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PAGE 14 (22-23)
LESSON #1 God Will Provide/Ge.22:12-14
LESSON #2 Total Commitment and Total Victory/Gen.22:15-18
LESSON #3 Sarah's Worth/Gen.23:1-2
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LESSON #1 God Will Provide...Ge.22:12-14
Sat Apr 14, 2001
Just as Abraham was about to take the life of Isaac, the Angel of the LORD stopped him and told him to spare the life of his son (vs12). Here are some things to notice about this Angel.
1- The term "angel" can be used in reference to various types ofbeings. It is generally thought of as the title given to an order of celestial creatures, "angels." However, the word itself means "messenger" and is used in connection with celestial creatures, human beings and even God Himself.
2- We have seen this "Angel of theLORD" on other occasions. He appeared to Hagar as she was running away because of the harsh treatment she was receiving from Sarai (Ge.16), He also appeared with two angels, warning Abraham about the judgment coming upon Sodom (Ge.18). In these two appearances, the Angel of the LORD is to be understood as the actual appearance of God Himself, or to be more exact, as a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus.These appearances are called "theophanies" and they are sometimes called "Christophanies."
We are able to associate the "Angel of the LORD" with the person of God either because the people involved in the encounters refer to Him as God, or when they worship Him as God, they are not stopped or reproved, or because the traits found in the "Angel" are only consistant with Deity.
3- This "Angel of the LORD" said, "I know that you fear God since you have not witheld your son, your only son from Me" (vs.12). The "ME" in this passage shows us that it was God and not just a celestial messenger. Abraham then looked and saw a ram caught by it's horns in the thicket (13).
There is an ART SHOW featuring Mid-Eastern ancient art which visited the Knoxville, Tennessee (USA) Museum of Art during the year 2000. One of the pieces on display was a statue of either a goat or a ram, standing on it's hind legs, with it's horns caught in a bush. The piece was from Ur, the very region from which Abram came and the piece was contemporary with Bible times. I thought it was an extraordinary, though un-planned, dipiction of one of the greatest events recorded in the Bible. According to the documentation which accompanied this piece, it was not an unusual thing for a goat or ram to be caught in this fashion. Here at The Church on Higher Ground, we have a man who owned a goat when he was a young boy. One day his goat had reached for something to eat in the "honeysuckle vine" in his yard and had accidentally gotten hung. When my friend arrived home that evening he found the goat had come to an untimely death. From these accounts we see that it is obviously not unusual for a goat to get caught in the bushes. However in our passage it is neither accedental nor untimely. God in His wisdom and mercy had provided a sacrifice, as Abraham had so prophetically stated (vs.8). God had planned the entire event. Though He orchestrated much of what took place, He did not make the choices for Abraham and Isaac. They were free to decide for themselves. God knowing the end from the biginning of this trial had worked all things for good to those who love Him*.
Abraham took the ram, provided by God, and offered it up as a burnt offering in the place of his son (13). This is the picture of God and His wonderful and sacrificial love for us. He provides a sacrifice to take our place. The substitute for us is Jesus. When it appeared that we would have to give our own life for our sins, God sent His Son to take our place and pay our penalty.
Abraham called the name of place "The LORD will provide." God is the great provider. Not just for the temporal needs or even for the deepest desires of mankind, but He provides a sacrifice, a redeemer, a substitute, He provides Jesus, the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world.
Look to God as your provider and Jesus as your Savior
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LESSON #2 Total Commitment and Total Victory...Gen.22:15-18
Mon Apr 30, 2001
It is clear that the "angel of the LORD" is God. "The angel of the LORD called Abrahahm a second time from heaven, and said, 'By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD...'" This tells us that the angel of the LORD and God are one and the same person.
Abraham was commended for offering his son, his only son, Isaac (16). We should give up everything in our lives which stands between us and God. The emphasis in this passage is about the good things, not the sinful or bad things. The sacrificing of Isaac is not to be equated with the giving up of sinful habits, attitudes, relationships, entertainments or wicked behavior of any kind. It is basic to the Christian life to turn from those things which are sinful and this is called repentance. However, Isaac does not represent that which is evil, but that which is holy. Abraham shows us the loving Father Who was willing to sacrifice His only begotten Son Jesus and Isaac actually shows us Jesus giving Himself unreservedly for us.
Making total surrender of our lives requires the giving up of the best we have and trusting God with the "good" parts of our lives. Turning from the bad is "repentance" and surrendering the good is "consecration." The placing of the "whole burnt offering" on the altar is a "holy sacrifice" whereas giving up that which is wicked is "turning to God for deliverance." God will deliver us from the evil things which hold sway over our lives. Those are the things which destroy us. But God does not just want to "save" us from the destructive things of life, He wants to "rule" over the good things in our lives.
