GOD WANTS TO TEST ME BEFORE HE BLESS ME
GENESIS 22:1-18 (1, 18)
HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT YOU HAD SURVIVED THE WORST THAT LIFE COULD THROW YOUR WAY ONLY TO BE SURPRISED BY A NEW BATTERY OF TESTS? SUCH HAD TO BE THE THOUGHT OF ABRAHAM. CHAPTER 22 (NKJV) “AFTER THESE THINGS GOD TESTED ABRAHAM.”
THESE THINGS – ABRAHAM 100, SARAH 90 – BIRTHED ISAAC (LAUGHTER). ONE DAY SARAH LOOKED OUT OF HER KITCHEN WINDOW AND SAW ISHMAEL. THE SON OF HER HUSBAND ISAAC AND HER HANDMAID HAGAR. ISHMAEL, THE REMINDER OF WHEN SARAH AND ISAAC FAILED TO WAIT ON GOD. SHE LOOKED OUT HER WINDOW AND WITH A MOTHER’S SCORN BECAME ENRAGED WHEN SHE SAW YOUNG ISAAC BEING MOCKED BY ISHMAEL. SHE WENT TO ABRAHAM AND DECLARED THREE’S COMPANY, BUT FIVE IS A CROWD. SOMEBODY AND THEIR CHILD HAS TO GO AND IT WON’T BE ISAAC AND ME.
VERSE 10 – SARAH – ABRAHAM “GET RID OF THAT SLAVE WOMAN AND HER SON, FOR THAT WOMAN’S SON WILL NOT SHARE IN THE INHERITANCE WITH MY SON. HOMEGIRL WAS HOTTER THAN BACON GREASE.
ISAAC – DIFFICULT SITUATION. EVEN IF HAGAR – ONE NIGHT STAND. I LOVE MY SON – ISHMAEL. WHAT AM I GOING TO DO? . . .
HE SOUGHT GOD . . .
HE SOUGHT GOD – HELP ME WITH MY BABY MOMMA DRAMA.
GOD SAID DON’T TRIP OVER THE BOY/MOTHER, KEEP PEACE IN YOUR HOUSE BY MOVING THEM OUT.
SPIRITUAL THOUGHT: PEACE WITHIN, . . .GOT TO MOVE SOMETHING OUT.
GOD - DON’T TRIP, BECAUSE IT’S THROUGH ISAAC THAT I’M GOING TO ESTABLISH THE CHOSEN NATION, I’M GOING TO BLESS YOUR SEED FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.
SPIRITUALLY SPEAKING: ABRAHAM KNOWS . . . ALL RIGHT
HUMANLY SPEAKING: SUFFERED THE LOST SON, BABY’S MOMMA. . .
CHAPTER 22 – SOME TIME HAS PASSED, GOD DECIDES TO TEST HIM . . .
TAKE HIS BELOVED SON; HIS ONLY SON, WHOM HE LOVES – GO TO THE LAND OF MORIAH (THE PLACE WHERE THE LORD PROVIDES/APPEAR) AND OFFER HIM UP AS A BURNT OFFERING/SACRIFICE.
TWO-FOLD PAIN FOR ABRAHAM:
1ST – HE’S CALLED TO GIVE UP THAT WHICH HE LOVES.
SACRIFICE – NEAR/DEAR
2ND – HE’S CALLED TO DO SOMETHING THAT MAKES NO SENSE TO HIM WHATSOEVER, GOES AGAINST HIS ENTIRE BELIEF SYSTEM IN GOD. YET, HE KNOWS HE MUST WALK NEVERTHELESS BY FAITH. . .
VERSE 3 – EARLY THE NEXT MORNING ABRAHAM GOT UP, SADDLED HIS DONKEY, TOOK TWO OF HIS MEN WITH HIM, ISAAC AND HEADED TO THE LAND OF MORIAH . . . SYMBOLIZED . . .
DIFFICULT SITUATIONS/TIMES IN LIFE
GRACE/MERCY . . . DAVID . . .
VERSE 5 SHOWS US WHY ABRAHAM – FATHER OF FAITH. FOR IN VERSE FIVE AS HE IS GETTING READY TO GO UP THE MOUNTAIN TO SACRIFICE UNTO THE LORD, HE TELLS HIS YOUNG MEN . . .
STAY HERE . . .
MY SON AND I . . .
RETURN . . .
FAITH – WORSHIP – WHEN YOU HAVE EVERY REASON TO WORRY. . .
ABRAHAM – NOT ONLY ARE WE GOING TO WORSHIP – RETURN.
VERSE SIX, FORECASTING WHEN JESUS WOULD TAKE ON THE SINS OF THE WORLD VIA THE WOODEN CROSS, ABRAHAM LAYS THE WOOD OF THE BURNT OFFERING UPON ISAAC. AS JESUS TRUSTED HIS FATHER TO BRING HIM THROUGH WHAT WOULD BE HIS MOST DIFFICULT HOURS, ISAAC TRUST HIS FATHER ABRAHAM WHEN ASKING: DAD, I SEE THE FIRE, I SEE THE WOOD, BUT WHERE . . .
ABRAHAM REPLIES . . . THIS IS GOD’S DOING . . .
VERSE 9 – ABRAHAM STILL OPERATING IN FAITH, BUILDS THE ALTAR OF SACRIFICE, PLACES THE WOOD ON THE ALTAR, BOUNDS ISAAC UPON THE ALTAR UPON THE WOOD, WHO LIKE JESUS IS WILLING TO LAY DOWN HIS LIFE.
ABRAHAM – ISAAC
TRUST ME, IT’S NOT AS BAD AS IT LOOKS. EVEN AS ABRAHAM IS DRAWING BACK THE KNIFE TO SLAY HIS SON, TRUST ME, IT’S NOT AS BAD AS IT LOOKS . . .
ABRAHAM PULLS BACK THE KNIFE AND AS HE IS PREPARED TO COME DOWN WITH THE KNIFE, HE HEARS A VOICE “ABRAHAM-ABRAHAM” TOUCH NOT . . . I JUST WANTED TO TEST YOU BEFORE I BLESSED YOU. I HAD TO SEE WAS THERE ANYTHING, NO MATTER HOW NEAR/DEAR IT IS TO YOU . . .
ABRAHAM LIFTED UP HIS EYES – BEHELD AS HE BELIEVED GOD HIMSELF WOULD PROVIDE A SACRIFICIAL LAMB, A RAM CAUGHT IN THE THICKET.
ABRAHAM SLAYED THE RAM
OFFERED IT UP
JEHOVAH-JIREH . . .
1. THERE CAN BE NO GROWTH WITHOUT GROWING PAINS
2. THERE CAN BE NO TESTIMONY WITHOUT A TESTING PERIOD
a. TEST: THAT WHICH IS DESIGNED TO SEE WHERE YOU ARE TO DETERMINE IF YOU ARE READY TO GO WHERE YOU DESIRE TO BE.
b. I’M HERE . . .
c. TEST WAS NOT DESIGNED TO FAIL ME, BUT TO PROVE I WAS READY FOR WHAT GOD WANTED TO DO NEXT IN MY LIFE.
3. THERE CAN BE NO SUCCESS WITHOUT THE WILLINGNESS TO SACRIFICE
EMOTIONAL
PHYSICAL (TIME/ENERGY)
SPIRITUAL (BELIEF)
V. 17 BLESSING, I WILL BLESS YOU . . .
ASK ANYONE WHO HAS EVER SUCCEDED AT ANYTHING, AT ANY LEVEL – SACRIFICE WAS INVOLVED. . .
