Isaac, or Jesus?
Last post was about Abrahamic covenant. It wasn't too exciting, but it's important. Read it please!
So God has promised Abram/Abraham a nation through a son by his wife, Sarai. In a moment of weakness and act of "little faith", Abram has a son through Hagar, Sarai's maid. She has Ishmael, who is the father of the Arab people. God later finally fufills His promise (He always does, He always will, praise His name!) and Sarah bears Abraham a son named Isaac. Through Isaac, his promised child, will come many nations and the promised land. Isaac is Abraham. His sons will be Abraham's lineage, and his sons will inherit his promise. Isaac is essential to Abraham, his pride and joy, his only hope. Then God does something nutty.
1 Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." 2 Then He said, "Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you." (Genesis 22)
This blows my mind. Absurd. Actually, its offensive. How could He do that to such a man?
Lets dig into it.
So Abraham does as he is told. Why? He had faith. Hebrews 11 says he had faith that God would even raise him from the dead. Do you have faith to do what God asks of you?
Another interesting tidbit- The mountains of Moriah are where Solomon later builds the Temple. Interesting, isn't it?
To make a long story short, Abraham takes his son to the mountains, prepares him as a sacrifice on the alter, raises the knife to slay him (he was really going to go through with it!) 11 But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" So he said, "Here I am." 12 And He said, "Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me." Only son.. Where have I heard that before?
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Another interesting tidbit- The Angel of the Lord is not just an angel. It is the pre-incarnate Christ, Jesus before he came to earth as a man. In Judges, Gideon says to one identified as 'The Angel of The LORD' "Alas, O Lord God!" The Angel doesn't correct him. Anyway, The Angel of the LORD is the pre-incarnate Christ. If you don't believe me, ask some scholars and study it for yourself.
So check this out- Abraham is about to slay Isaac. It seems absolutely horrible, but look at it this way- we are all sinners, worthy only of death. Isaac was also the father of two wicked nations. How much wickedness could be spared if he was put to death? Really, Isaac deserved to die, for his sins and for the sins that would be committed by Israel and Edom, the two nations that would come from him. Now this is cool. This is really cool. Keep reading.
The pre-incarnate Christ, Jesus Himself, God's only Son stops Abraham dead in his tracks. Abraham has been faithful, and Christ comes in and provides a sacrifice in place of the son.
13 Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son.
Jesus provides a sacrifice, a ram in place of the son who deserved death anyway. But that wasn't it. Do you see the connection? Do you see it?
JESUS TOOK ISAAC'S PLACE! He didn't just provide a ram, he provided the Lamb! Christ, the Lamb who was slain! Isaac deserved death, but God stopped his death because Abraham was faithful. God loved Abraham, so he sent HIS only son to replace Isaac. Christ gave a ram that day, but He also gave Himself. He chose to die, and He was obedient to His Father unto death. Isn't it beautiful? Do you see it? Isn't it beautiful? Christ, the son sacrificed in Isaac's place, in Israel's place, in the place of all mankind, in your place, in mine. All for the sake of love, for Abraham the father, for Isaac the son, and for all men.
Do you see it yet? Pray that you do, it's beautiful, it's so very beautiful! Thank you oh my Father, for giving us your Son! Hallelujah! Hallelujah, hallelujah hallelujah!
So God has promised Abram/Abraham a nation through a son by his wife, Sarai. In a moment of weakness and act of "little faith", Abram has a son through Hagar, Sarai's maid. She has Ishmael, who is the father of the Arab people. God later finally fufills His promise (He always does, He always will, praise His name!) and Sarah bears Abraham a son named Isaac. Through Isaac, his promised child, will come many nations and the promised land. Isaac is Abraham. His sons will be Abraham's lineage, and his sons will inherit his promise. Isaac is essential to Abraham, his pride and joy, his only hope. Then God does something nutty.
1 Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." 2 Then He said, "Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you." (Genesis 22)
This blows my mind. Absurd. Actually, its offensive. How could He do that to such a man?
Lets dig into it.
So Abraham does as he is told. Why? He had faith. Hebrews 11 says he had faith that God would even raise him from the dead. Do you have faith to do what God asks of you?
Another interesting tidbit- The mountains of Moriah are where Solomon later builds the Temple. Interesting, isn't it?
To make a long story short, Abraham takes his son to the mountains, prepares him as a sacrifice on the alter, raises the knife to slay him (he was really going to go through with it!) 11 But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" So he said, "Here I am." 12 And He said, "Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me." Only son.. Where have I heard that before?
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Another interesting tidbit- The Angel of the Lord is not just an angel. It is the pre-incarnate Christ, Jesus before he came to earth as a man. In Judges, Gideon says to one identified as 'The Angel of The LORD' "Alas, O Lord God!" The Angel doesn't correct him. Anyway, The Angel of the LORD is the pre-incarnate Christ. If you don't believe me, ask some scholars and study it for yourself.
So check this out- Abraham is about to slay Isaac. It seems absolutely horrible, but look at it this way- we are all sinners, worthy only of death. Isaac was also the father of two wicked nations. How much wickedness could be spared if he was put to death? Really, Isaac deserved to die, for his sins and for the sins that would be committed by Israel and Edom, the two nations that would come from him. Now this is cool. This is really cool. Keep reading.
The pre-incarnate Christ, Jesus Himself, God's only Son stops Abraham dead in his tracks. Abraham has been faithful, and Christ comes in and provides a sacrifice in place of the son.
13 Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son.
Jesus provides a sacrifice, a ram in place of the son who deserved death anyway. But that wasn't it. Do you see the connection? Do you see it?
JESUS TOOK ISAAC'S PLACE! He didn't just provide a ram, he provided the Lamb! Christ, the Lamb who was slain! Isaac deserved death, but God stopped his death because Abraham was faithful. God loved Abraham, so he sent HIS only son to replace Isaac. Christ gave a ram that day, but He also gave Himself. He chose to die, and He was obedient to His Father unto death. Isn't it beautiful? Do you see it? Isn't it beautiful? Christ, the son sacrificed in Isaac's place, in Israel's place, in the place of all mankind, in your place, in mine. All for the sake of love, for Abraham the father, for Isaac the son, and for all men.
Do you see it yet? Pray that you do, it's beautiful, it's so very beautiful! Thank you oh my Father, for giving us your Son! Hallelujah! Hallelujah, hallelujah hallelujah!
posted by I Believe We Shall Win at 7:28 PM
2 Comments:
great blog! You can hear your passion for the Lord and His word in every word you read! Thanks
That is beautiful! I finally read it. What great timing too. I can use that in my life now. So amazing. Just be faithful...even if you don't want to give something up. God will be faithful with what he promised me in the beginning. I just have to be faithful. He is always faithful!
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