Genesis 22:1-8
After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.” And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.
When God calls your name, what is your response? It is it a zealous, “Here I am”? Especially with regard to a sacrifice, would your response be eager? Would mine?
A sacrifice, a burnt offering made unto the Lord … after the garden these became necessary. Why? Holy and perfect, God, that’s why. His presence embodies holiness. It is only sacrifices and offerings that make us acceptable, not anything we do on our own. We are made from dust … born with a propensity to sin. But God … God made a way then, a foreshadowing of what was to come … a foreshadowing of the “advent.”
Abraham alluded to God’s coming provision when He said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” He did provide a way for Abraham’s son that day. But one day it would be God’s Son who would become the sacrificial lamb. One day, the long awaited perfect, holy, and complete provision would make His appearing and fulfill His purpose. For now, they would settle for sacrificial lambs, goats, and doves, but in the fullness of time, Jesus would arrive and say, “I Am is here.”
God, thank You for the provision of Your Son, Jesus, the Great I Am, the King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords, Man of Sorrows, Lamb of God, Holy One of Israel. What a privilege it is to offer myself to You as a living sacrifice daily. Help me open myself up to You this day completely. Cause me to hold nothing back from You, Lord. Help me say, “Here I am.” These things I ask in Jesus’ name, amen.
Worship Jesus today …
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