The Aftermath of What God Calls Us To Do
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15 And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven
16 and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son,
17 I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies,
18 and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”
19 So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba. And Abraham lived at Beersheba.
20 Now after these things it was told to Abraham, “Behold, Milcah also has borne children to your brother Nahor:
21 Uz his firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel the father of Aram,
22 Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.”
23 (Bethuel fathered Rebekah.) These eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham’s brother.
24 Moreover, his concubine, whose name was Reumah, bore Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.
The Aftermath- the consequences or after effects of a significant difficult event.
The Aftermath- the consequences or after effects of a significant difficult event.
The 27 mile bike race.
The medals, the winners- the sorrow of defeat.
My favorite musician wrote these words-
Everything must have an end, like an ocean to a shore, like a river to a stream- like a river to a stream, it’s my famous final scene.
Everything has an end. But there are often and can be “the aftermath”, those things that come later.
11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
or see 1 Peter 5.10
10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
The aftermath.
remember- after a significant difficult event.
For Abraham, the aftermath was different. Remember Job 23.10
10 But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold.
Abraham received several blessings from God because of his obedient faith.
Abraham had offered his son to God. Not, in my mind, a happy event. See anew Genesis 22.1-14
1 After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”
2 He said, “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.”
3 So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.
4 On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar.
5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.”
6 And 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 they went both of them together.
7 And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”
8 Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.
9 When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.
10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter 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 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.”
13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son.
14 So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”
Notice Genesis 22.5
5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.”
abraham called this worship. You’ve been through difficult worship- but nothing like this. He obeyed God’s direction, and sought to please God in the process, and God commended him.
If you go through a difficult time, God can say to us, “Well Done”. We just may miss it because of all the noise surrounding the event.
Look at Genesis 22.12
12 He said, “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.”
He received God’s approval.
He received his Son back. Isaac had been a living sacrifice, and now He is given back to Abraham See Romans 12.1-2
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
God gave Isaac back to Abraham, and Abraham gave Isaac back to God. Always keep in mind that the gift is never the GIVER.
See Genesis 22.16-18
16 and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, 18 and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”
These were old promises, but new meanings. Abraham saw them differently after having gone through the trial.
Note- what a father and son did on a mountaintop altar has blessed us 4 millenia later.
See Genesis 22.14
14 So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”
Abraham had a new understanding of God, a new name for God. Jehovah Jireh- the Lord will see to it, the Lord will provide.
All of these are the aftermath of a difficult moment in time. But something was missing.
Isaac was still an only child. The promise God had made to Abraham and Sarah was like this in Genesis 22.18
18 and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”
How could this happen in this moment Abraham needed to hear from God.
It’s the aftermath-
Look at what God said to Abraham after this was over in Genesis 22.20-24
20 Now after these things it was told to Abraham, “Behold, Milcah also has borne children to your brother Nahor: 21 Uz his firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel the father of Aram, 22 Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.” 23 (Bethuel fathered Rebekah.) These eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham’s brother. 24 Moreover, his concubine, whose name was Reumah, bore Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.
look closely at Genesis 22.23
23 (Bethuel fathered Rebekah.) These eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham’s brother.
Abraham walked away with a deeper love for the Lord from the deepest trial.
When Obedience To God Hurts The Balm Is His Blessing
When Obedience To God Hurts The Balm Is His Blessing
One of the dangers of ministry is the fishbowl in which one lives. Retirees, 16 to 3, 39 years ago this week I walked into my first local church. In that time I’ve had a child grabbed and shook, myfamily through the fire, my marriage tested.... but all 4 kids are in church somewhere.
That’s my blessing.
Trial left Abraham with a deeper love for the Lord Look at John 14.21-24
21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” 23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.
and look at Eph 3.14-21
14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.