Testing, Loss, and Provision for Isaac's Future

Genesis 22:1–24:67

This story unites three major moments: Abraham's testing, Sarah's death and burial, and the securing of Isaac's marriage. Together they show trust under pressure, grief within promise, and practical steps for covenant continuity. Genesis does not present faith as abstract. It is tested on mountains, negotiated in burial fields, and exercised through long journeys and household decisions.

The Test on Mount Moriah

God speaks to Abraham: "Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you."

Abraham rises early and travels to Moriah with Isaac and two servants. On the way, Isaac asks: "Father, where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" Abraham answers: "God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son."

Abraham builds an altar, arranges the wood, and binds Isaac. He raises the knife. But the angel of the Lord calls out:

"Abraham, Abraham! ... Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me." — Genesis 22:11–12 (ESV)

Abraham looks up and sees a ram caught in a thicket. He offers the ram instead of Isaac. The location is named Jehovah-jireh, "the Lord will provide."

Jewish tradition calls Genesis 22 the Akedah (binding of Isaac), emphasizing Abraham's obedient trust and the event's enduring formative role. Hebrews 11 reads Abraham's obedience in resurrection-shaped terms, showing how later Christian interpretation understood the depth of his trust in God's promise. Abraham was willing to offer his only son because he believed God could raise him from the dead.

Genesis 22 is framed as a test, not as divine unpredictability detached from promise. God is testing Abraham's faith, not his cruelty. The test reveals the depth of Abraham's trust.

Sarah's Death and Burial

Sarah dies at Hebron. Abraham mourns her and then negotiates publicly with the Hittites to purchase the cave of Machpelah as a permanent burial site. The transaction is detailed and formal:

"Abraham bowed down before the people of the land. And he said to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, 'If you will listen to me, I will give the price of the field. Accept it from me, that I may bury my dead there.'" — Genesis 23:12–13 (ESV)

The negotiation is careful and respectful. Abraham secures the first owned piece of the promised land. Grief and promise are held together in legal memory. Machpelah becomes a key burial marker for patriarchal memory, a physical anchor of covenant continuity.

Rebekah Becomes Isaac's Wife

Abraham is old. He calls his servant and says: "I want you to swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell, but will go to my country and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son Isaac."

The servant travels to Nahor and prays for guidance:

"O Lord, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show steadfast love to my master Abraham. Behold, I am standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. Let the young woman to whom I shall say, 'Please let down your jar that I may drink,' and who shall say, 'Drink, and I will water your camels'—let her be the one whom you have appointed for your servant Isaac." — Genesis 24:12–14 (ESV)

Before he finishes speaking, Rebekah comes out with her jar on her shoulder. She is beautiful and a virgin. The servant asks for a drink, and she responds exactly as he prayed: "Drink, and I will water your camels also."

The servant gives her gifts and asks about her family. She is the granddaughter of Nahor, Abraham's brother. The servant bows and worships the Lord.

Rebekah consents to go with the servant. When she meets Isaac in the Negev, they marry. The chapter closes: "And Isaac was comforted after his mother's death."

Commentators such as Wenham underline Genesis 24 as a providence narrative: prayer, timing, character, and family consent converge without spectacle. Rebekah's introduction and consent are central to Genesis 24, not incidental. She is not a passive object but an active participant in the covenant story.

What to Notice

Faith includes obedience, lament, law, prayer, and discernment. Abraham obeys the test, mourns Sarah's death, negotiates for burial land, and prays for guidance in finding a wife for Isaac. Faith is multifaceted.
The test reveals the depth of trust. Abraham is willing to offer Isaac because he trusts God's promise. The test is not about cruelty; it is about the foundation of Abraham's faith.
Grief and promise are held together. Sarah's death is real and mourned. Yet Abraham secures burial land in the promised land, holding together present loss and future hope.
Providence works through ordinary means. God does not send an angel to bring Rebekah; He works through the servant's prayer, Rebekah's character, and the circumstances of meeting at the well.