Scripture: Genesis 22:13-14; Matthew 6:25-34
Series: Names of God – Looking at a few names of God in the Old and new Testament - (Jehovah Jireh, Jehovah Rapha, God the Father, God in Flesh – Yeshua (Jesus) God as Spirit (Holy Spirit)
Theme – Yahweh Yireh (Jehovah Jireh)
Proposition – God reveals Himself as the God who not only sees but provides.
INTRO:
What would you say if you were asked you to –
Share a little bit about yourself.
How much would you share?
How far back in your life would you start the conversation?
How open and revealing would you be?
When it comes to the Bible, we see the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY repeatedly revealing more and more about His character, His nature, His plan for Creation and His love for human beings.
At first, it may seem like our Old Testament story has all the makings of an ancient horror story. A horrifying story involving some god or goddess that will not be pleased until they take the most precious thing away from one of their worshippers.
It sounds like something we would read about involving one of Canaanite gods - Molech, Chemosh or Baal or even one of the Greek, Roman or Egyptians gods or goddesses. It is not something that we would think we would be reading that involves the Lord God Almighty.
But as we read the entire story, we discover that the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY is nothing like those other so-called gods or goddess. He is the Good God of Creation; the Great I Am and the true Lord of Lords and King of Kings.
I am convinced that Abraham was taken by surprise by what was going on. Then I am sure he became greatly confused until finally he began to understand the true nature of the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY.
Again, at the beginning it does look like the God that Abraham had committed his life to was asking Abraham to do something that the other Canaanite gods commonly asked their worshippers to do – to sacrifice one of their children.
Despite that thought; Abraham was determined to be faithful to the Lord God Almighty no matter what the cost. That faithfulness extended to his son Issac as well. This is not a story of a man who kidnaps his son and forces him on the altar to be sacrificed.
That is not what is being played out in Genesis chapter 22.
It is a seasoned man and a young man in his 20’s doing what they believe is the best thing they can do to serve their God – the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY – THE GOOD GOD OF CREATION.
Isaac agrees to allow his father Abraham to take his life on an altar of sacrifice if that is God’s will.
Now, it is one thing for Abraham to be willing to give the life of his son and it is quite another thing for Isaac to be willing to lay down his life for his father’s faith and for his faith.
No matter how you look at this story it is a story in which these two men were determined to be obedient. They were fully consecrated and committed. That is a powerful key to understanding this passage.
Both father and son were trusting that somehow, someway that the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY was going to make everything come out right. In their hearts they believed that the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY would make a way for everything to end well.
The story unfolds this way:
+Abraham tells his son what is to happen.
+Isaac agrees to be the sacrifice.
+Abraham binds his son and helps him get on the altar.
+Abraham spends time in worship and prayer.
+The killing knife is raised to deliver the fatal blow.
+Right before the blow can be administered, the Angel of the LORD commands Abraham to put down the knife.
+Abraham is then told to release his son for the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY has provided a sheep to take Isaac’s place.
Abraham and Isaac then sacrifice the sheep and continue to worship the LORD. As they leave the mountain and begin their journey home, they are closer to one another and nearer to the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY. Both father and son have been willing to pay the ultimate sacrifice.
Abraham cries out that now he knows God intimately more than ever before. He knows God not only as the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY but as Jehovah Jireh – the God that always sees and will always provide.
Now, what are we who live nearly 4,000 years later to receive from this story? What are we to learn?
Let me share with you this morning two things that I think we can take from this story that will not only bring us great comfort but will challenge us to become closer to the LORD as well.
1. Jehovah Jireh
The first one deals with that name that Abraham gave the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY.
Abraham called God – the God who sees and provides – Jehovah Jireh.
Abraham believed that God – the Lord God Almighty – the Good God of Creation – was not only all powerful but all loving and kind as well. He believed that unlike the other gods and goddesses that were worshipped back in his homeland of Ur of the Chaldees and now among the peoples of Canaan were false gods. He believed that the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY was the only true God.
Abraham’s faith was quite radical in that day.
By many around him, he was seen as an odd outsider. He was seen as foolish.
All around Abraham and Isaac were thousands of people who daily worshiped the sun, the moon or the stars. Others worshiped either the god of thunder - Baal, the god of the fire - Molech or one of the hundred or more other beings, entities or spirits that people regularly bowed down to and worshiped.
Abraham and his people stood apart. They believed in only 1 God – the Lord God Almighty – the God who created the heavens and the earth. The God who had made humans in His own image and breathed life into them through His own Holy Spirit.
Abraham had shared how different His God – the true God was to all those other false gods and goddesses. His God gave life and never took life. His God gave blessings and never wanted to harm humans.
And then our story happened.
Would Abraham now reject the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY?
Would he now think of him like the god of Molech and others that at times required human sacrifice?
Was the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY really that different than the other gods and goddesses?
“No” to the first two questions and a resounding “Yes” to the third – the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY – THE GOOD GOD OF CREATION – is different, true and holy.
Abraham understood a fundamental truth that all of us need to receive this morning –
God – Our God – the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY – the Father, Son and Holy Spirit sees the future as well as the past and the present and He knows, understands and will provide all that we need in this life and in the life to come.
You see, God was never going to take Isaac’s life. He was never going to go against His own holy nature. As scripture tells us this was a test, a test that opened a new door of deeper revelation for both Abraham and Isaac.
