The Lord Will Provide

Genesis 22:14

We marvel at the beauty of God’s creation. What we see moves us to worship and to express our adoration to the One who formed these mtns. The ability to see is a marvel. In 1802 William Paley (in his textbook Natural Theology) observed the eyes to be a clear illustration what he called “contrivances” or “well-designed machines.” He is the one that promoted the teleological argument—which uses the complexity of the universe to reason that there must be a designer. Paley uses the example of a pocket watch—that if you found one lying on the ground, picked it up and began to examine it—you must conclude that there had to be a watchmaker.

The eye’s adjustable lens prompted Paley to write “Can anything be more decisive of contrivance than this? The most secret laws of optics must have been known to the author of a structure endowed with such a capacity of change.”

The world says the eyes are a highly evolved organ…the design of the eyes was not left to chance (natural selection) but the design of the Creator God who is infinitely wise.

Dr Brian Thomas explains how one aspect of the eyes makes sight possible:

“Two molecules in the retina—vitamin A and a protein named "opsin" that together make "rhodopsin"—capture single light photons. When light strikes the vitamin, it changes shape and becomes the molecule "11-cis-retinal." This in turn changes the rhodopsin's shape. When light activates enough of these molecular switches within the light-sensitive cell, they cause downstream biochemical systems to amplify and send the signal from the retina, through the optic nerve, and to the brain. This complex photochemical reaction is at the heart of what allows eyes to detect light and send signals that the brain can form into meaningful images.

When light strikes vitamin A, the molecule bends at the 11th carbon bond. In other versions, or "isomers," of this chemical, the bend could occur at the 9th, 10th, or 13th carbon atoms…researchers [studied squid eyes that use the same 11-cis-retinal molecule) found that only when vitamin A bends at the 11th carbon atom—not the 9th, 10th, or any other—does it receive light and interact with opsin.

We can see b/c God created the eye with such precision that it is most efficient (far more than any camera) and useful to us. We can take our vision for granted and sometimes we only take notice of it when we begin to lose our vision (near or far). sight is a gift and we should be thankful to God:

Proverbs 20:12 NASB95

12 The hearing ear and the seeing eye, The Lord has made both of them.

Psalm 94:9 NASB95

9 He who planted the ear, does He not hear? He who formed the eye, does He not see?

Physical is an amazing blessing…so much that it becomes a metaphor in many areas of life.

The English word “to see” is used in a great variety of ways. The Oxford Eng Dict. (perhaps the most comprehensive dictionary of word usage in our lang) has 6 pages of definitions for “see”—including 28 definitions for the verb alone.

To perceive with the eyes (physical seeing): Oh say can you see by the dawn’s early light?

To perceive mentally: couldn’t see him as a crook

To discover: last century has seen a sweeping revolution in science

To escort: I’ll see you to the door

Just like in Eng: the Heb word to see has a variety of uses and parallels with our usage. One use I want to point out comes from our studies in Gen—most recently with Abraham and his readiness to offer up his son Isaac to the Lord. Abraham and Isaac had gone to where God had directed them, Isaac was carrying the wood and he asks his father “I see the fire and the wood but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

Genesis 22:8 NASB95

8 Abraham said, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together.

The word “provide” is the Heb “to see.” Abraham was confident that God had all things under control and that He would provide (see to it) what was needed at the right time. So as Abraham binds his son and puts him on the wood, raises the knife to slay the boy, the Angel of the Lord stops him and when Abraham lifts his eyes he sees the provision of the Lord—a ram caught in the thicket by its horns. At that moment, Abraham’s faith comes to the full realization that what he knew of the character of God was indeed true so he names the place of sacrifice “Jehovah Jireh” (KJV). Lit “YHWH Yireh” YHWH will see to it.

It is a precious name that God revealed to Abraham, and he saw the remarkable wisdom and grace of God in a way that he had never before encountered. In all of it, his faith was strengthened and manifest to those around him—especially Isaac.

