Isaac: Jesus in the Book of Genesis

Abraham, the father of faith, is most famous for his willingness to offer his only son, Isaac, as a sacrifice to God. Isaac was not only his unique son but was also born to Abraham in his old age, a child of God’s promise. Abraham’s offering of Isaac can be seen as representing a lifetime of spiritual service, setting an example for believers for all time.

God told Abraham to go to a mountain and offer Isaac as a sacrifice. Years later, that mountain would be called Mount Moriah (also known as Mount Calvary or Golgotha), the very place where God’s only son, Jesus Christ, would be offered as a sacrifice. Isaac, Abraham’s only son, was not a child at the time; he was in his early thirties. Although he had questions, he did not resist or fight back. Isaac was physically capable of resisting his father’s decision, yet he willingly submitted to being bound by his elderly father and placed on the altar. In the same way, the Lord Jesus “humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8). This obedience was perfect and pleasing to God, just like a sacrifice “without blemish.” Isaac’s life was not known for great accomplishments but for his silent obedience, which prefigured the scapegoat God would provide: “He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth” (Isaiah 53:7; Acts 8:32). At the last moment, God stopped Abraham and provided an alternative sacrifice—a ram with its horns caught in a thicket.

Stained glass in churches often depicts the lamb as a docile little sheep, but the scripture is actually referring to a one-year-old male goat with horns. The Book of Revelation portrays Jesus as a powerful ram with seven horns, not a cute, gentle lamb. It’s strong and powerful—God’s ram. “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). God provided this ram, with its horns caught in a thicket, as a substitute for Isaac. Afterward, God gave Himself a new name—Jehovah Jireh, which means “The Lord Will Provide.” Centuries later, on that same mountain, a man of a similar age to Isaac was also offered as a sacrifice. Wearing a crown of thorns, He was God’s one and only Son—Jesus Christ.

(Compiled and edited based on the Chinese Union Version and recordings from David Pawson’s “Unlocking the Old Testament” series.)