God Provides a Sacrifice
Notes
Transcript
Today’s narrative is a familiar one. The narrative of Abraham offering Isaac as a sacrifice. If you have been raised in church you have heard this account. In fact, I can still visualize the flannel graph representation when I was a kid.
I think often when we approach this text, like any text, we must put ourselves into minds of the original audience. As the nation of Israel going into the promise-land, we must try to see things as they would have seen them.
The question we should ask is which character would the people of Israel identify with most, Abraham or Isaac? Remember that the people of Israel were the promised seed of Abraham. While our tendency is to focus on the faith of Abraham in this story (which is definitely a them found here). I believe the people of Israel would have more closely identified with Isaac, the promised son. For in this account we see there very existence as a people being challenged. If Issaac were to die here, There would be no Israel.
So I believe that the theme of today’s text is this:
God provides a substitutionary sacrifice so that Isaac/Isreal may live.
Lets look at the text.
After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he answered.
“Take your son,” he said, “your only son Isaac, whom you love, go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.”
So Abraham got up early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took with him two of his young men and his son Isaac. He split wood for a burnt offering and set out to go to the place God had told him about.
On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.
Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there to worship; then we’ll come back to you.”
Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac. In his hand he took the fire and the knife, and the two of them walked on together.
Then Isaac spoke to his father Abraham and said, “My father.” And he replied, “Here I am, my son.” Isaac said, “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” Then the two of them walked on together.
When they arrived at the place that God had told him about, Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood. He bound his son Isaac and placed him on the altar on top of the wood.
Then Abraham reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son.
But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” He replied, “Here I am.”
Then he said, “Do not lay a hand on the boy or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your only son from me.”
Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught in the thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son.
And Abraham named that place The Lord Will Provide, so today it is said, “It will be provided on the Lord’s mountain.”
Then the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven
and said, “By myself I have sworn,” this is the Lord’s declaration: “Because you have done this thing and have not withheld your only son,
I will indeed bless you and make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your offspring will possess the city gates of their enemies.
And all the nations of the earth will be blessed by your offspring because you have obeyed my command.”
Abraham went back to his young men, and they got up and went together to Beer-sheba. And Abraham settled in Beer-sheba.
I think the first thing we often wonder is what in the world? I mean, lets just be honest. I’d rather God strike me dead than for any of my children to die by my own hand.
So then Why would God ask Abraham to do such an aweful thing?
2 reasons
# 1 The story is bigger than Abraham and Isaac. This was foreshadowing what was to come. We will come back to that in a moment.
# 2 Child sacrifice was a common requirement in the worship of the ancient gods. Abraham and Israel had this same thing in common. They new very little about the God they were worshipping. It is possible that Abraham coming out of an idolatrous family and culture thought that this was normal for a god to demand such a tribute. However, Yahweh God was showing his people that he did not require such things.
If you know Israel’s history you know this is something they would struggle with later on when evil ruled the day. Which by the way we are seeing that same type of thing today. Abortion is a sacrifice to the god of oneself. It is absolutely self-worship. Sacrifice the baby today for the sake of greater prosperity later.
But as of late it has become even less subtle than that. Back in September of 2022 the Satanic temple of Indiana sued the state over their restrictive abortion bans saying it hindered their ability to worship. Abortion was part of their worship.
Make no mistake about it in one form of another abortion is child-sacrifice.
But through this account God is teaching the newly formed nation that the God they worship does not require nor is he honored by such wicked practices. He would not require Human blood for their Atonement. The sacrificial death of Human sacrifice could not purchase their salvation.
But this still doesn’t fully answer of Question of Why would God put Abraham through such an ordeal?
Now we have made mention of this idea many times by Dr. Allman from DTS.
“What God has done in the past is often a pattern for how he will provide in the future. Except that God is too creative to do the same thing the same way.” Dr. James Allmen - DTS
“What God has done in the past is often a pattern for how he will provide in the future. Except that God is too creative to do the same thing the same way.” Dr. James Allmen - DTS
After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he answered.
The phrase “After these things” shows us that these events are directly tied to what has already happened.
Abraham was recently forced to drive his Son Ishmael into the wilderness never to be seen again. Now God would ask Abraham to lose a son a yet again. So in this sense Isaac was now his only son.
“Take your son,” he said, “your only son Isaac, whom you love, go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.”
Right away we begin to notice some parallels.
God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his one and only Son into the world so that we might live through him.
For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
The language is strikingly similar. We see this foreshadowing of God saying that what I am asking of you to do, I will one day do myself.
So Abraham got up early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took with him two of his young men and his son Isaac. He split wood for a burnt offering and set out to go to the place God had told him about.
