IT WAS WRONG TO SELL LAND TO A RESIDENT ALIEN IN THE FIRST PLACE. SO, ABRAHAM COULD NOT ACCEPT EPHRON’S OFFER OF THE CAVE AS A GIFT. YET, ABRAHAM ALSO HAD TO BE VERY CAREFUL IN HIS BARGAINING FOR IT; BECAUSE IF HE BOUGHT IT AT A PRICE THAT DID NOT SEEM FAIR TO LATER GENERATIONS, THAT WAS REASON ENOUGH TO TAKE THE LAND BACK.
THEREFORE, ABRAHAM `TALKED AROUND' UNTIL EPHRON SET THE PRICE, BEFORE ABRAHAM WAS FORCED TO MAKE AN OFFER. THE PRICE…….400 SHEKELS OF SILVER……WAS HIGH. BUT, BY ABRAHAM GRACIOUSLY INSISTING THAT HE IS HAPPY TO PAY FULL PRICE, HE TOOK AWAY MOST LEGAL CHALLENGES THAT COULD HAVE LED TO HAVING THAT LAND TAKEN AWAY FROM HIM OR HIS DESCENDANTS SOMETIME IN THE FUTURE.
BURIAL SPOTS WERE TERRIBLY IMPORTANT TO THE ANCIENTS (JUST LIKE TODAY). SO, THIS ENTIRE PROCESS TOOK PLACE BEFORE MANY OF THE TOWN’S CITIZENS…..HITTITE CITIZENS…… SO THEY COULD BE WITNESSES TO THE TRANSFER OF OWNERSHIP OF THAT CAVE FROM EPHRON TO ABRAHAM.
The translation has altered somewhat since this (1st EDITION) recording, but still easy-to-grasp :-)
