Originally posted: 01/21/2019
Abraham called the name of that place The Lord Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “In the mount of the Lord it will be provided,” (22:14).
God appears to Abraham…again. We’ve marveled in several of the previous chapters at His appearing: to call; to promise; to rescue; to reconfirm His promise; to comfort; to divulge His intentions; to warn; to guide; to heal; to fulfill.
And though we readily admit His ways are not our ways, and we can never fully understand why He does what He does, these past appearances somehow harmonize with our own perceptions of God and His character.
But here, God appears… to test. Ouch! And He does so by asking Abraham to sacrifice his most loved possession, his beloved Isaac, the son of God’s promise! Not only does God seem to ask the unthinkable, but He tells Abraham to go to a mountain that is a three-day’s journey away. Nothing easy about this test! Three days to mull it over, to reconsider, to back out. And then after this arduous trek that surely exhausted all his faculties, physical, mental, emotional and spiritual, there is still that mountain to climb.
Consider His Mount of Provision
- His Mount of Provision is an invitation to encounter Him by faith.
- Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “here I am,” (22:1).
- Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “here I am,” (22:1).
- His Mount of Provision examines and tests hearts.
- “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.” 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 wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him… 7 “My father…where is the lamb for the offering?” … 8 “God will provide for Himself the lamb,” (22:2-3, 7-8).
- “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.” 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 wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him… 7 “My father…where is the lamb for the offering?” … 8 “God will provide for Himself the lamb,” (22:2-3, 7-8).
- His Mount of Provision is always for our good.
- “Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me,” (22:12).
- His Mount of Provision reveals what He alone can do.
- Then Abraham raised His eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket… (22:13).
- His Mount of Provision yields abundant blessing.
- “By Myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son,17 indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. 18 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice,” (22:16-18).
- “By Myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son,17 indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. 18 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice,” (22:16-18).
As we consider His Mount of Provision, how are we to respond?
- Encounter Him through faith. “God will provide for Himself a lamb…” (22:8).
- We encounter Holy God through faith in His provision for our salvation. The shed blood of Jesus on the cross, when received by faith, has provided our acceptance into His family.
- “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world,” (John 1:30).
- As His children, let us take hold of Him through faith, with a predetermined mindset to trust Him and His Word in all things, especially in trials.
- And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him, (Hebrews 11:6).
- We encounter Holy God through faith in His provision for our salvation. The shed blood of Jesus on the cross, when received by faith, has provided our acceptance into His family.
- Embrace His testing. “So Abraham rose early in the morning and…” (22:3).
- Do not allow the voice of doubt to delay our resolve to embrace His testing. God allows and even orchestrates trials in our lives to strengthen and prove our faith
- knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance, (James 1:3).
- …so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; (1 Peter 1:7).
- Do not allow the voice of doubt to delay our resolve to embrace His testing. God allows and even orchestrates trials in our lives to strengthen and prove our faith
- Endure the climb. “On the third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from a distance… 6 Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son, and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together,” (22:4, 6).
- His testing is meant for our good. Scripture explains because we are God’s legitimate children we will be disciplined. Testing strengthens our faith; and when we cooperate and endure, His testings conform us more and more to the image of the One we love.
- It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness, (Hebrews 12:7-10).
- It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness, (Hebrews 12:7-10).
- His testing is meant for our good. Scripture explains because we are God’s legitimate children we will be disciplined. Testing strengthens our faith; and when we cooperate and endure, His testings conform us more and more to the image of the One we love.
- Experience His provision. Abraham called the name of that place The Lord Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “In the mount of the Lord it will be provided,” (22:14).
- God, and God alone, is the One Who provides our peace and righteousness!
- All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness, (Hebrews 12:11).
- All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness, (Hebrews 12:11).
- God, and God alone, is the One Who provides our peace and righteousness!
- Enjoy His blessings. “Then the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven, and said, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 indeed I will greatly bless you…” (22:15-17).
- On the Mount of His provision we delight in His presences and His promises.
- And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing, (James 1:4).
- On the Mount of His provision we delight in His presences and His promises.
What if Abraham had decided God was asking too much, or that he was too old, too weak? We can’t miss this! Abraham understood, an encounter with Holy God is only possible by faith, and he chose to embrace and endure the test before he experienced and enjoyed God’s provision and blessing. Let us not miss the Mount of His Provision by giving up before we get there!