Genesis 22:15-24 – The impact of obedience

Abraham was absolutely obedient. Being obedient always delights the heart of God. So in Abraham’s situation God emphatically proclaimed from heaven how He felt, and what He would do for him because of his obedience. The effect of the obedience would not only impact him but also sealed the destiny of his descendants forever. God said his descendants would be as numerous as the countless stars in the sky, and they would also take possession of the cities of their enemies. Furthermore they would be the cause of blessings to come upon all the nations of the earth.

Truly, there is no alternative to receive the blessings of God but obedience. We must never evade doing according to the instruction of God. Blessings would not only be denied to one who is found disobedient to God, it would also cause the people he was expected to influence to be denied the blessing for generations to come. Paul in Romans 5:19 underscores the impact of both disobedience and obedience. Comparing Adam to Christ, he said, “For as through the one man’s (Adam’s) disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One (Jesus Christ) many will be made righteous.” Today, we are the blessed recipients of both the obedience of Abraham as well as the Lord Jesus Christ’s. What a blessing! We are now expected to emulate their obedience. So verse 19 tells us Abraham returned to the two servants waiting for Him and Isaac. Obviously Isaac, whom he was to sacrifice but prevented by the angel of the Lord, also returned with him. So they returned to Beersheba.

Then quickly the scene shifted to Nahor, Abraham’s brother. They had been separated for 40 years or more since Abraham’s departure from Haran. The nomadic life enhanced the difficulty of contacting each other. Abraham probably did not hear from Nahor for a long while. But now news came to Abraham concerning Nahor, his brother and family. For us, readers of the Bible, records of genealogy are often passed over. They made Bible reading dull and boring. But to the ancient, a record of genealogy was critical. It helped them trace the root of someone significant. Verses 20-24 would have been quickly skimmed over if not for Rebekah. For she would eventually be the wife of Isaac. So the story awaits to be told.