God renewed and expanded His promise to Abraham (17-18). Not only will Abraham's descendants be as innumerable as the stars of the sky and the sand of the seashore, they would possess the gate of their enemies. Though Abraham's and Issac's descendants have been many they are small in number when compared with Ishamel's descendants and most other "peoples" of the world. The fulfilling of this promise to Abraham is in his spiritual descendants. Abraham is called the father of the faithful and his true descendants are those who place their faith in his God. Time and again we read about "the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob." Abraham's descendants are those who come to know the true and living God, both in the Old Testament and the New Testament, because of thier faith in the Messiah. The clue as to Abraham's descendants being spiritual is given in verse 18 which says that all the nations of the earth shall be blessed because of Abraham's "Seed."
We are told by Paul in Galatians 3:16 that the "seed" is singular and not plural. The "seed" therefore is in reference to Jesus, through Whom all of the earth would be blessed. The numbers of those who have come to faith in Jesus Christ constitue the innumerable descendants of Abraham.This began with the Old Testament believers. They were able to have faith in Christ by looking forward to His sacrificial and substitutionary death for them. All of the laws, sacrifices, heros, events of the Old Testament pointed forward to the coming Messiah. We now have the fulfillment of those laws, sacrifices, and promises in Jesus Christ. Though the Old Testament people had to look forward by faith to the coming of the Messiah, we now look back by faith to the Messiah Who has already come.
God's promise that Abraham's descendants would possess the gates of their enemies was not just a promise of political and military conquest, but of spiritual conquest. In reference to the coming success of His Church, Jesus said that "the gates of Hell shall not withstand" it. The Church (the Body, Building and Bride of Christ) would conquer the devil, darkness and domain of death by the power of the risen Lord of Life and Light.
This is what was meant when God promised Abraham victory over his enemies.
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LESSON #3 Sarah's Worth...Gen.23:1-2
Thu May 10, 2001
In this chapter we read about Sarah's death at one hundred and twenty-seven years and her burial. Sarah is the only female who's death, age and burial are reported in the Scriptures. Sarah was a woman of great importance.
Sarah was a woman who posessed great outer beauty (even in her old age) and yet her worth was not based on outward appearance, but inner strength and character. Here was a woman who had not always exibited the deepest of spiritual insight and wisdom, but moved in the right direction over the long haul of her life.
As Abraham's wife we expected to see a woman who was a model of spiritual accomplishment, but she did not always take advantage of her spiritual opportunities. The best thing about Sarah is that she was faithful to a faithful husband, and that led her into her own spiritual victories. Sarah's regrets would be her failures in faith. In her lack of faith she made a suggestion to Abram that he produce an offspring through Hagar, their Egyptian handmaid...Sarah had displayed pettiness when she was treated unkindly by Hagar...Sarah, past the age of child bearing, had laughed in unbelief when God promised a son to her and Abraham...Sarah had acted selfishly when she angrily sent Hagar and Ishmael away from the camp. Yet through these failures and short comings, there was a basic foundation of a loving submission to Abraham and a growing faith in God. In the New Testament she is commended for her faith in God and for her submission to her husband. She is lifted up as an example of a godly wife (IPe.3:6).
In spite of her failures of faith, she eventually became strong in faith. Though no one is excused for their failures, God does honor our successes. We are to learn from other's lives and then we are to avoid their failures and follow their faith.
In speaking about the worth of a woman the apostle Peter said (1Pe.3:1-6) for wives to be submissive to their husbands. This is true for all Christian wives whether their husbands are saved or not. This does not mean for a wife to be submissive in areas which cause her to sin. Their is no legitimate authority which leads us to disobey God. (There are two sides to this truth. The husband is to love the wife as Christ loves the Church).
(1) After using the quiet and gentle submission of Jesus in His death, Peter tells wives that they should show the same kind of trusting submission in their marraiges. It is not through argumentation or debate, but through quiet, loving submission that a man is brought to Christ.
(2) The unsaved husband should see the pure and respectful behavior of the believing wife and be drawn to a right relationship with God. Whether male of female, a person is easier drawn than driven.
(3-4) The real beauty of a woman is not simply in her outer adornment, but in the inner person of the heart. It is not a repressed spirit but one which is made quiet and gentle by the presence of God. Not only is this important to a peaceful homelife, it is essential for a relationship with God. (Have you ever noticed how often a physically attractive woman or man loses their appeal once they open their mouth or behave in public)?
(5) Peter then says Bible women of old adorned themselves with these spiritual qualities which expressed themselves in submission to their husbands.
6) Finally Sarah is lifted up as the model to be followed. She honored her husband by trusting God rather than fearing her husband. God wants a quiet, pure, respectful, gentle, trusting submission both to Himself and to husbands.
This is not obtained through natural temperments or attained by human effort but it is gained by a trusting and obedient relationship with God. In this, women are called to be the children of Sarah.
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