The name of God,
“Jehovah Jireh”, occurs only once in Genesis 22, and it means
“The Lord Who Provides”. When the Lord called for Abraham's
willingness to give up his son―for Abraham to put his love for God
above all else, Abraham brokenheartedly followed the Lord's
instruction. He built an altar not understanding why the loving God
who had miraculously given him Isaac in his old age would now ask
for him in return. God's purpose was not to wound Abraham, and take
away the son he loved so much. It was a lesson in willing obedience.
There on the mountain the Lord halted Abraham's obedience, and
provided a ram instead. “So Abraham called the name of that place
'The Lord Will Provide', and it is said to this day, on the mount of
the Lord it will be provided” (Exodus 22:14, AMP).
“Jehovah Jireh's”
provision of the ram is a powerful testimony to Abraham's great faith
and trust in God's character. Abraham followed God's instruction
knowing not only was he called to offer his beloved son, but that in
Isaac the promise he would be the father of a multitude of nations
rested. The provision of the ram is a statement of faith that God
does not abandon the children that He loves. The meaning of “The
Lord Will Provide” was very real to Abraham when God stopped the
sacrifice of his son, and provided a ram. In obedience to the test,
Abraham was faithful to the last second, and God answered His
faithfulness with His provision.
Why would God ask for
something so precious from Abraham? The altar is our place of
worship, and nothing should stand in the way of our “life offering”
to God. The Lord didn't want Abraham to love anything or anyone
greater than he loved Him. It is the same for us. God desires our
love for Him to be above all else. “In worship”, Matt Martin
says, “we lay our most price possession on the altar. There is
nothing that gets between us and God.” The Lord longs for our
willingness to lay all our prized possessions upon His altar. The
Lord laid His most prized possession, Jesus Christ, His son, on the
altar for us. The Lord provided a perfect and spotless lamb. All He
asks in return is our love and obedience.
“Isn't this what our
heart longs for when we need the Lord to rescue us? We long for the
Lord to save and provide. God sacrificed His own son for us. He
doesn't expect us to sacrifice our own “son” in return, but He
does ask us to sacrifice sin and every selfish thing in our lives
that separates us from Him. He asks for our heart to love and honor
Him above everything else. Just as Abraham faithfully trusted God to
provide, so we too need to trust Him. We yearn for a God who sees our
need and provides for us. Sometimes we don't really understand what
our need really is, but He knows and will bring it to light. When we
put God first in our heart and life, He will always be sure that our
needs are met. Just as He did for Abraham, He is never late and
completely provides. “And my God will liberally supply (fill to the
full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ
Jesus” (Philippians 4:19, AMP).
No comments:
Post a Comment