THE GOD WHO PROVIDES/GENESIS 22:1-19
As I mentioned two weeks ago, one of the great truths
of biblical Christianity is the eternal preexistence of
Christ. We come today to consider the second use of the
phrase "Angel of the Lord" found in Genesis
22, and its importance to us. We begin by considering
...
I) THE CONTEXT
A) We are immediately introduced to the context
with these words, "God tested Abraham" (v.1).
The test consisted of Abraham offering his son, his only
son, the son whom he loves as a burnt sacrifice to God (v.2).
Can you imagine such a request? Can you imagine such a
test/trial? What’s amazing is Abraham’s quick response
to God’s command, and he does so without comment or
complaint (vv.3-4). Our tendency is to complain at
the smallest of tests and trials that come to us from
God’s hand. Yet, Abraham is seen exercising faith/trust
in God’s Word alone. This is expressed when Abraham
makes a most interesting comment: "we will worship
and return to you" (v.5). Who’s the we?
Abraham and his son Isaac. It is a good thing we know
where this is going, or else we might be feeling a bit ill
right now. We find Abraham doing exactly as he was
instructed, again without comment or complaint (v.6).
The silence of the moment is broken by a question (v.7)
from Isaac, the sacrifice, "Where’s the lamb for
the burnt offering?" Abraham again answers with
confidence and trust in God (v.8): "God
Himself will provide the lamb." And they both walked
on to the appointed place of sacrifice. Then we come in verses
9ff to ...
II) GOD’S GRACIOUS PROVISION
A) We find Abraham doing all that he was
commanded to do (vv.9-10). Imagine the torment of
soul at that moment. "Can I really trust God? This
doesn’t make any sense at all! What will others think of
this, especially my wife, Sarah?" Yet, with all
things considered, Abraham prepares to plunge a knife into
his son’s body (v.11), but then the "Angel
of the Lord" calls out to him. He says to Abraham,
" ... now I know that you fear God, since you have
not withheld your son, your only son, from Me" (v.12).
To "fear God" means to "believe God’s
Word fully and absolutely, and to be loyal to His
directives." What a relief to Abraham and Isaac! We
should not doubt that God was in this trial of all trials,
we should not doubt God’s good intentions in them, and
we should not doubt God’s gracious provisions for us in
Christ. No matter what the trial in our lives, our Lord
Jesus Christ is in them calling out to us, speaking to us,
and comforting us with His grace. Just as the preincarnate
Christ met Abraham at his greatest point of need, so the
incarnate Christ meets our greatest needs–salvation,
deliverance, and strength. We meet Christ today by
faith/trust! Have you met Him? Do you want to? Then call
out to Him by faith and trust Him to save you from your
sins. Repent of your sins, and trust in His finished work
upon the Cross that alone saves. Just as God provided a
sacrifice for Abraham (v.13), so too He does for
us. That perfect sacrifice is Jesus Christ. I believe the
"Angel of the Lord" was pointing to His work in
His coming in the flesh (the incarnation). What was
Abraham’s response to all of this? What should our
response be?
B) Abraham’s response was to call the place of
his greatest trial "The Lord will provide" or
"Jehovah-Jireh" (v.14). The name he uses
is designed to draw attention to God, the One Who provides
for all our needs–great and small! Abraham does not
focus upon himself in any of this, but instead focuses on
God’s mercy and faithfulness. Dear folks, this should be
our response as well. We must focus on God’s gracious
work in Christ, not on anything we can do. God provides
for us a Savior by His grace. The Holy Spirit provides
faith to believe in this Savior by grace. Christ, the
Savior, provides us comfort in all our trials by His
grace. If you respond by faith, then God will confirm His
promises to you as He did to Abraham in verses 16-19.
