God Will Provide
Gen 22:1-14
22:1And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.
2And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
3And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.
4Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.
5And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you,
6And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.
7And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?
8And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
9And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.
10And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
11And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.
12And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.
13And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.
14And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.
Introduction:
Where is God going with this? When reading this passage I am reminded of New Testament passages like John 1:29-34 – "Behold the Lamb…" and Romans 1:17 –"The just shall live by Faith."
FAITH ACCEPTS GOD'S ABIILITY TO PERFORM Romans 4:13-25
Hebrews 9:22 – Without shedding of blood…
Background
Genesis
6:5 – Hearts of men were evil continually. The 'Flood' was a redemptive act. Sin does not go unchecked!
12:1-3 – Abrahamic Covenant Initiated.
15:1-6 – Abraham believed in the Lord.
17: – Covenant Renewal. Circumcision to denote a relationship with God.
18: 14 – Is anything too hard for the Lord.
21: 8 – Issac born.
OUR NEED IS TO LIVE BY FAITH. THIS IS GOD'S WILL. WITHOUT FAITH IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE GOD. HEBREWS 11:6
- Faith does not hesitate. 1-3
- Faith which is more precious than gold needs to be tried by fire. [1]
- It was no accident this was a burnt offering. [2] A burnt offering symbolized total commitment.
- He rose up early, without hesitation. [3]
- Faith prepares one for worship. 4-8
God wants total faithful submission.
- Faith believes the impossible.
- Faith attempts the impossible.
- Faith knows God will provide. [8]
- Faith holds nothing back. 9-12
God asks, "Is your faith greater than that of the pagan?"
- Abraham was willing to go all the way.
- Abraham feared [reverenced] the Lord.
- Faith rejoices in Jehovah-Jireh. 13-14
- God provided that ram as a substitute. Abraham & Issac did not have to wonder what to do with the ram caught in the thicket!
- In the mount of God it shall be seen. What shall be seen? Jesus Christ on Mount Calvary.
- God sees and provides and as his provision is received, He himself is seen.
Conclusion
THEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND
Man's only hope is in God.
If God does not act there is no hope.
God takes sin seriously.
Just shall live by faith.
EXPOSITION OF TEXT
Faith is to be greater than reason, feelings, and circumstances.
Preacher Jones
