The Lord Will Provide
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Genesis 22:1-17
Genesis 22:1-17
We are going to look at this chapter both today as well as next week.
Today, I am going to teach through the chapter as we have read.
Next time, we are going to look at the imagery in this chapter as it relates to Jesus.
Pray
Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”
First off, we have to say. “Hold up a second.”
The chapter seems to escalate quickly.
This is one of those times when the directive of God is shocking.
Abraham and Sarah were recently blessed with this child of promise.
Now suddenly God says you are going to use him as a burnt offering?
Fortunately for us we have the luxury of knowing the whole story.
But for Abraham, this must have been impossible.
The resolve of Abraham concerning this situation is taught numerous ways.
I think the best way to think about this event, is to recognize that Abraham had faith in God.
Click #1
1. Abraham trusted God.
He trusted the promises of God.
Abraham believed that Isaac was the son of promise who would be the heir of the blessings promised by God.
Knowing this, Abraham trusted that God would not allow His Word to be invalid.
Abraham knew that God would keep His promises for His own sake.
So, even in this extreme event, Abraham trusted that God would provide.
Let’s leave this thought here for a moment, we will come back later.
I want to point out in this verse that Abraham was tested.
Click #2
2. God tested Abraham.
This was not a test to cause Abraham to fail.
God wasn’t looking for failure.
God was looking for the resolve in Abraham to walk in faith.
The word test in Hebrew is:
5814 נָסָה (nā·sā(h)): v.; ≡ Str 5254; TWOT 1373—1. LN 27.34–27.47 (piel) test, try, i.e., attempt to learn the true nature of something (1Ki 10:1); 2. LN 68.58–68.62 (piel) attempt, try, i.e., exert oneself to do something (Dt 4:34); 3. LN 22.21–22.28 (piel) test, try, i.e., cause or allow hardship or trouble in a circumstance, often with choices within the situation, implying a different outcome is possible (Jdg 2:22)
Click #3
3. God tested Abraham in order to reveal Abraham’s true nature.
The word test (hebrew word here) means to discover the true nature of something.
In Bible Study we have been discussing the book of James.
In chapter one James gives us encouragement in trial.
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Click #4
4. Trials produce perseverance.
And then the finished work of perseverance is that we are mature, complete and lacking nothing.
There are times in our lives when our faith will be tested.
Hopefully not in such an extreme example as Abraham.
But we know that with faith comes the testing of our faith.
Click #5
5. The testing of our faith brings about confidence in who God is and who we are in faith.
The testing of our faith brings confidence in the immutable nature of God.
God is unchanging.
His Word is unchanging.
His promises are unchanging.
His truth is unchanging.
The testing of our faith brings confidence in this reality.
We can be assured that when we face trial, God will be with us.
This is one product of trial.
We talked about the concept of a proving ground in Bible Study.
When a tank manufacturer designs and builds a new product, it must be tested.
The tank is taken through a multitude of tests, in various conditions.
This is done to prove the tank.
To test the tank.
To make sure that the tank will do exactly as it is designed to do in these various conditions.
If the tank fails, it is fixed and retested until it performs as expected.
In the proving ground, mistakes are costly, but not life threatening.
When the tank is taken to the battlefield, it is life and death.
The tank must respond exactly as it has been designed, failure to do so is devistating.
Our faith in God is similar.
There are situations that God allows to happen, not to make us miserable,
But to prove us.
Click #6 and 7
6. God tests our resolve, not for Himself, for us.
7. He wants us to develop the confidence in our faith to know that He is with us.
God wants us to know how to respond.
He wants us to walk in faith.
He does this because we are in a spiritual battle.
We are on a spiritual battlefield.
The stakes in this battle have eternal repercussions.
The enemy we face does not only want us to suffer death, he wants us to suffer eternal separation from a loving God.
Going back to Abraham, in this extreme situation, God was building faith in both Abraham and Isaac.
God was not trying to cause Abraham to fail.
He was equipping Abraham for success.
He was asking Abraham to step out in trust and in faith.
God already know Abraham’s faith.
God already knew the outcome of the situation.
God had already assessed that Abraham had trust in the Word of God.
Click #8
8. God was trying to reveal to Abraham the character of faith.
He was trying to prod Abraham on to walk in confidence in faith.
Apply this to our own walk.
God already knows you.
He already has assessed your faith.
God knows your response and willingness to trust.
Part of trial, as I stated, is to help us have confidence in ourselves as we trust God.
Click #9
9. A result of trial in our faith brings about an understanding of resolve in ourselves.
God already knows us, He often works to try to get us to know ourselves.
Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”
We will talk in more depth about these verses next time.
But for this morning I want to point out the fact that Abraham had confidence in their return.
He says in Genesis 22:5
He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”
Abraham speaking to the others who were there at the time.
He implies that both He and Issac would return.
I am sure that Abraham did not know the outcome at this point, but he had faith in the promises that God had spoken.
Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.
Sounds like Isaac is getting a little nervous.
Abraham responds in confidence toward the Lord.
Click #10
10. God will provide Himself a lamb for the sacrifice.
This lamb provided would be used as a burnt offering.
Lets talk about burn offerings just for a moment.
The most detailed instruction regarding a burnt offering is found in the book of Leviticus chapters 1-7.
I hope you brought a snack.
In these chapters Moses details the practice and purpose of burnt offerings during the time of the Tabernacle and later the Temple.
This would have been the requirements of offering a sacrifice during the time of the Levitical priesthood.
But, this is not the first time we encounter individuals performing burnt offerings in the Bible.
Click #11
11. The purpose of a burnt offering was to make temporary atonement for sin.
The burnt offering temporarily restored the broken relationship between the sinner and God.
describe the practice
The burnt offering was required to be placed upon the altar and allowed to be completely consumed by the fire.
The sacrifice was required to be completely destroyed.
This is the picture we are to get through the idea of the burnt offering.
Keep this in your mind till next week as well.
We will come back to it.
When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”
They arrived at the location where God had led them.
Abraham took his son.
Placed him upon the wood and laid him on the altar.
The resolve of Abraham speaks to his trust in the Lord.
Again, Abraham must have believed God would bring a positive outcome.
As Abraham prepared to carry out this act, he suddenly heard a voice form heaven crying out.
The voice from heaven is from the Angel of the Lord telling Abraham to not harm the boy.
Verse 12 again,
“Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”
The judement of Abraham by the Lord has been proved by Abraham’s faith.
What I mean by jugement in this case is the assessment of the Lord as He looks on Abraham.
God knew that Abraham was a man of faith.
God knew that Abraham trusted in the provision of the Lord.
God proved this truth in Abraham.
God caused Abraham to have confidence in the Lord’s provision.
The text states, “Now I know that you fear God.”
This is not talking about being afraid of God.
It referes to reverence or respect.
God is declaring the reverence that Abraham has.
It also suggests an admission of God’s soverignty.
Abraham recognized the sovreighnty of God.
Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.” The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies,
Abraham heard this voice and he looked up.
A ram was caught in a thicket.
Abraham used this ram as a burnt offering.
Remember in verse 8, Issac questions Abraham about the offering.
Where is the lamb?
Abraham’s response was, the Lord Himself will provide a lamb for the sacrifice.
The Lord provided a ram.
Because the Lord provided in this situation, Abraham called the location of the provision, The Lord will provide.
In Hebrew Jehovah Jireh.
Click #12
12. Hebrew jehovah jireaj Means the Lord will provide.
In this case, the Lord provided a ram to serve as a sacrifice.
This event, ultimately, foreshadows the provision of The Lamb.
Next time
The land of Moriah
3rd day reference
V 5
Isaac was an acceptable sacrifice; compare to Jesus the Lamb of God
Talk about types and shadows to start next time.
Next sermon, Yellow Pages advertisement let your fingers do the walking
because we are going to be jumping around