Message for Rosh Hashanah - Testing of Abraham - Relational, Real and Resolved in Yeshua the Messiah

2. The Testing of Abraham
Real, Relational and Resolved

3. Introduction
• The Hebrew calendar – A
time of testing
• Malkuyot – Sovereignty -
Testing is real
• Zichronot – Remembering
Testing is relational
• Shofarot – Testing is
resolved

4. Hebrew Calendar
• Month of Ellul –
preparation (30
days)
• Days of Awe –
Tishri (10 days)
• This year – 5774
• The first day of
Hannukah -
Thursday,
November 28, 2013
• See you on
Thanksgivukkah!

5. • ‘The Day of Blowing’ (‘Yom Teruah’).
• 30 days of month of Elul + the 10 High Holy Days
• Rosh Ha Shanah – 2 days
• 7 Days of Awe
• Yom Kippur – 1 day

6. Rosh Hashanah
• Time to reflect
• Time to pray
• Time to repent
• Time to be renewed

7. The Sound of the Shofar
“There are things that are
important to us, so we
speak about them. ..
Other things that can only
break out in a cry, in a
scream, and then in
silence…
This is the sound of the
shofar: The very core of
our souls crying, "Father!
Father!"”

8. Shofar notes
• TEKIAH – One long straight blast
• SHEVARIM – Three medium wailing sounds
• TERUAH – Nine staccato blasts
• TEKIAH GEDOLAH - Prolonged, unbroken

9. Creation and Judgment
• On Rosh HaShanah
Adam was created
• ‘Bereshit’ turned
around is ‘Aleph b’Tishri
• Consequently it was
concluded that
humanity would be
judged on the
anniversary of His
creation. (R. Eliezer)

10. The AKEDAH – Binding of Isaac
1
1 Now it came to pass after these things that God
tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!”
And he said, “Here I am.”

11. Genesis 22:1
• “After these things”
• Hineni
– readiness
– alertness
– attentiveness
– receptivity
– responsiveness
• Also to Isaac (v7) and
angel (v11)
• Only word spoken by
Abraham

12. Context of Abraham’s test
1. Creation of the world
2. Humanity in God’s
image
3. Sin of Adam and Eve
4. Generations to Noah
5. Tower of Babel
6. Division of nations
7. Election of Israel –
Genesis 12:1-4 – land,
heir, people

13. 10 tests of Abraham
1. Leave home (12:1)
2. Famine in Canaan (12:10)
3. Sarah taken by Pharaoh
(12:15)
4. Battle/wealth of nine kings
(14:14)
5. Marry Hagar whilst Sarah
childless (16:3)
6. Circumcision when old
(17:24)
7. King of Gerar captures Sarah
(20:2)
8. Send Hagar away (21:12)
9. Estranged from Ishmael
(21:12)
10. Sacrifice Isaac(22:2)

14. Testing is relational
• Why does God need to
test Abraham?
• Jewish tradition – to
prove Satan wrong
• “Now I know” (22:12)
• Faith confirmed
• Character strengthened
• Example given
• James 1:2 Consider it
pure joy…

15. The AKEDAH – Binding of Isaac
• 2
2 Then He said, “Take now (please) your son, your
only (yahid) son Isaac, whom you love, and go
to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a
burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I

16. Testing is real
• Our greatest gifts can be our greatest temptations
• What temptations/tests are we facing today?

17. The AKEDAH – Binding of Isaac
• 6 So Abraham took the wood of the burnt
offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took
the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of
them went together. 7 But Isaac spoke to
Abraham his father and said, “My father!”
And he said, “Here I am, my son.”

18. The AKEDAH – Binding of Isaac
• 7 Then he said, “Look, the fire and the wood, but
where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”
8 And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for
Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them
went together.
• 9 Then they came to the place of which God had told
him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the
wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him
on the altar, upon the wood.

19. Testing is resolved
• Through God’s
intervention
• “YHWH will provide”
• Abraham and Isaac
receive God’s help
• So do we

20. The AKEDAH – Binding of Isaac
• 10 And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the
knife to slay his son.
11 But the Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven
and said, “Abraham, Abraham!”
So he said, “Here I am.”
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.”

21. Adonai Yireh
13 Then Abraham lifted his
eyes and looked, and
there behind him was a
ram caught in a thicket by
its horns.
So Abraham went and took
the ram, and offered it up
for a burnt offering instead
of his son.
14 And Abraham called the
name of the place, The-
LORD-Will-Provide; as it is
said to this day, “In the
Mount of the LORD it shall
be provided.”

