Enjoy Him As Jehovah-Jireh Series

Turn your Bibles to Genesis 22:13-14

Title: Enjoy Him As Jehovah-jireh

Theme: Grasping His Provision in Everyday Life

Series: Living in the Aroma of God’s Grace

Listen as I read Genesis 22:13-14, “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. 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.’" (NIV)

The King James says, - “And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh as it is to this day, ‘In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.’” The New American Standard Bible says, “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.’” Pray!

Introduction: These passages of Scripture are found in one of the most unusual, and at the same time, one of the most exciting accounts in the Word of God. Just as the Lord revealed Himself to Abraham, He reveals Himself to us through the Spirit, as He brings revelation and illumination of the written Word of God.

Proposition: I would propose to you that God, our heavenly father is the God who sees and provides as we walk in obedience to His will in our lives. The Lord is as much involved in our lives in practical ways on this earth as He is involved in our spiritual hearts as it pertains to eternity.

There is so much for us to grasp in the Biblical account of Abraham, Isaac and the ram. However, in this message, the Holy Spirit of Christ wants you to grasp the truth of God being Jehovah-jireh in practical ways.

The best way to protect yourself from giving up on the Lord is to have Holy Spirit revelation of what God told Abraham before the announcement of His covenant with him. Catch this powerful truth, “…The Word of the Lord came to [Abraham] in a vision: ‘Do not be afraid, [Abraham], I am your shield, your great reward.” (Genesis 15:1)

At this time in history, the Lord was making a covenant with Abraham. Despite all that Abraham had done in the power and strength of God, in his mind he was no better off in regard to having an heir from his own flesh and blood. There was a practical concern that lay on Abraham’s heart and was dear to him. Abraham wanted an heir for his estate. God spoke to him and gave Abraham the promise of a son (Genesis 15:2-5) There is a powerful truth that must be grasped if one is going to enjoy God as Jehovah-jireh like Abraham did. Genesis 15:6 says, “Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness.” The Christian’s greatest reward is to have God and Christ, to know and believe God’s Word. This automatically places you in a covenant relationship with the Lord.

Interrogative Sentence: In what situations in life can a child of God expect the Lord to prove Himself as Jehovah-jireh? What is the meaning, the significance and realization of God being Jehovah-jireh?

Where the Holy Spirit of Christ is doing a real genuine work, there will be hunger for the hearing of God’s Word. (Act 20:7-12; Nehemiah 8:1-8) Those who long to fulfill “The Great Commission” feed on the sword of the Holy Spirit, the written Word, thus, becoming mature through the feeding on solid food, trained and equipped to prepare God’s people for works of service. (Hebrews 5:11-14; Ephesians 4:11-16)

Transitional Sentence: The first step to enjoying God as Jehovah-jireh is that the believer be willing to be Biblically tested. The opening Scripture to our teaching about Abraham’s faith says, “Some time later God tested Abraham….” (Genesis 22:1) God gives different dispensations – ways for mankind to show their love to Him. Obedience in these dispensations always opens spiritual eyes and hearts to the will of God and often enables the child of God to enjoy Him as Jehovah-jireh, even in practical ways. Human life stands under a divine testing which climaxes in the judgment of God. Set under the Lord’s careful watch Christians come under twofold testing. One, will the children of God seek Him and two, will Christians let Him reveal His provision and will to them in the midst of the testing?

The word tested (nâsâh) in Genesis 22:1 is a verb meaning to test, to try, to prove. This word appears nearly forty times in the Old Testament, often referring to God testing the faith and faithfulness of human beings. (The Complete Word Study of the Old Testament) Testing from a New Testament understanding protects Christians from compromise and enables them to grasp God’s will for them. (The Teacher’s Commentary; Theological Dictionary of the New Testament) To be tested as Abraham was tested means to be subjected to a test for qualification. (Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary)