Gen 22:1-14
There are at least two ways to make something bigger to the eye. You can magnify it with a magnifying glass, microscope, or telescope; or you can move closer to it. Magnification makes an object appear larger to the eye, but there is only one way to get a sense of an object’s true size in relation to you. You must move yourself closer or draw it close to you in some way. To see a mountain on a postcard or to view it through binoculars is less awe inspiring than to stand dwarfed at its base. That’s the perspective-altering power of proximity.
1 HE FILLS UP YOUR WHOLE SCREEN
Praise is roughly similar to magnification. Worship, with its characteristic of intimacy and unconditional love, speaks of the power of proximity. When you link magnification of God with proximity or closeness to Him, He fills up your whole screen so that all you see is Him. When you spread your wings of worship, the breath of God, the wind of the Holy Spirit, will lift you high above your earthbound circumstances. What happened? The same problems you had before you walked into church were still waiting for you after church, but your perspective had changed. They seemed smaller, but not because they were smaller. They simply lost their power to overwhelm you because He seemed bigger (and He really is). Everything looks less intimidating when you are perched in Daddy’s arms, viewing the world from His eye view. It also puts you in close proximity to Daddy’s ear! And there’s particular advantage to that position. Have you ever noticed that some people seem to get their prayers answered more than others? It could almost make you suspect that God is a respecter of persons, but He said He isn’t. Is it because they pray right? Is it because they say it right? Is it because they have the right verbiage delivered at the right volume and strength? How many have tried all the different prayer and faith declaration methods only to say in the end, "I guess they’re just better at it than I am"? No, it is not that these people are "better" than you. They may be closer. If you can ever get close, anything is possible. Do you remember how my daughter approached me to ask if her friend could stay for dinner? She knew better than to scream her demand from her bedroom, "Daddy, I want my friend to stay for dinner." My daughter had to exit her room and enter my realm. She worked through the process of winning and wooing my attention through a legitimate buttering up process so she could slide in under my arm and wiggle close to my heart. Only at that moment of maximum proximity and magnification, when she was sitting in my lap, did she finally make her request. Does God require us to "win and woo" His attention? No, but He delights in it. Is it right to butter up God? No, not if you offer Him flattery in place of loving and extravagant worship. The answer is yes if you delight in loving Him and worshiping Him, even while hoping to make a request of Him. The difference between flattery and worship is that those who flatter God in hopes of wringing a blessing out of Him lack genuine relationship and privileged position.
2 LAVISH PUBLIC PRAISE OR INTIMATE WHISPERS FROM YOUR CHILD?
Ask any father or mother what means the most to him or her-the lavish praise of acquaintances on the job and strangers in the community, or the intimate whispers in childish lisps from their own children. I have a mental picture of you sitting at a table with Him enjoying a high tea together. He separated Himself from His usual celestial companions just to spend time with you and collect heavenly snapshots of the worship in your heart and in your eyes. As you sit at a table with your heavenly Father, you realize that many clamor to spend time with Him because of His fame and His power to bless and change human destiny. Yet in that moment of intimacy at tea, He is your loving Father. You instinctively ’must stretch your hands out toward Him from time to time; at other times you suddenly realize all conversation has stopped, and you are simply gazing at Him in wonder over His love. You have no idea just what He can do for you, but it doesn’t matter. His presence matters the most. You know you won’t have to "talk Him into anything" anyway. He already knows your needs even before you ask for them. In that moment, when your heart has melted into His, it is almost as if whatever you look at He will grant you. Since He has become your first desire, everything else has become possible.
3 LIVING AS IF GOD WAS FAR AWAY
The reality is that most people have never experienced such moments of intimacy with God. Many who call themselves Christians have grown accustomed to living their lives feeling as if God was far away from them-an absentee father of sorts. God often anoints or equips people to lend us their binoculars to help magnify Him in our eyes. When people begin to preach or simply talk about Him and the things He has done in their lives, they allow you a peek through their binoculars. Their magnification glass or spiritual telescope pulls their view and their vision of God up very close to you. This is what happened with the Samaritan woman at the well who had a God encounter at Jacob’s well.
"But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." The woman said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ). "When He comes, He will tell us all things." Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He." . . . The woman then left her water pot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, "Come, see a Man who told me all the things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?" Then they went out of the city and came to Him. And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all that I ever did." So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. And many more believed because of His own word. Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world."’
