GOD'S PROVISION

Gen. 22:1-14

Prayer

The account of what happened when God asked Abraham to offer up his only ÝÝÝÝÝÝ

begotten son Isaac is one of the most fascinating stories in the entire Bible.

The whole incident foreshadows the birth, sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus.

Dr. Donald Grey Barnhouse said, ìGod is showing us a pageant, a type, a ÝÝÝ

parable of the heavenly Father offering up His only begotten Son.î

This seems right.

And yet, it's not a pageant, a type, or a parable because the New Testament Ý writers present it as an actual event.

Our text begins with God preparing a test for Abraham.

ìTake now thine only son and get thee into the land of Moriah and offer him there for a burnt offering.î

We will come back to this,

But for the time being, let's notice Abraham's obedience.

This was a gruesome test.

I would guess that Abraham's heart was broken.

But he didn't wait.

He rose up early in the morning (verse 3).

He took Isaac, two servants, fire, a knife and wood.

They headed off to a place called Mt. Moriah.

There's a lesson in this for us.

When God asks us to do something, we should get with it.

Too many times we put things off.

We fail to keep our good intentions.

We miss the blessings of God.

We let God down.

But Abraham rose up early in the morning.

And headed off to a place called Mt. Moriah.

On the third day, he could see it afar off.

He stopped.

He told his servants to take care of the donkey while he and Isaac went on.

He said, ìI and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to youî Ý (verse 5).

Notice, that he was saying, ìWe will both be coming back.î

He took the wood off the donkey;

ìLaid it on Isaac his son.î

ìHe took the fire and the knife.î

ìAnd they went both of them together.î

Ý

And Isaac spoke unto Abraham and said,î

ìBehold the fire and the wood but where is the lamb for a burnt offeringî ÝÝÝÝÝ (verse 7)?

Abraham answered, ìMy son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt ÝÝÝ offering.î

They arrived at the appointed place.

Abraham built an altar.

He laid the wood in order on the alter.

He placed Isaac on the wood on the altar.

Notice, the total obedience of Abraham.

He was perfectly willing to slay his only son Isaac at God's command.

Could you do that?

If a voice from heaven told you to kill your only child, could you do that?

About two years ago [2001], a woman in Texas named Andrea Yates killed ÝÝÝ all five of her children.

Some said she heard voices from heaven telling her to do that.

The defense claimed she was mentally ill for doing that.

The jury convicted of murder for doing that.

In this case, we see that God never intended for Abraham to kill Isaac.

But, ìAbraham stretched out hisÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ hand, and took the knife to slay his sonî ÝÝÝÝÝ (Verse 10).ÝÝ ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ

He planned to slay Isaac before he burned his body upon the altar.ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ

He was ready to go all the way with God.

This is the kind of commitment that God desires from us.

It honors Him in a great way.

It's the kind of faith that gets things done.

Are you willing to go all the way with God?

Or have you set aside areas of your life that you want God to stay out of?

If you will go all the way with God, you will never have to worry about ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ failing, the Judgment, or anything like that.

So Abraham took the knife to slay Isaac.

But the Angel of the Lord stopped him.

ìLay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything to him, for now I know that thou fearest God;î

ìSeeing that thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.î

Abraham turned around.

He saw a ram caught in a thicket.

He released Isaac;

Took the ram and used him for a sin offering.

God did provide.

It wasn't what Abraham expected.

But God did provide a ram for the sin offering.

Abraham named that place Jehovah-Jireh which means Jehovah provides.

It's location is well known today.

It's the most contested place upon the face of the earth.

It was the threshing floor of Ornan (I Chron. 21:25-28).

God told King David to build an altar there.

King David bought it for the site of the first Temple (I Chron. 21:18).

King Solomon built the first Temple there.

Zerubbabel built the second Temple there.

King Herod expanded the second Temple there.

Joseph and Mary took Jesus there.

He taught there.

Satan tempted Him there.

The Muslims say Muhammad ascended into heaven there.

They built the Dome of the Rock there.

The Jews want to build the third Temple there.

The Antichrist will go there.

So we know where it is.

It's hotly debated in the Middle East peace negotiations today.

Now, at the beginning of this message, I told you that this whole incident ÝÝÝÝÝ foreshadows the birth, sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus.

