03. the Cross in the Torah – Genesis

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Since context is important to understand the true meaning of a verse or even an entire storyline, let us first summarize the entire book of Genesis before we zoom in on cha. 22.

Summary of Genesis

Chapters 1-11 of Genesis (Gen.) tell God‘s history with mankind. They include

• Creation (how God created the Universe),
• the Fall of Mankind (how sin entered the world through disobedience of man),
• the Flood (how God made a fresh start with one righteous family),
• the Tower of Babel (how God dispersed humanity across the earth).

The rest of Genesis (cha. 12-50) focuses on one family, the family of Abraham. His son Isaac begot Jacob. Jacob was later renamed by God to Israel. His 12 sons and their offspring would eventually become the 12 tribes of the nation of Israel.

Genesis ends with God saving not only this family but also Egypt and the surrounding nations through Joseph (one of the 12 sons of Israel) who had been sold into slavery by his own brothers. What they had meant for evil God had turned for good. Eventually, the 12 tribes of Israel would migrate to Egypt and remain there for about four hundred years.

Storyline of Genesis (cha. 22)

In Gen. 22 we read that God tested Abraham’s faith and told him to go and offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice on a mountain which he would show him in the land of Moriah. A God who wants a man to kill his own son? A troubling thought for many people and taking this story out of its context really does trouble. Therefore let us take a look at the chapters leading up to Gen. 22 in order to understand the background of this story. Abraham knew God and he knew him well:

• He trusted God to such an extent that he obeyed when God told him in old age to leave his home to go and live in a foreign land (Gen. 12:1-5)
• He knew that God keeps his promises even though the circumstances might seem impossible: He begot his son Isaac with his wife Sarah at an age when childbearing had become impossible (Gen. 17:15-17 | 21:1-7)
• He had witnessed God’s power, goodness, and righteousness when God destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah for their wickedness (Gen. 19:1-29)
• God even called Abraham his friend (Isaiah 41:8)

It is in this context that we have to read and understand Gen. 22: God had given Abraham a promise that Isaac would have many descendants, that even kings would come from his line (Gen. 17:3-6). It is impossible that these promises of God would come true with a dead Isaac who at this point in time did not have any offspring. Abraham knew that God was good and that he even had the power – if necessary – to resurrect Isaac from the dead. His confidence clearly manifests in Gen. 22:5 when Abraham tells the servants who had accompanied them on their three day journey that they (Abraham and Isaac) would both return from the mountain. It also manifests in Abraham’s answer to Isaac’s question concerning what the sacrifice would be (Gen. 22:8): “God himself will provide […]“

So Abraham and Isaac climbed the mountain that God had shown Abraham. Isaac had to carry the firewood on which he should be sacrificed (Gen. 22:6). It is important to understand why he had to carry the wood: He was young and strong, his father was old and the days of his strength had faded. No explicit age is given for Isaac. However the very next chapter (Gen. 23:1) mentions that Sarah died with 127 years of age. This gives us a clear indication that Isaac was not a small boy anymore when he was about to be sacrificed. He was not hopelessly delivered to his father’s will: Today it is widely assumed (e.g. by Jews) that Isaac was in his 30’s and capable of overruling his father’s will by force.

When the time came, when everything was prepared for the sacrifice except the sacrifice itself it became obvious to Isaac that he was meant to be the sacrifice. He submitted to the will of his father since he trusted him. At the very last moment when Abraham was about to kill his only son of his wife Sarah, God stepped in and told Abraham to look around: Nearby a ram had entangled itself with his head in the thorns of a thicket (Gen. 22:13). Abraham took that ram which God had provided as a substitute for his son Isaac, sacrificed it to God, and named the place “Jehovah Jireh” which means “God will provide”.

the Foreshadowing of the Cross

Already in the chapters leading up to Gen. 22 we see Isaac being pointed out as a shadow of the Messiah: The same way as Isaac’s conception was a miracle, Jesus‘ conception was a miracle as well. And the same way as Abraham received tremendous promises for his son Isaac, Mary received tremendous promises for her Son Jesus as well. Furthermore John 3:16 says that God was willing to give his only begotten Son for the sins of the world so that everyone who believes in him (Jesus) would have eternal life. The same way Abraham was willing to sacrifice his only son with his wife Sarah. Additionally, Luke tells us in his account of the gospel (Luke 3:23) that Jesus began his ministry at 30 years of age. About three years later he finally faced the situation which he himself had prophesied about several times on his way to Jerusalem: He was about to be sacrificed by his own Father. Matthew 26:39 tells us that this was not easy for him: In the garden of Gethsemane he pleaded with his Father that he might take “this cup” away from him. However when God did not take this cup away from him he was obedient and submitted to the will of his Father. The same way Isaac obeyed and submitted to the will of his father when he was in his 30’s. In the garden of Gethsemane Jesus was captured, put on trial, and sentenced to death by crucifixion despite him being found not guilty. After being whipped the Roman soldiers made him carry his own wooden Cross up to Golgotha, a mountain just outside the walls of Jerusalem (John 19:16-18). The same way Isaac had to carry the firewood on which he was supposed to be sacrificed up to a mountain in the land of Moriah.

The Torah gives us two indications where this mountain in the land of Moriah was located. In Gen. 21:31-34 and Gen. 22:19 we read that Abraham and his family lived in a city called Beersheba. From there he started his journey with Isaac and his servants. After three days they could see in the distance the mountain which God pointed out to Abraham as the mountain for the sacrifice (Gen. 22:4). When we measure distances around the city of Beersheba, we realize that a N-NE direction of their travel into mountainous area would have led them close to the city of Jerusalem given a reasonable traveling pace of 25-30km/day. The final indication revealing the place of the sacrifice: In 2. Chronicles 3:1 the Bible states that the mountain of Moriah was located right at the city of Jerusalem.

The same way as Jesus was about to be sacrificed on a mountain close to the city of Jerusalem, Isaac was about to be sacrificed on a mountain close to Jerusalem. However, God stepped in at the last moment and provided a substitute for Isaac: A ram with his head surrounded by thorns. This is interesting in the light of what we read in the gospel of Matthew 27:27-31: Before Jesus had to carry his own Cross up to Golgotha the Roman soldiers mocked him. Since he claimed to be the king of the Jews they formed a crown of thorns and placed it on Jesus’ head. His head was therefore also surrounded by thorns.

When we look at this issue of the substitute we learn a very important aspect about the shadow principle: While the principle gives us much information, sometimes even specific details about the coming Messiah from the Old Testament, the shadow is not yet fully developed. When Jesus came to earth as the Son of God he claimed in Matthew 5:17 that he would “fulfill” the law and the prophets. He did this not just by living a sinless life according to the Law or by fulfilling direct prophecies about the Messiah: He also fulfilled the shadow of the Messiah in going one step further. For Jesus no substitute was provided since nobody was capable of taking his place as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world. Voluntarily he took the punishment that we deserved for our transgressions on himself (1. John 2:2) so that we could be free. Liberated. Redeemed.

the Shadow at one Glance

___________
[a] only son of Sarah and Abraham who would inherit Abraham’s blessing
[b] reasonable deduction from the context, today widely assumed

Navigation

1. tCitT – Introduction
2. tCitT – Is the Bible reliable?
3. tCitT – Genesis 
4. tCitT – Exodus 
5. tCitT – Leviticus 
6. tCitT – Numbers
7. tCitT – Deuteronomy 
8. tCitT – Bottom line
9. tCitT – download