She loaned them her binoculars so they could glimpse His glory. When they saw, they believed. Jesus declared in prophetic authority, "I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself. The Bible tells us that Jesus was describing the way He would die on a cross. I’m convinced there is a second meaning to His statement as well. The Greek word translated as "lifted up" is hupsoo. It means, "to elevate (literally or figuratively), to exalt, lift up, elevation, altitude, dignity, (on) high."
4 ALWAYS LOOK WHERE YOU ARE GOING
I can’t speak for others, but I firmly believe the advice my parents gave me when I was a child: "Always look where you are going." Are you looking at Him, or are you looking at your problems, the might of your enemy, or the size of your obstacle? Are you looking at the waves or the Wave Maker? When things get tough, do you move closer to Him or run away from Him? Many good people accentuate and magnify their problems because they spend more time walking in fear than worshiping in faith. Scripture says, "There is no fear in love; because perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us." "Perfect love" I think that speaks of closeness and proximity to God somehow. One of the first examples of perfect love in the Scriptures involved a mountain, a ram (male sheep), a father and son, and two paths to the mountaintop. God always has done things from mountaintops. Even in our day of modern convenience, self-reliance, and quick-service lifestyles, it seems His whole purpose is to get us and our problems to the top of His mountain so He can take care of it all. For our part, we tend to spend a lot of time looking for shortcuts, or else we simply stop short of His purposes. "But I don’t understand all of that. What does this have to do with me and my problems?"
5 THEY CLIMBED THE MOUNTAIN OF GOD THOUGH THEY DIDN’T UNDERSTAND
Let me tell you the story of some other people who decided to climb the mountain of God even though they didn’t understand. All Abraham knew for certain was what God said: Abraham! ... Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell
Have you ever wondered whether there was any special significance to the name of the mountain Abraham climbed? According to James Strong, Moriah means, "seen of jah" (jah is a contraction of the sacred Hebrew name of God).’
As far as I can tell, every word used in Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible to define the Hebrew root for "seen" supports an amazing conclusion: Moriah may also be translated or interpreted to mean "the mountain of God’s-eye view."
Can you imagine the thoughts flashing through Abraham’s head as he packed for the long journey to the place where God wanted him to sacrifice his only son? He had to live with those thoughts every step of the way, day and night. Finally, on the third day, Abraham saw the mountain of God’s eye view in the distance. It was time to separate the participators from the spectators. Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you."’
Remember that worship in those days involved blood sacrifice. Those four men had three long days and two dark nights to ponder the mystery. They knew they weren’t going to a casual prayer meeting-Abraham said they were going to worship. Everyone in the party knew they had only two parts of a three-part puzzle. Something-or someone-had to die if worship was to take place.
“Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together."
Something was missing, and Isaac must have brought it up as calmly as he could. "Well, Dad, we have fire, and we have fuel. It looks like have everything except ... well, where is the sacrifice?” Perhaps he felt the unusual weight of prophetic destiny upon his shoulders. Was it possible that he somehow sensed another Son would one day trudge toward the hill of sacrifice carrying a wooden burden on His weary shoulders? Another Father would point in the distance to the lofty mount of God’s-eye view. Abraham’s answer only heightened the mystery, but words of faith and worship were all he could supply: "My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together."
Jesus said, "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day." How can this be possible? How can a patriarch from the past see Jesus in the present and rejoice? From the mountain of God’s-eye view you can see the past, the present, and the future. God did provide Himself as a lamb. From the lofty heights of worship you can view your future full of the provision of God. Keep climbing-keep worshiping! That battle is always for Mount Moriah, the lofty place of God’s-eye view. To this day, warring factions still contest that mountaintop. It’s called in contemporary times "the Temple Mount," the seat of Judaism and Islam. There will always be a fight over the high place of worship. You need it, but Satan doesn’t want you to get there.
6 IF WE CAN EVER WORSHIP AT THE HEIGHT, WE CAN RETURN
Abraham set the vision of faith at the beginning, long before he ever stepped foot on the mountain of God. If we can ever worship at the height, we can return. Far too often we get tired of exerting, the energy and sacrifice it takes to get to that height. We decide to settle for secondary ascents and the ease of fast-food service. We opt for the lesser path and hang around the lowlands of low risk and blood-free worship. Then we wonder why we never see the solution to our problems. Abraham would have to pay a price to worship at the height. But Isaac must have suspected that he would be asked to pay the highest price of all. Abraham’s actions confirmed his worst suspicions.
"My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering." So the two of them went together. Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. Isaac might have been as old as thirty, but he was still an obedient, son. Yet that doesn’t mean he didn’t have an intense discussion’ with his dad.
