In Genesis 22:23, we see the report of the birth of Rebekah, which anticipates the future marriage between Isaac and Rebekah (Genesis 24:1-67). Likewise, the report of the death and burial of Abraham’s wife, Sarah (Genesis 23:1-20), anticipates his future marriage with Keturah (Genesis 25:1-4).

Read Genesis 23:1-20. What function does the story of Sarah’s death and burial play in the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham?

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The mention of the death of Sarah after the story of the sacrifice of Isaac suggests that she might have been affected by this incident, which almost cost her son’s life. In some way, Sarah was also involved in the “test” with her husband, just as she was in his travels and his occasional lapses in faith (Genesis 12:11-13).

Though we don’t know how much Sarah knew about the incident after it occurred, we can infer that she probably learned of it eventually. Sarah was not the kind of woman who would keep quiet on matters that were of significance or were disturbing her (compare with Genesis 16:3-5; Genesis 18:15; Genesis 21:9-10). Her absence and her silence, and even the timing of her death following that dramatic event, says more about her relevance to the events than did her physical presence. The fact that Sarah’s old age is mentioned (Genesis 23:1), in echo to Abraham’s old age (Genesis 24:1), shows her importance to the story.

In fact, Sarah is the only woman in the Old Testament of whom the number of her years is mentioned, which could show her involvement in the story even after the fact. The focus on the purchase of Sarah’s burial place (which covers most of the chapter), rather than on her death, emphasizes the connection with the Promised Land.

Already the specification that she died “in the land of Canaan” (Genesis 23:2) underlines the rooting of Sarah’s death in God’s promise of the land. Sarah is the first dead of Abraham’s clan to have died and been buried in the Promised Land. Abraham’s concern about himself, “a foreigner and a visitor” (Genesis 23:4, NKJV), and his insistent argument with the sons of Heth, show that Abraham is interested not just in acquiring a burial place; he is primarily concerned with settling in the land permanently.

<–Monday Wednesday–>

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Read Genesis 22:8, Genesis 22:14, Genesis 22:18. How did God fulfill His promise that He will provide? What was provided?

When Isaac asked about the sacrificial animal, Abraham gave an intriguing answer: God will “provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering” (Genesis 22:8, NKJV). Yet, the Hebrew verbal form can actually mean “God will provide Himself as the lamb.” The verb “provide” (yir’eh lo) is used in a way that can mean “provide Himself” (or literally, “see Himself”).

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What we are being shown here, then, is the essence of the plan of salvation, with the Lord Himself suffering and paying in Himself the penalty for our sins!

Read John 1:1-3 and Romans 5:6-8. How do these verses help us understand what happened at the Cross, which is prefigured in the sacrifice here on Mount Moriah?

There, at Mount Moriah, long before the cross, the sacrificial ram “caught in a thicket by his horns” (Genesis 22:13) was pointing right to Jesus. He is One that is “seen” here, as Abraham explains later, “In the mount where the LORD is seen” (Genesis 22:14, author’s translation). Jesus Himself had pointed to Abraham’s prophetic utterance here, when He said, echoing Abraham’s statement: “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad” (John 8:56, NKJV).

“It was to impress Abraham’s mind with the reality of the gospel, as well as to test his faith, that God commanded him to slay his son. The agony which he endured during the dark days of that fearful trial was permitted that he might understand from his own experience something of the greatness of the sacrifice made by the infinite God for man’s redemption.” — Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 154.

<–Sunday Tuesday–>

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Read Genesis 22:1-12 and Hebrews 11:17. What was the meaning of this test? What spiritual lessons come from this amazing event?

Genesis chapter 22 has become a classic in world literature and has inspired philosophers and artists, not just theologians. The meaning of God’s test is difficult to comprehend, however. This divine command contradicted the later biblical prohibition against human sacrifices (Leviticus 18:21), and it surely seemed to work against God’s promise of an eternal covenant through Isaac (Genesis 15:5).

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What, then, was the purpose of God’s calling him to do this? Why test him in such a powerful way?

The biblical notion of “test” (in Hebrew, nissah) embraces two opposite ideas. It refers to the idea of judgment, that is, a judgment in order to know what is in the heart of the tested one (Deuteronomy 8:2; compare with Genesis 22:12). But it also brings the assurance of God’s grace on behalf of the tested (Exodus 20:18-20).

In this case, Abraham’s faith in God takes him to the point that he runs the risk of losing his “future” (his posterity). And yet, because he trusts God, he will do what God asks, no matter how difficult it all is to understand. After all, what is faith if not trust in what we don’t see or fully understand?

