Page 9 - Florida Sentinel 3-2-18

God WILL Provide! Genesis 22:1-3, 6-14
Then the ANGEL Of The LORD called to Abraham, and he answered once again as an obedient servant. It is fitting that God should be the One to stop Abraham and provide the lamb for him.
Surely, Abraham and Isaac both rejoiced to hear God’s command. They would be the two witnesses to God’s stop- ping Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac and God’s providing the lamb.
Abraham did not see the
ram, until he took his eyes off the son he loved. And, God did not miraculously provide the lamb until Abraham had demonstrated his faithful obe- dience: this was a true test.
The place on the mountain was named, “the LORD will provide.”
God did this in true human history and the Holy Spirit in- spired Abraham to give the place this name as part of God’s redemption history that pointed to the sacrifice of
Jesus.
When Jesus died on the
cross as our Substitute, He ful- filled this prophecy of Abra- ham’s (and the prophecy of others), “On the mount of the LORD, it shall be provided.”
There is spiritual and human war going on. How- ever, we must trust in God, and God alone to provide ALL our needs. We must live in the light of his promises, and go into battle wearing his armor (Ephesians 6:10-18).
The Scripture Reads: (Genesis 22:1) Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” ( 2) 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.”( 3) So Abraham rose early in the morning and sad- dled 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. (6) 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. (7) 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? (8) Abraham said, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together. (9) 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. (10) Abra- ham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. (11) But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am. (12) 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 with- held your son, your only son, from Me. (13) 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. (14) 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 pro-
vided.”
Abraham is recognized as a
man of faith throughout many Scriptures, however, he is far from perfect. Abraham did many things that proved he still needed to be tested to reach the ultimate goal of obe- dient faith.
In Genesis 12, Abraham had his wife Sarah lie in order to save his own skin.
Later, Abraham realizing Sarah could not have a baby, impregnated Sarah’s maidser- vant, Hagar, who gave birth to
Ishmael, rather than seek the Lord’s will.
The birth of Ishmael caused great conflict in Abraham’s household, so Hagar and Ish- meal were sent away.
Despite all of this, God re- mained patient with and faith- ful to Abraham and Sarah. God provided the son, Isaac, he promised them.
However, the blessing of their son Isaac did not come without a future test for Abra- ham.
By the time we get to this lesson, Abraham was a man of strong faith, but was inconsis- tent, with many highs and lows.
Some think God tested Abraham to show him the depth of his faith and trust in God.
Immediately, God gave Abraham a command, without giving him any reason why He wanted Abraham to do this: to use his son, Isaac, as an offer- ing.
That morning, Abraham began one of the greatest acts of obedience in recorded his- tory.
Abraham would prove that he would obey God without question; such was his faith in the goodness of God.
Jesus Christ carried the wood, His cross, to His sacrifi- cial death on a hill that some identify as Mount Moriah, where Abraham was to sacri- fice Isaac, who also carried the wood for the sacrifice.
Finally, Isaac asked about the sacrifice, because there was no lamb for the sacrifice. Abraham must have shown his love for Isaac and his confi- dence in God as they were going to worship, so Isaac felt no need to ask this question before they began to climb the mountain.
Abraham knew that God would not accept any substi- tute that he himself could pro- vide in the place of Isaac: God alone would need to provide the lamb as a substitute.
God was testing Abraham, and the purpose of testing is to strengthen our character and deepen our commitment to Him. Through this difficult ex- perience Abraham learned God’s ability to provide.
God showed Abraham where to go and build the altar. Abraham then prepared Isaac for sacrifice exactly as he would have prepared any lamb for sacrifice.
Abraham did all that God commanded. By raising the knife, Abraham sacrificed his son in his mind and heart ex- actly as God commanded him. God looked upon the intention of Abraham’s heart to obey God in faith, so God required nothing more of him.
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