The Lord Shall Provide

Gen 22:1-14                                                                             June 26, 2005

    1 Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!"

      "Here I am," he replied.

    2 Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about."

    3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 He said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you."

    6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, "Father?"

      "Yes, my son?" Abraham replied.

      "The fire and wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?"

    8 Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together.

    9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!"

      "Here I am," he replied.

    12 "Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son."

    13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided."

CCI: The depth of God’s provision is unfathomable.

Intro: This story from the life of Abraham, is one of the foundation stones in the history of the Jewish nation.

         God had promised to create a nation from the son of Abraham and Sarah. The book of Hebrews tells us, they had waited in faith their entire lives for this boy to be born. And when he was, he was named Laughter because he brought such joy into the lives his parents.

         But Abraham lived in a society that believed very strongly that the first of anything belonged to the gods. The first of the grain harvest belonged to the gods, the first of lamb born to a ewe belonged to the gods, the first calf born to a cow belonged to the gods. And they were given on the altar. This was a way for the people of the land to demonstrate their devotion and in one sense it was a way for them to “prime the pump” with the gods. They would give the first back and the gods would be impressed and give them more.

         But it was not limited to the first of the grain, or sheep, or cattle, they also gave the first born of their homes. Later in the Old Testament we read of the nations around Israel sacrificing their children to the God Molech, and even in Judah, King Ahaz made his son pass through the fire. In other words, he sacrificed his son.

         And so, Abraham too, in the midst of this culture, heard God challenge him to give him his first born. While this demand seems strange to us who have seen God’s character expressed in Jesus, it was not that unusual a command for Abraham’s day. He had probably known many local leaders who had done the same thing. That certainly made it no easier, but understand it was not unusual. Abraham must have agonized over this command from his God. How could he take this one who he was sure God had given him and offer him back as a sacrifice? How could he offer on the altar this one who had brought him such joy? How could he give up laughter after so many years of sorrow? Isaac was Abraham’s dream. This boy was everything his father had ever hoped for. He was Abraham’s treasure.

         Today, does God continue to ask us to give to him our treasures? Does he ever ask us to abandon our hopes for Him? Does he ever ask that we set aside our dreams that we might serve him? He surely does. Jesus told the story of the pearl of great price that the merchant found. In order to get that pearl, he had to sell all he had. Through the years, countless followers of God have given their treasures, have set aside dreams, and have abandoned goals in order to follow God. And it is never easy. My brother owned a house, had two children, both he and his wife had good jobs, he as a school teacher, and she as a nurse when God called him into pastoral ministry. He struggled for a long time, and finally, sold the house, quit the job and moved his family in with his parents and enrolled in seminary. Carol, who sang for us this morning, had a great job in a local credit union. She had raised two beautiful daughters and had a many friends in this community when she sensed God’s call to serve those who have been forgotten. She quit her job, lay aside her dreams, released her goals and she joined the peace corps. For two years he lived in a poor community seeing barefooted children begging daily, and seeking to help subsistence farmers move ahead a little at a time.

         Both of these servants followed in the steps of Abraham who in obedience to the challenge of God, set aside his dreams, released his goals and laid his greatest treasure on the altar. Yes, when God called, Abraham took his son, the only son of Sarah who had been promised to them by God, and set out for the mountain of God.

         What would the conversation have been like on that journey? We do not know about most of the conversation, but are given this one little glimpse: "Father?” "Yes, my son?" "The fire and wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" And Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together.

         God himself will provide. . . How could he have that faith? He was journeying to sacrifice his son? Yet he told him, God himself will provide the lamb.

         Abraham was convinced that the God who had called him, the God who had led him, the God who had given him this son, would be faithful. Graham Cook has said, “God is consistent, but he is also unpredictable. He is consistent in his nature. You always know where you are with God, but you seldom know what he is going to do next. You cannot find security in what God is doing. There is only security in who God is.” And that is the lesson that Abraham had learned. Our security is in who God is, not what we see happening around us each day. It is only as we see the bigger picture that we can see a God who is worthy of our trust.

         Imagine Isaac, some have suggested that he may have been a young teen, getting to the mountain of the Lord with his father, helping his father build the altar, then realizing in horror that the lamb that was being provided was him! He stood still as his father bound him with the sacred ropes. He moved to the altar where his father laid him down. He must have been terrified as he saw the flint blade of sacrifice was raised over his head. And then he heard a voice and the bleating of a ram, quicker than you can imagine the youth was off the altar, the ropes were cut and the ram was prepared! Can you imagine the joy in the heart of Abraham? Or the wonder in the eyes of Isaac. God himself provided the lamb for the sacrifice. And so Abraham named the place Jehovah Jirah, God will provide.

         And I believe that every person who has taken the risk to give Jesus their dreams, their hopes and their treasures has discovered Jehovah-Jireh, the God who provides.

