The Lord Will Provide

Genesis 22:1-19 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” ² He said, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.” ³ So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son; and he split wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. ⁴ On the third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from a distance. ⁵ Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you.” ⁶ Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son, and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. ⁷ Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” And he said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” ⁸ Abraham said, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together.

⁹ Then they came to the place of which God had told him; and Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood, and bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. ¹⁰ Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. ¹¹ But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” ¹² He said, “Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” ¹³ Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son. ¹⁴ Abraham called the name of that place The Lord Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “In the mount of the Lord it will be provided.”

¹⁵ Then the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven, ¹⁶ and said, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, ¹⁷ indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed 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.” ¹⁹ So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham lived at Beersheba.

After years, even decades of waiting for the promise of a son through whom God would fulfill His words of blessing to the descendents of Abraham, today’s text says:     Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.”       The things that this came after, was Abraham already giving up his other son, Ishmael, the one who was born to him through his wife Sarah’s maid. That son, Ishmael, was born because Abraham and Sarah had grown tired of waiting for God’s promise to be fulfilled. When God indeed did fulfill His promise to Abraham, giving him Isaac through Sarah, Ishmael was sent out, no longer to be an heir to Abrahams promise. Abraham had to put aside his own plan for God’s.  

We too at times need to lay aside the things we have created, the things which are not part of the promises and plans God has for our lives. We like Abraham and Sarah sometimes become impatient waiting on God. With good intentions we try to help God. Because we see things only from our own human and earthly perspective, we think we can bring about God’s plan and purpose in our own way and time. Our efforts and our plans sometimes create problems and other times result in good things. Still if they are not God things, we may, like Abraham did with Ishmael, have to give them up to have all that God has for us.

In today’s text though it was not what Abraham had done through impatience that God was calling him to sacrifice. It was Isaac, the very child of promise. It was the one through whom God’s promise would be fulfilled that Abraham was called to sacrifice. One would think that Abraham who had been so bold as to negotiate with God over the fate of the city of Sodom, would perhaps have raised an argument, possibly tried to reason with God to find another way. The text though instead says:   So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son… and went to the place of which God had told him. On the third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from a distance. Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you.”Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son, and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together.         The account comes to its end as Abraham is ready to sacrifice Isaac and God intervenes. God provides another sacrifice.      But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son. Abraham called the name of that place The Lord Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “In the mount of the Lord it will be provided.”         We too, like Abraham may be asked if we are willing to lay aside even the things which God has given us. In truth all that we have is from God. Anything we could offer Him is already His. 1 Samuel 15:22 says it well:    Samuel said, "Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.      What God truly wants is for us to fully trust and obey Him. Like Abraham, to come to a point where we truly believe “The Lord Will Provide.”

We also see in this account, the obedience of a son:    Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” And he said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham said, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.”              God has indeed provided for the sacrifice. Jesus is the lamb. Jesus too is the Son who was obedient to the Father even to death on the cross. Our promise is not a promise of land as Abraham’s promise was. Our promise, our inheritance is much greater than any lands or riches. Through faith in Christ and through obedience to God the Father we have been made heirs of God Himself. Romans 8:16-17 says:  The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.      We have all the benefits, privileges and the authority of heirs of the kingdom of God. We also have confidence knowing God will not ask anything of us that He Himself did not or would not do. Indeed, The Lord Will Provide.

Thank You heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ; precious Holy Spirit You indeed provide all that I need both here and now and also for eternity. You have granted me to be redeemed, reconciled and restored to Your plan, Your purpose and Your will.    Amen.