22. The Greatest Test – Resurrection
• Abraham sacrificed
Isaac
• Isaac’s ashes scattered
• Angels send dew to
refresh
• Isaac raised from dead
• Studies Torah for 3
years at school of Eber

23. The Greatest Test
• Yeshua’s
– birth
– life
– death
– resurrection
– return
• Myth or miracle?
• Mad, bad or God?

24. Second Coming
• We are called to live
our lives in expectancy
of Yeshua’s Return:
• In a flash, in the
twinkling of an eye, at
the last trumpet. For
the trumpet will sound,
the dead will be raised
imperishable, and we
will be changed. (I Cor.
15:52)

25. Conclusion
• If so, so what?
• Testing – real,
relational, resolved
• Through Yeshua’s
death and
resurrection
• Say “Hineni” to Him

29. Rembrandt
van Rijn,
(1655) –
Abraham's
Sacrifice

30. Abraham and Isaac
• Rembrandt arranged
the composition
around the pivotal
gesture of the father,
who points to God
with his upraised
finger.

31. Caravaggio
(1601-02) -
The
Sacrifice of
Isaac

32. Alessandro Allori, 1601 – Sacrifice of Isaac

33. The Sacrifice of Isaac
• Giovanni Domenico
Tiepolo (Italian,
Venice 1727–1804)

35. Further Tests of Faith
• Hagar and Ishmael sent away (21:9-21)
• Covenant with Abimelech (21:22-34)
• Abraham tested, the blessing reaffirmed
(22:1-24)
• Sarah dies, Abraham buys land (23:1-20)
• Wife for Isaac (24:1-67)
• Death of Abraham (25:1-11)
(Abraham’s remarriage, sons sent away,
Isaac blessed.)

36. A. Command and Blessing (12:1-9)
B. Sarai as Sister (12:10-20)
C. Abram and Lot (13:1-14:16) - separation of land -
rescue of Lot and family
D. Melchizedek meets Abram, blesses him (14:17-
24)
E. Covenant Ceremony (15:1-21)
F. Hagar and Ishmael (16:1-16)
E’. Covenant of Circumcision, new name (17:1-
27)
D’. Three men (Lord) meet Abraham, give promise
(18:1-21)
C’. Abraham and Lot (18:22-19:38) - Abraham pleads
with God - rescue of Lot and family - Lot is debased
B’. Sarah as sister (20:1-18)
Abraham’s Call and Purpose

37. 10 Tests of Abraham
1. Leave home
2. Encounters famine.
3. The Egyptians
capture Sarah
4. Battle of the four and
five kings
5. Marriage to Hagar .
6. Circumcision at advanced
age.
7. The king of Gerar
captures Sarah
8. Sends Hagar away
after having a child
with her.
9. Ishmael, becomes
estranged.
10.Offering of Isaac

38. Structure

40. The AKEDAH – Binding of Isaac
• 3 So Abraham rose early in the morning and
saddled his donkey, and took two of his young
men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split
the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and
went to the place of which God had told
him. 4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted his
eyes and saw the place afar off. 5 And Abraham
said to his young men, “Stay here with the
donkey; the lad [hana’ar] and I will go yonder
and worship, and we will come back to you.”

41. The AKEDAH – Binding of Isaac
• 6 So Abraham took the wood of the burnt
offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took
the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of
them went together. 7 But Isaac spoke to
Abraham his father and said, “My father!”
And he said, “Here I am, my son.”

42. The AKEDAH – Binding of Isaac
• 7 Then he said, “Look, the fire and the wood,
but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”
8 And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide
for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the
two of them went together.
• 9 Then they came to the place of which God
had told him. And Abraham built an altar there
and placed the wood in order; and he bound
Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the
wood.

43. The AKEDAH – Binding of Isaac
• 10 And Abraham stretched out his hand and
took the knife to slay his son.
11 But the Angel of the LORD called to him from
heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!”
So he said, “Here I am.”
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.”

44. The AKEDAH – Binding of Isaac
• 13 Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked,
and there behind him was a ram caught in a
thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took
the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering
instead of his son. 14 And Abraham called the
name of the place, The-LORD-Will-
Provide;[b] as it is said to this day, “In the Mount
of the LORD it shall be provided.”

45. The AKEDAH – Binding of Isaac
• 15 Then the Angel of the LORD called to
Abraham a second time out of heaven, 16 and
said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD,
because you have done this thing, and have not
withheld your son, your only son

46. The AKEDAH – Binding of Isaac
• — 17 blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I
will multiply your descendants as the stars of
the heaven and as the sand which is on the
seashore; and your descendants shall possess
the gate of their enemies. 18 In your seed all the
nations of the earth shall be blessed, because
you have obeyed My voice.”

47. Jon D. Levenson’s
• The near
sacrifice and
miraculous
restoration of a
beloved son is a
central but largely
overlooked
theme in both
Judaism and
Christianity.

48. If so, so what?
• From God to LORD
• From test to triumph
• From fear to faith
• From death to
resurrection