The Lord will provide/see to it. As we fast forward into the NT—we see the full reality of the statement Moses makes in Gen 22 14

Genesis 22:14 NASB95

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 provided.”

That mount (Moriah) is where the temple stood, where JC offers Himself as the perfect provision for the atonement that is needed to reconcile the sinner to the Creator. In that day—the Lord has provided Himself, for Himself, to see to it that redemption comes to everyone who trusts in His perfect provision. In making a few observations about Jehovah Jireh, let me also bring the application to you and to us this morning.

Where the Lord Provides

In the place of His assignment. Abraham was at the right place when the Lord made provision to meet his need. Why was Abraham at this particular place? b/c he was obedient to the voice of God. Now, we have no right to expect the provision of God if we are not living obediently to Him. But sometimes, in spite of our disobedience God still makes provision—b/c He has a purpose that even our disobedience cannot overrule. My point—be sure to follow the will of the Lord (clearly revealed in His Word)—it is there that Lord makes provision for your needs.

When the Lord Provides

At the precise moment—that’s when He provides. Spurgeon said that His provision comes in the time of our extremity. For Abraham—it was a split second before he plunged the knife into Isaac’s chest. Our Lord explains to those who were seeking to kill him and at the same time claiming Abraham as their father…Jesus told them “If anyone keeps My word, he will never taste death.” The Jewish leaders accused Him of having a demon and Jesus responded:

John 8:56 NASB95

56 “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.”

Abraham saw, in his son Isaac, the culmination of God’s promise to him and his descendants in the coming of the Messiah. And so, when the Lord provided—Abraham rejoices. It was a moment of extremity for him and often for us as well.

We are instructed to bring our requests to God:

Hebrews 4:16 NASB95

16 Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Sometimes it looks like God waits until the last moment to make provision…but only from our perspective. God is never late and it is in these times that our faith is stretched to the utmost. We are admonished to “wait for the Lord” which means to keep trusting in God’s character and sufficiency—this is what Is 40 is talking about.

How the Lord Provides

God often provides for us in ways that are quite natural. For Abraham, God provided the ram—and what it took to make sure that the circumstances were what they were (only God could do that—1000 circumstances all coming together in the right place at the right time)—the ram gets caught in the bush at the time and the place where Abraham could get his hands on it. Abraham needed only 1 animal—God didn’t need to send the whole flock. The way God will provide your needs are similar. He doesn’t need to send an angel (though in extraordinary times, I wouldn’t put it past Him to do that). Ordinary, natural means of providing are His usual way. Sometimes He will meet our needs without our effort, but other times He will use our effort to make the provision for what we need.

Why the Lord Provides

This is actually one of the reasons Abraham memorialized this place of sacrifice—as God reveals Himself to the patriarch as the one who will see to it that His purposes are established, Abraham names it Jehovah Jireh. The reason for God’s provision—for every need of ours is to the glory of His great name. Our physical needs do not escape the notice of God the Father.

Luke 12:22–32 NASB95

22 And He said to His disciples, “For this reason I say to you, do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. 23 “For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24 “Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! 25 “And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life’s span? 26 “If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters? 27 “Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 28 “But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You men of little faith! 29 “And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. 30 “For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. 31 “But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you. 32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.

The physical needs are important—but the Father is much more concerned about the spiritual need. This readiness to meet the most important need that any person will ever have is why Abraham calls this place “The Lord will provide.” It becomes a testament that in the mount of the Lord it (atonement) will be provided. We see just a glimpse of this in Genesis. The Father and the Son acted together. You will see the phrase:

Genesis 22:6 (NASB95)

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.

Genesis 22:8 (NASB95)

8 Abraham said, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together.

There is a sense in which this looks forward to the 2 members of the Trinity and how they worked together to accomplish what we need. We know the Father’s love for lost sinners (Jn 3:16), Jesus also loves those for whom He died (1 Jn 3:16). But we should also understand the mutual love b/t the Father and the Son.

