Biblical Parallels: Abraham, Isaac, and Christ’s Sacrifice
THE PARALLELS BETWEEN ABRAHAM AND ISAAC’S STORY AND CHRIST’S DEATH
| Abraham and Isaac’s Story | Christ’s Crucifixion Account |
|---|---|
| Mount Moriah in Jerusalem Gen. 22:2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. | Crucified near Mount Moriah in Jerusalem: Golgotha and Mount Moriah aren’t the exact same spot, but they’re pretty close to each other. Mount Moriah is traditionally linked to the site of the Jewish Temple, where sacrifices took place. The whole area, including Golgotha, holds deep meaning in God’s redemptive story. According to Jewish tradition, Mount Moriah was home to the Holy of Holies, where God’s presence dwelled in the temple (2 Chronicles 3:1). Both places clearly reflect the strong connection between sacrifice and atonement. |
| Abraham was the father | God is Jesus’ Father: John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. |
| Isaac was the covenant son | Christ is the only begotten Son of God |
| Two unnamed men were there: Gen 22:3 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. | May represent the two unnamed men crucified on Golgotha: John 19:18 Where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst. |
| Saw the mount on the third day: Gen 22:4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. | Jesus was raised from the grave on the third day: 1 Corinthians 15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: |
| The wood was laid on Isaac: Gen 22:6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. | The cross was laid on Christ: John 19:17 And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha: |
| Isaac got up off the altar Gen 22:13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. | Christ arose from the grave: 1 Cor. 15:3-6 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. |
| A ram replaced Isaac Gen 22:13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. | Christ was sacrificed in our place: Hebrews 10:9-12 Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; |
| God will provide a lamb: Gen 22:8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. | Christ is the “lamb of God”: John 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. |
Abraham takes Isaac to the same land where, years earlier, he had met the king-priest Melchizedek (Gen. 14). When Isaac asks, “Where is the lamb?” Abraham assures him that God will “provide Himself a lamb.” Yet, it’s a ram—not a lamb—that takes Isaac’s place. Upon the ram’s appearance, Abraham names the place Jehovah-Jireh, meaning “the Lord will see to it.” Moses writes, “In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen” (Gen. 22:14). So, what will be seen there? I believe, through the revelation of the Holy Spirit, Abraham glimpsed something not recorded in the story—he knew a lamb would one day appear on that mountain to bring redemption. That lamb is Christ, the One Jesus referred to when He said, “Abraham rejoiced to see my day; and he saw it” (John 8:56).
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