Abraham finally got it! After all the promises and covenant activity of the past few years, Abraham has a son in his old age and seems to finally get it: God is trustworthy! God says to Abraham, after he had enjoyed having a son for several years and being several years older, that he should take Isaac to Mt. Moriah and sacrifice him to God. Abraham does not seem to have any hesitation, he just packs up his bags and takes off for the mountain.
After a little while, they see the mountain in the distance and Abraham leaves his servants behind, and goes on toward the assigned action. In the process, Isaac asks his father where the lamb for the sacrifice might be. Abraham makes a powerful statement of faith: “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” Abraham takes Isaac up to the place of sacrifice, built the altar, put the wood in place and took the knife to kill him. God stopped him and began to speak to him, confirming the fact that, “…I know that you fear God….”
God provided a ram for the sacrifice, and Abraham named the place Yahweh-Jireh, or Jehovah-Jireh, “The Lord Will Provide.” While this is truly a triumphant account of the miraculous provision of God, I think it is equally important to note that the provision, and the further strengthening of the covenant between Abraham and God would have not been realized if Abraham had not had faith. Miracles do not happen outside of the exercise of faith. Clark Pinnock wrote, “Atheism springs forth amidst inadequate depictions of God.” What this tells me is that Christians have a powerful role in society. When we exercise faith and live faith-filled and faithful lives, it speaks volumes to a world looking for salvation. However, when we live as if God is irrelevant and inadequate to meet our needs, then the world sees no need for such a Savior. Today, take a lesson from Abraham and trust God to provide a lamb. Oh, wait a minute, He already did…
Devoted To You 