John Calvin Commentary Genesis 22

And it came to pass. This chapter contains a most memorable narrative. For although Abraham, throughout the whole course of his life, gave astonishing proofs of faith and obedience, yet none more excellent can be imagined than the immolation of his son. For other temptations with which the Lord had exercised him, tended, indeed, to his mortification; but this inflicted a wound far more grievous than death itself.

Here, however, we must consider something greater and higher than the paternal grief and anguish, which, being produced by the death of an only son, pierced through the breast of the holy man. It was sad for him to be deprived of his only son, sadder still that this one should be torn away by a violent death, but by far the most grievous that he himself should be appointed as the executioner to slay him with his own hand.

Other circumstances, which will be noted in their proper place, I now omit. But all these things, if we compare them with the spiritual conflict of conscience which he endured, will appear like the mere play, or shadows of conflicts.

For the great source of grief to him was not his own bereavement, not that he was commanded to slay his only heir, the hope of future memorial and of name, the glory and support of his family; but that, in the person of this son, the whole salvation of the world seemed to be extinguished and to perish.

His contest, too, was not with his carnal passions; but, since he wished to devote himself wholly to God, his very piety and religion filled him with distracting thoughts. For God, as if engaging in personal contest with him, requires the death of the boy, to whose person He himself had annexed the hope of eternal salvation. So that this latter command was, in a certain sense, the destruction of faith.

This foretaste of the story before us, it was deemed useful to give to the readers, that they may reflect how deserving it is of diligent and constant meditation.

After these things God did tempt Abraham. The expression, "after these things," is not to be restricted to his last vision; Moses rather intended to comprise in one word the various events by which Abraham had been tossed up and down, and again, the somewhat more quiet state of life which, in his old age, he had lately begun to obtain.

He had passed an unsettled life in continued exile up to his eightieth year; having been harassed with many insults and injuries, he had endured with difficulty a miserable and anxious existence, in continual trepidation. Famine had driven him out of the land to which he had gone, by the command and under the auspices of God, into Egypt.

Twice his wife had been torn from his bosom; he had been separated from his nephew; he had delivered this nephew, when captured in war, at the peril of his own life. He had lived childless with his wife, although all his hopes were suspended upon his having offspring.

Having at length obtained a son, he was compelled to disinherit him, and to drive him far from home. Isaac alone remained, his special but only consolation; he was enjoying peace at home, but now God suddenly thundered out of heaven, denouncing the sentence of death upon this son. The meaning, therefore, of the passage is, that by this temptation, as if by the last act, the faith of Abraham was far more severely tried than before.

God did tempt Abraham. James, in denying that anyone is tempted by God (James 1:13), refutes the profane calumnies of those who, to exonerate themselves from the blame of their sins, attempt to fix the charge of them upon God.

Therefore, James truly contends that those sins, of which we have the root in our own concupiscence, ought not to be charged upon another. For though Satan instills his poison, and fans the flame of our corrupt desires within us, yet we are not carried by any external force to the commission of sin; but our own flesh entices us, and we willingly yield to its allurements.

This, however, is no reason why God may not be said to tempt us in His own way, just as He tempted Abraham—that is, brought him to a severe test—that He might make full trial of the faith of His servant.

And said unto him. Moses points out the kind of temptation; namely, that God would shake the faith which the holy man had placed in His word, by a counter assault of the word itself. He therefore addresses him by name, that there may be no doubt respecting the Author of the command.

For unless Abraham had been fully persuaded that it was the voice of God which commanded him to slay his son Isaac, he would have been easily released from anxiety; for, relying on the certain promise of God, he would have rejected the suggestion as the fallacy of Satan, and thus, without any difficulty, the temptation would have been shaken off.

But now all occasion of doubt is removed; so that, without controversy, he acknowledges the oracle, which he hears, to be from God. Meanwhile, God, in a certain sense, assumes a double character, that, by the appearance of disagreement and repugnance in which He presents Himself in His word, He may distract and wound the breast of the holy man.

For the only method of cherishing constancy of faith is to apply all our senses to the word of God. But so great was then the discrepancy of the word, that it would wound and lacerate the faith of Abraham.

Therefore, there is great emphasis in the word, “said,” because God indeed made trial of Abraham’s faith, not in the usual manner, but by drawing him into a contest with His own word.

Whatever temptations assail us, let us know that the victory is in our own hands, so long as we are endowed with a firm faith; otherwise, we shall be, by no means, able to resist.

If, when we are deprived of the sword of the Spirit, we are overcome, what would be our condition were God Himself to attack us with the very sword with which He had been accustomed to arm us? This, however, happened to Abraham. The manner in which Abraham, by faith, wrestled with this temptation, we shall afterwards see, in the proper place.

And he said, Behold, here I am. Thus, it appears that the holy man was, in no degree, afraid of the wiles of Satan. For the faithful are not in such haste to obey God as to allow a foolish credulity to carry them away, in whatever direction the breath of a doubtful vision may blow.