         Today is a day to celebrate what God has done in our midst this year. For this year, we have discovered Jehovah-Jirah, the God who provides. This building and these grounds have been given to God, for God to use for his glory. As a congregation, we have consciously given God our dreams, our treasures and our hopes for the life of our church. Shortly after the Christmas decorations were taken down, we had a cold snap here in Bay City. Then, sometime on Sunday, January 23, a pipe broke in the back of this room and began spray hot water. By the time Ms. Cathy arrived Monday morning for pre-school, the church was filled with steam and water was running through the floor into the basement. Soon we found the leak and began making calls to begin the process of cleaning up. With a quick call a dozen of you came to help pick up water, and after a long day of mopping and vacuuming, most of the water was gone. We discovered that in time of need, Jehovah-Jireh was present, Our God provided.

         Then the extent of the damage began to be seen. Carpet was ruined, tiles were loose, pews were stained and split, tables were water damaged and there was no heat in the building. At least for time, our home was gone.

         The preschool was canceled that day, but early the next morning, school was back in session! And we discovered Jehovah-Jirah, Our God provides.

         But with ceiling tiles still falling and giant air movers still running, it was clear we could not gather in the building for church services. That is when our friends at Essexville Baptist opened their arms to welcome us to worship with them. Ted permitted me to share the pulpit with him and together we celebrated the body of Christ as it is represented in the American Baptist Churches in this area. And together we discovered Jehovah-Jireh, Our God Provides.

         And so it continued throughout the remodeling that was needed. After that first service at Essexville, a donation arrived anonymously from a member of that church “to help with any extra expenses.” And we were reminded that the name of our God is Jehovah-Jireh, our God provides.

         Insurance money was granted generously and the work began, for we were reminded that the name of our God is Jehovah-Jireh, the God who provides.

         The opportunity for additional work was presented and resources were provided to carpet the entire sanctuary, donations were offered that replaced our projector and provided a new sound console, and we were reminded “our God is Jehovah-Jireh, the God who provides.

         Skilled workers were raised up to study and remodel the platform so it could be more flexible. Others looked at the configuration of the pews and looked for ways of enhancing our fellowship. Still others volunteered to paint the back wall in this room and create a splash board in the basement. And we were reminded that our God is Jehovah-Jireh, the God who provides.

         Carpenters came who refinished the baseboard and rebuilt the pulpit. Electricians wired new light configurations and sound. Yesterday I saw a ladder expert do final adjustments that made my heart stop. And I was reminded that our God is Jehovah-Jireh, the God who provides.

         As volunteers scrubbed floors and contractors laid carpeting and installed ceilings, we saw clearly that our God is Jehovah-Jireh, the God who provides.

         As we released our dreams and our goals and our treasures, God provided in ways we never had imagined.

         But God’s provision went far beyond the building. As we worshiped with our sisters and brothers in Essexville we discovered the One we have in common. As we gathered in the basement, there was an excitement in the closeness we felt with one another. Week after week, as journeyed through this time we discovered that our God is Jehovah-Jireh, the God who provides.

         Today we once again dedicate this building, its contents and those who gather here to our God who is Jehovah-Jireh, the God who provides. Today we are invited to once again join Abraham on that mountain and release to God our dreams, our hopes and our treasures and discover that our God is Jehovah-Jireh, the God who provides.

         For Abraham God provided a ram. For this congregation God provided a renewed home. But for each of us God provided his own lamb. Part of what made the faith and religion of Abraham different from the rest of the nations around them was the fact that God provided Abraham with a substitute sacrifice for his son. That God himself would provide a lamb became the hope of the people. And in Jesus that hope was fulfilled. Jesus Christ, as his ministry was beginning, was called “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” Jesus is the lamb that God would provide. When he gave his life on the cross, the hope of Abraham was fulfilled, God himself provided a lamb. Today, as we place our lives on the altar of service for God, today, as we dedicate ourselves to walk with God, we can have the same confidence that Abraham had, for our God is Jehovah-Jireh, the God who provides.

NOTES: Another very significant element of this story is the impact of this event on Isaac. It has often been noted that Isaac is in fact the least notable of the Patriarchs. He does not choose his own wife, he names his son Liar, he is manipulated by his wife at the end of his life, his boys are always in a rivalry for his affection, etc. Could these signs of family sickness be the result of the trauma of having his father place him on an altar of sacrifice? I don’t know, but maybe. What we do know, is that God chose to use Isaac even with all his foibles, and even Jacob, whose name rightfully means “Deceiver,” later became known as “Israel.”

         The story of the Patriarchs reminds us that God in grace will use any who come to him.

         For more on Isaac and Jacob in art and literature see: http://www.abcgallery.com/C/caravaggio/caravaggio36.html; http://www.artchive.com/artchive/R/rembrandt/abraham.jpg.html; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Near_sacrifice_of_Isaac; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac ;