Lesson 51

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Bible Study 1 - Genesis 22

 

Series # 4:         FOLLOWING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF FAITH

Lesson 51:        Genesis 22.1-19 ABSOLUTE SURRENDER FROM ABRAHAM'S PERSPECTIVE 

 

Genesis 22:1-14(KJV) 1And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. 2And 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. 3And 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. 4Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. 5And 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. 6And 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. 7And 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? 8And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.  9And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.  10And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. 11And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. 12And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. 13And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. 14And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.” 

 

INTRODUCTION

 

I know we just had a study on these passages but there is so much more here that I want us to see because this is one of the great mountain top passages of the Bible. In it, we find one of the clearest pictures of the coming sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross at Calvary. It seems as though God used the life of Abraham as a canvas to paint a portrait of His Own heart as He willingly gave His Own darling Son to die for the sin of man. This is usually how we approach this passage. However, there is another dimension to this text.

 

I would like to look at this passage dealing with ABSOLUTE SURRENDER FROM ABRAHAM'S PERSPECTIVE. As I read the Bible, I am confronted with the truth that no other man was called upon to give so much. Yet, as Abraham's sacrifice to the Lord is offered, we do not see the heart of a devastated broken man. Instead, we see the heart of a worshiper! There are lessons that we can learn from Abraham.

 

As you and I pass through this life, there will be demands made on our lives by God. Often, these demands will call for personal and profound sacrifices on our part. From a human perspective, we may not want to participate in what God calls us to do. However, God's demand from your life and mine is total, absolute, and unquestioning obedience to His perfect will.

  1.  The Bible says in 1 Samuel 15:22 (KJV) “22And Samuel said…Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.”

  2. The Bible says in Romans 12:1-3 (KJV) “1I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 3For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.”

 

Even though we know this, there is still a part of us that wants to rebel against the command of God for our lives. Today, I would like for us to join Abraham as he begins this mountain of absolute surrender from Abrahams perspective. There are steps we must take if we aspire to reach the plateau of God’s will for our lives. Let's travel with this great man of God up this mountain and see what it would take for us to comprehend personally ABSOLUTE SURRENDER FROM ABRAHAM’S PERSPECTIVE.

 

INTERPRETATION

ABSOLUTE SURRENDER INVOLVES PERCEPTION

Genesis 22:1-2(KJV) 1And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. 2And 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.

 

We must be in a position to hear God.

 

FOR THERE TO BE PERCEPTION THERE MUST BE A RELATIONSHIP

 

Abraham came to know the Lord back in Genesis chapter 12. The reality of his conversion is revealed in Genesis 15:6 where the Bible says, “6And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.” Their relationship had often been rocky.

 

  1. There was the example with Lot in Genesis 12:4, “4So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.”

     

  2. There was the example in Egypt in Genesis 12:10-20, “10And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land. 11And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon:  12Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive. 13Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee. 14And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair. 15The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house. 16And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels. 17And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram’s wife. 18And Pharaoh called Abram, and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife? 19Why saidst thou, She is my sister? so I might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way. 20And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him: and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had.”

     

  3. There was the example with Hagar in Genesis 16:1-4, “1Now Sarai Abram’s wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. 2And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. 3And Sarai Abram’s wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife. 4And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.”

 

  1. There was the example with Gerar in Genesis 20:1-18, “1And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country, and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar. 2And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah. 3But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man’s wife. 4But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation? 5Said he not unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this. 6And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her. 7Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine. 8Therefore Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ears: and the men were sore afraid. 9Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us? and what have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done. 10And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing? 11And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife’s sake. 12And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife. 13And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said unto her, This is thy kindness which thou shalt show unto me; at every place whither we shall come, say of me, He is my brother. 14And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and womenservants, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife. 15And Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee. 16And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver: behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and with all other: thus she was reproved. 17So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children. 18For the LORD had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham’s wife.”

 

Abraham was not perfect, but he knew the Lord. If you have been saved then no doubt your relationship has been rocky too. Be that as it may, there is still a relationship. If you do not personally know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior then you have not been saved, and you need to bow to His will and be saved before you can ever know anything about absolute surrender to God.