But once it was clear to Abraham that he was called by God, he testified by this answer his prompt desire to yield obedience. For the expression before us is as much as if he said, "Whatever God may have been pleased to command, I am perfectly ready to carry into effect."

And, truly, he does not wait until God should expressly enjoin this or the other thing, but promises that he will be simply, and without exception, obedient in all things. This, certainly, is true subjection, when we are prepared to act, before the will of God is known to us.

We find, indeed, all men ready to boast that they will do as Abraham did; but when it comes to the trial, they shrink from the yoke of God. But the holy man, soon afterwards, proves by his very act how truly and seriously he had professed that he, without delay and without disputation, would subject himself to the hand of God.

Take now your son. Abraham is commanded to immolate his son. If God had said nothing more than that his son should die, even this message would have most grievously wounded his mind, because whatever favor he could hope for from God was included in this single promise: In Isaac shall your seed be called.

From this he necessarily inferred that his own salvation, and that of the whole human race, would perish unless Isaac remained in safety. For he was taught by that word that God would not be gracious to man without a Mediator. For although the declaration of Paul that all the promises of God in Christ are yea and Amen (2 Corinthians 1:20) was not yet written, it was nevertheless engraved on the heart of Abraham.

How then, however, could he have had this hope, but from Isaac? The situation had reached this point: that God would appear to have done nothing but mock him. Yet not only is the death of his son announced to him, but he is commanded with his own hand to slay him, as if he were required not only to throw aside, but to cut in pieces or cast into the fire, the charter of his salvation, and to have nothing left for himself but death and hell.

But it may be asked, how, under the guidance of faith, he could be brought to sacrifice his son, since what was proposed to him was in opposition to that word of God on which it is necessary for faith to rely? To this question the Apostle answers that his confidence in the word of God remained unshaken, because he hoped that God would be able to cause the promised blessing to spring up, even out of the dead ashes of his son (Hebrews 11:19).

His mind, however, must necessarily have been severely crushed and violently agitated when the command and the promise of God were conflicting within him. But when he had come to the conclusion that the God with whom he knew he had to deal could not be his adversary, although he did not immediately discover how the contradiction might be removed, he nevertheless, by hope, reconciled the command with the promise. Because, being undoubtedly persuaded that God was faithful, he left the unknown issue to Divine Providence.

Meanwhile, as with closed eyes, he goes where he is directed. The truth of God deserves this honor: not only that it should far transcend all human means, or that it alone, even without means, should be sufficient for us, but also that it should surmount all obstacles. Here, then, we perceive more clearly the nature of the temptation which Moses has pointed out.

It was difficult and painful for Abraham to forget that he was a father and a husband; to cast off all human affections; and to endure, before the world, the disgrace of shameful cruelty by becoming the executioner of his son. But the other was a far more severe and horrible thing: namely, that he perceives God to be contradicting Himself and His own word; and then, that he supposes the hope of the promised blessing to be cut off from him when Isaac is torn away from his embrace.

For what more could he have to do with God when the only pledge of grace is taken away? But as before, when he expected seed from his own dead body, he, by hope, rose above what it seemed possible to hope for. So now, when, in the death of his son, he perceives the life-giving power of God in such a way as to promise himself a blessing out of the ashes of his son, he emerges from the labyrinth of temptation. For, in order that he might obey God, it was necessary that he should tenaciously hold the promise, which, had it failed, faith must have perished.

But with him the promise always flourished, because he both firmly retained the love with which God had once embraced him and subjected to the power of God everything which Satan raised up to disturb his mind. But he was unwilling to measure by his own understanding the method of fulfilling the promise, which he knew depended on the incomprehensible power of God.

It remains for each of us to apply this example to ourselves. The Lord, indeed, is so indulgent to our weakness that he does not so severely and sharply try our faith; yet he intended, in the father of all the faithful, to propose an example by which he might call us to a general trial of faith.

For the faith, which is more precious than gold and silver, should not lie idle without trial; and experience teaches that each will be tried by God according to the measure of his faith. At the same time, also, we may observe that God tests his servants not only when he subdues the affections of the flesh, but when he reduces all their senses to nothing, that he may lead them to a complete renunciation of themselves.

Your only son Isaac, whom you love. As if it were not enough to command in one word the sacrifice of his son, he pierces, as with fresh strokes, the mind of the holy man. By calling him his only son, he again irritates the wound recently inflicted by the banishment of the other son; he then looks forward into the future, because no hope of offspring would remain.

If the death of a firstborn son is usually grievous, what must the mourning of Abraham be? Each word which follows is emphatic and serves to aggravate his grief. Slay (he says) him whom alone you love. And he does not here refer merely to his paternal love, but to that which sprang from faith.

Abraham loved his son, not only as nature dictates and as parents commonly do who take delight in their children, but as perceiving the paternal love of God in him. Lastly, Isaac was the mirror of eternal life and the pledge of all good things. Therefore, God seems not so much to assail the paternal love of Abraham as to trample upon His own benevolence.

