Genesis 22:13 Commentary and Bible Study

The wonderful principle of substitution is seen so clearly here. In that age of types and shadows, it was a ram that substituted for a man, but that ram in turn represents the Lord Jesus Christ who alone offered up a sacrifice that effectively substitutes for us. The fact that this test of Abraham’s faith ends in this way with a substitute needing to be offered up in the place of Isaac, brings together the death of Isaac and the death of Christ and links the two together. Every one of us deserve to die for our sins and the universal truth is that the wages of sin is death. Isaac too relied on the Lamb of God who was to come into the world, and this is demonstrated in this most graphic way. Isaac must also die like every other sinful man unless a substitute is provided by God. How can we ever thank God enough for providing the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world? We may imagine ourselves in the place of Isaac, about to be offered up, but Christ comes forward to take our place. He is offered up for us in the stead of Abraham’s son and in our own stead.