Jesus is “beloved Son” (Mt 3:17). He said John 14:31 “31 but so that the world may know that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father commanded Me. Get up, let us go from here.”

Not only did they act together to provide our greatest need, but the Son had to die. While Jesus is our substitute, no one could be the substitute for Jesus—He had to die on the cross. He was the only sacrifice that could finally and completely take away the sins of the world. He is the Lamb which takes away the sin of the world (Jn 1:29).

As He bore our sins upon the cross, He took our iniquity and the picture of judgement in the burnt offering is the picture of wrath/judgment of God that was against His Son. After His death, He rose from the dead as the definitive proof that God will provide.

This is the provision for your greatest need and the Father will meet it as you believe on LJC—turn from your sin and trust that His sacrifice is sufficient and God will forgive you and give you everlasting life—this is the most precious promise—and the reason He does this is b/c it brings glory to His great name. This would be a tragedy if you missed God’s provision for the greatest need you will ever have—I urge you to be sure that your are trusting in JC today!

I want to shift gears for a moment. We’re here on this property—as we have done many times over the last several years, we are gathering as CCC. We are the physical gathering of the spiritual body of Christ in this place. The purpose of our gathering is to worship Him who has provided for us.

I want to recount some of the many ways God has provided for CCC—certainly not exhaustive list:

For 140 years—God has provided Himself a witness in Corvallis thru the community church. These are the saints who for generations have lifted high the name of LJC. That witness continues to this day. Jesus tells us that we are lights of the world and salt of the earth—having a righteous influence on the world around us.

God provided a building to gather in (which is not the church) 136 years ago (1887).

In the 50s, God provided the resources needed to construct the Annex (part of the church building that houses nursery, SS rooms and bathrooms).

All along—so we don’t think of God’s provision only in terms of bricks and mortar (physical)—in that little white building on 2nd St, countless ears have heard the gospel and only God knows the souls that have trusted in LJC b/c of the faithfulness of the saints to preach Christ crucified. The Lord continues to provide for this church family in ways we cannot even see.

In the 70’s the CE building was constructed—another reminder of God’s faithful provision. This building continues to be a central place where the gospel is presented to the lost and saints are instructed in God’s Word.

Now—these buildings (with all their limitations) are not the church. That white building is not the church. You are the church—the church is made up of many members—all who have called upon the name of the Lord. Those buildings will not last forever—you, however are the bride of Christ and that will endure. Not even the gates of hades will prevail against it.

God has made more provisions—this place where we are gathered, we have purchased and own outright (purchased 8/26/2010). Improvements have been made over the years (well, pump house, sewer connection). God has provided the resources for these things. All of these things have been in our minds as the beginning of what needs to happen to build another building that would meet the on-going needs of CCC and the Corvallis community. Today the church remains financially sound.

The church board has been working very hard over the past year to move us forward to the point where the breaking of ground may not be that far away. We’re still working out sources of funding that might be available to help us but the near future looks promising as we anticipate a building project. Now, of course before we pull the trigger, we’ll come back to the congregation with the proposal and you’ll have the opportunity to ask questions and give some input.

But as we continue to move forward…I’d ask you to commit to 1 thing that must be central in the life of the body of CCC…PRAYER. We know God provides (the song we’ll sing in a moment underscores our faith that He will always see to His purposes). I would have you pray for several things:

That God would direct the church (leadership and whole body) in what He would have for us in the future

Pray for God’s provision (if it is His will that a church building be constructed) that He would supply the sources of funding. We know from the Word of the Lord that nothing is too difficult for Him.

Psalm 50:10 NASB95

10 “For every beast of the forest is Mine, The cattle on a thousand hills.

Above this—pray specifically for the unity of the body. The worst thing would be to put up a building and the church splits. The testimony of CCC in this community is critically important. The body that is unified will be a witness of the grace of LJC and the glory of God will be promoted in all that we do.

Pray for God’s direction, God’s provision, God’s preservation of our unity.