This week I have been reading from Genesis 22 and following the passages that speak of the founding of God’s chosen people, Israel. I find that hearing Bible stories throughout your whole life can cause some very dangerous familiarity with the Scripture. Just taking time to sit down with a “magnifying glass mindset,” and really looking at what the Word has to say, you find such deep treasures are hidden there that will change your life.
Let’s start with Genesis 22:
“Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." He said, "Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you."
So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son; and he split wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.
So if we remember the earlier passage from Genesis 11:30 we discover that “Sarai was barren; she had no child.” This was very distressing to Abraham, so he brought his plea before the Lord. God heard Abraham’s plea and answered Him, promising him a son and descendents as many as the stars of heaven. Abraham believed the Lord and God made a covenant with him. And even though there was doubting at times; even though Sarah laughed at the Word of the Lord, a covenant was made; a promise was given, and that promise was fulfilled. Through an empty womb, God brought forth a nation; His chosen people, Israel.
So here in history we find Abraham with his son, his only son, whom he loves. (I find it amazing that God emphasizes this love of Abraham for his son, as if it were to be a personal test of Abraham’s own love for, trust in, and obedience to God.) It is now that the Lord commands Abraham to take this only son whom he loves and sacrifice him as a burnt offering. Sacrifice means to offer something precious; to give up something; to surrender something for the sake of something else. So what does Abraham do? The very next morning he rises, early in the morning! He prepares everything for the journey immediately, taking Isaac and two young men, and he goes to the place God told him to go. There is no hesitation. There is no anger or questioning. There is no procrastination. There is simply obedience. He rises early, gathers what he needs, and goes. Let’s look back at the Scripture:
On the third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from a distance. Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you."
Again, I look carefully at this passage and I am amazed at what I read. Abraham says, “I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you.” He tells the two men who are with him that “we will return to you.” Abraham has full confidence that, somehow in His own way, will and time, God will allow them both to return. Abraham has such a depth to his faith in God, that he even believes He can raise people from the dead to fulfill His promises.
"Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son, and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, "My father!" And he said, "Here I am, my son." And he said, "Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" Abraham said, "God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son."
This is so beautiful. Here is a father whose heart is agonizing over what is about to take place. His beloved son asks him where is the lamb for the sacrifice, and only a heart of complete trust in the faithfulness of God could reply, "God will provide."
So the two of them walked on together. Then they came to the place of which God had told him; and Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood, and bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." He said, "Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me." Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son. Abraham called the name of that place The LORD Will Provide, as it is said to this day, "In the mount of the LORD it will be provided." ”
I was deeply moved by this passage. I was moved by the faith of Abraham. Even in the moment of despair and brokenness of heart, he was still willing to sacrifice his son, his only son, whom he loved, for the God he feared and praised. The picture of the ram caught in the thicket by its horns shows us how God provided for Himself a perfect and spotless sacrifice. Had the ram’s body been caught up, the thorns would have torn the flesh of the lamb and it would no longer be a perfect and whole sacrifice to offer unto the Lord.
This passage of Scripture is such a picture of what Jesus Christ did on the cross of Calvary. God, so loving the world, gave His only Son, whom He loved, as a perfect, holy, sacrifice. He was and is the spotless Lamb who alone takes away the sin of the world.
Isaiah 53
“He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed.
All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him.
He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth...His grave was assigned with wicked men, yet He was with a rich man in His death, because He had done no violence, nor was there any deceit in His mouth.
But the LORD was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief…My Servant, will justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities…He poured out Himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet He Himself bore the sin of many, and interceded for the transgressors.”
What can we learn from this time in Abraham’s life? How can we have this kind of faith? How can we walk by faith and not by sight? We are such a visual based society. Where are the people who get down on their knees, close their eyes, and come before the holy throne of God in prayer? We don’t.
We need to.
We must.
We go to church on Sunday, hear a good sermon, and then want to apply it to our lives, but as soon as we leave the church doors, something is there to pull us away, to distract us. How can we grasp the truths we have been taught and live them out in our everyday existence? I think the answer comes from the words of Jesus in Luke 9:23 -26, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it. For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”
It is daily self-denial and it is daily taking up our cross and following Him that will teach us how to live. Christ’s call upon our lives is the complete opposite of what the world so tries to ingrain in us. The world says that in order to live and succeed in happiness, one must have great wealth, great possessions, great self-esteem, great appearance. The true Gospel calls people to die in order to live. Jesus Christ’s call upon our lives is death.
Colossians 3:1-4 says,
“Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.”
