From: January 9, 2024
“And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son” (Genesis 22:6 ESV).
God told Abraham to sacrifice his son on a mountain in the land of Moriah. Early the next morning, Abraham took his son Isaac and his servants and headed out. As they approached Mt. Moriah, Abraham told his servants to stay behind and taking the wood from their donkeys, he laid it on Isaac’s shoulders. Isaac would carry the wood on his shoulders up the steep mountain as Abraham followed, carrying the fire and knife for the sacrifice.
Can you see it? Abraham’s beloved son carrying the wood on his shoulders, sweat dripping from his brow as he carried the load. Isaac was no longer a child. He was near manhood, yet completely obedient to his father, even unto death. When Isaac asked about the sacrifice, Abraham told him that God would provide the lamb for it.
Centuries later, the Promised Seed of Abraham (See Gen. 12:7; Gal. 3:16), the Son of God, Jesus Christ walked up that same hill bearing a wooden cross on His shoulders, obedient to the Father even unto death. He was the promised Lamb of God. For God the Father “did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all” (Rom. 8:32).
Just as Abraham put the wood on Isaac’s shoulders, so the Father sent His Son to carry the wooden cross on His. For the Genesis story foreshadows the Gospel story that God’s only begotten Son would willingly die as an atonement for our sin.
PRAYER: Dear Father, thank you for the Scriptures that point us page after page to Jesus. Holy Spirit, always help us look for Jesus, for He is the key to knowing You and understanding Your Word. In Jesus name, Amen.
From: January 9, 2023
“Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba, and there he worshiped the LORD, the Eternal God” (Genesis 21:33 NLT).
As Abraham grew in his relationship with God, more and more was revealed to him concerning the nature and character of God. Often these revelations took the form of a new name of God. Two of those names of God are seen here in this verse: “LORD” and the “Eternal God..”
When most English translations of the Bible encounter the covenantal name of God, which was given to Moses at the burning bush, they denote it by the word “LORD” in all caps. It is a translation of the Hebrew word: “יְהוָֹה”, which the Jews have considered too holy to say. Therefore they refer to it as the Tetragrammaton or “The Name.” This is the name pronounced “Yahweh,” or “Jehovah.” The name means, “I AM,” the eternally present, self-existent One.
At the new well that Abraham had dug, which he named “Beersheba,” which means “Well of Seven,” he planted a Tamarisk tree and called on the LORD, the “Everlasting God.” Thus, a second name for God was revealed, “Everlasting God” (“אֵ֥ל עֹולָֽם” – “El Olam”).
Human characters come and go as we turn the pages of the Bible, yet the character of God is progressively revealed to us chapter by chapter. Yes, this section is about Abraham, but really if we have spiritual eyes to see, it is primarily about God. And where do we encounter the fullest revelation of God in the Bible? In Jesus. For as John wrote in his gospel, “No one has ever seen God. God’s only Son, the one who is closest to the Father’s heart, has made him known” (John 1:18).
PRAYER: Dear Father, we want to know You better. You have given us Your Word and we want to read it with Your Spirit’s instruction. We want to grow in our knowledge of You. Even more, You have given us Your Son. Thank You Lord. For He is the One who has made it possible for us to know You. Help us to grow more and more like Him as You have promised. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: January 9, 2020
THE BIBLE IS PRIMARILY A BOOK ABOUT GOD
As Abraham grew in his relationship with God, more and more was revealed to him concerning the nature and character of God. Often these revelations took the form of a new name of God. When most English translations of the Bible encounter the covenantal name of God, which was given to Moses at the burning bush, they denote it by the word “LORD” in all caps. This is the name “Yahweh” (“יְהוָֹה”), or as some have pronounced it, “Jehovah.” The name means, “I AM,” the eternally present, self-existent One.
At the new well that Abraham had dug, which he named “Beersheba,” which means “Well of Seven,” he planted a Tamarisk tree and called on the LORD, the “Everlasting God.” Thus, a second name for God was revealed, “Everlasting God” (“אֵ֥ל עֹולָֽם” – “El Olam”).
Human characters come and go as we turn the pages of the Bible, yet the character of God is progressively revealed to us chapter by chapter. Yes, this section is about Abraham, but really if we have spiritual eyes to see, it is primarily about God. And where do we encounter the fullest revelation of God in the Bible? In Jesus. For as John wrote in his gospel, “No one has ever seen God. God’s only Son, the one who is closest to the Father’s heart, has made him known” (John 1:18).
PRAYER: Dear Father, we want to know You better. You have given us Your Word and we want to read it with Your Spirit’s instruction. We want to grow in our knowledge of You. Even more, You have given us Your Son. Thank You Lord. For He is the One who has made it possible for us to know You. Help us to grow more and more like Him as You have promised. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: January 9, 2018
Abraham named the place where he took Isaac to be sacrificed in obedience to the LORD’s command, “Yahweh-Yireh” (Or its Anglisized version: “Jehovah-Jireh”). The name was given in praise of the LORD’s provision of a sacrifice in place of Abraham’s son. This became a well known name in the region of Mount Moriah where at a later time, Solomon built the Temple and even later, Jesus, God’s only Son, was crucified. The LORD has indeed provided a lamb in place of Isaac and in place of all those who believe. This lamb is Jesus, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29).
From: January 9, 2016
When Isaac asked his father about the sacrifice, Abraham’s faith-filled response was: “God will provide the lamb.” Surely, Isaac had accompanied his father on many occasions as he made sacrifice to the Lord. Yet, on this day, they brought no offering. Fire and wood they brought, but no lamb. What a long, difficult climb up the mountain this must have been, as Isaac watched his father’s face for a hint of explanation and Abraham listened for the Lord to whisper some new instruction. Both Abraham and Isaac passed this test of faith. Abraham, obedient to God, took his promised son, the child that had brought laughter to his old age, and prepared to offer him as a sacrifice. And Isaac, obedient to his father, willingly surrendered himself, going silently to the slaughter. But God did provide. Isaac didn’t have to die. This story of Abraham and Isaac foreshadows God’s offering of His only Son, Jesus, as the Lamb. God has provided for “himself” (not from us, from “Himself”) a Lamb, so that we don’t have to die. As John the Baptist declared when he saw Jesus approaching the Jordan river, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).
From: January 9, 2015
What foundation is your life built upon? Your beliefs, your passions and loves, your pursuits… what is your guiding principle? On what basis have you built your house, your marriage, your parenting, your life? Jesus never promised that those who followed Him and built their life on Him would avoid life’s storms. But He did promise that when the storms come that they would be secure. Have you built your life on the Rock?