Fear No Fear

(All scripture from the World English Bible, ebible.org, all rights reserved)

“Yahweh’s angel called to Abraham a second time out of the sky, and said, “‘I have sworn by myself,’ says Yahweh, ‘because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son, that I will bless you greatly, and I will multiply your offspring greatly like the stars of the heavens, and like the sand which is on the seashore. Your offspring will possess the gate of his enemies. All the nations of the earth will be blessed by your offspring, because you have obeyed my voice.’””
(Genesis 22:15-18)

God asked for obedience. Abraham and Isaac submitted and obeyed. God provided the sacrifice. Abraham and Isaac worshipped. God didn’t stop there. He didn’t just give them a gold star. He didn’t say well done and walk away. Abraham and Isaac were willing to go the whole way (especially Abraham, since Isaac was obeying God only in submitting to parental authority), so God opened the way to the next step. If we want to move deeper into God, we have to be obedient. It is only when we have done the first thing that the second becomes available. He doesn’t give more to those who haven’t done what He’s already given. If we ever feel like our walk has stalled, we need to look back and remember what He’s asked us to do and do it. If we don’t trust Him enough to obey fully, there are blessings that we will never be in a position to receive.

God again speaks of Isaac as Abraham’s son, his only son, increasing the prophetic echo to Messiah and His sacrifice.

God reveals to Abraham that He chose to swear a blessing on Abraham. God didn’t have to do that. His Word lasts forever. He had already blessed Abraham. But God choose to deepen that blessing because Abraham fully obeyed and held nothing back from the Lord. God did it not only for Abraham, but also to enable everyone to increase our trust in the Lord’s covenants (Hebrews 6:13-20). God showed that our hope in Him had an anchor. That we have a foundation for our trust in Him. That our promises are watched over by God and He increased the blessing for those who obey. Not for His benefit, but for ours.

God doubled-down on His promises in the ‘promised seed’. Near fulfillment was in Isaac and his children and grandchildren. But the far fulfillment is in those who enter into God’s family through Jesus. It is through Jesus that all the nations are blessed. It wasn’t just the Jewish nation God refers to, but His children in Messiah Jesus (Galatians 3:16). He isn’t spurning the Jews, but opening His arms to all people. In Jesus, the enemy is defeated. In Jesus, sin is removed. In Jesus, everything is overcome. In Jesus, we become the family of God. That is why Abraham’s descendants could be as numerous as the sand of the sea and the stars of the sky. There were NO LIMITS as to who could come and be right with God through Jesus. In and through Jesus ALL the promises of God are fulfilled and walked out. In Jesus, we are joined with the Father as family.

The sage Ramban writes: ‘BECAUSE THOU HAST DONE THIS THING. In the beginning He promised him that he would increase his descendants as the stars of heaven and the dust of the earth, but now He gave him the additional assurance that because thou hast done this great deed, He swore by His Great Name [that He would increase his descendants as the stars of heaven, and as the sand which is upon the seashore], and that his seed will possess the gate of its enemies. Thus Abraham was assured that no sin whatever would cause the destruction of his descendants, nor would they fall into the hand of their enemies and not rise again. Thus this constitutes a perfect Divine assurance of the redemption which is destined to come to us.’