Also, biblical faith is not so much about our capacity to give to God and to sacrifice for Him — though that has a role, no doubt (Romans 12:1) — but about our capacity to trust Him and to receive His grace while understanding just how undeserving we are.

This truth was reaffirmed in what followed. All the works of Abraham, his many zealous activities, his painful journey with his son, even his readiness to obey and offer to God the best of himself, however instructive, could not save him. Why? Because the Lord Himself had provided a ram for the intended sacrifice, which itself pointed to his only hope of salvation, Jesus.

Abraham must have, then, understood grace. It is not our works for God that save us, but it is instead God’s work for us (Ephesians 3:8; compare with Romans 11:33), however much, like Abraham, we are called to work for God, which Abraham’s actions powerfully embody (James 2:2-23).

<–Sabbath Monday–>

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Sabbath Afternoon

Read for This Week’s Study: Genesis 22:1-24, Hebrews 11:17, Leviticus 18:21, John 1:1-3, Romans 5:6-8, Genesis 23:1-25:34, Romans 4:1-12.

Memory Text: “Now Abraham was old, well advanced in age; and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things” (Genesis 24:1, NKJV).

Finally, as God had promised, Sarah bore Abraham a son, “in his old age” (Genesis 21:2), and he named the baby Isaac (see Genesis 21:1-5). But the story of Abraham is far from over, reaching a climactic moment with him taking his son to Mount Moriah to be sacrificed. Isaac, however, is replaced by a ram (Genesis 22:13), which signified God’s commitment to bless the nations through his “seed” (Genesis 22:17-18). That seed, of course, was Jesus (Acts 13:23). Hence, in this astonishing (and in some ways troubling) story more of the plan of salvation is revealed.

Whatever the deep spiritual lessons here, the family of Abraham, nevertheless, must have been shaken by it, and the future of Abraham is not clear. Sarah dies after the sacrifice at Moriah (Genesis chapter 23), and Isaac remains single.

Abraham then takes the initiative to make sure that the “right” future will follow him. He arranges the marriage of his son to Rebekah (Genesis chapter 24), who will give birth to two sons (Genesis 25:21-23), and Abraham himself gets married to Keturah, who will give him many children (Genesis 25:1-6). This week, we will follow Abraham to the end of his life (Genesis 25:7-11).

Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, May 21.

Sunday–>

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A Teacher’s Prayer

By Andrew McChesney

A school friend told Selinah that she should worship Jesus. “You need to go to church because Jesus is coming and, when He comes, He will take His own,” she said. The friend also said only two churches exist in the world — the Seventh-day Adventist Church and another church. Selinah, whose parents were not particularly religious, chose the other church because it had the larger building in her village in northern Botswana.

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After some time, a relative, a boy around her age, invited Selinah to the Adventist church. Selinah’s friends at the other church cautioned her against going. “Don’t go to that church,” said one. “You won’t come back to your own church,” said another. “Why would I leave my church?” Selinah said.

On Sabbath morning, Selinah walked with the boy to church. The worship service had begun when they arrived. It was so different to Selinah. The preacher talked to God like he was talking to a friend. The handshakes after the worship service surprised her. It was as if the church members had been expecting her. Learning that the preacher would conduct a series of sermons, she came back for what turned out to be an evangelistic series. She listened with amazement as the preacher used slides to show that the beasts of Daniel chapter 7 represented world kingdoms up through Jesus’ second coming. After the meetings ended, she never returned to her former church. She was baptized and joined the Adventist Church.

Selinah Oreneile Nkwae grew up and became a schoolteacher. More than anything she wanted to teach children about Jesus at an Adventist school. But there was no Adventist school, so she taught at government schools for 34 years. After retiring, she prayed earnestly about how to be a good witness for God, and she led several evangelistic efforts that resulted in a number of baptisms. But she couldn’t forget her desire to teach at an Adventist school.

One day, her husband saw a newspaper advertisement seeking teachers for a new Adventist school in Francistown. Selinah applied and was accepted at Eastern Gate Primary School, which was constructed with a Thirteenth Sabbath Offering in 2015. God had answered her prayers. “The daily prayer of all the teachers is for the kids see God’s character in us,” Selinah said.

This mission story illustrates the following components of the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s “I Will Go” strategic plan: Mission Objective No. 4, “To strengthen Seventh-day Adventist institutions in upholding freedom, wholistic health, and hope through Jesus, and restoring in people the image of God,” and Spiritual Growth Objective No. 6, “To increase accession, retention, reclamation, and participation of children, youth, and young adults.” Read more: IWillGo2020[dot]org.

Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission. Find more mission stories at adventistmission[dot]org

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