January 8, 2024 - Genesis 22-25

The story of Abraham and Sarah comes to an end, and what a glorious and hopeful end!  But more on that in just a moment.  These chapters tell about the command to Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, his promised son, on Moriah; Sarah’s death and burial; the marriage of Isaac and Rebekah; Abraham’s life after the death of Sarah; the descendants of Ishmael; and the birth and early years of Esau and Jacob.

But back to that sacrifice thing.  Yesterday, in our annual “The Story of the Bible” sermon, Josh took us through the entire Bible narrative and referenced Jesus’ words to the two men on the road to Emmaus:  “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:27).  The Bible tells us about Jesus! Already, beginning with Genesis 3:15 and Genesis 12 and following, we are beginning to get a clearer picture of what God was up to.  And, now, even as Abraham raises the knife above Isaac’s prone body, God calls out to Abraham, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him” (22:12).  Then, “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’” (22:13-14).  What a picture of Messiah and his substitutionary death for us!  The story continues . . .

When Satan assails us to stop up our path,

and courage all fails us, we triumph by faith.

He cannot take from us, though oft he has tried,

this heart-cheering promise, “The Lord will provide.”

No strength of our own and no goodness we claim;

yet, since we have known of the Savior's great name,

in this our strong tower for safety we hide:

the Lord is our power, “The Lord will provide.”   --John Newton (1788)