WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2013
Genesis 22:8 “…my son, God
will provide himself a sacrifice…”
SCRIPTURE READING: GENESIS
22:1-8
1 And it came to pass after these things, that God did
tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.
2 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.
4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and
saw the place afar off.
5 And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with
the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you,
6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and
laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and
they went both of them together.
7 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.
REFLECTION:
Long before the foundations of Jerusalem were laid, before
the walls were raised and Solomon’s temple was dedicated, before prophets and
priests and kings walked the streets of the Holy City, there was on that very
site a most astounding happening.
Two thousand years before Christ entered Jerusalem, God
called Abraham to go to that place and offer up his only son—the son he so
dearly loved—as a sacrifice.
Abraham obeyed.
Men of faith always do. Abraham,
Isaac, and two young men rose up early to begin their trek. Men of faith obey immediately.
When the mount of sacrifice came into sight, Abraham
instructed the two young men to wait. He
said, “I and the lad will go yonder and worship and come again to you.” Abraham took the wood he had brought for the
sacrifice and laid it upon Isaac, his only begotten son. He himself took the knife and the fire.
As they walked up that rocky hillside Isaac asked the
obvious, “Where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Abraham prophesied, “My son, God will provide
himself a lamb.”
An altar was built.
The wood was laid on the altar.
Then Abraham’s only son laid down on the altar, bound and ready to die.
Isaac may have been 33 years of age, his father133. Isaac
could have run. Abraham could have refused. But both steadfastly obeyed—Abraham
obeyed God. Isaac obeyed his
father. Here is living,active faith.
“See how [Abraham’s] faith worked, and by works [his] faith is made
perfect?” James explains. “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to
him for righteousness, and he was called the Friend of God.” (James
2:22-24).
That day a voice from heaven
halted Abraham’s sacrifice of his son.
But two thousand years later there was no voice from
heaven to halt the sacrifice of God’s Son. On that fateful day, there was only
a cry lifting from earth to heaven—“Into thy hands I commit my spirit.” God had “provided himself a lamb!”
“But God commended His love toward us, in that while we
were yet sinners, Christ died for us!” (Romans 5:8).
PRAYER: Our
Father in Heaven, How sincerely thankful we are today for the sacrifice of your
only begotten Son. We look at the cross
and stand amazed. We sing “When He was on the cross, I was on His mind.” How
marvelous! But it is our prayer that you will be on our mind throughout this
day. Keep us mindful that your ears are
listening to us, your eyes are watching over us, and your Spirit is looking
through us. May all that we do bring
honor, and glory, and praise to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the
world. To God be the Glory! In Jesus’
Name. Amen. Our
Father &c…
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