“Christ, who is our life.” He is our life. We need to really live as though He is our life. We must live in a way that people will see Jesus living in us. We must daily come humbly to the Word of God, because we need to be taught. “For it is not an idle word for you; indeed it is your life.” (Deuteronomy 32:47)
So if we have Christ, who is our life and the Word,
“Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." He said, "Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you."
So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son; and he split wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.
So if we remember the earlier passage from Genesis 11:30 we discover that “Sarai was barren; she had no child.” This was very distressing to Abraham, so he brought his plea before the Lord. God heard Abraham’s plea and answered Him, promising him a son and descendents as many as the stars of heaven. Abraham believed the Lord and God made a covenant with him. And even though there was doubting at times; even though Sarah laughed at the Word of the Lord, a covenant was made; a promise was given, and that promise was fulfilled. Through an empty womb, God brought forth a nation; His chosen people, Israel.
So here in history we find Abraham with his son, his only son, whom he loves. (I find it amazing that God emphasizes this love of Abraham for his son, as if it were to be a personal test of Abraham’s own love for, trust in, and obedience to God.) It is now that the Lord commands Abraham to take this only son whom he loves and sacrifice him as a burnt offering. Sacrifice means to offer something precious; to give up something; to surrender something for the sake of something else. So what does Abraham do? The very next morning he rises, early in the morning! He prepares everything for the journey immediately, taking Isaac and two young men, and he goes to the place God told him to go. There is no hesitation. There is no anger or questioning. There is no procrastination. There is simply obedience. He rises early, gathers what he needs, and goes. Let’s look back at the Scripture:
On the third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from a distance. Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you."
Again, I look carefully at this passage and I am amazed at what I read. Abraham says, “I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you.” He tells the two men who are with him that “we will return to you.” Abraham has full confidence that, somehow in His own way, will and time, God will allow them both to return. Abraham has such a depth to his faith in God, that he even believes He can raise people from the dead to fulfill His promises.
"Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son, and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, "My father!" And he said, "Here I am, my son." And he said, "Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" Abraham said, "God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son."
This is so beautiful. Here is a father whose heart is agonizing over what is about to take place. His beloved son asks him where is the lamb for the sacrifice, and only a heart of complete trust in the faithfulness of God could reply, "God will provide."
So the two of them walked on together. Then they came to the place of which God had told him; and Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood, and bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." He said, "Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me." Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son. Abraham called the name of that place The LORD Will Provide, as it is said to this day, "In the mount of the LORD it will be provided." ”
I was deeply moved by this passage. I was moved by the faith of Abraham. Even in the moment of despair and brokenness of heart, he was still willing to sacrifice his son, his only son, whom he loved, for the God he feared and praised. The picture of the ram caught in the thicket by its horns shows us how God provided for Himself a perfect and spotless sacrifice. Had the ram’s body been caught up, the thorns would have torn the flesh of the lamb and it would no longer be a perfect and whole sacrifice to offer unto the Lord.
This passage of Scripture is such a picture of what Jesus Christ did on the cross of Calvary. God, so loving the world, gave His only Son, whom He loved, as a perfect, holy, sacrifice. He was and is the spotless Lamb who alone takes away the sin of the world.
Isaiah 53
“He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed.
All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him.
He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth...His grave was assigned with wicked men, yet He was with a rich man in His death, because He had done no violence, nor was there any deceit in His mouth.
But the LORD was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief…My Servant, will justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities…He poured out Himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet He Himself bore the sin of many, and interceded for the transgressors.”
What can we learn from this time in Abraham’s life? How can we have this kind of faith? How can we walk by faith and not by sight? We are such a visual based society. Where are the people who get down on their knees, close their eyes, and come before the holy throne of God in prayer? We don’t.
We need to.
We must.
We go to church on Sunday, hear a good sermon, and then want to apply it to our lives, but as soon as we leave the church doors, something is there to pull us away, to distract us. How can we grasp the truths we have been taught and live them out in our everyday existence? I think the answer comes from the words of Jesus in Luke 9:23 -26, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it. For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”
It is daily self-denial and it is daily taking up our cross and following Him that will teach us how to live. Christ’s call upon our lives is the complete opposite of what the world so tries to ingrain in us. The world says that in order to live and succeed in happiness, one must have great wealth, great possessions, great self-esteem, great appearance. The true Gospel calls people to die in order to live. Jesus Christ’s call upon our lives is death.
Colossians 3:1-4 says,
“Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.”
“Christ, who is our life.” He is our life. We need to really live as though He is our life. We must live in a way that people will see Jesus living in us. We must daily come humbly to the Word of God, because we need to be taught. “For it is not an idle word for you; indeed it is your life.” (Deuteronomy 32:47)
So if we have Christ, who is our life and the Word,
which is our life, we truly have an abundant life.
