January 9
Gen 20-22 | PS 9:1-12 | Prov 2:16-22 | Matt 7:15-29
Many mistakenly read through the Bible thinking that the Old Testament is the portion of scripture before Jesus and the New Testament is the portion about Jesus. But the theme of the entire Bible is wrapped up in the Person of Jesus Christ as evidenced by Jesus' own statement on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24:27, "Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself." First there are over 300 prophecies in the Old Testament which were already fulfilled by Jesus at His first coming, such as Isaiah 53, Psalm 22, and so many others. We have also already seen Jesus in our readings in the form of Christophanies, or pre-incarnate appearances of Jesus. We saw Him as the Angel of the Lord (notice not an angel of the Lord) in Genesis 18:1-33, and even in today's readings in Genesis 22:11-18. We will notice that the Angel of the Lord allows worship, while an angel of the Lord never does. He is also the Commander of the army of the Lord in Joshua 5:13-15. There are also Old Testament events which look to the future of what would ultimately be fulfilled through Christ, such as the event depicted here in Genesis 22 described below, along with many others such as the Bronze Serpent in Numbers 21:4-19, which is alluded to by Jesus, Himself, in John 3:14-15. Another way Jesus is seen in the Old Testament is through "types" in which an Old Testament character foreshadows characteristics of Jesus, as we see below in the person of Isaac, but in many others such as Joseph who was rejected by his own, sold by those closest to him, sent ahead to save his people, and Moses who led his people to freedom through a miraculous deliverance. So, as we take in the story of Abraham and Isaac, see in it so much more than meets the eye.
We read in Genesis 22 the story of Isaac being offered as a sacrifice by Abraham. We will see in this story that Isaac was a picture or a type of Christ, but Jesus was the fulfillment. We see God's command to sacrifice Isaac in Genesis 22:2, "Take now 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." We see Abraham's response in 22:3, "So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him." Notice after this unfathomable request is made to Abraham, he responds in total obedience without procrastination. For years when I read the story, I envisioned a young boy who could easily be made to obey Abraham. But we notice in Genesis 22:6, "So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together." Isaac was not a little boy but was somewhere between his upper teens to early 30's. This makes Isaac's contribution to the story so much more impressive. He could have outrun, outmuscled, and outmaneuvered his 120-year-old father. We read in Genesis 22:9-10, "...And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son." What we see in Isaac is total submission as he willingly allows himself to be bound and offered." Prior to this we see in Abraham's response to Isaac's question, the prophecy that would come true around 2000 years later in Genesis 22:8, "And Abraham said, My son, God will provide for Himself a lamb for the burnt offering." Interestingly, 22:8 was changed from the original King James Version and the way it is originally translated in the JPS (Jewish Publication Society). In these original versions, the verse reads, "God will provide Himself a lamb". The word "for" is not there. This is exactly what God did. Jesus, being God, was indeed the lamb provided for the sin of all mankind. Amazingly, in Genesis 22:2, we read that Abraham was told to go to Moriah to offer the sacrifice. This Mount Moriah is the exact same location, later called Calvary, where Jesus was ultimately sacrificed for our sins.
Among the parallels between Isaac and Jesus are: both births were miraculous; both births were prophesied before they occurred; both fathers were told beforehand what to name their sons; both were obedient to the point of death; Isaac carried the wood, Jesus carried His cross; both took place on Mount Moriah/Calvary. Though Abraham was prevented from following through with the sacrifice by the Angel of the Lord, Jesus was allowed to be sacrificed on behalf of all of us. Many mistakenly believe that God is continually adjusting and reacting to changing circumstances. God is sovereign and omniscient. As we see in this dress rehearsal of Isaac, God fully knew what He was planning 2000 years later to be fulfilled in the life of His Son, Jesus. May we never forget or minimize John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." Reading the entirety of Scripture enables us to have confidence in an omniscient God who never changes and knows both the beginning and the end.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: