What Does This Mean? ~ Substitution and Provision
Looking through a short sermon series on Old Testament images that help us to understand the message of Easter and the cross.
We learn about how God tested Abraham to see if he would be willing to sacrifice his son, Isaac. The story may be appalling, but it teaches us valuable lessons.
This passage calls us to do the same thing Abraham is called to do: trust that God is wise and good, and not insist that He explain Himself.
What might we learn from this passage?
The central thread in Abraham's story is a promise that God will bless him, multiply his family into a great nation, and bless the world through them.
- Abraham's problem
- What sacrifice will Abraham offer? Will he kill and burn Isaac, his son?
- Abraham has a life-long habit of taking things into his own hands rather than trusting God
- God's solution: a substitute (and a test)
- The "angel of the Lord" - an expression for God Himself in Genesis - speaks to Abraham telling him to stop and not to harm Isaac.
- The Lord will provide
So What?
How does this story help to prepare us for Easter?
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- it echoes several of the ideas we saw last week in Genesis 3. We are reminded of the sacrifice principle: sin leaves us naked and ashamed, it needs to be covered, and this requires a death. Also, we cannot solve the sin problem ourselves. God is the one who must provide the solution.
- it echoes several of the ideas we saw last week in Genesis 3. We are reminded of the sacrifice principle: sin leaves us naked and ashamed, it needs to be covered, and this requires a death. Also, we cannot solve the sin problem ourselves. God is the one who must provide the solution.
- Genesis 22 makes us aware that to receive God’s gift we must be prepared to surrender. In part, this is a surrender of our self-sufficiency. We must stop trying to cover ourselves (like Adam and Eve) and to stop trying to fulfill God’s promises (like Abraham), and let God do what we cannot.
What does this mean, practically, for us this week?
- We need to remember again and again that it is God who provides for us, and we need to trust him
- It is always good to put ourselves into the story
May God make us willing and full of faith.
May He help us to understand how faithful He is,
and how beautiful and worthy.
That, after all, is what “worship” means.