"Dad, I’m just not too sure about all of this. It doesn’t sound good to me." "Son, I can’t tell you any details. Just trust God to provide for Himself the lamb. Look, this is just something we have to do.”
7 THE PROMISED SON ACQUIESCED IN ABSOLUTE TRUST
Then, just as another Son would do many generations later, Isaac the promised son of Abraham acquiesced. He willingly yielded to his father’s will in absolute trust. He didn’t understand, but he would obey. Even if it meant he must be bound with the ropes usually reserved for sheep, goats, rams, and bulls of sacrifice. If you go to worship, you must understand that you will not be able to do what must be done without His help. But He is quick to answer when you raise your arms in the urgency of desperation and cry, "Daddy, lift me up. I don’t like it down here." From the perspective of Abraham with the knife in his hand, and from Isaac’s perspective, bound and lying on the altar of sacrifice, hope was just about gone. Paul the apostle described the exasperation of limited perspective when he said, "For we know in part, and we prophesy in part ... For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part." At the same time that God spoke to Abraham to bring Isaac and the implements of sacrifice up the mountain on one side, He spoke to a ram on the other side of the mountain and called it to a divine intersection at the summit. Abraham’s problem and God’s solution were coming up the same mountain, but the problem couldn’t see the solution until it paid the price to reach the top. God was trying to direct Abraham to his destiny, but I’m sure Abraham couldn’t help wondering, "Keep climbing? God, I don’t understand. I want to know what happens once I get there." Abraham knew what God wanted him to do, even if he didn’t understand the why of it all. Only God could see both sides of the mountain.
Worship, and draw near to Him. Tap the power of proximity, and you may draw near enough to His presence to receive a Gods eye view of your mountain. Then you will have the ability to see both sides of the mountain and the divine intersection at the summit. He sits high, and He looks low. "It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers." God’s goal was to get Abraham and Isaac to the place of divine intersection, but perhaps He spoke to two mountain-climbing parties that day in the land of God’s-eye view. Think about it a moment. We know that God spoke directly and specifically to Abraham about the mountain. But how did the ram make it to the meeting? It seems obvious: God also spoke to the ram on the other side of the mountain. At the right time, He called the ram up the other side of the mountain for a divine appointment with destiny. It seems the ram remained out of view of the father-and-son worship team on the other side. Do you believe God has already spoken to the solution for your problems? It seems the solution often obeys His command better than the problem. He has spoken to your "ram" as well, and He has predetermined the intersection point where you will meet His provision, and solution. It is all laid out, so your job is to listen, obey, and do what it takes to get to that point. Worship Him, and draw near. If He can get you to keep going, you will find His ram waiting for your arrival.
8 CLIMB AND WORSHIP UNTIL YOUR PROBLEM MEETS HIS SOLUTION
Put yourself in young Isaac’s place. You are climbing up the mountainside with just enough wood for a sacrifice tied to your back. Your mind is racing faster than your beating heart because the missing component to worship is driving you to distraction. For some reason, you know it has everything to do with you and your future.
"Father, how long should I climb? How far do I go?" "Climb until you can’t go anymore. Climb until you reach the end." “Whose end?" "Yours. Praise until you can’t praise anymore. Worship until you have exhausted your abilities. That is where your problems meet His solution."
The Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" So he said, "Here I am." And He said, "Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me. " Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. And Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, "In the Mount of the LORD it shall be provided.""
You are still in Isaac’s place, but now you know how it feels to be a sacrificial lamb, even if only for a brief moment. It was a feeling I’ll never forget for the rest of eternity.
You shouldn’t be surprised-don’t you see it? He prearranged the rendezvous. God has been waiting for you to reach the end of yourself so He can reveal Himself. Worship takes you from human weakness to divine strength, and finally into His glory on the mountain of God’s-eye view.
God’s solution was on its way
What if Abraham had stopped halfway? What if his love for Isaac got in the way of his worship and obedience to God? I you stop halfway, the solution stops too.
Certain things block rather than facilitate the process of receiving that which God has for us and that which is released in worship:
9 Distance
Shouting at God from a distance does very little good; in fact it may assist the devil more than it may glorify God. (See Acts 16)
10 Pretence
Pretending to be close and intimate with God when you are not. The power of proximity transforms us into microphones, amplifying God’s loving and life-giving voice to the people of the world. (The sons of Sceva in Acts 19:13-17 and Peter and John in Acts 4:13-16)
11 Religious Ritual
Religious observance based on ritual (formula, rules, rites and programs) rather than spiritual passion doesn’t bring us any closer to God. (See James 4:8-10)
