Tags
Abraham', Abraham's Test, Believing God's promises, Deuteronomy 7:9, Faithful God, Faithful servant, Genesis 22:1-14, Genesis 22:10-14, Hebrews 11:17-19, James 4:10, John 10:9-11, John 1:29, Matthew 1:21, Matthew 3:11-12, Who are you believing?
Bible Ballistics: BBs #750 Faithful Provider, Always!!!
“Know therefore
that the LORD thy God,
he is God,
the faithful God,
which keepeth covenant
and mercy
with them that love him
and keep his commandments
to a thousand generations;” Deuteronomy 7:9
When things start (or continue) whirling around you and your strength seems to be sapped, your mind runs rampant with doubt, confusion, and uncertainty, it is then along with every other time in our lives that we need to look UP to our faithful Lord God Almighty, and HIS Son, Jesus, The Lamb of God which “taketh away the sin of the world”! It is imperative that we understand the import of the truth that Jesus came to save sinners, and as Paul said, “of whom I am chief”, praise God, Jesus came to save sinners like me.
How about you? Will you run to the One who died that you might have eternal life—abundant life—a transformed, holy life? Oh, if I could sit down with you and share with you all that HE has done for me, pointing you to HIS cross. It is why HE came.
“And she shall bring forth a son,
and thou shalt call his name JESUS:
for he shall save his people
from their sins.” Matthew 1:21
Jesus said of Himself:
“I am the door:
by me if any man enter in,
he shall be saved,
and shall go in and out,
and find pasture.
10 The thief cometh not,
but for to steal,
and to kill,
and to destroy:
I am come that they might have life,
and that they might have it more abundantly.
11 I am the good shepherd:
the good shepherd giveth his life
for the sheep.” John 10:9-11
This went beyond even what John the Baptizer had said of Him!
“The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith,
Behold the Lamb of God,
which taketh away
the sin of the world.” John 1:29
“I indeed baptize you
with water
unto repentance:
but he that cometh after me
is mightier than I,
whose shoes I am not worthy to bear:
he shall baptize you
with the Holy Ghost,
and with fire:
12 Whose fan is in his hand,
and he will throughly purge his floor,
and gather his wheat into the garner;
but he will burn up the chaff
with unquenchable fire.” Matthew 3:11-12
I love the Gospel of John for its beautiful and picturesque descriptions of Jesus and His many faceted work as the Lamb of God, The Good Shepherd, The Door, The Water of Life, The Bread of Life and more (I encourage you to delve into the Gospel of John and search these out for yourself!)! This faithful God—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—is ever working on our behalf; and if we will but avail ourselves of His provision, we would find a hope, power, and strength to press on no matter the challenges that confront us.
One of my favorite examples of the faithfulness of God is found in Genesis 22, where God puts Abraham’s faith to the test, and the result gave Abraham, and us, a profound picture of the fulfillment of God’s promise to bless “all” through Abraham (See Genesis 12:3). Let’s peruse just the highlights of this amazing truth.
“And 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.
3 And 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.” Genesis 22:2-3=
God called Abraham to yield up this “son of promise” and he willingly obeyed, as Hebrews makes so clear; for Abraham knew God would keep HIS promise.
“By faith Abraham,
when he was tried,
offered up Isaac:
and he that had received the promises
offered up his only begotten son,
18 Of whom it was said,
That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:
19 Accounting that God was able to raise him up,
even from the dead;
from whence also he received him
in a figure.” Hebrews 11:17-19
This is the crux of the story, that God gave Abraham a picture (“in a figure”) of what HE was going to do to fulfill HIS promises to Abraham; God would give HIS own son for us, just as God provided a ‘ram’ in Isaac’s place—God would provide “Himself”—”The Lamb of God”– to take “away the sin of the world”! Redemption for all who will come to Him in repentance and faith, yesterday, today and until HE comes for HIS own! For there is coming a time when many will find themselves coming one day “too late”! But let’s finish up with Abraham’s story, with just a few verses to highlight the events, and you can fill in the rest as you take some time to read the entire chapter.
“And 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?
8 And Abraham said,
My son,
God will provide himself
a lamb
for a burnt offering:
so they went both of them together.” Genesis 22:7-8
And they went on and even as Abraham held the knife God spoke and provided! Praise God! Praise God! Praise God! Jesus died for you and me! God didn’t spare Jesus, because for you and me to be spared, “God so loved the world that HE GAVE” Jesus!!! (emphasis is mine).
“And Abraham stretched forth his hand,
and took the knife
to slay his son.
11 And the angel of the LORD called unto him
out of heaven, and said,
Abraham, Abraham:
and he said, Here am I.
12 And 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.
13 And 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.
14 And Abraham called the name of that place
Jehovahjireh:
as it is said to this day,
In the mount of the LORD
it shall be seen.” Genesis 22:10-14
And in closing, I encourage you to ponder the wonder of what God truly revealed to Abraham! Have you tuned your heart, mind, and ears to hear and see what the Lord has provided on your “Mount” of sacrifice? I find it most interesting that it is likely that the same site of this experience for Abraham could have been the very spot of the sacrifice of God’s “only begotten son”! Food for thought!
Wont’ you let HIM have your issues today? It is so hard sometimes to humble ourselves and simply “let God” “be God”! May this word from James remind and encourage each of us today.
“Humble yourselves
in the sight of the Lord,
and he shall
lift you up.” James 4:10
Amen and Amen!!!
Bible Ballistics 