I want to go back and point out thirteen reasons why.

1^st---The birth of Isaac and the birth of Jesus were both promised births.

Before Abraham moved to the Promised Land, God told him he would have many descendants.

God said, ìGet thee out of thy country and from thy father's house unto a land ÝÝÝÝÝÝ that I will show thee and I will make thee a great nation.î

Concerning Jesus God said, ìBehold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.î

So God promised the birth of both boys (Isaac and Jesus).

2^nd---Both boys were born many years after God's promise.

Abraham and Sarah moved to the Promised Land.

They kept wanting a child.

But they didn't have one.

Many years passed.

Sarah was barren.

Isaac was born.

It was that way with Jesus too.

Isaiah prophesied the birth of Jesus about seven hundred years before it ÝÝÝÝÝÝ happened.

It seemed like it wasnít going to happen.

Then, an angel appeared to a young maiden named Mary.

He said, ìThou shalt conceive and bear a son and his name shall be called ÝÝÝ Emmanuel.î

Both boys were born many years after Godís promise.

3^rd---The birth of both boys startled their parents.

Abraham laughed.

Can you imagine becoming a parent at the age of ninety-nine?

Some of us might do more than laugh.

Mary's reaction was different.

ìHow can this be, seeing I know not a man?î

Joseph almost got a divorce.

He pondered how he might put Mary away.

The birth of both boys startled their parents.

4^th---Both boys were named by God.

Abraham laughed so God told him to name his son ìIsaacî (Gen. 17:17-19).

ìIsaacî means laughter.

God told Joseph to name Him ìJesus.î

ìJesusî means Saviour.

God said, ìHe shall save His people from their sins.î

5^th---Both boys were born at God's appointed time.

Sarah conceived.

The Bible says she bore Isaac in her old age, ìAt the set time of which God Ý had spokenî (Gen. 21:2).

She could not rush it, or change it, even by one day.

Concerning Jesus, ìWhen the fullness of time was come, God sent forth His Son.î (Gal. 4:4).

Both boys were born at the time of God's own choosing.

6^th---Both births were miracles.

Sarah was 90 years old when Isaac was born;

Too old to have a child by anyone's standard.

Mary was a young unmarried girl.

She had not known a man.

The Bible says, ìGod sent forth His Son.î

Jesus was the virgin born Son of God.

That's why both boys were so special.

Both boys were the result of a miracle.

7^th---In God's eyes, both boys were only begotten sons.

Isaac was Sarah's only begotten son.

Abraham fathered another son named Ishmael.

But Ishmael was the product of adultery;

The product of a sinful relationship.

God wouldn't recognize him.

He told Abraham to send him away.

Concerning Isaac God said, ìTake thine only son Isaac and offer him for a ÝÝ burnt offering.î

Concerning Jesus, ìGod so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Ý Son.î

God accounted both sons (Jesus and Isaac) to be only begotten sons.

8^th---Both sons were to be a final sacrifice.

Isaac was to be a burnt offering.

When an offering was burned, there was nothing left but the ashes.

Ashes mean, ìIt is finished.î

On the cross, Jesus bowed His head.

He cried with a loud voice, ìIt is finished.î

We should not expect anything else to remove our sins.

We cannot make another sacrifice.

Jesus won't die again.

His sacrificial work is finished.

9^th---Both boys carried the wood for the sacrifice.

A donkey carried the wood part of the way to Mt. Moriah.

Then, Isaac carried it the rest of the way.

Jesus carried the cross until He was too weak to continue.

Then, Simon the Cyrene took it.

And carried it to Mt. Calvary.

10^th---Both boys were laid on the wood.

When Abraham arrived at Mt. Moriah, he built an altar;

Laid the wood on the altar;

Bound Isaac his son;

Laid Isaac on the wood

When Jesus arrived at Mt. Calvary, the cross was laid on the ground.

Jesus was stripped of His robe.

He was laid on the cross.

His arms were stretched out across it.

His hands and feet were nailed to it.

11^th---Neither son complained.

We donít hear one word of complaint from Isaac.

He obeyed his father even unto death.

He was not a small child either.

He was a grown man by this time.

And Abraham was old.

But Isaac submitted to his father.

And that's the way it was with Jesus.

