Genesis 22:13-14 NKJV
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.”
Laying Down the Promise
There are powerful lessons we can learn from the life of Abraham i.e. growing in faith, godliness and obedience. However when Abraham started his journey with the LORD he wasn't perfect. Like many of us, Abraham gave into fear and outside pressures at times, and even though he was known as the "father of faith", he wavered in unbelief and obedience on occasion. God in His grace and mercy was still willing to work with Abraham and fulfil the promises He made to him, which is good news for us!
Abraham personally encountered God more than once in his life and intimately knew the voice of God. Overtime his faith grew as his relationship with God developed. So when God asked him to sacrifice his only son, the very son God had promised him, he didn't rebuke the devil saying "get behind me Satan" as I'm sure some of us would do if we weren't able to recognise God's voice. He didn't procrastinate in doing what God commanded hoping that God would change His mind. Instead he got up very early to journey 3 days to the place God showed him and set out to do exactly what God had asked him to do.
During those 3 days Abraham had plenty of time to change his mind and turn back, but Abraham kept going, no doubt interceding and reminding himself of all the promises God had given and the covenant God made with him. By meditating on God's word, Abraham confidently knew that God would not back out on His promise and would supply everything Abraham needed. We see the evidence of this in what Abraham says to his servants in verse 5: "Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and WE will come back to you" and "8 And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.”
Abraham builds an altar, places the wood in order, binds his son Isaac, lays him on the altar and stretches out the knife ready to slay his son. At the last second an angel calls out from heaven to stop Abraham and God provides a ram for Abraham to sacrifice instead of His son. Through Abraham's obedience and faith God knew that Abraham feared Him and would not withhold anything from Him, which results in God's abundant blessing upon Abraham's life.
There are times God will ask us to lay down what we treasure most to test our faith and obedience i.e. a person that we love, a relationship we hold dear, a ministry position we have worked hard for, a job that fills us with purpose and joy or even a prized possession, like a house or car. We need to learn from Abraham's example and not hesitate to do what God asks of us, believing that God will work all things together for our good (Romans 8:28) and will supply all our needs (Philippians 4:19). Know that God has a reason for asking and that regardless of past actions, if we are willing to humbly obey and completely surrender to God's will, not knowing what the outcome will be, we can be assured of God's abundant blessing!
Genesis 22:16b-18 NKJV
“By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son— 17 blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. 18 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
(Reference Deuteronomy 28:1-14)
God bless you!
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