The Lord will Provide

March 4, 2018 Background Scripture: Genesis 22 Lesson Passage: Genesis 22:1 – 3, 6 – 14 There is a long journey of faith that separates Ur of the Chaldeans from the land of Moriah. The length of the journey is not measured in miles or kilometers but rather spiritual growth. Abram must have had some inkling of God’s provision that led him to leave his homeland as God requested. But his initial steps of obedience were a far cry from the situation depicted in today’s text. Abram left Ur as God commanded him, but he did not leave in total compliance to God’s instructions. He was told to leave the land and his family. He left Ur but he left along with his father, Terah, and nephew, Lot. The journey included the death of his father, relationship friction with Lot’s servants and his servants leading to their separation, sorrow for the separation from his first son, Ishmael, partial obedience to God, deception out of fear for his life, and an ever-growing closeness to God. God was with Abraham through all that he went through, and God delivered him. God gave Abraham favor with the people he encountered and caused them to show Abraham great respect. God multiplied the material wealth of Abraham and gave him promises that exceeded anything he would probably have asked for. God promised that all nationalities of the earth would be blessed through Abraham. When one considers the whole covenant as stated, it is difficult to think of anything that would be depressing or even stressful in Abraham’s life. That, however, changed in the text of this lesson. With everything seemingly at its highest point, God commanded Abraham to offer his son, Isaac, as a burnt offering to Him. There are at least two things that would have been disturbing about this command of God. First, God’s first commandment for him to leave his homeland, removed him from an environment of spiritual abominations such as human sacrifice. Secondly, God told Abraham to listen to Sarah and put his first son, Ishmael, out of his house so that he was no longer in contact with him. At that time, Isaac was the only son that Abraham had a relationship with; Isaac would inherit his estate according to God’s promise. Abraham knew that he would not live in this world forever and therefore wanted an offspring to inherit his wealth and carry on his name. His first son, Ishmael, was born to him by Sarah’s servant, Hagar, at Sarah’s request. Thirteen years later, Isaac was born to him by his wife Sarah when Abraham was one hundred years old and Sarah was ninety years old. Abraham had waited a long time to have an offspring. But Abraham’s faith journey had taught him a lot about God. Abraham was going to do what God commanded him and offer Isaac as a burnt offering. This was not an act of desperation or a surrender of his aspirations and dreams. Abraham was going to offer Isaac because he knew that God would have to raise Isaac from the ashes of that altar. That’s right. There was no recorded resurrection of the dead before this time, but Abraham knew God would have to do it because all of the promises God made to Abraham depended on Isaac being his heir. Isaac would have to be alive at the time of Abraham’s death or the promises of God would have been false. All of the promises of God are yes and amen; therefore, the conclusion of the matter is: The Lord would have to provide a burnt offering for Himself. Abraham’s faith journey was complete. Robert C. Hudson February 21, 2017