There is equal emphasis in the name Isaac, by which Abraham was taught that nowhere else did any joy remain for him. Certainly, when he who had been given as the occasion of joy was taken away, it was just as if God should condemn Abraham to eternal torment. We must always remember that Isaac was not an ordinary son, but one in whose person the Mediator was promised.

Go into the land of Moriah. The bitterness of grief is greatly increased by this circumstance. For God does not require him to put his son immediately to death but compels him to ponder this execution in his mind for three whole days, so that in preparing himself to sacrifice his son, he may still more severely torture all his own senses.

Besides, he does not even name the place where he requires that dire sacrifice to be offered: Upon one of the mountains (he says) that I will tell you of. So before, when he commanded him to leave his country, he held his mind in suspense. But in this affair, the delay which most cruelly tormented the holy man, as if he had been stretched upon the rack, was even less tolerable.

There was, however, a twofold use of this suspense. For there is nothing to which we are more prone than to be wise beyond our measure. Therefore, in order that we may become docile and obedient to God, it is profitable for us to be deprived of our own wisdom, and that nothing should be left for us but to resign ourselves to be led according to his will.

Secondly, this also tended to make him persevere, so that he should not obey God by a merely sudden impulse. For, as he does not turn back in his journey nor ponder conflicting counsels, it thus appears that his love for God was confirmed by such constancy that it could not be affected by any change of circumstances.

Jerome explains the land of Moriah to be ‘the land of vision,’ as if the name had been derived from rahah (ראה). But all who are skilled in the Hebrew language condemn this opinion. Nor am I better satisfied with those who interpret it as the myrrh of God. It is certainly acknowledged by general consensus that it is derived from the word yarah (ירה), which signifies to teach, or from yarai (ירא), which signifies to fear. There is, however, even at this time, a difference among interpreters, some thinking that the doctrine of God is here specially emphasized.

Let us follow the most probable opinion: namely, that it is called the land of divine worship, either because God had appointed it for the offering of the sacrifice, so that Abraham might not dispute whether some other place should not be chosen instead, or because the place for the temple was already fixed there. I prefer to adopt this second explanation: that God there required a present worship from his servant Abraham because, already in his secret counsel, he had determined in that place to fix his ordinary worship.

Sacrifices properly receive their name from the word which signifies fear, because they give proof of reverence to God. Moreover, it is by no means doubtful that this is the place where the temple was afterwards built.

And Abraham rose up early in the morning. This promptness shows the greatness of Abraham’s faith. Innumerable thoughts might have entered the mind of the holy man, each of which would have overwhelmed his spirit unless he had fortified it by faith.

And there is no doubt that Satan, during the darkness of the night, would have heaped upon him a great burden of cares. To overcome them gradually, by contending with them, was an act of heroic courage.

But when these were overcome, to then immediately gird himself to fulfill God's command, and even to rise early in the morning to do so, was a remarkable effort. Other men, overwhelmed by such a dreadful and terrible message, would have fainted and lain inactive, as if lifeless; but the first light of dawn was scarcely early enough for Abraham’s haste.

Therefore, in a few words, Moses highly praises his faith when he declares that it surmounted, in such a short time, the very temptation which was attended with many labyrinths.

And saw the place. He saw, indeed, with his eyes, the place which had previously been shown him in secret vision. But when it is said that he lifted up his eyes, Moses doubtless indicates that he had been very anxious during the whole of the three days.

In commanding his servants to remain behind, he does it so that they might not lay their hands on him, as on a delirious and insane old man. And in this his magnanimity appears, that he keeps his thoughts so well composed and tranquil as to do nothing in an agitated manner.

When, however, he says that he will return with the boy, he does not seem to be free from dissimulation and falsehood. Some think that he uttered this declaration prophetically; but since it is certain that he never lost sight of what had been promised concerning the raising up of seed in Isaac, it may be that he, trusting in the providence of God, imagined his son as surviving even in death itself. And since he went, as if with closed eyes, to the slaughter of his son, there is nothing improbable in the supposition that he spoke confusedly in a matter so obscure.

My father. God produces here a new instrument of torture, by which he may increasingly torment the heart of Abraham, already pierced with so many wounds. And undoubtedly, God intentionally both guided Isaac's tongue to utter this tender address and directed him to this question, so that nothing would be lacking in the extreme severity of Abraham’s grief.

Yet the holy man sustains even this attack with invincible courage; and so far from being disturbed in his proposed course, he shows himself to be entirely devoted to God, listening to nothing that could shake his confidence or hinder his obedience.

But it is important to notice how he unties this inextricable knot: namely, by taking refuge in Divine Providence, God will provide himself a lamb. This example is proposed for our imitation.

Whenever the Lord gives a command, many things constantly arise to weaken our purpose: means fail, we lack guidance, all paths seem blocked. In such difficult situations, the only remedy against despondency is to entrust the outcome to God, so that he may open a way for us where there is none. For just as we act unjustly towards God when we hope for nothing from him but what our senses can perceive, so we pay Him the highest honor when, in perplexing situations, we nevertheless entirely acquiesce in his providence.