The sage Kli Yakar writes: ‘The metaphor of the sand teaches us about the time when nations rise against Israel to destroy them but are unable to do so, like waves that rise up as if wanting to flood the whole world, but immediately upon reaching the sand, they break. So it is with the nations, as it is said All Your breakers and waves passed over me (Psalms 42:8). However, they will not prevail against them, for there they fell and broke; therefore they are called Your breakers. This is why Israel is compared to this sand that breaks the waves so they cannot pass beyond it, for just as the sand is the boundary and limit of the sea, so too the nations cannot destroy Israel. Therefore, when Esau came to meet Jacob, Jacob said in his prayer And You said, ‘I will surely do good with you and make your offspring like the sand of the sea’ (Genesis 32:13). Why did he specifically mention the promise of sand and not the stars, which have two positive aspects — multiplication and greatness? Also, why didn’t he mention the language of multiplication but rather said I will make your offspring like the sand of the sea? Rather, since this was a promise that their enemies would not be able to overcome them, so too Esau would not be able to harm him. For this reason, he specifically mentioned the sand on the seashore — and is there no other sand in the world besides this? Rather, it is because it breaks the waves as mentioned; therefore it says here and like the sand which is on the seashore. And your offspring shall inherit the gate of their enemies — how does this relate to the previous matter? Rather, this is a case of “not only this, but also that” — not only will they be like sand that the waves [meaning the enemies] cannot overcome, but moreover, they will inherit their enemies’ gate and prevail over them. The metaphor of dust indicates [the following]: Regarding the time of lowliness, for in the time when they [the Jewish people] will be like dust to be trampled upon in the lowest depths, from there they will rise from their lowly state and spread forth in all directions, as it is written And your descendants shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread out to the west and to the east (Genesis 28:14), and as it is written For our soul is bowed down to the dust (Psalms 44:26), and what is written after it? Arise and help us. The reason for this is because Israel does not seek God with all His heart except when they are in the ultimate state of lowliness, as is known from the ways of all generations, including our own. And perhaps the metaphor of dust alludes to the Egyptian exile, where the Egyptians plowed upon their backs just as one plows upon the dust, and this will be further explained later in Parashat Vayetzei (28:14), God willing.’

The sage Rav Hirsch writes: ‘V. 15. שנית. It was only after Abraham had sacrificed the ram in the place of Isaac, and had given the place its name that this announcement of the far-reaching blessing that would accrue to him as a result of his act, was made to him. For with both he had made this culminating act of his life into the loftiest goal of the whole of his descendants. In connection with it, this blessing is given to those descendants. V. 16. That which before had been given merely as a ברית, accordingly as something completely independent of any external conditions but still dependent on mutual fulfilment, is now expressed here by a שבועה, to be henceforth completely unconditional. By the עקדה Abraham had already fulfilled, on his side, the highest demand and at the same time, thereby had ensured the final faithful fulfilment on the part of his descendants. That is the זכות of this Akeida. By it, the spirit of the highest moral perfection was sunk so deeply into Isaac, and shines forth so brightly as an example, that by both, by the inherited natural disposition, and by the glorious example, the descendants of Isaac can never be entirely lost, but even through by-paths of the deepest aberrations will finally work their way up to the loftiest heights of their calling. Therefore, יען אשר עשית, because it corresponds to it, is the corresponding effect of your deed (יען from ענה) can I promise with absolute certainty the most blessed and most blessing-spreading future for your descendants. V. 17. וירש זרעך את שער אויביו. If here it is indicated that his descendants will also have enemies, this is just in connection with the aberrations which, as remarked on V.16, are envisaged in the בי נשבעתי. Israel will have fights, but finally the gates of his enemies will fall to his heritage. This can hardly refer to a military conquest. Military victories were never Israel’s calling. But it seems to have to be taken in the same sense as that in which the highest perfection of mental conditions is repeatedly expressed in תהלים as צדיקים יירשו ארץ, that the ultimate development of the world will fall as the heritage of the righteous, all other powers and influences will have disappeared and only what is morally right will prevail. So that what is said here would be: ultimately, the שער, the forum, i.e. the social and political formation of even those nations who have fought against the principles of Israel, will come to be a heritage for Israel, in Israel and through Israel they will obtain the blessing and happiness for which they have striven in vain in all other directions. V. 18. שכר .עקב, in the meaning we have attached to it, reward for the good deeds of the righteous, hardly ever occurs in תנ״ך. A righteous man has no loss in service of God, even the biggest sacrifice that he might make, would be to him in itself the biggest gain; hence שכר (related to סגר and סכר, to close up blanks, to fill up holes, empty spaces), compensation does not exist for him, as he recognises no loss. Were he to hope for compensation he would not be the צדיק. The blessing that does accrue from his deeds comes to him עקב, literally “on the heel” of his deeds. It is not that which he had “in view” when he did the deed, it comes to him “unsought for”. He only wants to do his duty. (Hence עקב also means: to deceive, literally “at his heel”, behind his back, to entrap him). Here the עקב refers either to all what has just been said: all this blessing comes to you, your descendants and the nations of the whole world, as a result of the obedience you have proved to Me, or only to the last: now, you are just alone in obedience to Me, but as the final result of that, at present so unique, blind obedience, the whole of mankind will ultimately attach itself to the blessing-bringing ways of your descendants.’