For the rest of their lives along with others would share this story for generations the people of God would understand that God is Jehovah Jireh – He is the God who sees and the God who provides.
It is imperative that we listen to the LORD and that we understand that our God is always in the place to help us make sound decisions, avoid mistakes and live a life more abundantly than we can ever think possible.
For He is the God who knows the past, the present and the future. He is the God who will guide us - beside the still waters and the green pastures and He will protect us and walk with us even through the valley of death to everlasting life.
This is who our God is – He is the God who sees and provides all that we could ever need.
That’s the first thing I believe this passage wants to share with us.
II. Secondly, it shares with us this curious image of a sheep.
A sheep that took Isaac’s place. A sheep that God provided as an alternative for Isaac.
Now, of course we today understand that this story is just a shadow of another son that was willing to give his life – another sheep so to speak. That son was Jesus Christ; God in flesh.
It’s here that it can get a little confusing. Did God the Father sacrifice His Son – Jesus in our place?
We can read the Bible and come up with that picture, but a better picture is this – God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are Three in One. They are separate and yet One and they together did what was necessary to bring redemption and salvation to humankind.
Jesus – God in flesh became that sheep so that all the Isaacs and Abrahams and Davids and Ruths and Sarahs and Marys and Pauls and everyone else could find redemption, could experience salvation and be infilled with God’s Holy Spirit.
We see a similar story type in the putting of the sheep’s blood on the door posts in the time of Moses to save the first born of the family. Those that had the blood of the sheep on their door posts were saved from the Death Angel.
It’s here that I want to take the story and give it a little twist.
I want us to put ourselves in the place of that sheep in the Abraham story and the sheep in the story of Moses.
Just go with me for a few minutes.
+John 10 talks about Jesus being the Great Shepherd and his disciples being His sheep.
+John 21 we have the story of Jesus telling Peter to take care of the sheep.
Just go with me and think of yourself as one of Jesus’ sheep.
I want you to think about becoming the very thing needed so that someone else could receive the ability to live a full life.
That sheep in the Abraham story enabled Isaac to live.
The sheep in the Moses story enabled the first born to live.
And we know that Jesus became the sacrificial sheep of all time on the cross of Calvary.
I believe that in some ways all of us that follow Jesus are called to become a way ( a sheep) for others to find faith, freedom and life.
Now, I know that is perhaps a strange idea but just continue to follow with me for a moment.
That sheep provided what Abraham and Issac needed. God instructed that sheep to give its all for Abraham and Issac.
The same could be said for the sheep in the Moses story.
Now, let’s put this all into practical language:
Every week this sheep giving happens around here – it happens on Sunday, on Tuesday, on Wednesday and any other day that is necessary.
We have around quite a number of people who show up on Tuesday morning from 10 – 12:30 to have certain needs meet. Those needs are physical, emotional, and spiritual.
Most come to receive a box full of life-giving provisions – cans of food, some breads, some fruit and vegetables.
They come in need. They need someone to be their provider, sustainer and encourager.
They need a sheep – like Isaac did and like the people of Israel needed in Moses’ time.
That’s where we come in and others come in – we become their sheep. We give ourselves – our time, our energy, our resources, our prayers, our breath, our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual being to meet their needs.
God provides through us – we become His Sheep. Sheep that not only follow Him but sheep who are willing to give of themselves so that others’ needs (physical, emotionally, mental, financial, spiritual etc…) might be met.
It’s in this way we become like Jesus who of course was the Great Sheep that gave His Life so that all of us could have everlasting life.
We don’t do these and other things in our own power but because His Holy Spirit lives inside of us and guides us and directs us to be life giving sheep.
It’s what makes the Church (the Body of Christ) different than anything else.
We can do that because we know
+God will take care of us – He sees us and provides for us – He is Jehovah Jireh.
+He provides so many times through the obedience of His faithful, kind and loving sheep.
Take the Abraham story – God provided the sheep who was obedient to the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY and gave its Life.
In the time of Moses – creation obeyed the Lord and provided manna.
When David needed help as he was escaping from his son Absolom who was determined to kill him a man named Barzillai the Gileadite helped David with food and shelter. Barzillai was being a sheep – a sheep like the one we find in our story this morning.
So, we have in this story both a truth and a challenge:
+The Truth is we serve a God who sees and provides.
I can testify to that over all the years that I have been on this planet. God has time and time again provided not just financial and physical needs but emotional, mental and most importantly spiritual needs in my life.
Most of the time that help has come from one of God’s sheep. A person who was willing to share of their resources, who were willing to share of their wisdom and life so that I could experience richer and fuller life.
I think we would all agree that we have had Jesus’ sheep in our lives that have done the same.
I believe this passage challenges us to do:
+Place our all our trust in God to be Jehovah Jireh – The One Who Sees and Provides for all our needs.
+To live as one of God’s sheep – being God’s instrument in meeting the need of others – to be the very means by which others (family, friends, strangers) can experience an abundant life.
Closing:
Close with a prayer and this song – Open Altar or Invitation to Holy Communion.
I WILL CELEBRATE; JEHOVAH JIREH (With Lyrics) : Don Moen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiMMyZzl5vA
OR:
Closing Song – Phil Wickhim– This Is Our God
