GIVING ALL

GIVING ALL
Tommy Franks

Gen.22:1-5 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt (test) Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And he said, Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and get into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains in which I will show you. And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and took the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place in which God had told him. Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said unto his young men, Stay here with the donkey; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.

· God tested Abraham. Why? Perhaps, this was not so much a test that would produce faith…as it was a test that would reveal faith. What do you think? God had been building Abraham slowly, piece by piece, into a man of faith for many, many years.
· Isaac was the child of promise for over 25 years. Now, Isaac is about 30 years old.
God had made Abraham this promise 55 years earlier.
· Why do you think God called Isaac…Abraham’s only son? Abraham (in fact) had
another son (Ishmael). Was it because Ishmael had been put away…as far as God was concerned?
· Abraham told the men that he and his son would return. How did he know?

Gen 22:6-9 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid [it] upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. And Isaac spoke unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here [am] I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where [is] the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.

· Isaac had to carry the wood for the sacrifice even as Christ had to carry the cross.
· Where is the sacrifice? Abraham replies, "My son, God will provide Himself a lamb
for a burnt offering (sacrifice)". Did Abraham actually know this?
· God had (in fact) promised Abraham (Genesis 21:12) that his descendants would
come through Isaac, and since Isaac had no children when God asked for the sacrifice, Abraham knew that, if necessary, God would raise Isaac from the dead.
· Like Christ, Isaac was a willing sacrifice. Isaac (30) could have easily
overpowered his aging father (now 130 years old). Abraham died at 175 years.
· How would we react if God asked us to do such a thing as this?
· Why did Abraham take the knife? Why didn't he just "forget" it. I believe that
“the knife” was cutting into his own heart as well. I would have left the knife at home and told God that I forgot it! Oh Yeah!

Gen 22:10-14 Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here [am] I. And he said, Lay not your hand upon the lad, neither do anything to him: for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only [son] from me. And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind [him] a ram was caught in a thicket by his horns. Abraham took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering instead of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place JehovahJireh (the Lord will provide): as it is said [to] this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen (provided).

· Jehovah-Jireh: "God sees, God provides, God is our Provider". "In the mount of the
Lord it shall be seen" was a prophecy of the sacrifice of Jesus by the Father on the same mount. Is God still Jehovah Jireh?
· Gen 22:19 So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went
together to Beersheba.
· Abraham had given his best to God. God rewarded him immensely. God said, “That in
blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which [is] upon the sea shore; and your seed shall possess the gate of his enemies. And in your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because you have obeyed my voice” (Gen.22:17-18).

· Would God tell someone to do this today? This was done in Abraham’s day for a
specific purpose, specific plan, specific place, and to a specific person. We never see it again repeated.
· Some people say that Abraham had to learn the difference between trusting the
promise and trusting the Promiser. I believe they are one and the same.
· Abraham responded to faith immediately: He never hesitated. Abraham rose early in
the morning to do this. I doubt if he could sleep that night anyway. Abraham trusted God…even when he did not understand. He didn't debate or seek counsel from others. He knew what he had to do. How do you think Abraham felt inside? Abraham was trusting God…even when he didn’t feel like it. He was truly walking by faith!

Heb.11:17-19 “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, "In Isaac your seed shall be called," …concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.”

· Abraham believed God. Abraham believes that should he kill Isaac, God would raise
him from the dead, because God had promised that Isaac would carry on the line of blessing and the covenant. Abraham knew that in Isaac his seed would be blessed. Isaac had to have children. Abraham knew that God was not a liar! It was impossible for God to break His promise.

At Mt. Moriah (now called Calvary) in 30 AD, another Son was also offered as a sacrifice …Who might that be?