 

FOR THERE TO BE PERCEPTION THERE MUST BE A READINESS

 

God said unto him, “Abraham:” calling him by his name he well knew, and by that name God had given him, signified that he should be the father of many nations, Genesis 17:5; and Abraham said, “behold, here I am;” signifying that he heard his voice, and was ready to obey his commands, no matter what they would be. From the very beginning, as soon as God spoke, Abraham responded! Abraham was so obedient to the voice of God and so ready to follow God in obedience, one would have thought Abraham was returning from his journey walking West with God rather that leaving to begin his journey. It was that kind of of joy, excitement, expectancy, obedience, faithfulness, and readiness with Abraham. This implies that he had been listening for the voice of His Lord, and even with the difficult times along the way he was not disappointed. God is on the lookout for people who want to be in a deep, close relationship with Himself and totally sold out to God. The Bible says in John 4:23, “23But the hour cometh and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.” If you ever get hungry for the Lord, you will have times of trials which will make you stronger if you are obedient but you will never be disappointed!

 

FOR THERE TO BE PERCEPTION THERE MUST BE A REVELATION

 

God revealed His plan for Abraham's life in many ways in bits and pieces but it was revealed very clearly. This was a necessary part of the process, for no man can know the mind of God until it is revealed to man by God. Abraham's son Ishmael had already been sent away. After many blessings had been granted to Abraham. When Abraham seemed to be well settled in the land of the Philistines, having entered into an alliance with the king of the country; his family in peace, and his son Isaac, the son of the promise, grown up and a hopeful youth; the first appearance of which seemed to threaten the destruction of all his comforts, hopes, and expectations; and it was so: that God did tempt Abraham.

 

God did not tempt Abraham to sin as Satan does, for God tempts no man, nor can he be tempted in this sense. Had Abraham slain his son, it would not have been sin in him, it being by the order of God, who is the Lord of life, and the sovereign disposer of life. God tempted Abraham. In other words, he tried Abraham to prove him, and to know his faith in God, his fear of God, his love to God, and cheerful obedience to God’s commands. This was not in order to know these himself, which God was not ignorant of, but to make them known to others, and that Abraham's faith might be strengthened more and more, as in the issue it was.

 

The Jewish writers observe that Abraham was tempted ten times, and that this was the tenth and last temptation. Yet God was going to require of him to slay his only son, and offer Isaac as a sacrifice to him. Therefore when God called Abraham by name, Abraham said, behold, “here I am;” signifying that he heard his voice, and was ready to obey his commands, be they what they were. Now, the command comes that would take Isaac away.

 

The will and revelation of God is not “I think so.” It is not “I hope so.” It is not a “Maybe so.” The will of God is a “Know so!” It may come to us in many ways and it may come piece by piece and little by little, but it will come to us very clearly as we wait upon the Lord and lean not upon our own understanding, but in all our ways acknowledge Him and have a readiness and a willingness to go with God leaving the where, what, when, and how up to God and saying with our whole heart “here I am.”

 

GOD DEFINES HIS COMMANDS

"thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest."

 

God said, “take now thy son.” directly, immediately; not thine ox, nor thy sheep, nor thy ram, nor thy lamb, nor thy servant, but thy son: thine only son Isaac. Though Ishmael was his son, he was a son by his maid, by his concubine, and not by his wife. Isaac was his only legitimate son, his only son by his lawful wife Sarah. Isaac was the only son of the promise, his only son, in whom his seed was to be called: whom thou lovest; on whom his affections were strongly set, being a lovely youth, a dutiful son, and the child of promise; on whom all his hope and expectation of a numerous offspring promised him was built, and in whose line the Messiah was to spring from him.

 

Every word is emphatic and striking, and enough to pierce any tender heart, and especially when told what was to be done to him. An unwritten discourse may have occurred in this manner: God said, “take now thy son;”  Abraham says, “I have two sons;” God says, “take thine only son;” Abraham says, “they are both the only sons to their mothers;” God says, “take him whom thou lovest;” Abraham says, “I love them both;” God says, “then take Isaac;” thus ended the debate. Then God said. “get thee into the land of Moriah;” so called by the Septuagint, "the high land", the hill country of the land of Canaan, particularly that part of it where Jerusalem afterwards stood, which was surrounded with hills: hence Aquila, another Greek interpreter, renders it, "conspicuous", as hills and mountains are, and a mountainous country is. Still another renders it, "a land of worship", of religious worship; for in this country afterwards the people of God dwelt, the city of the living God was built, and in it the temple for divine service, and that upon Mount Moriah; and the Targum of Jerusalem has it here, "to Mount Moriah.'' Some Jews believe the reason of this name which signifies "fear," and so it had its name because fear or terror went from thence to the nations of the world. However, its origin is from another word, which signifies to "see," and which is confirmed by what is said Genesis 22:14, and offer him there for a burnt offering.

 

This was dreadful work he was called to, and must be exceeding trying to him as a man, and much more as a parent, and a professor of the true religion, to commit such an action. By this order he was to cut the throat of his son, then to rip him up, and cut up his quarters, and then to lay every piece in order upon the wood, and then burn all to ashes. This he was to do as a religious action, with deliberation, seriousness, and devotion: upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of, God said...

 

God was asking for everything Abraham had! All his hopes, his dreams and his plans were bound up in his one and only son of hope, Isaac. God says to this faithful father Abraham, "give it all to me!" Friends, it sounds hard but God always has a wonderful purpose in what He asks of us and He always works all things out for good to those who love Him in His own way, in His own will, in His on time. God gives us everything and wants nothing less than everything.

 

  1. The Bible says in Romans 12:1, “1I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”

     

  2. The Bible says in Luke 14:26-27, “26If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. 27And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple”

 

GOD DETAILS HIS COMMANDS

 

Take now thy son, etc. Every circumstance mentioned was calculated to give a deeper stab to the parental bosom. To lose his only son, and by an act of his own hand, too! What a host of conflicting feelings must the order have raised! Nevertheless, he heard and obeyed without a murmur

 

  1. The Bible says in Galatians 1:16, “To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:”

     

  2. In the Bible Jesus says in Luke 14:26, “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.”

 

God was very precise about what Abraham was to do. When God speaks, He may not reveal every detail of His plan, but your next step will always be made clear.

 

EXPLANATION

 

ABSOLUTE SURRENDER INVOLVES PREPARATION

 

Genesis 22:3-5(KJV) “3And 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. 4Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. 5And 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. “

 

As we observe Abraham doing what the Lord commanded, we see a man who is thoroughly prepared. There are three areas in which Abraham made his preparations.

 

HIS HANDS WERE PREPARED

 

Genesis 22:3(KJV) “3And 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.”

Abraham wasted no time, but got himself up and gathered everything he would need to do what God had commanded. He left nothing out, but he took nothing extra! Abraham rose up early in the morning, for it seems it was in a dream or vision of the night that the above orders were given; and as soon as it was morning he rose and prepared to execute them with all readiness, and without any hesitation and delay: and saddled his ass; for his journey, not to carry the wood and provision on, which probably were carried by his servants, but to ride on; and took two of his young men with him; and Isaac his son: who was the principal person to be taken, since he was to be the sacrifice: whether Abraham acquainted Sarah with the affairs and she consented to it, cannot be said with certainty; it is plain Isaac knew not what his father's design was; and though Sarah and the whole family might know, by the preparation made, he was going to offer a sacrifice, yet they knew not where, nor what it was to be: and clave the wood for the burnt offering; not knowing whether he should find wood sufficient on the mountain, where he was to go; and that he might not be unprovided when he came there, takes this method, which shows his full intention to obey the divine command: and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him; that is, he mounted his ass, and rode towards the place God had spoken of to him, and who had directed him which way to steer his course.

 

There is an urgency to the commands of God. The moment God calls is the moment we should act. In the Bible Jesus says in John 9:4, “4I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.” Procrastination has caused the death on many profound spiritual experiences. We miss many spiritual experiences and opportunities because we hesitate. “MAKE HAY WHILE THE SUN SHINES” should be the rallying cry of the church! Just a thought: If anything is worth doing for the Lord, it is worth doing right! There is no easy way, no lazy way, no cheap way, half-hearted way to truly serve God. May we always refuse to build with cheap materials! The Bible says in 1st Cor. 3:12-13, “12Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; 13Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.”

 

HIS HEAD WAS PREPARED


Genesis 22:4-5(KJV) “4Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. 5And 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.” 

