Worship Isn't Always Comfortable - Part 4
Genesis 22:1-19
“Worship Isn’t Always Comfortable”
Abraham Tested
22 Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.”
3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled 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. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 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.”
6 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, 7 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?”
8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.
9 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. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
12 “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.”
13 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. 14 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.”
15 The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16 and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 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, 18 and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”
Introduction
- Are you comfortable?
- Major theme in our life (Guest over) Ali
- Church is no different
Vs 1a – God tested Abraham
- Heb. (nāsâ) – to prove the quality of
- This wasn’t an experiment for fun
What was the test?
- There is more than one test
- Vs 1b - First test is “Abraham”
- Calling his name
Vs 2a – Fourfold statement from God
- Please (na) take your son
- Your Only son
- Isaac
- Whom you love
Vs 2b – NIV uses sacrifice
- (Heb. (˓ā∙lā(h) stem is hifil – makes word offer
- 3 verbs that God uses
- Take, Go and Sacrifice (Offer)
- These are all imperatives (commands)
Vs 3 – Second test – Early in morning
- Look at the order of events Vs 4 – 3 days Abraham thinks about this
Vs 5 – Separates himself from Isaac (boy)
- Abraham says “We will worship”
- Abraham calls this worship
- Shachah (cohortative) nothing will stop us
- Come - (šûḇ) cohortative
- Abraham was very determined
- How could this be?
- How do we worship when we are uncomfortable?
We get our answer in Vs 6-8
- Abraham loved or knew the giver more than the gift
- Story of the fireman (My Heart’s Desire)
- Think about how you respond under stress
- Is your response with worship?
Vs 9-10 – Third test –
- Abraham shows that worship is physical
- Built an alter
- Tied up Isaac, laid him on the alter
- Takes the knife to slaughter
- Burnt Offering ( means to cut up in pieces so it is completely consumed by the fire)
My Alter
Vs 17-18
There is only room through the doorway to the inner-court for you. Everything else has to be put on the Alter
What do you have to lay on the alter to get through the door?