The LORD Will Provide

Text: ESV Genesis 22:14 So Abraham called the name of that place, “The LORD will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mountain of the LORD it shall be provided.”

Goal: That we allow the LORD to continue providing for our needs.

ESV 1 Timothy 1:2 Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

Genesis 22 is one of my favorite stories in the Old Testament. When I say story I have to be careful. Many people argue that the Bible is full of stories . . . and what they mean is that the Bible is filled with made up stories. Fairy tales. Works of the imagination. Many people read the Bible and they look for good moral or ethical lessons. When I say Bible story, I mean an actual event in history . . . an event that the Holy Spirit chose to be recorded for all time. When I read the stories in the Bible, I don’t find too many moral or ethical lessons. Time and time again as I read the Bible, I find Jesus Christ. He’s present on every page, in every paragraph. The stories in the Bible are so much more than just stories. The Bible tells us who God is and what He’s done for us. The Bible tells us who we are and how we’ve sinned against God, but the Bible also tells us that God provides forgiveness, life, and salvation.

Let’s put Genesis 22 to the test. Is it a fairy tale, or the Word of God? Does it teach us a moral lesson, or does it reveal Jesus Christ? Genesis 22:1&2 “After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, ‘Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here am I.’ He said, ‘Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.’” The story begins with a test. God testing Abraham by telling him to murder his only son. Try to get a moral or ethical lesson out of that one: “Go kill your only son!” And that’s not all that’s strange about this passage. If you remember, Abraham had two sons; one with his servant Hagar and the other with his wife Sarah. God recognized only one son as the legitimate son. In God’s eyes Isaac was Abraham’s only son, the son of the promise. God provided a son for Abraham and Sarah, even though Sarah was past the age to bear children, even though she laughed at the idea, even though Abraham had a child with Hagar. God provided for the miraculous birth of a son, only to demand the son’s life at the hand of his father. Sound familiar? Let’s continue our story. Genesis 22:3-5 “So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. Then Abraham said to his young men, ‘Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.’” Just think about all the details provided in our story. Several details don’t even need to be there if this is simply a product of someone’s imagination. What do you make of the details about the time of day, about the two young men, about the cutting of wood for the offering? I believe that those details were written down simply because that’s how it actually happened. That being said, there is a very significant detail in verse five. A wooden translation provides an extra detail that our English translation leaves ambiguous: “I and the boy will go over there and we will worship and we will come again to you.” Abraham was planning to sacrifice his only son as a burnt offering, but he said, “We will come again to you.” God provided Abraham with incredible faith: “We will come again to you.”

Our story continues as we consider Genesis 22:6-8 “And 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 they went both of them together. And Isaac said to his father Abraham, ‘My father!’ And he said, ‘Here am I, my son.’ He said, ‘Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?’ Abraham said, ‘God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.’ So they went both of them together.” I have to admit that the first time I started to realize what’s going on here; I had chills running down my spine. This is no fairy tale. This event is recorded in the book of Genesis, written down by Moses, 1400 years before the birth of the only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Did you listen to the story? The father took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. Innocent Isaac says, “We’ve got the fire and we’ve got the wood, but where’s the lamb for the sacrifice?” Isaac, the lamb, carries wood on his back to the place for the offering. The only begotten Son, the innocent Lamb of God, carried wood on His back to the place of the sacrifice. Coincidence, work of the imagination, fairy tale . . . I don’t think so!

Our story goes on (Genesis 22:9-12): “When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, ‘Abraham, Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here am I.’ He said, ‘Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.’” The father bound his son and placed him on the altar. The son submitted to the father’s will and allowed himself to be put on the altar. The father took out his knife and started to do a deed that no sane and loving father could ever even imagine. But the LORD stepped in and said, “No!” . . . at least not yet. So have you found the moral or ethical lesson? Me neither. There is definitely something unique about this story. Let’s see what happens next (Genesis 22:13&14): “And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called the name of that place, ‘The LORD will provide’; as it is said to this day, ‘On the mount of the LORD it shall be provided.’” God Himself provided a substitute sacrifice in the place of Isaac. God saved Isaac with a ram, caught in a thicket. A ram that was slaughtered instead of the son. God Himself provided a substitute sacrifice to die in our place as well. God the Father bound His Son and placed Him on the altar of the cross. God the Father took out His knife to slaughter His only begotten Son, but no one came to the rescue. The most heinous of all crimes . . . the most hideous of all atrocities: God the Father slaughtered the only innocent man who ever lived and walked on earth. Blood poured out as His hands were nailed down. Blood gushed out as His feet were pierced through. Blood flowed from the sacrifice onto the wood, down to the ground. And as the blood poured out God provided a substitute sacrifice for us. No imagination could ever come up with something so disturbing. No mere mortal could spin a web so intricate. There’s no moral lesson, no ethical advice, only a blood sacrifice to provide for our eternal and everlasting salvation.

Now although this story is true, it does have a fairy tale ending for all those who have faith in Jesus Christ. Want to hear how it ends? “And the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven and said, ‘By myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.’” (Genesis 22:15-18). Jesus Christ rose from the dead. We too will live forever. Because of God’s provision, we live happily ever after. The End!

ESV Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.