 

Abraham had three days and three nights to think about what was about to happen. To him, it must have made no sense at all, yet he did it without question! Never was any gold tried in so hot a fire. Who but Abraham would not have argued with God? Such would have been the thought of a weak heart; but Abraham knew what he had to do with a God, even Jehovah. Faith had taught him not to argue, but to obey. He is sure that what God commands is good; that what he promises cannot be broken. In matters of God, whoever consults with flesh and blood, will never offer up his Isaac to God. The good patriarch rises early, and begins his sad journey. All he knew was: 1. ISAAC WAS THE FUTURE! 2. GOD WANTED ISAAC BACK! He traveled three days, and Isaac still is in his sight! Misery was made worse as the long journey continued. The expression, “We will come again to you,” shows that Abraham expected that Isaac, being raised from the dead, and would return with him. 

 

Even though Abraham could not make it add up mentally, by faith he was willing to obey God. This is the key to consistent spiritual victory! We are called to walk by faith.

 

  1. The Bible says in Romans 1:17, “17For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith.’”

  2. The Bible says in 2nd Corinthians 5:7, “7(For we walk by faith, not by sight:) ” 

 

God help us to come to the place where, even when God's commands make absolutely no sense, we will still obey Him without question or reservation!

 

HIS HEART WAS PREPARED

 

Genesis 22:5b “…I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.”

 

 It was a very affecting question that Isaac asked Abraham, as they were going together: “My father,” said Isaac; it was a melting word, which, one would think, should strike deeper in the heart of Abraham, than his knife could in the heart of Isaac. Yet he waits for his son's question. Then Abraham, unintentionally, prophesies: “My son, God will provide a lamb for a burnt-offering.” The Holy Spirit, by his mouth, seems to predict the Lamb of God, which he has provided, and which taketh away the sin of the world. Abraham lays the wood in order for his Isaac's funeral pile, and now tells him the amazing news: “Isaac, thou art the lamb which God has provided!” Abraham, no doubt, comforting him with the same hopes with which he himself by faith was comforted. Yet it is necessary that the sacrifice be bound. The great Sacrifice, which, in the fullness of time, was to be offered up, must be bound, and so must Isaac. This being done, Abraham takes the knife, and stretches out his hand to give the fatal blow. Here is an act of faith and obedience, which deserves to be a spectacle to God, angels, and men. God, by his providence, calls us to part with an Isaac sometimes, and we must do it with cheerful submission to his holy will.

Abraham knew why he was there. He was there to offer his beloved son to God. He was there to give everything that was present in that day and all that was promised for tomorrow. Yet, he looked at it as a service of worship! Worship is ascribing worth to someone! Worship is taking a place of absolute humility before God, thereby leaving Him, alone, in the place of exaltation! Abraham viewed God as being worthy of receiving all he had without question or without reservation. How could he do this? Because Abraham knew that God ALWAYS honors His Word. The Bible says in Hebrews 11:17-19(KJV) “17By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: 19Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.” He gives us His great statement of faith in the Old Testament here through Abraham. The Bible says in in Gen. 22:5, “5…I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.”

 

This is the place God would have us all to come to! He wants you and me in a place in life where no one or nothing in our lives is more precious to us than He is! Can we all honestly say that God more important to us than anything else in life? We need to be very careful before we answer! In the Bible Jesus says in Matthew 10:35-37(KJV) “35For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. 36And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. 37He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” Do you think we have honestly come to the place of total and absolute surrender to God? If we ever do, we will learn that we have no rights, no possessions, no positions, nothing but Him and His will for our life. The Bible says in 1st Corinthians 6:19-20, “19What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” Where do you think most of us are in regard to this matter of total surrender? Do you feel we have come to the place where nothing is more precious to God?

 

APPLICATION

 

ABSOLUTE SURRENDER INVOLVES PARTICIPATION


Genesis 22:6-14(KJV) “6And 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. 7And 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? 8And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. 9And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. 10And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.11And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. 12And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. 13And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. 14And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.”

 

THIS PARTICIPATION IS PERSONAL

 

“6And 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.”

 

Abraham personally placed the wood on Isaac. He personally took the fire and the knife and he personally lead the way. For Abraham, this was an event of personal commitment and sacrifice. God has determined that you and I are to be personally and intimately involved in His service and worship. The Bible says in Romans 12:1, “1I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” This kind of life was modeled by Caleb in Joshua 14. Jesus Himself is the supreme example. The Bible says in Philippians 2:5-8, “5Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”  In the Bible Jesus says in Luke 22:42, “42Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.” The question is are we personally and intimately involved with God and His work? God has a perfect, precious plan for our life. Only our involvement will result in its being accomplished.