I Cannot imagine what is going through Abraham’s mind. No doubt it was questions like:
Has God changed his mind about blessing me and my offspring? No no that can’t be it. He’s confirmed it with me three different times.
Is God really going to let me kill my only son, the child of promise from whom all the world will be blessed?
No doubt there was this internal conflict. Will I actually follow through with this? Can I actually follow through with this? If I don’t do this will God kill us both?
On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.
Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there to worship; then we’ll come back to you.”
Notice that it is on the third day Abraham tells the men with him that he and his son will return.
Now we might be tempted to think that Abraham was just lying to his men to cover his tracks so that Isaac wouldn’t run away but look what Hebrews chap. 11 says.
By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac. He received the promises and yet he was offering his one and only son,
the one to whom it had been said, Your offspring will be traced through Isaac.
He considered God to be able even to raise someone from the dead; therefore, he received him back, figuratively speaking.
So on the third day, Abraham is believing that if the son of promise is sacrificed God will raise him from the dead.
He also said to them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead the third day,
Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac. In his hand he took the fire and the knife, and the two of them walked on together.
Then Isaac spoke to his father Abraham and said, “My father.” And he replied, “Here I am, my son.” Isaac said, “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” Then the two of them walked on together.
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
God himself would provide the sacrifice. Jesus would become man, the lamb of God. Just like this ram would take the place of Isaac Jesus the lamb of God would be sacrificed to take away our sins.
When they arrived at the place that God had told him about, Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood. He bound his son Isaac and placed him on the altar on top of the wood.
Then Abraham reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son.
But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” He replied, “Here I am.”
Then he said, “Do not lay a hand on the boy or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your only son from me.”
Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught in the thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son.
The book of Genesis was penned by Moses some one thousand five hundred years before the birth of Christ. Yet God was already setting the stage. Telling his people that one day, one would come to take our place.
Then the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven
and said, “By myself I have sworn,” this is the Lord’s declaration: “Because you have done this thing and have not withheld your only son,
I will indeed bless you and make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your offspring will possess the city gates of their enemies.
And all the nations of the earth will be blessed by your offspring because you have obeyed my command.”
Abraham went back to his young men, and they got up and went together to Beer-sheba. And Abraham settled in Beer-sheba.
So why did God put Abraham through this?
To show us that one day a better sacrifice would come. One day the perfect lamb of God would come, Jesus Christ. He would come and offer himself as sacrifice for all those who would believe. For all those who repent of their sins and by faith put their in jesus Christ.
Don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit God’s kingdom? Do not be deceived: No sexually immoral people, idolaters, adulterers, or males who have sex with males,
no thieves, greedy people, drunkards, verbally abusive people, or swindlers will inherit God’s kingdom.
And some of you used to be like this. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
This is our hope. That through Jesus Christ sacrifice we are washed in the blood of Jesus Christ. The believer has been made new and we have been justified through Jesus Christ. Scripture is clear that if there has never been a change in you, if you have never repented, turned your back on sin and allowed God to wash and cleanse you from your sins, don’t be deceived you will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
But for those of us that have repented our lives are no longer defined by sin but rather a continual repentance. So that when we sin( and we will) we do not stay in it. We repent from it and move on toward greater righteousness.
For the truly repentant there is this precious promise found in
My little children, I am writing you these things so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ the righteous one.
For the believer the acceptance of sin in our lives is not normal. At times we will fall prey to its temptation but if we do....Jesus Christ death burial and resurrection has paid the fine. For this reason you have been set free from the penalty of Death. for Christ took your place.
Sin was man’s problem so by a man it had to be paid for. Christ became a man and took your punishment of death so that you might live and be saved.
I’ll end with what we began with this Quote from Dr. James Allman
“What God has done in the past is often a pattern for how he will provide in the future. Except that God is too creative to do the same thing the same way.” Dr. James Allmen - DTS
“What God has done in the past is often a pattern for how he will provide in the future. Except that God is too creative to do the same thing the same way.” Dr. James Allmen - DTS
Aren’t you glad of this.
There maybe three different types of people in the audience today.
Those who know they are lost.
If you are here today and you know that you have never repented. If an account written 1500 years before Christ came doesn’t convince you, its not that this isn’t proof you are choosing to reject it so that you can continue in sin. I plead with you this morning as you sense the Holy Spirit drawing you do not reject his voice. He may not draw you forever.
Then there maybe those who are fooling themselves.
If you are here today and you claim to be a believer but you have been walking in sin, living in it, being rebellious. It’s likely that you have never been born again. Don’t deceive yourself.
Then there are those that have been born again
To you your heart should be overflowing with gratitude, a gratitude that causes you to worship and serve God with your whole being. A life that has Joy and peace because you have been justified before God. You have nothing to fear.
Let’s pray.