He went to the cross willingly.

He was pleased to die for our sins (Isaiah 53:10);

Pleased to lay down His life in our place.

12^th---This is a picture of substitution.

Isaac didn't die.

God provided a ram to take his place.

And Jesus was the Lamb of God who took our place.

Isaac asked, ìWhere is the Lamb?î

More than three thousand years later, John the Baptist answered that ÝÝÝ question, ìBehold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the ÝÝÝÝÝÝ worldî (John 1:29).

Why did God provide Abraham with a ram instead of a lamb?

ÝThere's only one Lamb of God.

And ìAbraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering ÝÝÝÝÝÝ in the stead of his sonî (Gen. 22:13).

ìIn the stead of his sonî is a picture of substitution;

A picture of the innocent dying for the guilty.

It began in the Garden of Eden.

Innocent animals died because Adam and Eve sinned.

God took the clothes of those innocent animals and made clothes for Adam Ý and Eve.

We believe those innocent animals were lambs.

And the idea of substitution goes all the way from the Garden of Eden to the cross of Calvary.

The Apostle Paul put it this way, ìGod spared not His own Son, but delivered ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ Him up for us all.î

That cross was an altar for a sin offering.

The Lamb of God was slain on that cross for us all.

13^th---This is a picture of the resurrection.

When Abraham saw the ram, he untied Isaac.

Isaac arose from the altar.

Paul said Abraham received him back in a figure.

The question is, ìIn a figure of what?î

He tells us.

ìAbraham accounted that God was able to raise Isaac up even from the deadî ÝÝÝÝÝÝ (Heb. 11:19).

Abraham was willing to slay his only begotten son because he believed that ÝÝ God was able to raise him from the dead.

God had promised him many descendants.

He believed God would keep His promise.

Do you remember what he told his two servants?

Wait here with the donkey.

ìI and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come youî (Verse 5).

He was saying, ìI'm going up there to offer my only begotten son as a ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ sacrifice.î

ìBut we will both be coming back because God can raise the dead.î

Jesus was beaten;

Cursed, spit upon.

He thirsted, cried, died and was buried.

But ìIn the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ week,î

ìCame Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre,î

ìAnd behold, there was a great earthquake:î

ìFor the Angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came,î

ìAnd rolled back the stone from the door and sat upon it.î

ìHis countenance was like lightening and his raiment white as snow,î

ìAnd for fear of him, the keepers did shake and become as dead men,î

ìAnd the angel answered and said unto the women,î

ìFear not ye.î

ìFor I know that ye seek Jesus which was crucified.î

ìHe is not here.î

ìFor He is risen as He saidî (Matt. 28:1-6).

Jesus arose from the dead.

And if God could raise Jesus,

He can raise us.

Paul said, ìNow is Christ risen from the dead and become the first fruits of Ý them that slept.î

ìFor since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the ÝÝÝÝÝ dead.î

ìFor as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.î

ìBut every man in his own order; Christ the first fruits,î

ìAfterward they that are Christ's at His coming.î

One more thing and I will quit.

When Abraham received Isaac back, he named the place where he offered ÝÝÝ him up Jehovah-Jireh.

Jehovah-Jireh means ìGod provides.î

It means that God provides the sin offering;

That we cannot provide a sin offering for ourselves.

That all we can do is accept what God has done for us.

Abraham could not provide his own sin offering.

God would not let him slay Isaac.

We are not saved by works of righteousness that we have done.

We are saved by His mercy ìwhich is shed on us abundantly through Christ Ý Jesus our Saviour.î

A few years ago, someone tried to get the senior President Bush to eat ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ broccoli.

He doesn't like broccoli.

But they kept pressing him to eat broccoli.

Finally, President Bush said something like this:

ìWhen I was young, my mother told me what to eat.î

ìBut now I'm grown.î

ìI'm the President of the United States.î

ìI don't like broccoli.î

ìAnd I'm not going to eat broccoli.î

He was saying, ìI'm President of the United States.î

ìI hold the highest office in the land.î

ìPeople don't tell me what to do.î

God is like the President of the United States---only greater.

He decides who will go to heaven.

And who won't go to heaven.

And thereís only one offering that God will accept.

Will you ask Jesus to be that offering in your place?