 

THIS PARTICIPATION IS PROFOUND

 

Genesis 22:7-10(KJV) “7And 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? 8And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. 9And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. 10And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.”

 

Abraham willingly and completely obeyed the command of God. He held nothing back! He gave up everything he had longed for, lived for, and loved at the simple command of God! What an act of love and worship! I wonder if we have really come to that place in our lives? Do most of us even want to? How could Abraham do this? Easy! Isaac was already dead! He died in verse 2 when of God asked for him. That was the level of this man's commitment to the Lord! That is the secret to arriving at the plateau of absolute surrender. It's not about the altitude of the body, but it's all about the altitude of the heart! Isaac had already been offered in Abraham's heart, the rest was mere window dressing!)

 

THIS PARTICIPATION IS POWERFUL

 

Genesis 22:11-14(KJV) “11And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. 12And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. 13And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. 14And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.”

 

Abraham's participation was powerful because it gave God an opportunity to flex His muscles, and it gave Abraham the opportunity to receive some special blessings that he would have otherwise missed out on.

 

HE RECEIVED GOD'S PROVISION

 

 Abraham gave up Isaac and got him back again because he obeyed God. Simply put, Abraham's faith honored the Lord and God in turn honored Abraham's faith. Think about it, while Abraham and Isaac climbed one side of the mountain, a ram was coming up the other side of the mountain! God had already gone ahead and made a way! That will still work today! Our God is still Jehovah-Jireh. When we do what He tells us, no matter what the cost, we will see Him bless in a profound way! God – Jehovah-Jireh – still provides.

 

HE RECEIVED GOD'S PRAISE

 

“12And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.” 

 

Abraham got to hear the Lord say, "I am pleased with you!" Verse 12 points out the whole purpose behind this episode. This was never about Isaac; it had always been about Abraham! God wanted Abraham in that place of total surrender and love for Him. That's what it's about in our lives as well! When God's commands calls for sacrifice, it has nothing to do with what we are told to give up. It has everything to do with our being willing to give it up at the simply command of God. God doesn't want our Isaac's, He wants us! Do you think there may be anything in our lives in the 21 century that we have not been willing to give to the Lord?

 

HE RECEIVED GOD'S PROMISE

 

Genesis 22:15-19(KJV) “15And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, 16And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: 17That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; 18And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. 19So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba.”

 

God renewed His covenant with Abraham. This is merely a reminder that the condition of their relationship was still intact. God knew what Abraham would do! He put him to the test so that Abraham might see what was in his own heart. He was brought to a blessed place of peace, provision, and promise, because he put God ahead of everything else in life. If we really want God's best, then each of us must be willing to put God first before everything else. In the Bible Jesus said in Matthew 6:33, “33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

CONCLUSION

 

ABSOLUTE SURRENDER FROM ABRAHAM'S PERSPECTIVE ISN’T DIFFICULT WHEN GOD HAS YOUR HEART.

 

The concluding question to us all: is everything we have and are totally, and absolutely and completely surrendered to God? God isn't really interested in our Isaac’s; it is us that He wants! Does He have all of us there is to have? Above all else, He wants our heart! He has mine. Does He have yours?

DO YOU NEED SOME HELP?

To find more help in receiving Jesus Christ as your personal Savior please go to the Bible Study Title Page “ETERNAL LIFE.” Please send me an email and let me know about any decision for Christ you make so that I may pray for you. Feel free to send me any questions, comments, or responses you may have as well. For those who are already Christians I invite you to also please let me know of any decisions you make in your Christian life for Jesus. Please send me your questions, comments, or responses and let me know if the Bible Studies are helping you.

rfdenning1951@gmail.com

 

ALWAYS REMEMBER!

The support of your local Church ministry and the ministry of your Pastor should be the first priority of your Christian life and your service to the Lord. Be faithful to prayerfully prepare and attend Sunday School and Worship Service this Sunday and participate in worship as your Pastor preaches the Word. Do not forget to give the Lord at least your TITHE through your local church from your gross income – that is your first fruits. Any other other giving is an offering to a ministry unto the Lord. Honor the Lord in all you do and with all that you have. Always remember that everything you have and all you are belongs to the Lord. It is on loan to you – so manage it well! There will be an audit one day! Make sure the Books Balance!

 

All Bible Studies Are Prepared by Pastor Frank Denning And May Be Be Used By Permission.