Genesis 22:6-14
“So, Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together. 7 But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, ‘My father!’ And he said, “Here I am, my son.” Then he said, ‘Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?’
8 And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So, the two of them went together. 9 Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood.
10 “And Abraham 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!’ So he said, “Here I am.” 12 And He said, ‘Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.’
13 Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So, Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 And Abraham called the name of the place, The-Lord-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”
Once again, we are looking for Jesus in the Old Testament. We have explored Melchizedek in Genesis 14; we looked at the Man who came to visit Abraham, and then judged Sodom in Genesis 18-19, and on we can go.
Today, we will look at one of the most heart-wrenching stories in the Old Testament, and in it, we will find Jesus written into the very core of the story.
Abraham has a son from his own loins, his own blood, and his name is Isaac. He is now a young man. If you recall, Abraham and Sarah had Issac when Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90. The young man was now a teenager or more likely in his early 20s. He is growing well, healthy, and God’s promise is secure.
In Genesis 22:2, God calls Abraham to go and sacrifice his son; specifically, he is called ‘his only son,’ the son of the Promise. Then He said, ‘Take now 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.’” Normally, this kind of request may have shaken a younger and untried Abraham. But God had brought him through some things; God had demonstrated His faithfulness and His ability to prevail out of nothing if need be. In the New Testament, we see Abraham’s attitude in the whole matter:
Hebrews 11:17-19, “By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18 Of whom it was said, that in Isaac shall thy seed be called: 19 Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.”
Abraham knew in his heart that God CANNOT break a promise and that if needed, God would raise up Isaac from the dead. Why? Because Isaac was the son of the promise, not another son. It is not that he and Sarah could have another son, NO! God would raise up this promised son from the dead if need be. Abraham had seen some things in his 100+ years, and he had confidence in God’s ability. So, off they go, Abraham, a few servants, and his son, Isaac. They come to Mount Moriah, which is the future site of Solomon’s Temple, and this is confirmed in history. Jewish tradition confirms this, as well; the Bible calls this place ‘the mount of the Lord.’ This is Jerusalem for sure. This is the place where Solomon built the Temple.
Abraham, in full confidence of the Lord’s ability to raise the dead, took Isaac, his ONLY son, and began the process of sacrificing him. Isaac notes to his father that they have just about everything that is needed to do a sacrifice except the lamb. When confronted with this dilemma, Abraham issues a dual prophetic statement for us to consider: verse 8, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.”
So, in the immediate, Abraham believed that God would provide a substitute for his son, and then we know that this is a prophecy about the coming Son of God, who would be our final sacrifice. God will provide Himself a sacrifice. In verses 11-14, God sends a substitute, and Isaac is spared. Abraham calls the place, ‘The Lord Will Provide,’ and indeed it is in this place that the Lord provides the whole world with a Savior, Christ the Lord.
Then, in verse 15 and on, the Angel of the Lord, also called Lord in the same verse, says “by Myself I have sworn,” referring back to Genesis 15 and the covenant there, that there is a confirmed blessing on Abraham:
“Then the Angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, 16 and said: ‘By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son— 17 blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. 18 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.’ 19 So Abraham returned to his young men, and they rose and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba.”
What are we to learn from this passage?
First, who or what is your God? Is there someone or something that you put ahead of God? Abraham was willing to do whatever it took to obey God, even to sacrifice his ONLY son.
Second, do you and I truly trust God? Do we trust that God cannot lie to, cheat on, or defraud us ever? Do we truly believe that God can keep His promises? Have we raised our kids to trust God like we do?
Are you saved? Have you submitted yourself to God’s sacrificial gift on our part? Can you see how God had one plan, one way, one means of redemption from the very beginning?
Jesus is the entire story of the Bible. He is the thesis, the hero, the body, and the end of the story.
Dr. Sean Gooding
Pastor of Bethany Baptist Church
70 Victoria Street, Elora, Ontario
The post The Entire Story of the Bible is About Jesus, Part 5 :: By Sean Gooding appeared first on Rapture Ready.
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